101-508: The Fairey Gannet AEW.3 is a variant of the Fairey Gannet anti-submarine warfare aircraft intended to be used in the airborne early warning (AEW) role on aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy . It was introduced to service in 1959 to replace the obsolete Douglas Skyraider , and was intended as an interim solution until the planned introduction of a new, purpose built AEW platform for use on
202-622: A commando carrier (which did not take place) and the decommissioning of Ark Royal for her major, three-year reconstruction to accommodate the McDonnell Douglas Phantom . Subsequent carrier withdrawals led to the disbanding of 'A' Flight in 1970 (when Hermes was withdrawn for conversion to a commando carrier ) and 'D' Flight in 1972 (when Eagle was decommissioned). The final operational Gannets were operated by 'B' Flight aboard Ark Royal following that ship's major refit and recommissioning in 1970. The Gannet continued in service until
303-417: A geostationary earth orbit (GEO). According to author Nigel Henbest, Britain was likely unable to pursue Mustard's development alone, but suggested organising a multinational European venture, similar to the conventional Europa and Ariane launchers. The knowledge and expertise developed on this project was subsequently harnessed on later efforts, most prominently the re-usable HOTOL spaceplane project of
404-521: A letter of intent to purchase Lightning and Strikemaster aircraft as well as Thunderbird surface-to-air missiles. The main contract was signed in 1966 for forty Lightnings and twenty-five (ultimately forty) Strikemasters. In 1973, the Saudi government signed an agreement with the British government which specified BAC as the contractor for all parts of the defence system ( AEI was previously contracted to supply
505-568: A 34-inch pitch (or up to 300 passengers at a 30-inch pitch). The British national airline British European Airways (BEA) was publicly interested in the type; during August 1970, BEA's chairman, Sir Anthony Milward, declared his personal optimism for the Three-Eleven. However, Britain's potential Common Market partners warned that, since the Three-Eleven would directly compete against the European Airbus, around which they had largely coalesced,
606-606: A STOVL fixed-wing aircraft, such as the V-22 Osprey , would be required. It was eventually decided that a new, palletised system named "Crowsnest" would be operated from the Royal Navy's existing Merlin helicopters, to be operational by 2019. All 44 Gannet AEW.3s were built at the Fairey factory at Hayes ; the prototype and first two production aircraft were then transported by road to RAF Northolt for their first flight. The remainder of
707-510: A consequence, it was intended to undertake as little in the way of modification as possible – the AN/APS-20 radar from the Skyraider would be mounted in a radome under the fuselage of an ordinary Gannet AS.1, with the associated electronics and space for two operators inside. However, the size of the radome meant that the existing airframe was too close to the ground to accommodate the radar, and so
808-602: A controlling interest in Hunting Aircraft. The parents still had significant aviation interests outside BAC. English Electric had Napier & Son aero-engines, Bristol had 50% of Bristol Aerojet and Bristol Siddeley engines and smaller investments in Westland and Short Brothers & Harland. Upon the formation of BAC, the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Car Division) was not included in the consolidation. Instead, it
909-548: A conventional twin-engined plane would normally create thrust asymmetry, whereas the centreline-mounted propeller arrangement avoided this. The Mamba exhausts were situated on each side of the fuselage , at the root of the wing trailing edge . The gas-turbine engine could run on kerosene , "wide-cut" turbine fuel or diesel fuel , allowing the Admiralty to eliminate the dangerous high-octane petroleum spirit required to operate piston-engined aircraft from carriers. In FAA service,
1010-479: A dual-role ASW and strike to equip the FAA. It was a mid-wing monoplane with a tricycle undercarriage and a crew of three, with a double turboprop engine driving two counter-rotating propellers . On 19 September 1949, the prototype Gannet performed its maiden flight . Four years later, it was brought into regular service with the FAA. The service would use the type from the majority of its aircraft carriers throughout
1111-542: A full series of handling trials, further carrier trials were performed aboard HMS Eagle . On 13 March 1951, Fairey received an initial order for 100 Gannet AS.1 s from the British Government; this had been placed as a 'super-priority' on account of the Korean War . In 1953, quantity production of the type commenced. On 9 June 1953, the first production Gannet performed its initial flight from RAF Northolt and
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#17328512447491212-652: A joint venture company, to develop, market, and produce the Anglo-French Jaguar strike fighter. The Jaguar programme ultimately took the place of several earlier efforts, including the AFVG. The first of the Jaguar's eight prototypes flew on 8 September 1968. During 1973, service entry was achieved with the French Air Force, by which time Breguet had become part of Dassault Aviation . SEPECAT received various export orders for
1313-621: A massive defence acquisition programme involving the replacement of the country's fighter aircraft and the establishment of an advanced air defence and communications network. American companies seemed guaranteed to win much of this work, however, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) would ultimately be supplied with large amounts of British-made aircraft and equipment to fulfill their needs. By 1964, BAC conducted demonstration flights of their Lightning in Riyadh and, in 1965, Saudi Arabia signed
