The Lockheed Hudson is a

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dr ...

and

coastal A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

built by the American

Lockheed Aircraft Corporation The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and merged in 1995 with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but otherwise-u ...

. It was initially put into service by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

shortly before the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and primarily operated by it thereafter. The Hudson was a military conversion of the Model 14 Super Electra airliner, and was the first significant aircraft construction contract for Lockheed — the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received. The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

but also in

transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

and

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

roles, as well as delivering agents into

occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

. It was also used extensively with the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

squadrons and by the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

Design and development

In late 1937 Lockheed sent a cutaway drawing of the Model 14 to various publications, showing the new aircraft as a civilian aircraft and converted to a light bomber. This attracted the interest of various air forces and in 1938, the

British Purchasing Commission The British Purchasing Commission was a United Kingdom organisation of the Second World War. Also known at some time as the "Anglo-French Purchasing Board", it was based in New York City, where it arranged the production and purchase of armaments fr ...

sought an American maritime patrol aircraft for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to support the

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...

. The Commission ordered 200 aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force and the first aircraft started flight trials from

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

on 10 December 1938. The flight trials showed no major issues, and deliveries to the RAF began on 15 February 1939. Production was sped up after the British indicated they would order another 50 aircraft if the original 200 could be delivered before the end of 1939. Lockheed sub-contracted some parts assembly to

Rohr Aircraft Corp Rohr, Inc. is an aerospace manufacturing company based in Chula Vista, California, south of San Diego. It is a wholly owned unit of the Collins Aerospace division of RTX Corporation; it was founded in 1940 by Frederick H. Rohr as Rohr Aircraft ...

of San Diego and increased its workforce, allowing the company to produce the 250th aircraft seven and a half weeks before the deadline. A total of 350 Mk I and 20 Mk II Hudsons were supplied (the Mk II had different

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

s). These had two fixed Browning machine guns in the nose and two more in the Boulton Paul dorsal turret. The Hudson Mk III added one ventral and two beam machine guns and replaced the 1,100 hp

Wright R-1820 Cyclone The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...

9-cylinder radials with 1,200 hp versions (428 produced). The Hudson Mk V (309 produced) and Mk VI (450 produced) were powered by the 1,200 hp

Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp is an American air-cooled radial aircraft engine. It has 14 cylinders, arranged in two rings of seven. It displaces and its bore and stroke are both . The design traces its history to 1929 experiments a ...

14-cylinder two-row radial. The RAF also obtained 380 Mk IIIA and 30 Mk IV Hudsons under the

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

program.

Operational history

World War II

By February 1939, RAF Hudsons began to be delivered, initially equipping No. 224 Squadron RAF at

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or more simply RAF Leuchars is a former Royal Air Force station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northe ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in May 1939. By the start of the war in September, 78 Hudsons were in service.Kightly 2015, p. 80. Due to the United States' neutrality at that time, early series aircraft were flown to the Canada–US border, landed, and then towed on their wheels over the border into Canada by tractors or horse drawn teams, before then being flown to

(RCAF) airfields where they were then dismantled and "cocooned" for transport as deck cargo, by ship to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. The Hudsons were supplied without the Boulton Paul dorsal turret, which was installed on arrival in the United Kingdom. Although later outclassed by larger bombers, the Hudson achieved some significant feats during the first half of the war. On 8 October 1939, over

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

, a Hudson became the first Allied aircraft operating from the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

to shoot down an enemy aircraft (earlier victories by a

Fairey Battle The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Ha ...

on 20 September 1939 over

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

and by Blackburn Skuas of the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

on 26 September 1939 had been by aircraft based in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

or on an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

). Hudsons also provided top cover during the

Battle of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk () was fought around the French Third Republic, French port of Dunkirk, Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies of World War II, Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle ...

. On 23 July 1941 a Hudson shot down a

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 ''Condor'', also known as ''Kurier'' (German for ''courier'') to the Allies, is an all-metal four-engined monoplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was the first heavier-than-air craf ...

