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FAIREY GANNET
HISTORY

[History] [Survivors & Leading Particulars] [Pictures] [References & Credits]
This page last updated on 28th February 2004

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 specialised 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 propellors since 1935 in the face of official disinterest. At one point they had a Battle light bomber (infamous because of the mauling Battles received during the Battle of France) fitted with their P.24 engine driving two props - the Americans were interested for some time in using the P.24 for the new P-47 Thunderbolt but eventually abandoned the idea.

As the Admiralty realised 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 realised 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equipment now available and could be modified to take two Armstrong-Siddeley Mamba turbojets instead of the bulky and outdated Merlins originally planned.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 Blackburns (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 August 1946 the go-ahead was given for two prototypes to be built - of both the Blackburn and Fairey machines!

Armstrong-Siddeley Twin Mamba powerplant; author

VR456, the Gannet prototype, 1949; Fairey Aviation

A little over three years later in September 1949, Fairey's first Type Q prototype was assembled at their plant at Hayes and transported to Aldermaston for its first flight (on the 19th). 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 19th June 1950 by Lt. Cdr. G. Callingham. 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 crew member 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 programme 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 - 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 April 1954 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 recognised and the first T.2 flew in August, with deliveries to the the FAA beginning in early 1955.

AS.1 on display at the 1953 Farnborough SBAC; Fairey Aviation

Two 825 NAS Gannet AS.4s, 1957; Fairey Aviation

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 (826 NAS) embarked on HMS Eagle and sailed to the Med. Operational use soon ironed out any remaining difficulties with the engine and airframe, but the Gannet was a little under-powered. 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 earkmarked 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 cannibalised 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 centre 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 August 1958, 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 realised the usefulness of such a type when it was realised 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.

AEW.3 prototype XJ440; Fairey Aviation

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 August 1959 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

COD.4 at RNAS Culdrose Air Day, 1976; Garry Lakin

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 defence 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 defence cuts from another government spelt 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.

After retirement from RN service, two Gannets had a brief period of civilian utilisation, one flying for Dowty-Rotol for noise trials and another flying on similar trials in the US for Hamilton Standard. Currently no Gannets are flying, though this situation looks to improve in the near future with news that two are destined to return to the air in the UK.

AEW.3 XL502 displaying; Garry Lakin

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