1414-661: A new anti-submarine aircraft, of which the front runners were the Blackburn B-54/B-88 and the Fairey Type Q/17 . In this competition, it was the Fairey Aviation aircraft that proved the winner, eventually entering service as the Gannet. The intention was to use the Gannet as a stop-gap measure prior to the acquisition of a new, purpose built system intended to be used on the planned new generation of aircraft carriers. As
1515-570: A new engine based on the existing Armstrong Siddeley Mamba turboprop: the Double Mamba (otherwise known as the "Twin Mamba"). This engine basically comprised a pair of Mamba engines that were mounted side-by-side and sharing a common gearbox . The proposal was enthusiastically accepted and formal design work on the engine stated in December 1945. The acceptance of this proposal enabled Fairey to develop
1616-454: A rather atypical propulsion arrangement for their proposed aircraft, which was normally only possible for a single engined aircraft. Via the use of a pair of coaxial contra-rotating propellers fitted on the nose of the aircraft, various advantages were presented over conventional twin-engine counterparts; one engine could be shut down and its propellers feathered without producing asymmetry and therefore control difficulties. Shutting down one of
1717-401: A ship the size of Invincible . To coincide with the introduction of the new Queen Elizabeth class , a new AEW system was sought – initially a number of proposals were raised, as it was unclear what type of ship the new carrier would be. Once it was confirmed that Queen Elizabeth would be a STOVL type ship, it was clear that either a new helicopter based system, or a system based around
1818-418: A significant modification to the fuselage was required. This involved removing the observer's cockpits and creating a new cabin within the fuselage; this was accessed via a pair of hatches next to the trailing edge of the wing, which also meant that the exhausts had to be moved from this position to the leading edge; increasing the total area of the vertical stabiliser to compensate for the instability caused by
1919-477: A single company. The government envisaged acquiring BAC's capital and merging it with Hawker Siddeley. The ownership of BAC would thus give the government a minority stake in the new company. Although BAC's parent companies were prepared to sell their shares for a reasonable price, the government proposal, in their view, undervalued the group. By August 1967, the success of the BAC 1–11 and defence sales to Saudi Arabia made
2020-458: A statement issued by the British government that it expected the various companies involved in the aircraft, guided weapons and engine industries to consolidate and merge with one another. Furthermore, the government also promised incentives to motivate such restructuring; the maintenance of government research and development spending and the guarantee of aid in launching "promising new types of civil aircraft". One particularly high-profile incentive
2121-422: A three-person crew, consisting of the pilot, located in the cockpit at the front of the aircraft, and a pair of observers in the cabin in the fuselage, accessible via a hatch next to the trailing edge of the wing. The aircraft had a typical endurance of 5–6 hours and a maximum altitude of 25,000 ft (7,600 m). The Gannet tended to cruise on just one engine of the Double Mamba powerplant; alternating between
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#17328512447492222-548: Is a carrier-borne aircraft that was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer the Fairey Aviation Company . It was developed for the Royal Navy , being the first fixed-wing aircraft to combine both the search and strike portions of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations to be operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). The Gannet was originally developed to meet a Second World War era requirement for
2323-826: The Cold War . Various export customers were also secured for the Gannet, including the Royal Australian Navy , the German Navy , and the Indonesian Navy , most of these operating the aircraft exclusively from land bases. During the 1960s, the Royal Navy transitioned to using helicopters, such as the Westland Whirlwind HAS.7 , for ASW operations. Accordingly, several Gannets were adapted to perform alternative operations, such as an airborne electronic countermeasures platform and carrier onboard delivery aircraft. Perhaps
2424-507: The Mediterranean , no serious issues were encountered with the Gannet aside from the standard teething issues. Later that same year, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) stood up their first two Gannet squadrons. The RAN ultimately operated 33 Gannet AS.1 and three T.2 trainers. They were primarily flown from the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne as well as the shore base HMAS Albatross near Nowra, New South Wales . During 1967,
2525-549: The Second World War . It entered service with the RN in 1951 but, owing to its World War II vintage, would be considered obsolete by the late 50s. As a consequence, the Royal Navy issued its directive AEW.154 to begin planning for a replacement for the Skyraider. The aircraft considered most suitable for this were seen as those already under development for the Navy's GR.17/45 Specification for
