Blackburn T.3 Velos: Greek Navy roles and seaplane design

The Velos was a two-seat development of the Blackburn Dart and the third aircraft in the firm's torpedo-aircraft series, designated T.3. Major F. A. Bumpus designed it in 1925 around a 450-horsepower Napier Lion V engine to meet a Greek Navy requirement. Its coastal-defence brief combined torpedo dropping with reconnaissance, bombing and training. The Velos was primarily a seaplane that could receive a wheeled undercarriage when required. The Dart began as a deck-landing aircraft that could be converted into a seaplane, so the two designs approached conversion from opposite starting points.