3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Blackburn Shark MIKAN 3581010: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada· Public domain
- 2. Blackburn Shark MIKAN 3232302: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada· Public domain
- 3. Blackburn Shark MIKAN 3581009: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada· Public domain
what is it?
The Blackburn Shark was a carrier-borne torpedo bomber designed and built by the British aviation manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was originally known as the Blackburn T.S.R., standing for "torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance", in reference to its intended roles. The Shark was the last of Blackburn's biplane torpedo bombers.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 14 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 93 years ago, in 1933.
- Top speed is 1.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 14 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1933-08-24
- introduced
- 1934
- retired
- 1945
- status
- retired
- number built
- 269
- role
- torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance aircraft
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Blackburn Aircraft
- engines
- 1× Armstrong Siddeley Tiger VI
- crew
- 3
- length
- 10.7 m
- wingspan
- 14 m
- height
- 3.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 3,679 kg
- top speed
- 241 km/h
- cruise speed
- 190 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 4,755 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q2905554, Wikipedia: Blackburn Shark (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.