2626-518: The combat air patrol to intercept incoming strike aircraft, or alternatively direct its own aircraft to strike and attack a target. However, due to the quality of the equipment, the Gannet had limited command and control capability, built as it was around the AN/APS-20 S-Band search radar and AN/APX-7 IFF set, connected to the AN/ART-28 Bellhop datalink . The datalink would transmit
2727-996: The 'Negative g' strap. However, the rest of the harness had fallen clear and so the pilot was committed to a ditching without any restraint from shoulder or lap straps. This was successfully accomplished and the aircrew were all recovered safely and uninjured ... Although the ditching was successful, the most disturbing factor of the accident was the inability of the pilot to release himself from 'Negative g' strap ... [REDACTED] Australia [REDACTED] West Germany [REDACTED] Indonesia [REDACTED] United Kingdom On display: On display: On display: On display: Under restoration or stored: Airworthy: On display: Data from British Naval Aircraft since 1912 General characteristics Performance Armament Avionics Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation ( BAC )
2828-722: The 1960s, the BAC 1–11, which had been launched as a private venture, probably saved the company. Prior to the merger, Bristol had eschewed the subsonic airliner market in favour of working on the Bristol 223 supersonic transport , The effort continued under BAC and was eventually merged with similar efforts underway at the French aircraft company Sud Aviation , resulting in the Anglo-French Concorde . Described by Flight International as an "aviation icon" and "one of aerospace's most ambitious but commercially flawed projects", sales of
2929-457: The 1980s. Development of the TSR-2 was one of the company's most high-profile projects. However, as the programme proceeded, continuous cost rises were incurred, while inter-service rivalry led to frequent challenges of its necessity. During April 1965, the British government announced that it had decided to withdraw its order for the TSR-2, leaving it without an established customer. By this point,
3030-548: The 200, as did Germany after its initial enthusiasm for the 100. In September 1971, the governments of Britain, Italy and Germany signed an Intention to Proceed (ITP) with the Panavia Tornado . On 30 October 1974, the first British prototype (the second to fly) took off from the BAC airfield at Warton. The three governments signed the contract for Batch 1 of the aircraft on 29 July 1976. BAC and subsequently British Aerospace would deliver 228 Tornado GR1s and 152 Tornado F3s to
3131-518: The 300-seat Airbus A300 . BAC argued against the proposal in favour of their BAC Three-Eleven project, intended as a large wide-bodied airliner like the Airbus A300, Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed TriStar . Like the One-Eleven, it would have carried two Rolls-Royce turbofan engines, mounted near the tail, but have been able to accommodate up to 245 passengers seated in an eight abreast configuration at
Fairey Gannet AEW.3 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-718: The AFVG was cancelled due to the withdrawal of French participation. Britain then turned to a national project, the UK Variable Geometry (UKVG), for which BAC Warton was given a design contract by the Ministry of Technology . These studies eventually became known as the BAC Advanced Combat Aircraft programme. In 1968, Britain was invited to join Canada and the F-104 Consortium (a grouping of Germany, Italy, Belgium and
3333-532: The Double Mamba engine, several early test flights had been troubled by flight control difficulties. These issues, such as sharp trim changes, did not delay the next stage of testing, which commenced in November of that year at Fairey's White Waltham facility. On 25 November 1949, the prototype crash-landed during an unstable landing, leading to three months of repairs. On 1 March 1950, flight testing resumed with
3434-450: The Double Mamba installed, new radome mounted under the aircraft, the tailfin increased in area, the undercarriage lengthened and the weapons bay removed. A total of 44 aircraft (plus a single prototype) of the AEW.3 version were produced. The Fairey Gannet is a carrier-borne turboprop -powered aircraft. It was typically operated by a crew of three, a pilot and two aerial observers . The pilot
3535-402: The FAA at RNAS Ford . The development of several variants of the Gannet started relatively early. On 16 August 1954, the first Gannet T.2 , a dedicated trainer variant made its initial flight; it was furnished with dual controls in the forward cockpits, with a retractable periscope for the second cockpit, while the radar apparatus and scanner equipment were deleted. Production of the Gannet
3636-475: The Fleet Air Arm's use of the aircraft, with five RN carriers operating Gannet AEW flights. Each flight operated four AEW aircraft with a Gannet COD.4 for ship-to-shore communications. These flights were regularly deployed from the large aircraft carriers then in service with the Royal Navy. Additionally, it was intended that the Gannet would initially be deployed from the planned CVA-01 aircraft carrier, until
3737-633: The Gannet AEW, as part of the draw-down of fixed-wing aviation in the Fleet Air Arm, led to a need for the Royal Air Force to take over the provision of Airborne Early Warning for the UK Air Defence Region. As an interim solution until a purpose-built system could be procured, the radar and electronic systems from redundant Gannets were fitted to similarly redundant Avro Shackletons ; the Shackleton
