Fairey Gannet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gannet | |
|---|---|
 Fairey Gannet AS.4 of the Fleet Air Arm |
|
| Type | Anti-submarine warfare aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Fairey Aviation Company |
| Designed by | H. E. Chaplin |
| Maiden flight | 19 September 1949 |
| Introduced | 1953 |
| Retired | 15 December 1978[1] |
| Primary users | Fleet Air Arm Royal Australian Navy German Navy Armed Forces of Indonesia |
| Produced | 1953-1959 |
| Number built | 348 |
The Fairey Gannet was a British carrier-borne anti-submarine warfare and airborne early warning aircraft of the post-Second World War era developed for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm by the Fairey Aviation Company. It is a conventional, turboprop-engined, mid-wing monoplane with a tricycle undercarriage and a crew of three.
Contents |
[edit] Design
The Gannet was built in response to the 1945 Admiralty requirement GR.17/45, for which prototypes by Fairey - Type Q or Fairey 17( after the requirement), and Blackburn B-54 / B-88 were built.
After considering and discounting the Rolls-Royce Tweed[2] turboprop, Fairey selected an engine based on the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba; the Double Mamba (or "Twin Mamba"). The Double Mamba was basically two Mambas mounted side by side and coupled through a common gearbox to contra-rotating propellers. The ASMD.1 engine (2,950hp) was used in the Gannet AS.1; ASMD.3 (3,145hp) in the AS.4; and ASMD.4 (3,875hp) in the AEW.3 variant. The Double Mamba engine could be run with one half stopped to conserve fuel and extend endurance for cruise flight. The contra-rotating propellers meant that when only one half of the Mamba was running, there were, no asymmetry of thrust problems encountered [3]. The Mamba exhausts on each side of the fuselage, at the root of the wing trailing edge. The gas turbine engine can run on kerosene, "wide-cut" turbine fuel or diesel fuel, allowing the Admiralty to eliminate the dangerous high-octane petroleum spirit required by piston engines from carrier operation. [3].
The pilot is seated well forward - conferring a good view over the nose for carrier operations[2] - and sits over the Double Mamba engine, directly behind the gearbox and propellers. The second crew member, an aerial observer, is seated under a separate canopy directly behind the pilot. After the proptoype, a second observer was included, in his own cockpit over the wing trailing edge. This addition disturbed the airflow over the horizontal stabiliser, requiring small finlets on either side[4]. The Gannet has a large internal weapons bay in the fuselage and a retractable radome under the rear fuselage.
The Gannet's wing folds in two places to form a distinctive Z-shape on each side. The first fold is at about 1/3 of the wing length where the inboard anhedral (down-sweep) changes to the outboard dihedral (up-sweep) of the wing. The second wing fold is at about 2/3 of the wing length. The length of the nose wheel oleo strut causes the Gannet to have a distinctive nose-high attitude, a common characteristic of carrier aircraft.
[edit] Development and service
The prototype first flew on 19 September 1949 and made the first deck landing by a turboprop aircraft, on HMS Illustrious on 19 June 1950, by pilot Lieutenant Commander G. Callingham. After a further change in operational requirements, with the addition of a radar and extra crew member, the type entered production in 1953 and initial deliveries were made of the AS Mk.1 variant at RNAS Ford in April 1954. A trainer variant (T Mk.2) first flew in August 1954. The RN's first operational Gannet squadron (826 NAS) was embarked on HMS Eagle. The initial order was for 100 AS.1 aircraft. A total of 348 Gannets were built, of which 44 were the heavily modified AEW.3. Production was shared between Fairey's factories at Hayes, Middlesex and Stockport / Ringway near Manchester.
An Airborne Early Warning variant (AEW Mk.3) was developed to replace the American-supplied, piston-engined Douglas Skyraider aircraft. This aircraft carried the American AN/APS-20F radar in a large, bulbous radome suspended beneath the fuselage, under the wing leading edge, requiring a major strutural redesign[5]. The fin area was increased to counter increase in side area of the radome, and the undercarriage had to be extended to provide the necessary ground clearance, giving the AEM.3 a more-or-less level stance on the ground. The two radar operators were located in a cabin in the fuselage, accessed by small hatches over the wing trailing edge. This variant first flew in August 1958, with trials carried out with HMS Centaur in November. For stability, it required a redesigned fin and rudder together with the small vertical fins on the tailplane fitted to the other versions. When the AEW.3s were withdrawn and scrapped, their radar equipment was recycled into the Royal Air Force Avro Shackleton AEW.2.
By the mid-1960s, the AS.1s and AS.4s had been replaced by the Westland Whirlwind HAS.7 helicopters. Gannets continued as Electronic countermeasures aircraft - the ECM.6. Some AS.4s were converted to COD.4s for Carrier onboard delivery - the aerial supply of mail and light cargo to the fleet.
