Fairey Gannet

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Gannet
A Royal Navy Fairey Gannet AS.4
Role Anti-submarine warfare aircraft
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Fairey Aviation Company
First flight 19 September 1949
Introduction 1953
Retired 15 December 1978[1]
Primary users Royal Navy
Produced 1953–1959
Number built
  • 303 (anti-submarine)
  • 44 (airborne early warning)
Variants Fairey Gannet AEW.3

The Fairey Gannet 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).[2]

The Gannet was originally developed to meet a

tricycle undercarriage and a crew of three, with a double turboprop engine driving two contra-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 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

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.

Development

Background

According to the aviation historian H. A. Taylor, the origins of what would become the Gannet can be traced back to 1935, when the

strike missions.[3] Two rival aircraft manufacturers, Fairey and Blackburn Aircraft, opted to produce responses. Fairey's submission 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.[2]

For 18 months, Fairey investigated the use of a single

gearbox. The proposal was enthusiastically accepted and formal design work on the engine stated in December 1945.[7]

The acceptance of this proposal enabled Fairey to develop a rather atypical propulsion arrangement for their proposed aircraft, which was normally only possible for a single engined aircraft.

feathered without producing asymmetry and therefore control difficulties. Shutting down one of the two engines in flight would reduce fuel consumption and extend the aircraft's range.[8]

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.[2] 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 was the relatively radical engine arrangement and the high proportion of original design features incorporated into the aircraft.[9]

Into flight

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 the Double Mamba engine, several early test flights had been troubled by flight control difficulties.[9] 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.[10]

On 1 March 1950, flight testing resumed with the repaired prototype.

Lieutenant Commander G. Callingham.[13]

On 6 July 1950, the second prototype took to the skies, joining the flight test shortly thereafter.[13] 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 the latter, the radome had to be repositioned rearwards; the first prototype was modified to reflect these changes for the aerodynamic trials.[13]

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.[13] Changes included the repositioning of the main landing legs rearwards by 12 inches. Following a full series of handling trials, further carrier trials were performed aboard HMS Eagle.[13] On 13 March 1951, Fairey received an initial order for 100 Gannet AS.1s 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.[14]

On 9 June 1953, the first production Gannet performed its initial flight from

RNAS Ford.[16]

Further development

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

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.[18]

During the late 1950s, an improved ASW model, the Gannet AS.4, and its T.5 trainer equivalent were developed.[19] The improvements included the fitting of an up-rated Double Mamba engine. Several were refurbished with new electronics and radar, thus were re-designated Gannet AS.6.[19]

During 1958, the Gannet was selected to replace the Douglas Skyraider in the airborne early warning and control (AEW) role.[20] In order to accommodate the systems required for this new mission, the Gannet underwent a significant redesign that saw a new version of 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.[21]

Design

The Gannet's distinctive double folding wing. This specimen is shown in storage at the Australian Fleet Air Arm Museum.

The Fairey Gannet is a

aerial observers. The pilot 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.[5] 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 the wing trailing edge. This addition disturbed the airflow over the horizontal stabiliser, necessitating the addition of small finlets on either side.[22]

The wing of the Gannet

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.[23] 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 was the first British aircraft in FAA service to be capable of storing all its munitions (other than rockets) within an internal bomb bay.

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.[24] The primary search apparatus 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.[24]

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 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.[25] 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 a conventional twin-engined plane would normally create thrust asymmetry, whereas the centreline-mounted propeller arrangement avoided this.[13] 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.[26]

In FAA service, 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 the wing. The T.2 and T.5 trainers were finished in silver overall, with a yellow "Trainer band" on rear fuselage and wings.[citation needed]

Operational history

During April 1954, deliveries of the Gannet AS.1 formally commenced. On 17 January 1955, 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.[27]

Newly assembled Gannet AS.4 at Manchester Airport, June 1956

The RAN ultimately operated 33 Gannet AS.1 and three T.2 trainers.

Nowra, New South Wales. During 1967, the RAN withdrew its surviving 24 Gannets from service.[28]

By the mid-1960s, the Royal Navy's Gannet AS.1 and AS.4 models had been replaced by the

electronic countermeasures (ECM) aircraft: the ECM.6. Several Gannet AS.4s were converted to COD.4s for Carrier onboard delivery
—the aerial supply of mail and light cargo to the fleet.