3838-589: The Gannet can be traced back to 1935, when the Fairey Aviation Company started development of the unsuccessful Fairey Prince that used an unusual twin-engine arrangement. Formal design work on the Gannet commenced in response to the issuing of requirement GR.17/45 in 1945, under which the Admiralty sought a new twin-seat aircraft capable of performing both anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and strike missions. Two rival aircraft manufacturers, Fairey and Blackburn Aircraft , opted to produce responses. Fairey's submission
3939-527: The Gannet force in the late 1960s and early 1970s however led to a significant amount of electronic equipment being removed from the Gannet airframes for installation in Avro Shackleton aircraft of the Royal Air Force , which allowed the RAF to undertake its own AEW operations. In addition, a handful continued flying operations in the hands of civilian operators into the 1980s – one was used by Hamilton Standard in
4040-419: The Gannet generally wore the standard camouflage scheme of a Sky (duck-egg blue) underside and fuselage sides, with Extra Dark Sea Grey upper surfaces, the fuselage demarcation line running from the nose behind the propeller spinner in a straight line to then curve and join the line of the fin. Code numbers were typically painted on the side of the fuselage ahead of the wing; roundel and serial markings were behind
4141-424: The Gannet's propellers, negating the need to replace the Double Mamba with a turbofan engine assembly. In the end, this proposal was not proceeded with. The Royal Navy developed its airborne early warning tactics in the Skyraider, and then evolved them with the increased capabilities of the Gannet, which had observers trained to interpret the information coming in from the onboard radar. They could use it to control
Fairey Gannet AEW.3 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-539: The Hawker Siddeley Group and Scottish Aviation were nationalised and merged under the provisions of Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 . This new group was established as a statutory corporation, British Aerospace (BAe). Products usually known under the BAC name include: In addition BAC continued with the Bristol Bloodhound and English Electric Thunderbird surface-to-air missiles. BAC
4343-468: The Jaguar, overseas nations that flew the type included India , Ecuador , Nigeria and Oman . Dassault were less supportive of SEPECAT, preferring to promote its own aircraft; several potential customers for the Jaguar were convinced to order Dassault's Mirage series instead. During 1964, both BAC and its principal domestic rival, Hawker Siddeley , conducted detailed studies on the prospects of producing stretched versions of their existing airliners,
4444-557: The London– Bahrain and Paris– Rio de Janeiro routes. In 1963, BAC acquired the previously autonomous guided weapons divisions of English Electric and Bristol to form a new subsidiary, British Aircraft Corporation (Guided Weapons). The company enjoyed some success, including development of the Rapier , Sea Skua and Sea Wolf missiles . BAC eventually expanded this division to include electronics and space systems and, in 1966, started what
4545-556: The Netherlands), all of whom wished to replace their current aircraft with a common design, subsequently described as the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA). On 26 March 1969, Panavia Aircraft GmbH was formed by BAC, MBB , Fiat and Fokker . In May, a "project definition phase" was commenced, concluding in early 1970. Two aircraft designs resulted: the single-seat Panavia 100 and the twin-seat Panavia 200. The RAF favoured
4646-509: The RAF. For most of its history, BAC was the subject of rumour and speculation that it was to merge with Hawker Siddeley Aviation (HSA). On 21 November 1966, Fred Mulley , the Minister of Aviation , announced in the House of Commons that: ...the government had come to the conclusion that the national interest would best be served by a merger of the airframe interests of BAC and Hawker Siddeley into
4747-408: The RAF. The AFVG was to be jointly developed by BAC and Dassault Aviation , while the proposed M45G turbofan engine to power the aircraft was to also be jointly developed by SNECMA and Bristol Siddeley. However, during June 1967, the French government announced its withdrawal from the AFVG effort ostensibly on the grounds of cost. During May 1966, BAC and Breguet formally created SEPECAT ,
4848-495: The RAN withdrew its surviving 24 Gannets from service. By the mid-1960s, the Royal Navy's Gannet AS.1 and AS.4 models had been replaced by the Westland Whirlwind HAS.7 helicopters. FAA Gannets continued to operate as electronic countermeasures (ECM) aircraft: the ECM.6 . Several Gannet AS.4s were converted to COD.4 s for Carrier onboard delivery —the aerial supply of mail and light cargo to
4949-457: The Royal Navy to replace the Skyraider. The AN/APS-20 radar was initially developed during the Second World War and had significant limitations to its capability, in terms of its performance at low level over water (such that it had difficulty differentiating between sea clutter and actual targets), and short-range. As a consequence, there were attempts to develop an updated AEW system for use on Royal Navy carriers. One of these, which came from
5050-762: The United States for propeller vibration trials, while another was used by Dowty Rotol for propeller development purposes. In addition, a further AEW3 was used as a private display aircraft at airshows until the late 1980s. As of 2012, one aircraft (XL500 civil registered as G-KAEW ), which was once flown by Charles III , was undergoing comprehensive restoration to airworthy condition by Hunter Flying. Five aircraft are on display: Data from British Naval Aircraft since 1912 General characteristics Performance Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Fairey Gannet The Fairey Gannet
