Fairey Gannet AEW.3 info reguest

[js51672]

I found the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 in a museum in Germany. The aircraft has a very strange design
Never seen before. Who knows more about this type of aircraft and where it was used
Hereby a picture http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5802650

 

[ta152]

I found the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 in a museum in Germany. The aircraft has a very strange design
Never seen before. Who knows more about this type of aircraft and where it was used
Hereby a picture http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5802650

They were carrier aircraft used in the UK and a few other countries. Here is more information about them.

http://www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk/gannet/gannet.html

 

[BeenThereDoneThat]

They were carrier aircraft used in the UK and a few other countries. Here is more information about them.

http://www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk/gannet/gannet.html

There are some more pictures at Airliners.net

 

[A/C FIXER]

I found the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 in a museum in Germany. The aircraft has a very strange design
Never seen before. Who knows more about this type of aircraft and where it was used
Hereby a picture http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5802650

IIRC The New England Air Museum at BDL/Hartford/ has one.

 

[Jackonicko]

IIRC The New England Air Museum at BDL/Hartford/ has one.

The Fairey Gannet was originally designed as a carrierborne ASW aircraft. The anti-sub version looked slightly more conventional - with tandem cockpits under a single greenhouse and a further crew position further aft - though it was still powered by the same Twin Mamba engine, effectively two paired engines driving a single contra-rotating airscrew.

The AEW.Mk 3 was a dedicated fleet airborne early warning platform, marrying the Gannet airframe with the APS-20 radar of the AEW Skyraider.

"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.......... 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.......... the Gannet remained in operation for much longer than initially intended 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 (1978-79). 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....... 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."