Editing Bristol Beaufighter (section)

==Variants==
;Beaufighter Mk.IF: Two-seat night fighter variant equipped with [[AI Mark IV radar]] and Hercules XI engines

;Beaufighter Mk.IC: The "C" stood for Coastal Command variant; many were modified to carry bombs

;Beaufighter Mk.IIF: However well the Beaufighter performed, by late 1941 the [[Short Stirling]] bomber programme  had a higher priority for the Hercules engine, and the Rolls-Royce Merlin XX-powered Mk.IIF night fighter was the result.

;Beaufighter Mk.III/IV:
:The Mk.III and Mk.IV were to be Hercules and Merlin powered Beaufighters with a new, slimmer fuselage, carrying an armament of six cannon and six machine guns that improved performance. The necessary costs of the changes to the production line led to the curtailing of the marks.<ref>Buttler, 2004.</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2022}}

;Beaufighter Mk.V: The Mk.V had a [[Boulton Paul]] turret with four 0.303&nbsp;in (7.7&nbsp;mm) machine guns mounted aft of the cockpit supplanting one pair of cannon and the wing-mounted machine guns. Only two (Merlin-engined) Mk.Vs were built. When tested by the A&AEE, ''R2274'' was capable of {{convert|302|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} at {{convert|19,000|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>Buttler 2004, p. 63.</ref>

;Beaufighter Mk.VI: The Hercules-powered Mk.VI was the next major version appearing in 1942 and over 1,000 examples were built. Changes included a [[Dihedral (aeronautics)|dihedral]] tailplane.<ref>Franks 2002, pp. 65–67.</ref>

;Beaufighter Mk.VIC: Coastal Command version, similar to the Mk.IC

;Beaufighter Mk.VIF: Night fighter equipped with [[AI Mark VIII radar]]

;Beaufighter Mk.VI (ITF): Interim torpedo fighter version

;Beaufighter Mk.VII: Proposed Australian-built variant with Hercules 26 engines, not built

;Beaufighter Mk.VIII: Proposed Australian-built variant with Hercules XVII engines, not built

;Beaufighter Mk.IX: proposed Australian-built variant with Hercules XVII engines, not built
[[File:Een Bristol Beaufighter Mk. VI, uitgerust met een torpedo, in de start (2157-066-001).jpg|thumb|right|Beaufighter Mk. X]]
;Beaufighter TF Mk.X: Two-seat torpedo fighter aircraft, dubbed the "Torbeau". Hercules XVII engines with cropped superchargers improved low-altitude performance. The last major version (2,231 built) was the Mk.X. The later production models featured a dorsal tailfin extension.<ref>Franks 2002, pp. 70–72.</ref>

;Beaufighter Mk.XIC: Coastal Command version of the Mk.X, with no torpedo gear

;Beaufighter Mk.XII: Proposed long-range variant of the Mk.XI with drop tanks, not built

;Beaufighter Mk.21: The Australian-made DAP Beaufighter. Changes included Hercules XVII engines, four 20&nbsp;mm cannon in the nose, four Browning .50&nbsp;in (12.7&nbsp;mm) in the wings and the capacity to carry eight 5&nbsp;in (130&nbsp;mm) [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket]]s, two 250&nbsp;lb (110&nbsp;kg) bombs, two 500&nbsp;lb (230&nbsp;kg) bombs and one Mark 13 torpedo.

[[File:Bristol 156 Beaufighter TT.10 SR911 34 Sqn Teversham 06.51 edited-2.jpg|thumb|Beaufighter TT.10 target tug of 34 Squadron in 1951]]
;Beaufighter TT Mk.10: After the war, many RAF Beaufighters were converted into target tug aircraft

;Australian experimental prototypes:
* Twin Merlin engines;{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* 40 mm Bofors gun fitted.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}