5151-624: The VC10 and the Hawker Siddeley Trident . In the first half of the following year, BAC submitted its proposals for the production of two separate double-decker versions of the VC10, which was commonly referred to as the Super VC10 ; however, it was quickly recognised that the British government would be required substantial support for the initiative to succeed, involving "several tens of millions of pounds ". According to aviation author Derek Wood,
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#17328512447495252-583: The VC10 remained the Vickers VC10 . Instead the company applied its name to marketing initiatives, the VC10 advertising carried the name "Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Limited, a member company of the British Aircraft Corporation". The first model to bear the BAC name was the BAC One-Eleven (BAC 1–11), a Hunting Aircraft study, in 1961. Given the numerous government contract cancellations during
5353-481: The aircraft first flew at White Waltham Airfield . One prototype ( serial number XJ440 ) to be built at Hayes was ordered on 14 December 1954 against specification AEW.154D and first flown at RAF Northolt on 20 August 1958. The production aircraft were ordered as specification AEW.154P in three separate batches: The final AEW.3 built was delivered to the Royal Navy on 6 June 1963. The majority of Royal Navy Gannets were scrapped following withdrawal. The drawdown of
5454-484: The enlarged double-decker, which was to be equipped with the proposed Rolls-Royce RB178 turbofan engine, would have had good commercial prospects, yet financing for the programme was not forthcoming and the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) has ultimately opted to procure the rival Boeing 747 instead. In 1967, the British, French and German governments agreed to start development of
5555-425: The entry into service of a purpose-built AEW aircraft. However, in the mid-1960s the British government brought in a series of defence cuts that led to the new carriers and their AEW aircraft being cancelled, and the phased withdrawal of fixed wing aviation in the Royal Navy. 849C Flight was disbanded in 1966 following the reduction of the carrier fleet to four ships with the withdrawal of Centaur for conversion to
5656-433: The final decommissioning of Ark Royal in 1978 – a Gannet of 849B Flight was the last aircraft to be recovered by the ship on Saturday 18 November 1978. The withdrawal of Ark Royal meant that there was no longer a platform available in the Royal Navy to operate the Gannet, and hence 849 Naval Air Squadron was disbanded in December 1978, leaving the Royal Navy without embedded airborne early warning. The phased withdrawal of
5757-473: The fitting of an up-rated Double Mamba engine. Several were refurbished with new electronics and radar, thus were re-designated Gannet AS.6 . During 1958, the Gannet was selected to replace the Douglas Skyraider in the airborne early warning and control (AEW) role. In order to accommodate the systems required for this new mission, the Gannet underwent a significant redesign that saw a new version of
5858-544: The fleet. Starting in May 1958, West Germany 's Navy commenced operations of the Gannet AS.4; the country would obtain 15 Gannet AS.4s and a single T.5. German Gannets operated as the ASW squadron of Marinefliegergeschwader 2 (2nd Naval Aviation Wing) from Jagel and Sylt . During 1963, the squadron was reassigned to MFG 3 at Nordholz Naval Airbase , where they remained until replaced by
5959-464: The harness restraint system in the Gannet were carried out after a midflight failure due to the release cables binding. The accident was the result of an unrelated engine failure, but the primary issue was the failure of the harness quick-release mechanism. A brief report in Cockpit , Q4 1973, concerning the accident: A Gannet was launched at night from Ark Royal and climbed to 4,000 ft. Shortly afterwards
6060-435: The information received through the Gannet's onboard systems to the operations room on the aircraft carrier (or whichever ship was charged with directing the Gannet's operations), which would then act accordingly to any threat presented. However, the Gannet had no onboard computer or processing equipment (unlike the contemporary E-2B Hawkeye), which meant that the observers had to interpret the raw radar signal. The Gannet had
6161-429: The latter, the radome had to be repositioned rearwards; the first prototype was modified to reflect these changes for the aerodynamic trials. In May 1952, the first prototype returned to Boscombe Down to conduct deck landing assessments and trials, having been configured to represent a production-standard aircraft by this point. Changes included the repositioning of the main landing legs rearwards by 12 inches. Following
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#17328512447496262-461: The most extensive variant of the type was the Gannet AEW.3 , which was developed as a carrier-based airborne early warning platform and was operated exclusively by the FAA. The service disposed of its Gannets on 15 December 1978, roughly aligning with the withdrawal of the last of the Royal Navy's large fleet carriers. According to the aviation historian H. A. Taylor, the origins of what would become