, while escorting a shipping convoy off Ireland. On 27 August 1941, a Hudson of No. 269 Squadron RAF, operating from Kaldadarnes, Iceland, attacked and damaged the causing the submarine's crew to display a white flag and surrender – the aircraft achieved the unusual distinction of capturing a naval vessel. The Germans were taken prisoner and the submarine taken under tow when Royal Navy ships subsequently arrived on the scene. A PBO-1 Hudson of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

squadron VP-82 became the first US aircraft to destroy a German submarine, when it sank southwest of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

on 1 March 1942. was destroyed on 7 July 1942 while running on the surface off

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach ...

by a Hudson of the 396th Bombardment Squadron (Medium),

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(USAAF). A Hudson of No. 113 Squadron RCAF became the first aircraft of the RCAF's Eastern Air Command to sink a submarine, when Hudson ''625'' sank on 31 July 1942. A

(RAAF) Hudson was involved in the Canberra air disaster of 1940, in which three ministers of the Australian government were killed. On 10 August 1942 RAAF 13 squadron sank IJN auxiliary netlayer Fukuei Maru No. 15 off Beco,

Portuguese Timor Portuguese Timor () was a Portuguese colony on the territory of present-day East Timor from 1702 until 1975. During most of this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Dutch East Indies. The first Europeans to arrive in the regio ...

. In 1941, the USAAF began operating the Hudson; the Twin Wasp-powered variant was designated the A-28 (82 acquired) and the Cyclone-powered variant was designated the A-29 (418 acquired). The US Navy operated 20 A-29s, redesignated the PBO-1. A further 300 were built as aircrew trainers, designated the AT-18. RAAF Hudson

Following Japanese landings at Kota Bharu during the

Malayan campaign The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allies of World War II, Allied and Axis powers, Axis forces in British Malaya, Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the World War ...

, Hudsons from No. 1 Squadron RAAF became the first Allied aircraft to make an attack in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, sinking a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

transport ship, the ''Awazisan Maru'', off

Kota Bharu Kota Bharu ( Kelantanese: ''Koto Baghu''), colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mout ...

at 0118h local time, an hour before the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

. Its opponents found that the Hudson had exceptional manoeuvrability for a twin-engine aircraft; it was notable for the tight turns achievable if either engine was briefly feathered. High-scoring Japanese ace

Saburō Sakai was a Japanese naval aviator and flying ace (''"Gekitsui-O"'', ) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Sakai had 28 aerial victories, including shared ones, according to official Japanese records, though he and his ghostwriter Marti ...

, praised the skill and fighting abilities of an RAAF Hudson crew killed in action over

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

after being engaged by nine highly manoeuvrable

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-capable fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1940 to 1945. The ...

es on 22 July 1942."Australian Story: Enemy Lines".
''ABC-TV'', 2002. Retrieved: 30 April 2014. The crew, captained by P/O Warren Cowan, in Hudson Mk IIIA ''A16-201'' (bu. no. ''41-36979'') of No. 32 Squadron RAAF, was intercepted over Buna by nine Zeroes of the ''Tainan Kaigun Kōkūtai'' led by Sakai. The Hudson crew accomplished many aggressive and unexpected turns, engaging the Japanese pilots in a dogfight for more than 10 minutes. It was only after Sakai scored hits on the rear/upper turret that the Hudson could be destroyed. Its crew made such an impression on Sakai that, after the war's end, he sought to identify them. In 1997, Sakai wrote formally to the Australian government, recommending that Cowan be "posthumously awarded your country's highest military decoration". In 2023, the crew of ''A16-201'' were posthumously awarded the Medal for Gallantry. On 23 November 1942, the crew of a No. 3 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Hudson Mk IIIA, ''NZ2049'', (''41-46465'') after spotting an enemy convoy near

Vella Lavella Vella Lavella is an island in the Western Province (Solomon Islands), Western Province of Solomon Islands. It lies to the west of New Georgia, but is considered one of the New Georgia Islands, New Georgia Group. To its west are the Treasury Isla ...

