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No part of this particular Mick Ames and Mike Preston, AMRAAM Advanced Medium Range Air To publication may be reproduced, stored in a Hand ley Page Association namely Harry Air Missile retrieval system or transmitted in any form Fraser-Mitchell, Bombardier Aerospace in BA British Airways (formed in 1973 by or by any means, electronic, mechanical, Belfast namely Alan McKight the company merger of BEA and BOAC) photocopying, recording or otherwise, historian, Boulton Paul Association in BAC British Aircraft Corporation without the prior permission of Christopher particular Les Whitehouse, Miles Aircraft Foyle Publishing. All correspondence Collection namely Peter Amos, Agusta- BAe British Aerospace pic concerning the content of this volume Westland particularly David Gibbings, BEA British European Airways should be addressed to Christopher Foyle Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare BOAC British Overseas Airways Publishing. in particular Elfan ap Rees, Museum of Corporation Berkshire Aviation particularly Ken and Jean ISBN: 978 095488961 6 Fosterkew and Tony Vetta, Solent Aviation EAP Experimental Aircraft Programme Museum in particular Alan Jones, David ESM Electronic Surveillance Measures Printed in England by lan Allan Printing Ltd. Whatley and Alan Mansell, Museum of Army Flying particularly Susan Lindsay its ft foot (imperial unit of Design: John Shuttleworth. Curator, British Airways Museum namely measurement) Paul Jarvis and BA's agency 4-eyes's Bob FLIR Forward Looking Infra Red Acknowledgments Petrie, Strat Mastoris for the image of the FTS Flying Training School Edgley Optica, Royal Aeronautical Society in The authors would like to thank the many particular Keith Mans its Chief Executive, kg kilogramme (metric unit of weight) who have helped to make this book Bnan Riddle librarian and Chris Male, possible, by the generous provision of Ib st Pounds Static Thrust (measure of Marshall Aerospace at Cambridge partic­ advice, research, information and jet engine power output. As a rule ularly Terry Holloway, Key Publishing Group photographs. of thumb, 1 Ib st is approximately namely Richard and Adrian Cox and Paul equal to 1 hp in a piston engine) Peter Gilchrist for many months of Hamblin, RAF Museum in particular Andrew LERX Leading Edge Root Extensions indefatigable researching of the Renwick the photo librarian, Britten- photographic archive of BAe Systems Norman Group particularly Stella Work, LRMTS Laser Ranging and Market Target Heritage Centre at Farnborough and the John Faulkner, Fleet Air Arm Museum, Seeker generous contribution of both his expert Military Aircraft Photos (MAP), Wally Kahn MAD Magnetic Anomaly Detector knowledge, writing the captions for the and Francis Humblet for invaluable advice (airborne sensor system for images in the Research and Development and information regarding the list of British locating submarines) Aircraft section, liaising with and obtaining gliders and sailplanes, and Arnold Nayler, information and images from at least Mike Rentell and Per Lindstrand in respect MDAP Mutual Defence Assistance Pact seventeen museums, collections and BAe of the list of British airships. mph miles per hour Heritage Centres and generously providing We owe particular thanks to Leo McKinstry, NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation images from his own collection, Tim renowned author, journalist and friend, for Spearman for many hours, under extreme NVG Night Vision Goggles coming up with the title "Pioneers to time pressure, of the scanning and collation Partners", denoting the evolution from the OCU Operational Conversion Unit of the entire collection of photographs, and extraordinary independently national of the generous provision of some from his OR Operational Requirement innovation of the 40s, 50s and 60s to the own collection, Dick Foster for many hours RAF Royal Air Force international cooperative designs of to-day, of research and Hugh Newall Chairman of resulting in the British aerospace industry RN Royal Navy the North East Aircraft Museum for remaining the second largest in the world, research and frequently providing transport RNAS Royal Naval Air Station and to Simon Forty of Compendium, our for Peter Gilchrist in his endeavours, BAe packager, for many months of essential RWR Radar Warning Receiver Heritage Centre at Farnborough namely editorial and production advice and coordi­ SACEUR Strategic Air Command Europe Mike Fielding who was most intimately and nation of the project. energetically involved in seeking out material SBAC Society of British Aircraft and who, sadly, passed away not long We are most indebted to His Royal Constructors (now Society of afterwards, Barry Guest, Trevor Friend and Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh British Aerospace Companies) his secretary Wendy Ayling for retrieving for so generously writing the Foreword. STOVL Short Take Off and Vertical Landing many of the older photographs and guiding Peter Gilchrist through high mountains of T&C Thunder and Colt boxes, BAe Heritage Centre at Brough in TWU Tactical Weapons Unit particular Eric Barker and Paul Lawson, UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Avro Heritage Centre at Woodford partic­ ularly George Jenks and Harry Holmes, USMC United States Marine Corps BAe Systems MR4 Programme at Woodford VTOL Vertical Take Off and Landing Contents Foreword 6 by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Introduction 8 A brief history of the British aircraft industry. 1 Military Aircraft 13 Aircraft designed or produced for combat and training. 2 Transport Aircraft 82 Military and civil jet, turboprop, and piston-engined transport aircraft. 3 Research & Development Aircraft 154 Aircraft designed or modified for research and test purposes. 4 General Aviation 182 Other production-run aircraft. 5 Rotorcraft 204 All rotary-winged aircraft. Appendices 1 Airships and dirigibles 218 2 Home-built and replicas One-off, short-run, home- and kit-built aircraft. 218 3 Gliders and sailplanes 219 Photo Credits 222 Index 223 Pioneers to Partners Foreword By Marshal of the Royal Air Force, HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT. BUCKINGHAM PALACE. Before the arrival of the electronic age, aviation was probably the last flowering of the industrial revolution. Stimulated by two world wars, the British aviation industry attracted a remarkable generation of pioneering designers and constructors. They followed in the footsteps of the great British engineers and manufacturers of the 19th and 20th centuries. The first generation of civil airliners came into service between the wars before immense strides were made in the performance of British military aircraft of all kinds during the second world war. There followed a period of intense development of both military and civil aircraft until the escalating costs of research and development, and the sheer complexities of design and manufacture dictated, first, greater integration of the British aviation industry and then ever wider international partnerships.