Originally Posted by
JW411
The big problem was that to achieve this (at the time) amazing result, the amount of equipment required to be carried was vast. the aircraft had to carry, for example, three VRUs (Vertical Reference Units), three RGUs (Rate Gyro Units), three Auto Pilots, three ILS and GS receivers and three bits of wire to every control surface.
Indeed, and if my memory doesn't fail me it was this shedload of avionics equipment that was the reason for the transverse-mounted offset nose gear, because there was no other way to squeeze it in!