Anyone remember Lightning DataLink?
Since my days (three decades ago) as a Lightning avionics man, I've always wondered about the DataLink facility, and whether it was EVER used--can anyone enlighten?
For the unaware, F3's and, I think, F6's were wired and boxed up for this frightening system, which ostensibly enabled ground controllers to physically take control of the aircraft and guide it towards AI range. Did anyone trust the drivers, I ask myself........
Anyway, I remember meeting an Elliott Automation engineer (they built the avionics) who gleefully informed me that (a) Elliott's had charged the MOD something like £30m for the system--a huge amount in the early 60's--and (b) when it was tested it almost ripped the wings off the test aircraft.
On all of the aircraft in the fleet, the avionics boxes and cabling were still in place, in the starboard "elephant ear", but the boxes were empty. This had other benefits, of course, as, returning from Malta and Cyprus detachments I remember that the largest box was capable of holding exactly 800 illicit cigarettes! The riggers were at it too, and bottles of brandy appeared from the wing leading edge panels. A few private chalk malks on the tyres alerted partners in crime back at Wattisham........ Anyway, I digress.
Do any airframe drivers of the F1-F3 days recall DataLink? Did it ever work? Was it ever operational?