, was engaged by three Japanese floatplane fighters. After skilled evasive manoeuvring at an altitude of less than 50 feet (15 metres), by the Hudson's captain,

Flying Officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

George Gudsell, the crew returned with no casualties to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. Hudsons were also operated by RAF Special Duties squadrons for clandestine operations; No. 161 Squadron in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and No. 357 Squadron in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

Postwar use

After the war, numbers of Hudsons were sold by the military for civil operation as airliners and survey aircraft. In Australia, East-West Airlines of

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River (New South Wales), Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest ...

(NSW), operated four Hudsons on scheduled services from Tamworth to many towns in NSW and Queensland between 1950 and 1955. Adastra Aerial Surveys based at Sydney's Mascot Airport operated seven L-414s between 1950 and 1972 on air taxi, survey and photographic flights. A total of 2,941 Hudsons were built. The type formed the basis for development of the

Lockheed Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in ...

resulting in them being withdrawn from front line service from 1944, though many survived the war to be used as civil transports, primarily in Australia and a single example was briefly used as an airline crew trainer in New Zealand.

Variants

Lockheed AT-18 Hudson 3-view line drawing

;Model 414:Company designation for the military A-28 / A-29 and Hudson variants. ;Hudson I :Production aircraft for the

(RAF); 351 built and 50 for the

(RAAF). ;Hudson II :As the Mk I but with spinnerless constant speed propellers; 20 built for the RAF and 50 for the RAAF. ;Hudson III :Production aircraft with retractable ventral gun position; 428 built. ;Hudson IIIA :Lend-lease variants of the A-29 and A-29A aircraft; 800 built. ;Hudson IV :As Mk II with ventral gun removed; 30 built and RAAF Mk I and IIs were converted to this standard. ;Hudson IVA :52 A-28s delivered to the RAAF. ;Hudson V :Mk III with two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4-G Twin Wasp engines; 409 built. ;Hudson VI :A-28As under lend-lease; 450 built. ;A-28 :US Military designation powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-45 engines; 52 lend-lease to Australia as Hudson IVA. ;A-28A :US Military designation powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-67 engines, interiors convertible to troop transports; 450 lend-lease to RAF/RCAF/RNZAF as Hudson VI; 27 units passed to the

Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...

. ;A-29 :US Military designation powered by two Wright R-1820-87 engines; lend lease version intended for the RAF, 153 diverted to

(USAAF) as the RA-29 and 20 to the

(USN) as the PBO-1. ;A-29A :As A-29 but with convertible interiors as troop transports; 384 lend-lease to the RAF/RAAF/RCAF/RNZAF Chinese Air Force as Hudson IIIA, some retained by USAAF as the RA-29A. ;A-29B :24 of the 153 A-29s retained by the USAAF converted for photo-survey. ;AT-18 :Gunnery trainer version of the A-29 powered by two Wright R-1820-87 engines, 217 built. ;AT-18A :Navigational trainer version with dorsal turret removed, 83 built. ;C-63 :Provisional designation changed to A-29A. ;PBO-1 :Twenty former RAF Hudson IIIAs repossessed for use by Patrol Squadron 82 (VP-82) of the USN

Operators

; *

**Squadrons serving in the

: *** No. 1 Squadron RAAF *** No. 2 Squadron RAAF *** No. 6 Squadron RAAF ***

No. 7 Squadron RAAF No. 7 Squadron was an Australian flying training squadron of World War I and medium bomber squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in England in October 1917 as part of the Australian Flying Corps, and disbanded in early 1919. It was ...

***

No. 8 Squadron RAAF No. 8 Squadron was an Australian flying training squadron of World War I and medium bomber squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in England in October 1917 as part of the Australian Flying Corps, and disbanded in April 1919. It was r ...

