hp (400 kW) Bristol Jupiter VII, the next seven had 480 hp (360 kW) Gnome Rhone Jupiter VI, followed by eight with 535 hp (399 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Panther engines and the final ten with 580 hp (430 kW) Bristol Pegasus engines. Finnish Rippons were typically stationed at Turkinsaari, Sortavala, and the island of Santahamina. The Finnish Air Force deployed its Ripons on active combat missions against the forces of the Soviet Union during both the Winter War and the Continuation War. After the loss of one aircraft to Soviet fighters during late 1939, the Ripon was restricted to normally flying night missions only. It performed a diverse range of missions, including routine reconnaissance flights, U-boat patrols, casualty evacuation, leaflet dropping, and aerial supply operations. On 15 December 1944, the final aircraft was struck off, the Finnish stock having shrunk to a single operational Ripon due to many others having been cannibalised for parts. A single Ripon, RI-140, was stored and has been reassembled and put on display in the Päijänne Tavastia Aviation Museum recently. It is the only preserved example. Variants Ripon I : Prototype. Two built. Ripon II : Initial production - 20 built (Many converted to Mk IICs). Ripon IIA : Metal-ribbed wings, with forward-firing machine gun added. - 40 produced. Ripon IIC : All-metal wings - 30 produced. Ripon III : Prototype with lengthened nose and new tail. One built. Ripon IIF : Two-seat reconnaissance, torpedo-bomber aircraft for the Finnish Air Force. Operators Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Finnish Air Force. Specifications (Ripon IIC) See also References Citations Bibliography Jackson, A. J. Blackburn Aircraft since 1919. Putnam, 1968. External links Photos of Blackburn Ripon III in Flight 1920s British bomber aircraft Ripon Carrier-based aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1926 World War II aircraft of Finland