As the Battle of the Atlantic drew to a close during World War II, the Admiralty was looking into the future and saw the continued need for a high-performance specialized anti-submarine aircraft. One of several proposals put forward was one from Fairey Aviation to produce a twin-engined version of their successful
Firefly fighter with the second engine buried in the fuselage behind the pilot. Fairey had been experimenting with a twin-engine installation driving contra-rotating propellers since 1935 in the face of official disinterest. As the Admiralty realized anti-submarine aircraft could be fitted with far more advanced systems than those used during the war, they changed their requirements and issued GR.17/45 in late 1945. Fairey realized that one of their other projects, an observation aircraft with twin Merlins, would be suitable for carrying the new electronic equipment now available and could be modified to take two Armstrong-Siddeley Mamba turbojets instead of the bulky and outdated Merlins originally planned. Driving two large props, the double Mamba installation soon became an engine in its own right, known imaginatively as the Twin Mamba. While their competitors Blackburn, later to create the Buccaneer, submitted their YB.1 design to the Admiralty, Fairey applied the final polish to their design, now known as the Type Q. With typical decisiveness in 8/46 the go-ahead was given for two prototypes to be built of both the Blackburn and Fairey machines.
Alittle over three years later in 9/49, Fairey's first Type Q prototype was assembled at their plant at Hayes and transported for its first flight on 9/19/49. The rival YB.1 had already flown by this point. Early testing of the Type Q revealed a number of aerodynamic flaws, including large trim changes on flap deployment, mushy elevator response and some directional instability. Relatively minor changes to the elevators, ailerons and rudder soon cleared up these problems and deck trials began soon after. The first deck landing by a turbo-prop aircraft was made on HMS Illustrious on 6/19/50. With reports of excellent flying characteristics from all the test pilots, the future for Fairey's new aircraft looked bright - and then the Admiralty changed their minds once more. They now wanted a radar, housed in the rear fuselage along with an additional crewmember to operate it, and the weapons bay was to be enlarged. The second prototype was already practically complete so a third had to be ordered to be built to the new arrangement.
By the time the third prototype was flying, the name Gannet had been given to the Type Q and the program had gained Super Priority status, with an order placed for 100 aircraft. The new radome caused more directional instability when lowered, so Fairey had had to add small finlets to the tailplane as enlarging the tail itself would have been too expensive and would have impacted on the amount of space the aircraft could take up onboard ship. Happily for Fairey the late change in requirements caused little else in the way of adverse effects and production AS.1s began rolling out of the factories in 1953, initially to be used for development. The Navy received their first AS.1s at RNAS Ford in 4/54 and intensive trials begin with 703X Flight, whose pilots did not have the luxury of a trainer version and so were finding out about the completely different qualities of turboprop engines. The need for a trainer had been recognized and the first T.2 flew in 8/54, with deliveries to the FAA beginning in early 1955.
One aircraft was deployed to Egypt for tropical trials as Fairey had had a fair amount of interest from overseas navies, while the RN's first operational Gannet squadron, No 826 NAS embarked on HMS Eagle and sailed to the Mediterranean. Operational use soon ironed out any remaining difficulties with the engine and airframe, but the Gannet was a little underpowered. This would be solved with the AS.4, an AS.1 with an uprated engine giving superior performance - the German and Australian Navies were highly impressed by the new specifications and both ordered Gannets. The Australians even settled for AS.1s, with the intention of exchanging them for AS.4s when they became available, though this never actually came to pass. The Germans were content to wait for the AS.4s, but to hurry things along Fairey supplied them with AS.4s earmarked for the RN, and also supplied a T.5, an uprated T.2, so they could begin pilot training before the AS.4s arrived.
Prior to the AS.4 in number order but delayed by difficulties with development was an Airborne Early Warning variant, the AEW.3. Initially intended to be an AS.1 with minimum modifications to carry radar equipment cannibalized from the RN's Skyraiders, this turned out to be impossible and a new fuselage was required. The AN/APS 20 radar was to be mounted in a radome underneath the center fuselage and room would be made for an operator's position by deleting the second cockpit and moving the exhausts forward of the wing. A larger tail was necessary to combat the instability caused by the bulbous radome. Finally flying in 8/58, trials were carried out with HMS Centaur in November and in December the RN received the first production AEW.3. Initially lukewarm to the AEW idea, the Admiralty soon realized the usefulness of such a type when it was realized the new Buccaneer strike aircraft could easily sneak up on a carrier task force and would be detected far too late with ship-based radars.
