What was the first Avro to have a proper name?

Short answer

The first Avro to bear a proper name was the Avro 523 Pike, a multi-purpose combat aircraft conceived to give the Royal Naval Air Service an anti-Zeppelin fighter also suited to long-range reconnaissance and bombing. The Admiralty evaluated it and rejected it.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What was the first Avro to have a proper name?

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The Pike, the First Named Avro

The Avro 523 Pike was the first Avro aircraft to receive a name, and it was a British multi-purpose combat aircraft. It was conceived to give the Royal Naval Air Service an anti-Zeppelin fighter that could also serve for long-range reconnaissance and bombing.

Three Cockpits and Pusher Propellers

The Pike was a large, three-bay biplane of conventional layout, driven by two pusher propellers. It had three open cockpits: the central one for the pilot, with a gunner ahead of him and another behind.

Evaluated Twice, Never Ordered

The Admiralty evaluated the type but rejected it. Avro then built a second prototype, in which the original Sunbeam engines were replaced by Green E.6s, designating it the 523A. The Admiralty examined this aircraft in November 1916, but by then found the type obsolete and placed no order. Both prototypes continued flying with Avro as test beds for the rest of the war.