Avro 701 Athena T.2 VR567
Only 15 Athena Mk. 2s were delivered to the
RAF, since that force preferred the contemporary
Boulton
Paul Balliol. Originally proposed as a prop-jet trainer, when the
specs were changed,
Avro redesigned the Athena to incorporate a 1,280 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin
35, an engine which
had a
large inventory available. The handful of Athenas were used by
the Flying College at RAF
Manby
for armament training.