The Gannet's only other export order came from Indonesia in 1959, a number of AS.1s and T.2s were bought back from the Ministry of Supply to be converted to AS.4s and T.5s and sold to Indonesia. Interest from other nations died away as the submarine threat seemed ever less likely to countries now beginning to recover from the devastation of WWII. A single Gannet deployed to Canada for trials with the RCN but though impressed with the aircraft, the Canadians decided not to buy any. As more AEW.3s came off the production line more trials were carried out and, in 8/59, 700G Intensive Trials Unit was formed, continuing the FAA's tradition of forming a trials unit for each new type introduced into service to accelerate service acceptance. As this was happening helicopter development had surged ahead of its initially underpowered beginnings, and the Admiralty soon saw how superior the helicopter would be - not only could they carry out the anti-submarine mission but they also didn't require large carriers and could carry out many other duties. By mid 1960 the AS.1 and AS.4 Gannets were all replaced by the Westland Whirlwind in RN service, but some AS.4s survived to become ECM.6s - with considerable modifications and additions to the aircraft's electronics suite. These aircraft were shore-based and did not fly from aircraft carriers however. Another minor variant was the COD.4 - AS.4s modified to become a rather basic transport by removing much internal equipment to free space for extra seats or cargo.
As the AEW.3 Gannet was proving to be one of the most useful aircraft the RN had ever operated, including backing up the RAF and Army on numerous occasions by providing AEW for those services, the UK had a change of government in 1964. While a replacement for the Gannet AEW.3 was planned and would be very necessary in the next decade, the new government cancelled all plans along with the Navy's new large carrier CVA-01 and numerous other planned defense projects, including of course the TSR.2. Plans to keep the Gannet in operation for much longer than initially intended were put into place and the AEW.3s and a small number of COD.4s remained in service until more defense cuts from another government spelled the end of the RN's carrier force. The Gannets were flown to Lossiemouth, most to be scrapped. The radars were rescued and used by the RAF's Shackleton force for land-based AEW but the RN was now without any form of AEW, which was to prove a costly lack when Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982.
In the early 1950s the completion of Australias new carrier, HMAS Melbourne led to an agreement that the RAN could upgrade its naval aircraft and involved replacing the Sea Fury with the Sea Venom, and the Firefly with the Gannet. An order was then announced on 12/22/52 for 40 Fairey Gannets for the RAN. The acquisition was to comprise 37 operational anti-submarine aircraft, the Gannet AS.1, and three dual trainers, designated the T2. The T2 trainer introduced dual controls with a periscope in the second cockpit for a radio operator or two passengers, and the retractable radome of the anti-submarine variant was deleted. Australian crews initially trained with the Royal Navys 737 Squadron at during 1955. Two RAN squadrons, Nos 816 and 817 were reformed with Gannets on 8/15/55. The HMAS Melbourne was commissioned on 10/28, and carried out acceptance trials during November. Flying trials commenced on the Melbourne during 1/56, and the initial 22 Australian Gannets were accepted on 2/27, and embarked aboard Melbourne during March. This delivery comprised 20 AS.1 variants and two T2 trainers. HMAS Melbourne departed Glasgow on 3/11 for the return to Australia, disembarking the aircraft at Jervis Bay on 5/8, and arriving in Sydney the following day.
After a work-up period in Australian waters, HMAS Melbourne embarked the aircraft of 808, 816 and 817 squadrons during 8/56. 817 Squadron then served aboard HMAS Melbourne for several deployments over 1957 and 1958, until becoming shore-based on 7/20/58. With the decision having been made that the RAN would only support one carrier there was now no need for a second ASW unit. Accordingly 817 Squadron was disbanded on 8/18/58 and 816 continued as the first line unit. A further four Gannets had been delivered during 1957 as part of the original order. A further nine Gannets were received in Australia during 9/58. This final delivery of aircraft came from a production batch of upgraded AS.4 versions for the RN, but the aircraft for Australia retained the lower rated engines and were delivered as the AS.1. The actual deliveries of Gannets to the RAN, therefore amounted to just 36 aircraft comprising 33 AS.1s and three T.2s that were to serve with the RAN between 1955 and 1967. The RANs Gannets remained in first line squadron service until 1967, when the decision was taken to replace the Gannet in the ASW role with the US Grumman S-2E Tracker. Of the remaining 24 RAN Gannets, one was sold in 1966 to the RN, and six were sold for scrap in March 3/67. The final 17 were withdrawn from service on 8/15/67, and 816 Squadron was disbanded.
Specifications:
Crew: 3 (pilot, observer/navigator, radar operator).
Powerplant: One 2,950-shp Armstrong Siddeley Double-Mamba 100 turboprop.
Maximum Speed: 310 mph.
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft.
Range: 943 miles
Armament: Up to approximately 2,000 pounds of torpedoes, depth charges and sonobuoys in bomb bay; plus under wing hardpoints for rockets.
Number Built: 349
User countries: UK, Australian, Germany, Indonesia
Sources:
Wings: Korea to Vietnam cd-rom.