6363-492: The newer and larger Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic three years later. During January 1959, Indonesia ordered 18 Gannet AS.4 and T.5s for the they received 17 AS4 (converted from AS1) and 2 Trainers (also upgraded) Indonesian Navy . These were purchased from Fairey via the Ministry of Supply and were re-modelled from existing Gannet AS.1s and T.2s prior to delivery. Several were used as ground-based trainers only. Additional Gannets were later acquired by other countries. Tests on
6464-488: The only feasible option from its introduction, in spite of efforts to design a platform more suitable – one such attempt came when BAe undertook a private study into the use of the proposed P.1216 advanced STOVL aircraft as an AEW platform, with a straight form wing and podded radar system. However, this proposal would have had a span of more than 60 ft, which was deemed the upper limit for operation aboard Ark Royal , and thus would have been difficult to accommodate on
6565-401: The outboard dihedral (up-sweep) of the wing (described as an inverted gull wing ). The second wing fold was downward, at about two-thirds of the wing span. The length of the nosewheel shock absorber caused the Gannet to have a distinctive nose-high attitude, which was a common characteristic of carrier aircraft of the era. The Gannet had a sizable internal bomb bay within the fuselage; it
6666-471: The planned CVA-01 aircraft carriers. Neither the new aircraft carriers nor the new AEW aircraft were proceeded with, and the Gannet AEW.3 remained in service until the last aircraft carrier that could operate it was retired in 1978. In the late 1950s, the Royal Navy operated the piston-engined Douglas A-1 Skyraider from its aircraft carriers in the AEW role. However, the Skyraider was a design that originated during
6767-440: The programme was already in the prototype phase and the aircraft had already flown, but political pressure forced development work to cease, leading to the remaining airframes and most supporting equipment and documentation to be destroyed. The TSR-2's last minute termination has been widely viewed as a major blow not only to BAC but the wider British aircraft industry. On 17 May 1965, the British and French governments announced
6868-621: The project being proposed, to a pair of aircraft being deployed as part of the air group aboard HMS Illustrious on her deployment to the Falklands, took 11 weeks. The size of the Invincible class, combined with it being capable of operating only helicopters and V/STOL fixed-wing aircraft, limited the types of aircraft it could potentially carry in the AEW mission. Despite the Sea King's limitations in operating altitude and endurance, it remained
6969-581: The project effectively undermined British loyalty to the EEC which, at this point, the British government was interested in joining. On 2 December 1970, Frederick Corfield , the Minister for Aviation Supply, announced in the House of Commons that there would be no official backing from the government for the Three-Eleven programme. During the early 1960s, the Saudi Arabian government announced its intention to launch
7070-430: The prospect of the parent companies selling their shares less likely. In December 1967, Tony Benn , the Minister of Technology, while reiterating his desire to see a merged BAC and HSA, admitted it would not be possible. Akin to BAC, the Hawker Siddeley Group was expanded by merger, while engine design and manufacturing was concentrated at Rolls-Royce and the newly formed Bristol-Siddeley Engines . Helicopter development
7171-472: The prototype conducted the first deck landing by a turboprop aircraft on HMS Illustrious , piloted by Lieutenant Commander G. Callingham. On 6 July 1950, the second prototype took to the skies, joining the flight test shortly thereafter. As a result of changes to the operational requirements, this aircraft featured numerous changes from the first prototype, such as a third canopy for an additional crew member and an extended bomb bay . To accommodate
7272-569: The radar equipment and Airwork Services provided servicing and training). Overall spending by the RSAF was over £1 billion GBP. BAC, with the Lightning/Strikemaster contract; British Aerospace , with the Al Yamamah contracts; and most recently BAE Systems , with the order for Typhoon multi-role fighters, have all benefited from large arms contracts with Saudi Arabia. In June 1967,
7373-468: The radome; and extending the length of the undercarriage to increase the clearance for the radome, which consequently increased the aircraft's overall height by 3 ft (1 m), and gave the aircraft a more level stance than the anti-submarine version. Such were the extensive modifications required that, in December 1954, it was suggested that the AEW version be renamed as the Fairey Albatross, as it
7474-406: The repaired prototype. By this point, several of the handling issues had been appropriately remedied along with several other faults, yet difficulties with holding the nosewheel up during landings remained. Two months later, sufficient progress had been made to proceed with a formal assessment by naval test pilots at RAF Boscombe Down as well as to begun preliminary carrier trials. On 19 June 1950,
7575-405: The rotodome, together with its position right at the rear of the aircraft, the intention was to rebuild the rear fuselage with the single tailfin being substituted by a twin tail arrangement, as well as the wingspan being increased to 60 ft (18.3m). The rotodome was designed to be moveable on its installation, able to tip backwards to allow the radar beam to operate clear of interference from
7676-521: The set of proposals from BAC , was an updated Gannet – in this, BAC proposed two separate schemes: The AEW.7 version would have seen the ventral radome containing the AN/APS-20 radar removed and replaced with a dorsal rotating dome or ' rotodome ', similar to that used on the US Grumman E-2 Hawkeye , carrying a newly developed FMICW radar system . To accommodate a new installation of the size of
