After the completion of the first 34 aircraft, the engines were replaced by the more reliable and supercharged Armstrong Siddeley Tiger Mk.VII. The 27th production Whitley is believed to have served as the prototype for this modification which would be known onwards, as the Mk.II. On this standard, a total of 46 machines were completed from 1938 onwards at Baginton and one of them was used as the test bed for the Armstrong Siddeley Deerhound radial engine which yielded 1.200 hp of power.
On 6th January 1939, the first prototype of this variant made its maiden flight. Another Mk.I was modified to operate with a higher gross weight.
The 29th production Whitley served also as the prototype for a more advanced variant, the Mk.III, as it featured numerous improvements, such as the replacement of the manually operated nose turret by a powered Nash & Thompson one and a powered retractable dustbin ventral turret equipped with twin-guns. This turret, however, proved to be hard to operate and added considerable drag, so it was removed in subsequent versions and the Mk.III was the only variant to feature it. Another smaller changes include increased dihedreal of the outer wing panels, superior navigational provisions and the installation of new bomb racks. On this variant, a total of 80 machines were completed from August 1938 onwards at Baginton.
Sources:
1. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Whitworth_Whitley
2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 21 - Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
3. https://www.valka.cz/Armstrong-Whitworth-A-W-38-Whitley-Mk-II-t6568
4. https://www.valka.cz/Armstrong-Whitworth-A-W-38-Whitley-Mk-III-t61036
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