Elke Weale, Combat Aircraft of World War II, Bracken Books, 1985.
Firefly fighter with the second engine buried in the fuselage behind the pilot. Fairey had been experimenting with a twin-engine installation driving contra-rotating propellers since 1935 in the face of official disinterest. As the Admiralty realized anti-submarine aircraft could be fitted with far more advanced systems than those used during the war, they changed their requirements and issued GR.17/45 in late 1945. Fairey realized that one of their other projects, an observation aircraft with twin Merlins, would be suitable for carrying the new electronic equipment now available and could be modified to take two Armstrong-Siddeley Mamba turbojets instead of the bulky and outdated Merlins originally planned. Driving two large props, the double Mamba installation soon became an engine in its own right, known imaginatively as the Twin Mamba. While their competitors Blackburn, later to create the Buccaneer, submitted their YB.1 design to the Admiralty, Fairey applied the final polish to their design, now known as the Type Q. With typical decisiveness in 8/46 the go-ahead was given for two prototypes to be built of both the Blackburn and Fairey machines.
Alittle over three years later in 9/49, Fairey's first Type Q prototype was assembled at their plant at Hayes and transported for its first flight on 9/19/49. The rival YB.1 had already flown by this point. Early testing of the Type Q revealed a number of aerodynamic flaws, including large trim changes on flap deployment, mushy elevator response and some directional instability. Relatively minor changes to the elevators, ailerons and rudder soon cleared up these problems and deck trials began soon after. The first deck landing by a turbo-prop aircraft was made on HMS Illustrious on 6/19/50. With reports of excellent flying characteristics from all the test pilots, the future for Fairey's new aircraft looked bright - and then the Admiralty changed their minds once more. They now wanted a radar, housed in the rear fuselage along with an additional crewmember to operate it, and the weapons bay was to be enlarged. The second prototype was already practically complete so a third had to be ordered to be built to the new arrangement.
By the time the third prototype was flying, the name Gannet had been given to the Type Q and the program had gained Super Priority status, with an order placed for 100 aircraft. The new radome caused more directional instability when lowered, so Fairey had had to add small finlets to the tailplane as enlarging the tail itself would have been too expensive and would have impacted on the amount of space the aircraft could take up onboard ship. Happily for Fairey the late change in requirements caused little else in the way of adverse effects and production AS.1s began rolling out of the factories in 1953, initially to be used for development. The Navy received their first AS.1s at RNAS Ford in 4/54 and intensive trials begin with 703X Flight, whose pilots did not have the luxury of a trainer version and so were finding out about the completely different qualities of turboprop engines. The need for a trainer had been recognized and the first T.2 flew in 8/54, with deliveries to the FAA beginning in early 1955.
One aircraft was deployed to Egypt for tropical trials as Fairey had had a fair amount of interest from overseas navies, while the RN's first operational Gannet squadron, No 826 NAS embarked on HMS Eagle and sailed to the Mediterranean. Operational use soon ironed out any remaining difficulties with the engine and airframe, but the Gannet was a little underpowered. This would be solved with the AS.4, an AS.1 with an uprated engine giving superior performance - the German and Australian Navies were highly impressed by the new specifications and both ordered Gannets. The Australians even settled for AS.1s, with the intention of exchanging them for AS.4s when they became available, though this never actually came to pass. The Germans were content to wait for the AS.4s, but to hurry things along Fairey supplied them with AS.4s earmarked for the RN, and also supplied a T.5, an uprated T.2, so they could begin pilot training before the AS.4s arrived.
Prior to the AS.4 in number order but delayed by difficulties with development was an Airborne Early Warning variant, the AEW.3. Initially intended to be an AS.1 with minimum modifications to carry radar equipment cannibalized from the RN's Skyraiders, this turned out to be impossible and a new fuselage was required. The AN/APS 20 radar was to be mounted in a radome underneath the center fuselage and room would be made for an operator's position by deleting the second cockpit and moving the exhausts forward of the wing. A larger tail was necessary to combat the instability caused by the bulbous radome. Finally flying in 8/58, trials were carried out with HMS Centaur in November and in December the RN received the first production AEW.3. Initially lukewarm to the AEW idea, the Admiralty soon realized the usefulness of such a type when it was realized the new Buccaneer strike aircraft could easily sneak up on a carrier task force and would be detected far too late with ship-based radars.
