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This twin engine bomber was the first British example of an all-metal stressed skin aircraft to go into production.
It was also the first aircraft of the Royal Air Force to have a retractable undercarriage, this component being designed and manufactured by the Company.
The first prototype, powered by A-S Tiger engines, flew on 17th March 1936 from Whitley in the hands of A.C. Campbell-Orde, under registration K4586.
This was the first of 1,824 Whitleys to be made during the next six years, under five marks.
A total of 162 aircraft were fitted with A-S Tiger engines, these have aircraft designation Mk I, Mk II and Mk III. All the remainder were powered by Rolls Royce Merlin engines, with aircraft designation Mk IV, Mk V and Mk VII.
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A ventral retractable cupola was fitted to the Whitley Mk III only, to provide gun fire protection athwartships, but this was discontinued on later marks. The Whitley Mk IV and Mk V were fitted with a Nash and Thompson 4 gun turret in the tail and the bomb aiming station in the nose.
Whitleys based at Dishforth and Linton-on-Ouse were used in the leaflet raids in the early days of World War II, also having the distinction of being the first aircraft to raid Berlin, this being the night of the 1st / 2nd October 1939.
The last operation carried out for Bomber Command took place on 30th April 1942, meantime the Whitley had been prepared for other duties, i.e. paratroop jumping, glider towing, Coastal Command reconnaissance etc.
Conversion of 15 Mk V's to freighting was made in 1942 to assist B.O.A .C. in breaking the siege of Malta, but this proved very inefficient and later the aircraft were handed back to the R.A.F.
A Whitley Mk VII accounted for the first U-boat to be sunk by an aircraft of Coastal Command unassisted by any other branch of the Services, this action taking place on 30th November 1941 in the Bay of Biscay.
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