Starting in May 1958,

Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic
three years later.

During January 1959, Indonesia ordered 18 Gannet AS.4 and T.5s for the Indonesian Navy.[30] 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.[31] Additional Gannets were later acquired by other countries.

Accidents and mishaps

  • 21 November 1958 – Fairey Gannet AS.1, WN345, suffered a belly landing during a test programme, forced by a partially deployed nosewheel. The pilot landed gear-up on a foam-covered runway at RAF Bitteswell, suffering minimal damage. After repair, the Gannet was back in the air within weeks.[32]
  • 30 January 1959 – A Royal Australian Navy Gannet on a trip from Bankstown to Nowra broke up in mid-flight over the Sydney suburb of Sylvania, killing the pilot.[33][34]
  • 29 July 1959 – Royal Navy Fairey Gannet AS.4, XA465, unable to lower the undercarriage, made a power-on deck belly landing into the crash barrier on HMS Centaur. The crew was uninjured but the airframe was written off,[35] salvaged in Singapore, but ending up at the fire dump of Singapore Naval Base.[36]
  • 9 April 1962 – Two Fairey Gannet AEW.3s of 849 Sqn FAA RN (XL499 "426" and XP197 "414") collided at night and crashed into the English Channel 15 miles off The Lizard, Cornwall. All six crew were killed.[37]
  • 23 January 1964 – Royal Navy Fairey Gannet ECM.6 XG832 suffered double engine failure caused by a
    idler gear of the port engine's primary accessory drive failing. Fine metal particles from the gear were carried away by the shared oil system of the two engines, causing both to be destroyed. All three crew bailed out near St Austell and survived.[25]
  • 12 May 1966 – German Navy AS.4 UA-115 crashed shortly after takeoff from Kaufbeuren, killing all three crew members. The crash was deemed the result of pilot error.[38]

Harness restraint issues

Tests on 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 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 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 ...[39]

Variants

Gannet T.2 advanced trainer demonstrating in 1955 with one-half of the Double Mamba shut down and weapons bay open
A Gannet COD.4 from HMS Victorious (R38), in 1965.
Type Role Number built Notes
Type Q Anti-submarine warfare 3 Three prototypes were ordered, two in August 1946 and one with a rear cockpit mockup was ordered in July 1949. The first VR546 first flew on 19 September 1949 followed by the second VR577 on 6 July 1950. The third WE488 first flew in May 1951 and all three were powered by the Double Mamba ASMD.1.
AS.1 Anti-submarine warfare 183
T.2 Dual control trainer version of AS.1 38 1 converted from AS.1
AEW.3
Airborne early warning
 44 Separate build
AS.4 Anti-submarine warfare 75 1 converted from AS.1
COD.4 Carrier onboard delivery 6 Converted from AS.4
T.5 Dual control trainer version of AS.4 11 3 converted from T.2
ECM.6
Electronic countermeasures
 9 Converted from AS.4; initially classed as AS.6
AEW.7 Airborne early warning 0 Proposal for radical upgrade of AEW.3[40]

Operators

An Australian Gannet AS.1 on the USS Philippine Sea in 1958.

 Australia

German Gannets in flight, in 1960.

 West Germany

Indonesian Gannets in formation over an Imam Bondjol-class destroyer escort in 1960.

 Indonesia

 United Kingdom

Surviving aircraft

The Australian Fleet Air Arm Museum's Gannet on display in 2015
Fairey Gannet at Gatow
Fairey Gannet XT752/772-LM has been restored to flying condition

Australia

On display:

Germany

On display:

Indonesia

On display:

United Kingdom

On display:

Under restoration or stored:

  • Gannet AS.4 XA460 currently under restoration at the Ulster Aviation Museum, Lisburn, Northern Ireland
  • Gannet T.5 XG882 is on the former RAF Errol, between Dundee and Perth, Scotland; however, the aircraft is unprotected and is derelict[49]
  • Gannet AEW.3 G-KAEW (XL500) undergoing a full restoration to airworthiness at South Wales Aviation Museum (SWAM), former
    RAF St Athan site at Picketston, near Cardiff[43]