The Gannet's only other export order came from Indonesia in 1959, a number of AS.1s and T.2s were bought back from the Ministry of Supply to be converted to AS.4s and T.5s and sold to Indonesia. Interest from other nations died away as the submarine threat seemed ever less likely to countries now beginning to recover from the devastation of WWII. A single Gannet deployed to Canada for trials with the RCN but though impressed with the aircraft, the Canadians decided not to buy any. As more AEW.3s came off the production line more trials were carried out and, in 8/59, 700G Intensive Trials Unit was formed, continuing the FAA's tradition of forming a trials unit for each new type introduced into service to accelerate service acceptance. As this was happening helicopter development had surged ahead of its initially underpowered beginnings, and the Admiralty soon saw how superior the helicopter would be - not only could they carry out the anti-submarine mission but they also didn't require large carriers and could carry out many other duties. By mid 1960 the AS.1 and AS.4 Gannets were all replaced by the Westland Whirlwind in RN service, but some AS.4s survived to become ECM.6s - with considerable modifications and additions to the aircraft's electronics suite. These aircraft were shore-based and did not fly from aircraft carriers however. Another minor variant was the COD.4 - AS.4s modified to become a rather basic transport by removing much internal equipment to free space for extra seats or cargo.
As the AEW.3 Gannet was proving to be one of the most useful aircraft the RN had ever operated, including backing up the RAF and Army on numerous occasions by providing AEW for those services, the UK had a change of government in 1964. While a replacement for the Gannet AEW.3 was planned and would be very necessary in the next decade, the new government cancelled all plans along with the Navy's new large carrier CVA-01 and numerous other planned defense projects, including of course the TSR.2. Plans to keep the Gannet in operation for much longer than initially intended were put into place and the AEW.3s and a small number of COD.4s remained in service until more defense cuts from another government spelled the end of the RN's carrier force. The Gannets were flown to Lossiemouth, most to be scrapped. The radars were rescued and used by the RAF's Shackleton force for land-based AEW but the RN was now without any form of AEW, which was to prove a costly lack when Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982.
In the early 1950s the completion of Australias new carrier, HMAS Melbourne led to an agreement that the RAN could upgrade its naval aircraft and involved replacing the Sea Fury with the Sea Venom, and the Firefly with the Gannet. An order was then announced on 12/22/52 for 40 Fairey Gannets for the RAN. The acquisition was to comprise 37 operational anti-submarine aircraft, the Gannet AS.1, and three dual trainers, designated the T2. The T2 trainer introduced dual controls with a periscope in the second cockpit for a radio operator or two passengers, and the retractable radome of the anti-submarine variant was deleted. Australian crews initially trained with the Royal Navys 737 Squadron at during 1955. Two RAN squadrons, Nos 816 and 817 were reformed with Gannets on 8/15/55. The HMAS Melbourne was commissioned on 10/28, and carried out acceptance trials during November. Flying trials commenced on the Melbourne during 1/56, and the initial 22 Australian Gannets were accepted on 2/27, and embarked aboard Melbourne during March. This delivery comprised 20 AS.1 variants and two T2 trainers. HMAS Melbourne departed Glasgow on 3/11 for the return to Australia, disembarking the aircraft at Jervis Bay on 5/8, and arriving in Sydney the following day.
After a work-up period in Australian waters, HMAS Melbourne embarked the aircraft of 808, 816 and 817 squadrons during 8/56. 817 Squadron then served aboard HMAS Melbourne for several deployments over 1957 and 1958, until becoming shore-based on 7/20/58. With the decision having been made that the RAN would only support one carrier there was now no need for a second ASW unit. Accordingly 817 Squadron was disbanded on 8/18/58 and 816 continued as the first line unit. A further four Gannets had been delivered during 1957 as part of the original order. A further nine Gannets were received in Australia during 9/58. This final delivery of aircraft came from a production batch of upgraded AS.4 versions for the RN, but the aircraft for Australia retained the lower rated engines and were delivered as the AS.1. The actual deliveries of Gannets to the RAN, therefore amounted to just 36 aircraft comprising 33 AS.1s and three T.2s that were to serve with the RAN between 1955 and 1967. The RANs Gannets remained in first line squadron service until 1967, when the decision was taken to replace the Gannet in the ASW role with the US Grumman S-2E Tracker. Of the remaining 24 RAN Gannets, one was sold in 1966 to the RN, and six were sold for scrap in March 3/67. The final 17 were withdrawn from service on 8/15/67, and 816 Squadron was disbanded.
Specifications:
Crew: 3 (pilot, observer/navigator, radar operator).
Powerplant: One 2,950-shp Armstrong Siddeley Double-Mamba 100 turboprop.
Maximum Speed: 310 mph.
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft.
Range: 943 miles
Armament: Up to approximately 2,000 pounds of torpedoes, depth charges and sonobuoys in bomb bay; plus under wing hardpoints for rockets.
Number Built: 349
User countries: UK, Australian, Germany, Indonesia
Sources:
Wings: Korea to Vietnam cd-rom.
Elke Weale, Combat Aircraft of World War II, Bracken Books, 1985.
