Fairey 17 Gannet / GR.17/45
AEW Mk.3
Built as a carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft, Fairey's prototype was known initially as the Type Q. First flown on 19 September 1949, the first and second prototype were of two-seat configuration. The third prototype (which first flew on 10 May 1951) was more representative of production aircraft with three cockpits to accommodate the pilot (forward), observer/navigator (centre), and radio-radar operator (aft).
Of all-metal stressed-skin construction, this large mid-wing monoplane had mechanically folding wings to facilitate carrier stowage, and its deep fuselage was able to carry all its major strike weapons internally. Up to 16 air-to-surface rockets could be carried beneath the wings. The Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba turboprop engine, comprised two turbine engines with individual co-axial contra-rotating propellers. Either engine could be shut down independently and its propeller feathered so that the aircraft could cruise economically. It was the first aircraft in FAA service to combine the 'hunter/killer' role for ASW.
The first operational squadron was formed on 17 January 1955. AS.1 and AS.4 aircraft, as well as T.2 and T.5 trainers, served with the FAA until gradually superseded by Whirlwind helicopters from 1958.
The Gannet AEW.3 was first flown from Northolt on 20 August 1958, designed for airborne early-warning duties with the Royal Navy. One of the newcomers at the 1958 Farnborough display was the prototype Gannet AEW.3.
Gannet AEW.3
On 1 February 1960 the Gannet AEW.3 early-warning variant began to enter service, having a more powerful Double Mamba engine and a large radome mounted beneath the fuselage. Its pilot was accommodated in a forward cockpit and the two radar operators were seated within the fuselage. A total of 44 of these were built, the later examples by Westland Aircraft which took over the Fairey factories in 1960. The AEW.3 which went to sea aboard HMS Ark Royal in the summer of 1970 were the last Fairey-designed first-line aircraft to serve with the FAA.
The RAAF operated 36 Gannet, ordered in 1953. Four Gannet T.2/T.5 were also ordered in 1953. The first delivered to the RAAF during October 1955 and the last in September 1958.
The AS.4 was also used by the German Navy (15) and Indonesian Navy (16).
Gallery
Fairey Gannet AS1/4
Engines: One 1,950 eshp Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba 100 turboprop / One 3,035 eshp Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba 101 turboprop
Wing Span: 54 ft 4 in
Length: 43 ft
Height: 13 ft 8.5 in
Empty weight: 15,069 lb
Loaded weight: 19,600 lb
Initial Rate of Climb: 2000 ft/min
Ceiling: 25,000 ft
Speed: 299 mph
Range: 662 miles
Crew Three
Armament: 2 x torpedoes in bomb bay / 16 x 60 lb rocket projectiles under wings
AS.4
Engine: One 3,035 eshp Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba 101 turboprop
Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in
Length: 44 ft 6 in
Wingarea: 482.8 sq.ft
Empty weight 15,069 lb
MTOW: 21,600 lb
Max speed: 310 mph
Service ciling: 25,000 ft
Max range: 943 mi at 196 mph
Fairey Gannet T.2
Engines: 1,950 eshp Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba 100 turboprop - T2
Empty weight: 15,069 lb
Loaded weight: 19,600 lb
Wing Span: 54 ft 4 in
Length: 43 ft
Height: 13 ft 8.5 in
Crew: 4
Initial Rate of Climb: 2000 ft/min
Ceiling: 25,000 ft
Speed: 299 mph
Range: 662 miles
Armament: Guns: None / Bombs: 2 x torpedoes in bomb bay / 16 x 60 lb rocket projectiles under wings
Fairey Gannet T.5
Engines: 3,035 eshp Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba 101 turboprop - T5
Empty weight: 15,069 lb
Loaded weight: 19,600 lb
Wing Span: 54 ft 4 in
Length: 43 ft
Height: 13 ft 8.5 in
Crew: 4
Initial Rate of Climb: 2000 ft/min
Ceiling: 25,000 ft
Speed: 299 mph
Range: 662 miles
Armament: Guns: None / Bombs: 2 x torpedoes in bomb bay / 16 x 60 lb rocket projectiles under wings
Fairey Gannet
Fairey Gannet A.E.W.3
