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A TRACKPADS COLLECTIONAIR ARCHIVE
United Kingdom / Interwar

Blackburn Shark

A British carrier-capable torpedo and reconnaissance biplane of the mid-1930s that preceded later Fleet Air Arm strike aircraft.

Archive ID: afm_0000109
Blackburn Shark, shown in the selected representative source image.Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — CanadaImage source

A British carrier-capable torpedo and reconnaissance biplane of the mid-1930s that preceded later Fleet Air Arm strike aircraft.

Primary roleMaritime Combat
First flight1933
OriginUnited Kingdom
ManufacturerBlackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company
Documented variants1
Crew modeCrewed
AirframeFixed Wing

Development

Blackburn Shark was developed by Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company in United Kingdom as a maritime-combat aircraft. The family first flew in 1933. Its recorded airframe configuration is fixed wing, with the family classified in the archive as core combat-aircraft scope.

Operational History

Operationally, Blackburn Shark is represented primarily in the maritime-combat aircraft role. The sourced variant records include service with Fleet Air Arm. The current structured record does not attach a specific conflict authority to this family; operational context remains limited to sourced service and role data. Role tags attached to the family include carrier based and torpedo bomber.

Variants and Lineage

Major variants represented in the structured record include Shark Mk II.

Variants

DesignationTypeRoleRecorded operators
Shark Mk IIProductionMaritime CombatFleet Air Arm

Sources and further reading

Structured references supporting this aircraft family, variants, specifications, and narrative sections.

  1. British Naval Aircraft Since 1912 — Naval Institute Press · Tier 3