United States

Airworthy:

On display:

  • Gannet AEW3 XL482 at the
    Pima Air Museum, Arizona[52]

Specifications (Gannet AS.1)

Side view comparison of Fairey Gannet ASW and AEW versions

Data from British Naval Aircraft since 1912[53]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 310 mph (500 km/h, 270 kn)
  • Endurance: 5–6 hours
  • Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)

Armament

  • Up to 2,000 lb of bombs, torpedoes, depth charges and rockets

Avionics

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Citations

  1. ^ 849 Naval Air Squadron flying Gannet COD.4 aircraft from Ark Royal and RAF Lossiemouth
  2. ^ a b c Taylor 1969, p. 357.
  3. ^ a b Taylor 1974, pp. 356–357.
  4. ^ a b c Taylor 1969, p. 356.
  5. ^ a b Williams 1989, p. 94.
  6. Chambers's Encyclopædia. London: George Newnes
    , 1961, Vol. 1, Plate III.
  7. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 356-357.
  8. ^ a b Taylor 1969, pp. 357-358.
  9. ^ a b Taylor 1969, pp. 357-359.
  10. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 358-359.
  11. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 359.
  12. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 359, 361.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Taylor 1969, p. 361.
  14. ^ a b Taylor 1969, p. 363.
  15. ^ Taylor 1969, p. 365.
  16. ^ Taylor 1969, p. 364.
  17. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 365-366.
  18. ^ a b Taylor 1969, p. 366.
  19. ^ a b Taylor 1969, p. 370.
  20. ^ Taylor 1969, p. 372.
  21. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 372, 375.
  22. ^ Williams 1989, p. 95.
  23. ^ "Two Novel Warplanes Produced in Britain". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. February 1955. p. 109.
  24. ^ a b c Taylor 1969, p. 358.
  25. ^ a b Gardner, Bob. "Gannet Down! Five Terrifying Minutes." Aeroplane via aeroclocks.com, October 2007. Retrieved: 23 December 2009.
  26. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 358-361.
  27. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 366-367.
  28. ^ a b Taylor 1969, p. 367.
  29. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 367-368.
  30. ^ Taylor 1969, p. 368.
  31. ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 368-370.
  32. ^ Willis 2006, pp. 43–44.
  33. ^ "Investigation To Follow Navy Gannet Break-up". The Canberra Times. Vol. 33, no. 9, 703. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 31 January 1959. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ^ "Minister Says Gannet Crash 'Inexplicable'". The Canberra Times. Vol. 33, no. 9, 705. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 February 1959. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  35. ^ Smith 2008, p. 42.
  36. ^ a b c d e "UK Military Aircraft Serial Allocations: XA". UK Serials Resource Centre. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  37. ^ "Accident Fairey Gannet AEW.3 XL499, 09 Apr 1962".
  38. ^ "Marineflieger-geschwader 3". fly-navy.de. Retrieved: 23 December 2009.
  39. ^ "Accident Briefs reports". Cockpit, Issue 65, Fourth Quarter 1973.
  40. ^ Gibson 2011, p. 22.
  41. ^ "Gannet A.S. Mk 1 XA334". Archived 15 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine camdenmuseumofaviation.com.au. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  42. ^ Australian National Aviation Museum – Fairey Gannet A.S.4 – XG789 Archived 8 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 10 September 2016
  43. ^ a b c "UK Military Aircraft Serial Allocations: XL". UK Serials Resource Centre. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  44. ^ a b "Fairey Gannet". airliners.net. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  45. ^ "Fairey Gannet COD4 (XA466)". Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  46. ^ a b c "UK Military Aircraft Serial Allocations: XG". UK Serials Resource Centre. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  47. ^ "Home". Cornwall at War Museum. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  48. ^ "Newark Air Museum Aircraft List". Newark Air Museum. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  49. ^ "Gannet XG882". Thunder & Lightnings, Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  50. ^ "XT752 Fairey Gannet engine start". YouTube. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  51. ^ "Menomonie Airfest: Performers". menomonieairfest.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  52. ^ Fairey Gannet
  53. ^ Thetford 1978, p. 190.
  54. ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

Bibliography

External links

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