Cossor CR21/CR787 primary radar

[Mooncrest]

Which UK airfields had one of these back in the day ? For civil airports I'm only aware of Blackpool and Newcastle but I expect some private and MOD airfields used them too.

Thankyou.

[2 sheds]

Southend - 787 taken out of service in about 1990, give or take a year or two, to be be replaced by the original Marconi 511 that the manufacturers (being just up the road in Chelmsford) had installed as a demonstrator. The 787, at the end of its life certainly, was a slight improvement on having to work procedurally. A Viscount or Herald size aircraft could be detected at about 15 miles if I recall! By that time, replacement valves (sic) could only be sourced from Russia.

2 s

[Get me some traffic]

Ah the 787!! Designed in the late 40s as a weather radar. Very good at its job.!!
Modified many times and then sold as a terminal radar.
I was trained on the AR1. Posted to RAF Valley with a CR787.
Posted to RAF Gan with the AR1. Posted to RAF Leuchars with the CR787!!
Left the RAF and my first civil radar unit was Aberdeen with a 264,
Moved to Teesside with a CR787!!
After many years Teesside bought a Watchman. I believe the CR787 was sold to Blackpool.
The CR787 was better than nothing, just!!

[chevvron]

Dunsfold had a 787; replaced by the AR15 from Brize Norton when that got a Watchman.

[Mooncrest]

Doesn't appear that this radar was very popular which would explain the dearth of pictures of them in the UK.

[Downwind.Maddl-Land]

Had the misfortune to 'operate' the CR787 at RAF Leuchars. It was supposed to have Moving Target Indicator (MTI) but it never worked. With the Craigowl hills to the north, the centre of the tube was completely swamped with Permanent Echoes out to about 12nm; guess where the standard 'Departure Lane' went? No radar service for departures, so that had to be protected procedurally; not best popular with fighter pilots with regular 'climb out restrictions' against north/south transits to Aberdeen an every minute occurrence. An utterly utterly useless piece of kit that appeared to be the preserve of 11Gp stations*. They also appeared to be replaced by AR15 as an 'interim' until Watchman was standardized across the branch.

*suspect Valley was so equipped due to the presence of STACAAME (sic)

[chevvron]

Dunsfolds 787 as I recall had good short range coverage out to about 30nm but was partially masked by high ground to the north west which was just where the main departure route was. I don't recall whether it had MTI but it had nice small blips compared to the AR1 which we had at Farnborough.
Its main peculiarity was its video map which consisted of a sort of stencil through which a light was projected onto the radar screen producing the lines of the boundaries of controlled airspace; this meant the range or offset of the centre of the radar could never be altered.
Not sure but I think the 787 was moved across to the 'new' control tower on the south side of the airfield and mounted on the roof of the VCR prior to being completely replaced by the ex Brize AR15 which also has a tale to tell.
Dunsfold told us that their techies watched as the AR15 was put in a container for shipping, but when they opened the container at Dunsfold, they found some parts had gone 'missing'. Whether they were ever located I don't know.

[CADF]

Church Fenton had a CR787; however, I have no idea whether it remained there after the RAF pulled out. I don't expect such a piece of kit would be required at a glorified car showroom that CF seems to have become.

[canard68]

Woodford had a CR 21/ 787 That worked fairly well but a 2000 ft hill a 10 miles final was an issue with any primary radar. .The S511 that replaced it did not work as well as a well tuned 787.
Holme on Spalding Moor had a 787 with a watchman antenna.

[Downwind.Maddl-Land]

Woodford had a CR 21/ 787 That worked fairly well but a 2000 ft hill a 10 miles final was an issue with any primary radar. .The S511 that replaced it did not work as well as a well tuned 787.
Holme on Spalding Moor had a 787 with a watchman antenna.
I can't believe ANY (ATC-roled!) PSR had a performance worse than a CR-787!!! 🤣

I surmise that Church Fenton's '787 was replaced by its ACR-430 (possibly a contender as a worse PSR than the '787!) until a CR62 PAR was installed, with Linton providing App & Dir services from there using their Watchman.

I think all RAF 787's were modified to have an AR-1 antenna - if that improved the performance of said '787, I dread to think what it must have been like with the original 'solid' antenna.....🤯

[chevvron]

I can't believe ANY (ATC-roled!) PSR had a performance worse than a CR-787!!! 🤣

I was given to understand Cossor's ACR 6 was worse.

[Fatjoff]

Church Fenton had a CR787; however, I have no idea whether it remained there after the RAF pulled out. I don't expect such a piece of kit would be required at a glorified car showroom that CF seems to have become.
I worked at Church Fenton 1986-89, and the radar was an ACR430.

[wub]

In 1971 St Mawgan had a 787, with a solid antenna. Where it was sited, effectively on top of a cliff, meant that sea clutter was a big problem and during my time there a ‘wedge’ was fitted, raising the angle of the antenna in an attempt to reduce the clutter. It was not a very good radar.

I was initially trained on Marconi Type 13 and ACR-7, posted to work on 787, then went to Chivenor which had an MPN-11 and Eureka. I then did an AR15 course and was posted to Troodos, which had a T84. I ended up at Lyneham, which had an AR1 and PAR.

[CADF]

Whoops - you're absolutely correct , it was an ACR430 at CF.

[BlackIsle]

Coltishall had 787 during my time there 74-77.