*** No. 13 Squadron RAAF *** No. 14 Squadron RAAF *** No. 23 Squadron RAAF *** No. 24 Squadron RAAF *** No. 32 Squadron RAAF *** No. 1 Operational Training Unit RAAF ** Article XV squadrons serving with RAF Middle East Command: *** No. 459 Squadron RAAF ; *

**2nd Medium Bomber Group (27 units A-28A) ; *

**Squadrons serving with the Home War Establishment (HWE): *** No. 11 Squadron RCAF *** No. 113 Squadron RCAF *** No. 119 Squadron RCAF *** No. 120 Squadron RCAF *** No. 145 Squadron RCAF ** Article XV squadrons serving with

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

: *** No. 407 Squadron RCAF ; *

Chinese Nationalist Air Force Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

; *

Irish Air Corps The Air Corps () is the air force of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Organisationally a military branch of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Ireland, the Air Corps utilises a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft to carry out ...

; *

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

; *

Royal Netherlands Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded ...

** No. 320 (Netherlands) Squadron RAF RNZAFMuseumLockheed Hudson

; *

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

** No. 1 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 2 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 3 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 4 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 9 Squadron RNZAF ** No. 40 Squadron RNZAF **

No. 41 Squadron RNZAF No. 41 Squadron was a transport unit of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The squadron was formed in 1944, and conducted transport flights in the south Pacific during World War II. It remained active after the war, and flew supplies to th ...

** No. 42 Squadron RNZAF ; * Portugal Air Force ; *

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

; *

No. 24 Squadron RAF No. 24 Squadron (also known as No. XXIV Squadron) of the Royal Air Force is the Air Mobility Operational Conversion Unit (AM OCU). Based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, 24 Squadron is responsible for aircrew training on Airbus A400M Atlas, A ...

** No. 48 Squadron RAF **

No. 53 Squadron RAF No. 53 Squadron was a Royal Air Force Squadron (aviation), squadron that saw service in both the First World War, First and Second World Wars. History No. 53 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at RAF Catterick, Catterick on 15 May ...

No. 59 Squadron RAF No. 59 Squadron was a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force, based in Norfolk, England. History No.59 Squadron was formed at Narborough, Norfolk, Narborough Airfield in Norfolk on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flyin ...

** No. 62 Squadron RAF ** No. 117 Squadron RAF ** No. 139 (Jamaica) Squadron RAF **

No. 161 Squadron RAF No. 161 (Special Duties) Squadron was a highly secretive unit of the Royal Air Force, performing missions as part of the Royal Air Force Special Duties Service. It was tasked with missions of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Secre ...

** No. 163 Squadron RAF **

No. 194 Squadron RAF 194 Squadron RAF, though formed as a training unit in Egypt and ended as a casualty evacuation unit in Malaya, was for most of its active service life an RAF transport squadron that flew in South East Asia. History Formation and World War I F ...

** No. 200 Squadron RAF ** No. 203 Squadron RAF ** No. 206 Squadron RAF ** No. 212 Squadron RAF ** No. 217 Squadron RAF ** No. 220 Squadron RAF ** No. 224 Squadron RAF ** No. 231 Squadron RAF **

No. 233 Squadron RAF No. 233 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron (aviation), squadron that operated from 1918–1919, 1937–1945, 1952–1957 and 1960–1964. The squadron was formed from several Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) Flight (military unit), flight ...

** No. 251 Squadron RAF ** No. 267 Squadron RAF ** No. 269 Squadron RAF ** No. 271 Squadron RAF ** No. 279 Squadron RAF ** No. 285 Squadron RAF ** No. 287 Squadron RAF ** No. 288 Squadron RAF ** No. 289 Squadron RAF ** No. 353 Squadron RAF ** No. 357 Squadron RAF ** No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron RAuxAF ** No. 517 Squadron RAF ** No. 519 Squadron RAF ** No. 520 Squadron RAF ** No. 521 Squadron RAF ** No. 608 (North Riding) Squadron RAuxAF **Communication Flight Iraq and Persia *

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

** 4 aircraft from Royal Air Force ; * Sperry Gyroscope *

Civil operators

; * East-West Airlines * Adastra Air Surveys ; * COBETA Compagnie Belge de Transports Aeriens ; * TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses ; * British West Indian Airways ; * BOAC – British Overseas Airways Corporation