7777-652: The signing of a pair of agreements to cover the two joint projects; one based on the French aircraft company Breguet Aviation Br.121 ECAT ("Tactical Combat Support Trainer") proposal; this would evolve into the SEPECAT Jaguar . The other was the BAC/Dassault AFVG (Anglo-French Variable Geometry), a larger, variable geometry carrier -capable fighter aircraft for the French Navy ( Aéronavale ) as well as fulfilling interceptor, tactical strike and reconnaissance roles for
7878-452: The starboard engine ran down to 60%. Attempts to feather and brake the engine, and a subsequent re-light were unsuccessful and the aircraft was unable to maintain height. (It is considered that the most likely cause of the accident was disconnection of the HP cock linkage). Both observers bailed out at 1,800 ft, but when the pilot, Lieutenant Keith Jones, tried to bail out he could not free himself from
7979-455: The two engines every half an hour. The sole operational Gannet squadron, 849 NAS had over the course of its time operating the aircraft a total of four operational flights plus the HQ flight. The HQ flight was stationed at three Fleet Air Arm air stations over the period of Gannet operation, while the majority of the operational flights were assigned to more than one aircraft carrier over the course of
8080-523: The two engines in flight would reduce fuel consumption and extend the aircraft's range. On 12 August 1946, Fairey was awarded an initial contract to produce two prototypes ; Blackburn also received a competing contract to build its own prototypes. One reason for the ordering of multiple prototypes was so that alternative engines, such as the Napier Nomad , could be test flown, although some of these alternatives would never actually be fitted. Another reason
8181-518: The type were lackluster against conventional subsonic airliners, primarily due to the emergence of wide-body aircraft , such as the Boeing 747 , which made subsonic airliners significantly more efficient. While by March 1969, the consortium had arrangements totalling 74 options from 16 airlines, only two airlines, Air France and the British Overseas Airways Corporation , would proceed with their orders. Scheduled services commenced on 21 January 1976 on both
8282-443: The wing trailing edge. This addition disturbed the airflow over the horizontal stabiliser , necessitating the addition of small finlets on either side. The wing of the Gannet folded in two places, forming a distinctive Z-shape on each side, to minimise its space requirements while being stowed onboard aircraft carriers. The first fold was upwards, at about a third of the wing span where the inboard anhedral (down-sweep) changed to
8383-401: The wing. The T.2 and T.5 trainers were finished in silver overall, with a yellow "Trainer band" on rear fuselage and wings. During April 1954, deliveries of the Gannet AS.1 formally commenced. On 17 January 1955, the 826 NAS became the RN's first operational Gannet squadron, which promptly embarked on the modernised aircraft carrier HMS Eagle . During its initial at-sea deployment in
8484-548: Was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd. , Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with shareholdings of 20%, 40% and 40% respectively. BAC in turn acquired the share capital of their aviation interests and 70% of Hunting Aircraft several months later. BAC's origins can be traced to
8585-408: Was a maritime patrol aircraft then in the process of being replaced. However, this still meant that the Royal Navy, then in the process of introducing a new type of small aircraft carrier incapable of operating conventional fixed-wing aircraft, lacked an embedded AEW platform that could be used as part of the carrier task group. This lack of organic AEW capability following the withdrawal of the Gannet
8686-477: Was carved off by Sir George White, whose family had founded the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company in 1910 (later the Bristol Aeroplane Company ). BAC's head office was on the top floors of the 100 Pall Mall building in the City of Westminster , London. The majority of BAC's aircraft designs had been inherited from the individual companies that formed it. BAC did not apply its new identity retrospectively, hence
8787-521: Was formed as the Trials Unit for the new Gannet. This unit put the aircraft through an intensive test programme to make it ready for operation service, a process that lasted until January 1960, at which point the unit was renamed as 'A' Flight of 849 Naval Air Squadron . 849A Flight was then declared operational and was embarked for the first time in HMS Ark Royal . A total of 44 Gannets were ordered for
8888-516: Was given to Westland Helicopters . During 1966, Rolls-Royce acquired Bristol Aeroplane from BAC, integrating the firm into its Bristol Siddeley aero-engine business, but declared it had no interest in the BAC shareholding. Despite this, Rolls-Royce still had not disposed of its BAC shareholding when the business was declared to be bankrupt during 1971. The 20% share was eventually acquired from receivership by Vickers and GEC , which had acquired English Electric during 1968. On 29 April 1977, BAC,
8989-474: Was initially investigating supersonic and hypersonic flight problems, became interested in the application of such a vehicle for space-related activities, leading to the BAC Mustard , a reusable launch system that comprised several near-identical winged vehicles. In the most detailed design, Mustard was to have weighed roughly 420 tonnes prior to launch, and been capable of delivering a three tonne payload to