The Royal Australian Navy purchased the Gannet (AS.1 - 36 aircraft). It operated from the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the shore base HMAS Albatross near Nowra, New South Wales. The German Navy bought the AS.4 and T.5 variants. Indonesia bought a number of AS.4 and T.5s (re-modelled from RN AS.1s and T.2s) in 1959. Some Gannets were later acquired by various other countries.
[edit] Airframe and Handling Issues
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
At least one Gannet accident was attributed to the vibration from the engine causing fatigue cracking of the tail, to the extent that the tail separated in flight.
There is no known case of the tailplane separating in flight in RN service. Fatigue cracking of the tailplane attachment frame occurred on a number of AS.1 and T.2 aircraft due to buffeting in the flaps-up stall. In the worst case, one tailplane attachment fitting broke away allowing the tailplane to move in roll several degrees; the aircraft landed safely. The attachment frames of all aircraft were extensively reinforced after this incident.
[edit] Markings
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 are typically painted on the side of the fuselage ahead of the wing; roundel and serial markings were behind the wing.
[edit] Variants
Production numbers in brackets
- Gannet AS Mk.1
- Three-seat anti-submarine version (180 aircraft were built).
- Gannet TMk.2
Training version of the Gannet AS 1. The Gannet T 2 trainer entering service in 1955 (35 aircraft were built).
- Gannet AEW Mk.3
- Airborne early warning aircraft for the Royal Navy. The Gannet AEW.3 entering service in 1958/1959 (44 aircraft were built).
- Gannet AS Mk.4
- Three-seat anti-submarine version, with improved performance from a more powerful engine (82 aircraft were built).
- Gannet COD Mk.4
- AS.4 Gannets modified to operate as cargo/passenger transport aircraft.
- Gannet T Mk.5
- Training version of the Gannet AS.4 trainer (eight aircraft were built).
- Gannet AS Mk.6
- Small number of Gannet AS.4s fitted with new radar and electronics.
- Gannet ECM Mk.6
- Electronic countermeasures version, operating from shore bases.
[edit] Operators
- Fleet Air Arm (Royal Australian Navy)
- No. 724 Squadron RAN
- No. 725 Squadron RAN
- No. 816 Squadron RAN
- No. 817 Squadron RAN
|
|
[edit] Survivors
- Gannet T2 XA508, Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England - On loan from the Fleet Air Arm Museum.
- Gannet T5 XG883, Museum of Berkshire Aviation, Woodley, Berkshire, England.
- Gannet AEW3 XL472, Gatwick Aviation Museum, Surrey, England
- Gannet XL450, at the Flugausstellung Hermeskeil in Germany
[edit] Specifications - Gannet AS Mk.4
General characteristics
- Crew: Three
- Length: 43 ft (13.11 m)
- Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in (16.57 m)
- Height: 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
- Wing area: 490 ft² (45.5 m²)
- Empty weight: 14,530 lb (6,590 kg)
- Loaded weight: 22,500 lb (10,200 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
- Powerplant: 1 contra-rotating× Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba ASMD.3 turboprop, 3,145 hp (2,346 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 300 mph at sea level (260 knots)
- Range: 945 miles (820 nautical miles)
- Service ceiling 25,000 ft (6,700 m)
- Rate of climb: 310 ft/min (11.2 m/s)
- Wing loading: 47.8 lb/ft² (234 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.13 hp/lb (0.22 kW/kg)
Armament
- Up to 2,850 lb (1,300 kg) of stores, including bombs, depth charges, 2x torpedoes internally, or 16 x 60 lb (26 kg) rockets.
[edit] Specifications - Gannet AEW Mk.3
Data from British Naval Aircraft since 1912 [6]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 44 ft (13.41 m)
- Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in (16.57 m)
- Height: 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m)
- Wing area: 490 ft² (45.5 m²)
- Loaded weight: 25,000 lb (11,400 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 contra-rotating× Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba ASMD.4 turboprop, 3,875 hp (2,890 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 250 mph (217 knots, 402 km/h)
- Range: 700 miles (609 NM, 1127 km)
- Service ceiling 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
- Endurance: 5-6 hours
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Sturtivant, Ray and Ballance, Theo.The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. London: Air-Britain, 1994. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Taylor, H.A.Fairey Aircraft Since 1915. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-00065-X.
- Taylor, John W.R. Fairey Gannet. "Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present." New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
- Thetford, Owen.British Naval Aircraft Since 1912. London: Putnam, 1978. ISBN 0-370-30021-1.
- Velek, Martin; Ovčáčík, Michal and Susa, Karel. Fairey Gannet Anti-submarine and Strike variants, AS Mk.1 & AS Mk.4 . Prague, Czech Republic: 4+ Publications, 2007. ISBN 80-86637-04-4.
- Williams, Ray. Fly Navy: Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm since 1945. London: Airlife Publishing, 1989, ISBN 1-85310-057-9.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