Surviving aircraft

Hudson bomber passenger variant DSC02062

;Australia * A16-105 – Hudson IV on static display at

Canberra Airport Canberra Airport is an international airport situated in the district of Majura, Australian Capital Territory. It serves Australia's capital city, Canberra, as well as the nearby city of Queanbeyan and regional areas of the Australian Capital ...

in Pialligo, Australian Capital Territory. It is owned by the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial, war museum, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The AWM is located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, C ...

and was restored at the museum's Treloar Technology Centre. * A16-112 – Hudson IV airworthy at the Temora Aviation Museum in

Temora, New South Wales Temora () is a town in the north-east of the Riverina area of New South Wales, south-west of the state capital, Sydney. At the the population of Temora was 4,016. Temora was named by John Donald McCansh. In September 1880 he told the Warwick ...

. As of March 2023 this aircraft is the only flying Hudson. It is painted as a Hudson III, serial number A16-211, with the nose art ''The Tojo Busters''. Ownership was transferred to the RAAF in July 2019 and it is operated by the Air Force Heritage Squadron (Temora Historic Flight). * A16-122 – Hudson IVA in storage at the

RAAF Museum RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia. The museum displays aircraft of significance to the RAAF from its inception as the Australian Flying Corps to the pre ...

Point Cook, Victoria Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham Local government areas of Victoria, loca ...

. ;Canada * BW769 – Hudson IIIA on static display at the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in

Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland in the List of provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, sou ...

. It was previously mounted on a pedestal near

Gander International Airport Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is operated by the Gander International Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport. Th ...

for many years. It is painted as T9422. * FK466 – Hudson VI under restoration at the

National Air Force Museum of Canada The National Air Force Museum of Canada is an aviation museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is located on the west side of CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario. The museum is a permanent archive which c ...

Trenton, Ontario Trenton (2001 population 16,770) is a large community in Central Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, which continues northwest to Pe ...

. ;New Zealand * NZ2013 – Hudson III on static display at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Wigram, Canterbury. * NZ2031 – Hudson III on static display at the

Museum of Transport and Technology The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a transport and technology museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum has ...

in Western Springs, Auckland. * NZ2035 – Hudson III under restoration at the Ferrymead Aeronautical Society at Ferrymead Heritage Park in Christchurch, Canterbury. * NZ2049 – Hudson IIIA owned by Bill Reid and on display at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. * NZ2084 – Hudson IIIA with Nigel Wilcox in Christchurch, Canterbury. * Unknown – Unknown fuselage under restoration to static display in a private collection near Ardmore Aerodrome near Manurewa, Auckland. ;United Kingdom * A16-199 – Hudson IIIA on static display at the

Royal Air Force Museum London The Royal Air Force Museum London (also commonly known as the RAF Museum) is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, in North London's Borough of Barnet. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It is painted in the colours of the 13 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Specifications (Hudson Mk I)

References

Bibliography

* Borth, Christy. ''Masters of Mass Production''. Indianapolis, Indiana: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1945. * * Douglas, W.A.B. ''The Creation of a National Air Force''. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1986. . * . * Francillon, René. ''Lockheed Aircraft since 1913''. London: Putnam, 1987. . * Herman, Arthur. ''Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II''. New York: Random House, 2012. . * Kightly, James."Database: Lockheed Hudson". ''

Aeroplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

'', Vol. 43, No. 10, October 2015. pp. 73–88. * * Marson, Peter J. ''The Lockheed Twins''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2001. . * Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II''. Cypress, California: Amazon Digital Services, Inc., 2013. . * * * Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1976. . * Vincent, David. ''The RAAF Hudson Story: Book One'' Highbury, South Australia: David Vincent, 1999. * Lake, Alan. ''Flying Units of the RAF – The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912.'' Airlife Publishing Ltd, Shrewsbury, UK, 1999, .

External links

RNZAF Museum Hudson pageTemora Aviation Museum Hudson page
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Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

Lockheed PBO Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1938 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Twin-tail aircraft Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear