Was any thought ever given to an ASW development of the Vickers Vanguard? The USA & USSR’s main ASW types were both successfully developed from turboprop airliners of course (L188 Electra/P-3 Orion and Ilyushin Il-18 Coot/Il-38 May) and AFAIK every other major ASW type has been prop-driven, ie Shackleton, Neptune, Atlantic, etc. The Vanguard would seem readily adaptable to an ASW platform too, with that Nimrod style double bubble fuselage lending itself to a weapons bay and possibly extra fuel tanks. Why was the RAF so intent on a jet to replace the Shack (I believe the Trident and even VC-10 were considered)? Was it simply the faster transit times?
By: DaveF68 - 27th December 2007 at 23:56
An ASW version of the Vanguard was considered early in the Shackleton replacement programme.
Nimrod model had transit on 4 jets for speed them patrol on two to maximise fuel burn/time on station.
That was the model. They don’t turn engines off these days unless they have to!
By: alertken - 27th December 2007 at 18:07
Was it simply the faster transit times? Yes. Get there quicker, then shut down 2 and loiter. UK need was 1 always on station around Spitzbergen, 1 nearer UK waters. Jet met that, with fewer platforms (in transit) than a turboprop.
Your next Q is why 4-engines, when Neptune, then Atlantic did fine on 2. The Answer in 1965, when Nimrod was ordered, was to sustain a Mission far from home despite losing 1 engine. Not decisive for Netherlands (Antilles) or France (Noumea), on Atlantic.
Conspiracists have UK going Jet (briefer on station, no?) precisely to decline NATO’s 1957 definition, won by Breguet-Dornier Atlantic.
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December 27, 2007 at 2:37 pm