9090-551: Was known as the Type Q or Fairey 17 (these designations being sources from the naming of the requirement), while Blackburn's was the Blackburn B-54 / B-88 . For 18 months, Fairey investigated the use of a single Rolls-Royce Tweed turboprop engine to power their proposed aircraft, however, this option was discontinued to concentrate on other efforts. Instead, Fairey approached the engine manufacturer Armstrong Siddeley to develop
9191-448: Was put to work in the latter stages of the flight test programme. One serious flaw encountered during the later stage of trials was instances of compressor stalls; the type was grounded for two months while the propeller control system was modified accordingly. One early production aircraft appeared at the 1953 Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) display at Farnborough . On 5 April 1954, four Gannets were formally handed over to
9292-411: Was seated directly above the aircraft's Double Mamba engine and behind the gearbox and contrarotating propellers in a position that conferred a favourable view over the nose for carrier operations. The first observer was seated underneath a separate canopy that was directly aft of the pilot's position. On the production aircraft, a second observer was also present in their own cockpit that was located over
9393-629: Was seen as misguided, particularly following the experience of the Falklands War , in which the Royal Navy lost four ships due to the Task Force being reliant on shipborne air search. As a consequence, the Westland Sea King helicopter was modified to incorporate the Searchwater radar system for use in the AEW role from the Invincible class. The work to convert the first aircraft for this role, from
9494-563: Was shared between Fairey's factories at Hayes, Middlesex and Heaton Chapel , Stockport / Manchester (Ringway) Airport . During 1954, production commenced at Heaton Chapel, the first aircraft from this production line flew on 5 October of that year. That same month, tropical trials were conducted in Khartoum . During the late 1950s, an improved ASW model, the Gannet AS.4 , and its T.5 trainer equivalent were developed. The improvements included
9595-408: Was the air-to-surface-vessel (ASV) radar , which made use of a retractable radome positioned underneath the rear fuselage just to the aft of the bomb bay. The Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba engine consisted of two Mamba engines that were mounted in a side-by-side arrangement and coupled through a common gearbox to coaxial contra-rotating propellers. Each engine drove its own propeller, and power
9696-804: Was the contract for a new large supersonic strike aircraft, which would become the BAC TSR-2 . Accordingly, during 1960, BAC was created as a jointly-owned corporation by Vickers, English Electric and Bristol. Internally, the business had two divisions – the Aircraft Division under Sir George Edwards and the Guided Weapons Division under Viscount Caldecote . The aircraft operations of the three parents were now subsidiaries of BAC; "Bristol Aircraft Ltd", "English Electric Aviation Ltd" (with Viscount Caldecote as general manager) and "Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd" (under Sir George Edwards). BAC also had
9797-431: Was the first British aircraft in FAA service to be capable of storing all its munitions (other than rockets) within an internal bomb bay. Such munitions could include depth charges , sonobouys , homing torpedoes , bombs , markers, and mines . Hard points beneath the outer wings could carry up to 16 Mk.8 or 24 Mk.5 rocket projectiles; other equipment included 100 gallon external fuel tanks. The primary search apparatus
9898-412: Was the relatively radical engine arrangement and the high proportion of original design features incorporated into the aircraft. On 19 September 1949, the prototype performed its maiden flight from Aldermaston outside Reading , flown by R. G. Slate; this milestone occurred ten months ahead of Blackburn's competing prototype. While some elements of the prototype proved relatively trouble-free, such as
9999-508: Was to all intents and purposes a completely different aircraft from its ASW predecessor. As it was, by the time the Gannet AEW was entering service, the ASW version was in the process of being replaced, avoiding any potential confusion. The prototype Gannet AEW.3 first flew in August 1958, with carrier trials taking place using HMS Centaur in November, and the first production aircraft delivered in December. By August 1959, 700G Naval Air Squadron
10100-488: Was to become a fruitful relationship with Hughes Aircraft . Hughes awarded major contracts to BAC, including sub-systems for Intelsat satellites. BAC had inherited the aerospace activities of several companies via its formation, and research into various space-related ventures continued at the new entity. One of BAC's research teams, headed by engineer Tom Smith , Chief of the Aerospace Department at BAC, that
10201-587: Was transmitted by a torsion shaft which was engaged through a series of sun, planet, epicyclic and spur gears to give a suitable reduction ratio and correct propeller-shaft rotation. The ASMD.1 engine (2,950 hp; 2,200 kW) was used in the Gannet AS.1; ASMD.3 (3,145 hp; 2,345 kW) in the AS.4; and ASMD.4 (3,875 hp; 2,890 kW) in the AEW.3 variant. The Double Mamba engine could be run with one Mamba stopped and its propeller feathered, to conserve fuel and extend endurance when cruising; stopping one engine on
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