| Shackleton | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Maritime patrol aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Avro |
| Maiden flight | March 1949 |
| Introduced | April 1951 |
| Retired | 1990 |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force South African Air Force |
| Produced | 1951-1958 |
| Number built | 185 |
| Developed from | Avro Lincoln |
The Avro Shackleton was a Royal Air Force long-range patrol bomber developed from the Avro Lincoln bomber with a new fuselage. It was originally used primarily in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) roles, and was later adapted for airborne early warning (AEW), search and rescue (SAR) and other roles from 1951 until 1990. It also served in the South African Air Force from 1957 to 1984. The design is named after the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
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Design and development
The aircraft was designed by Roy Chadwick as the Avro Type 696. It was clearly based on the successful wartime Avro Lancaster bomber, one of Chadwick's designs and the Lancaster derivative the Avro Lincoln, which was the then current ASW aircraft. The design took the Lincoln's wings and landing gear and mated them with a new fuselage, and was initially referred-to during development as the Lincoln ASR.3. The engines were Rolls-Royce Griffons with 13 feet (4 m) contra-rotating propellors, creating a distinctive engine noise and adding high-tone deafness to the hazards of the pilots. The first test flight was in March 1949 and front-line aircraft were delivered to Coastal Command in April 1951 and had their operational debut during the Suez Crisis. In the ASW role, the Shackleton carried both types of sonobuoy, ESM, an Autolycus (diesel fume detection system) and for a short time an unreliable magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) system. Weapons were nine bombs, or three torpedoes or depth-charges, and 20 mm cannon. The MR.2 was improved with feedback from operations and is considered by aficionados to be the definitive type. The radome was moved from the nose to a ventral position, to improve all-round coverage and minimise the risk of bird-strikes. Both the nose and tail sections were lengthened, the tail planes were redesigned and the weak undercarriage was strengthened. The MR.3 was another redesign in response to crew complaints. A new tricycle undercarriage was introduced, the fuselage was increased in all main dimensions and had new wings with better ailerons and tip tanks. As a sop to the crews on fifteen hour flights the sound deadening was improved and a proper galley and sleeping space were included. Total take-off weight had risen by over 30,000 lb (13,600 kg) (Ph. III) and assistance from Armstrong Siddeley Viper Mk.203 turbojets was needed on take-off (JATO). This extra strain told on the airframe and the flight life of the Mk. IIIs was sufficiently reduced that they were outlived by the Mk. IIs.
Operational history
All marks suffered from using the Griffon engines — thirsty for fuel and oil, noisy and temperamental with high-maintenance needs. In 1961 MR.2's engines needed top overhauls every 400 hours and went through a spate of ejecting spark plugs from their cylinderheads. It was not unusual to see an engine changed every day in a unit of 6 aircraft. They were constantly on the cusp of being replaced, but even the potentially beneficial Napier Nomad re-engine didn't quite happen. The need to replace the Shackleton was first raised in the early 1960s. The arrival of the Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod in 1969 was the end for the Shackleton in most roles but it continued as the main SAR aircraft until 1972. The intention to retire the aircraft was then thwarted by the need for AEW coverage in the North Sea and northern Atlantic following the retirement of the Fairey Gannet. With a new design not due until the late 1970s the existing AN/APS-20 radar was installed in Mk. IIs as an interim measure, the AEW.2, from 1972. The disastrous Nimrod AEW replacement programme dragged on and on and the eventual successor to the Shackleton did not arrive until the RAF finally abandoned the Nimrod AEW and purchased the E-3 Sentry in 1991. A total of 185 Shackletons were built from 1951 to 1958: around twelve are still believed to be intact, with one still flying. One of the South African aircraft was lost in the 1960s when it flew into the side of the Stetynsberg, a mountain near Worcester in the Cape Province, during very bad weather at night. Although the joke has been applied to several aircraft, the Shackleton has been described as "a hundred thousand rivets flying in loose formation"[1]
Variants
- Shackleton GR.1
- The first production model for the RAF, later redesignated Shackleton MR.1.
- Shackleton MR.1A
- Version powered by four Griffon 57A V12 piston engines, equipped with a chin mount radome. In service from April 1951.
- Shackleton MR.2
- Version with longer nose and radome moved to the ventral position.
- Shackleton MR.2C
- Number of Shackleton MR.2s, fitted with the navigation and offensive equipment of the Shackleton MR.3.
- Shackleton MR.3
- Maritime reconnaissance, anti-shipping aircraft. The tail wheel was replaced by a tricycle undercarriage configuration. Fitted with wingtip tanks. Eight exported to South Africa.
- Shackleton MR.3 Phase 2
- Similar to Shackleton MR.3 but fitted with two Viper turbojet engines for assisted take off.
- Shackleton MR.4
- Project of new maritime reconnaissance version, none built.
- Shackleton AEW.2
- Airborne early warning aircraft. MR.2s converted to take ex-Fairey Gannet airborne early warning radar.
- Shackleton T.4
- Navigation trainer conversion.
Operators
- South African Air Force
- 35 Squadron SAAF received 8 aircraft.
- Royal Air Force (Coastal Command)
- No. 8 Squadron RAF
- No. 37 Squadron RAF
- No. 38 Squadron RAF
- No. 42 Squadron RAF
- No. 120 Squadron RAF
- No. 201 Squadron RAF
- No. 203 Squadron RAF
- No. 204 Squadron RAF
- No. 205 Squadron RAF
- No. 206 Squadron RAF
- No. 210 Squadron RAF
- No. 220 Squadron RAF
- No. 224 Squadron RAF
- No. 228 Squadron RAF
- No. 240 Squadron RAF
- No. 269 Squadron RAF
- No. 236 Operational Conversion Unit, RAF
- Maritime Operational Training Unit, RAF
- Air Sea Warfare Development Unit, RAF
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 10
- Length: 87 ft 4 in (26.61 m)
- Wingspan: 120 ft (36.58 m)
- Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
- Wing area: 1,421 ft² (132 m²)
- Airfoil: modified NACA 23018 at root, NACA 23012 at wingtip [2]
- Empty weight: 51,400 lb (23,300 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 86,000 lb (39,000 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 4,258 imperial gallons (19,360 L))
- Powerplant: 4× Rolls-Royce Griffon 57 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,960 hp (1,460 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 260 knots (300 mph, 480 km/h)
- Range: 1,950 nm (2,250 mi, 3,620 km)
- Endurance: 14.6 hr
- Service ceiling 20,200 ft (6,200 m)
- Max wing loading: 61 lb/ft² (300 kg/m²)
- Minimum power/mass: 91 hp/lb (150 W/kg)
Armament
Twin 20 mm Hispano cannon in the nose; bombs, torpedoes and depth charges as required.
References
External links
- The Shackleton Association
- Aircraft.co.za - The Complete Aviation Reference
- Avro Shackleton Site
- David Gubbins Website with airframe histories
- The Shackleton Project, Ysterplaat AFB, South Africa
- FRIENDS OF WR963
Related content
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
Related lists
- List of aircraft of the RAF
- List of patrol aircraft
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