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ADF-SERIALS
Australian, New Zealand & Papua New Guinea
Military Aircraft Serials & History
 This site is devoted to providing as complete a record as possible of aircraft operated by the ADF, NZDF & PNGDF.
Included where known are brief summaries of the history and current status of aircraft employed in Australian New Zealand & PNG Military Service.

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RAAF A9 DAP Bristol Beaufort

 Beaufort A9-1 as T9450Image digitally coloured at Photographic Training Flight, RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria.

 
     
 

Bristol Beaufort Image Gallery 

 
     
  The Bristol Beaufort was chosen for Australian production by the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) in August 1938. Production would be carried out between 1941 and 1944 at Fishermen's Bend, Melbourne and Mascot, Sydney. The Pratt and Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine would be built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). The State Railway Workshops of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia would build sub-assemblies and components. This was a major undertaking for Australia and the original plan was to build aircraft for both the RAF and the RAAF. The first 58 were issued RAF serials although only 7 where delivered to the RAF, the remainder going to the RAAF and being re-serialled A9-1 onwards.

A Bristol built pattern aircraft was acquired (RAF serial L4448) in 1939 and it was converted from Bristol Taurus power to Pratt and Whitney power and re-serialled A9-1001.

Australian production was 700 aircraft. From A9-50 on even numbered serials came from Mascot and those with odd numbers from Fishermen's Bend

During 1944 and 1945 46 Beauforts were converted to unarmed transports, officially Beaufort Mk.IX but generally known as Beaufreighters.
They received new serial numbers in the A9-701 to 746 range.

  
     
 

                         

  
     

The Author of this page is Jan Herival updated by Brendan Cowan, Gordon Birkett, Martin Edwards & Peter May.

Sources: The Melbourne Herald/Sun, Townsville at War Website, National Archives of Australia, Dept of Defence Media Release, RAAF Historical Section, For your tomorrow we gave our today, Australian War Memorial, RAAF Bairnsdale, Australia@War website, Jack Coutts (Ex 100 Sqn observer), John Snewin, RAAF Beaufort Squadrons Association, Jack Slingo (Ex 100 and 14 Sqn WAG), John Macnaughtan, The Beaufort File, Beaufort Special.

Emails: Ralph Cusack, Paul McMillan, Greg Hyde, Les Bushell, Dean Norman, Doug Lee, Jan Herivel, John Goudie, Daniel Leahy, Gordon Birkett, Keith Hayles, Kim Fawkes, John Macnaughtan, Jason Stagg, Mal Duggan, Brendan Cowan, Martin Edwards, Robert Dettman and Nanette Miller.

Converted to CMS 16th November 2025

Updated 07 September 2019
 

It is our policy to only show historical events, no current operational information will be displayed on this website.
 "The ADF-Serials team give permission to use the content of this page, excluding images, providing that it contains an acknowledgement to the adf-serials team and any other listed sources."