Posting recently pics of AEW Gannets made me wonder why it took the RAF so long to realise it’s merits. We never had any comparable aircraft to these WV-2/RC-121’s until we started sticking the randomes from Gannets on Shackletons…and that radar was the same as had first been fitted to the FAA’s Skyraiders wasn’t it! Must have been poor quality coverage compared with these.
Seeing this WV-2 arrive was an incredible thrill as I was besotted with ‘Super Connies’ anyway! It was somehow involved with the splashdown of Commander Glenn in ‘Freedom 7’. I believe the US was ‘covering every base’ by sending this AEW aircraft, along with a C-130 and a supporting C-54 to provide radar cover in the Far East. It happened again when the next Saturn mission was undertaken.
I remember thinking it strange that we had no RAF Early Warning aircraft in the Far East and believe that when the Indonesian crisis started the Aussies provided some cover with their maritime Neptunes which had better radar than we had.
David T.
By: Bager1968 - 26th January 2009 at 00:17
The RAF certainly should have fitted a few Vanguards like this Electra (ok, P-3) (4 operated by the US Customs Service… radome from retired E-2C Hawkeyes):
By: pagen01 - 25th January 2009 at 16:13
The very same radar sets and radomes were fitted to the twelve Shackleton AEW.2s, however I think there were differences to the radar presentation equipment and an extra operator position.
You are a very lucky person to have witnessed all this activity and be able to get close to take the pics, priveleged position in those days I would have thought. However you are also clearly talented with a camera and got an eye for composure.
Unless you remember differently, I’m sure the WV would have been a dark sea grey which has has possibly weathered a bit, with white top and dayglo extremities
By: Postfade - 25th January 2009 at 15:22
Was it the same APS20 radar that went into the AEW2 Shacks then?
I love the fact the the WV-2 above has both camouflage and day-glo!
Here’s the one that arrived with a similar entourage of a Herc and a C-54 in May 62 when Aurora 7 with Scott Carpenter did his ‘earth orbit’.
I later saw pics of C-130’s dropping navy divers to the splashdown Mercury capsule and assume that was what the accompanying Hercs were about.
This WV-2 doesn’t have the smaller radomes at the rear that the first plane has.
There was a 30 odd man crew on these things. The RAF Changi Transit Hotel must have been buzzing when they all tumbled in from their night out in Singapore City!
Amazing to think that we hadn’t yet seen a man on the moon when I photographed these planes.
DT
By: pagen01 - 25th January 2009 at 14:51
It has struck me as odd aswel, I can only think that it was accepted as a FAA job, probably on range and locations reasons (ie carriers all around the world). As the carriers wound down it was then seen as an RAF job.
But it dosen’t explain why the RAF did have some Neptunes dedicated to AEW work with Vanguard flt in the mid ’50s, and then no thought was given to developing a modern and more advanced land plane system thereafter. It seems the ministry were happy plodding on with WW.II devised kit until the early ’90s!
Cracking shots again DT, really love those Warning Stars.
Just for the record the AN APS 20F radar in the Gannet was an upgraded version of that in the Skyraider.
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January 25, 2009 at 2:28 pm