Black Buck, Victor and Martel ARM...
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Not to mention the 18 hours to get there and 18 hours to get back. Assume 8 hours on task that would need 44 hours flying time and 2 aircraft with a 4 hour turnround.
Fuel quantities would have been quite modest, at a guess around 9,000 gallons per sortie. It would have been very sporty trying to offload fuel from a Victor at low level assuming the Victor could manage a split fuel system.
The limiting factor would undoubtedly have been the carriage of water and fresh food.
Fuel quantities would have been quite modest, at a guess around 9,000 gallons per sortie. It would have been very sporty trying to offload fuel from a Victor at low level assuming the Victor could manage a split fuel system.
The limiting factor would undoubtedly have been the carriage of water and fresh food.
Thanks for the expansion - a varied career indeed!
Your "user name" is singularly appropriate!!
Biggus - And because that's very big of you, so is as least half of yours!
Jack
Your "user name" is singularly appropriate!!
Biggus - And because that's very big of you, so is as least half of yours!
Jack
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Victor/Martel
Martel ARM loaded to Victor outboard pylon in place of flight refuelling pod. Plan was to wire Bucc control panel into cockpit. Victor never flew in this fit as AAR had priority so the ARM role transferred to Vulcan. There are some photographs at Marham somewhere!
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Bodge tape, a beer bung and chinagraph.
Thats how to make it fit and work. Muchos kudos (he is Boutros's mexican cousin) to all involved .
Oops, I forgot the epoxy rattle fix.
Thats how to make it fit and work. Muchos kudos (he is Boutros's mexican cousin) to all involved .
Oops, I forgot the epoxy rattle fix.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Returning to the Shack idea. We looked at the feasibility of operating from a friendly country. It would have involved a trans-atlantic, staging through the US and then down the Pacific coast. We didn't get much further than back-of-a-fag packet. We looked at all the potential staging points and considered whether they were neutral friendly or neutral hostile. We found a show stopper where the distance between neutral-friendlies was a touch far.
Had we gone we would then have had to consider the routing to a barrier patrol that avoided proximity to opposing forces. Quite an exercise and would have been very sporty.
I guess the real stow stopper was the lack of less-neutral and more friendly bases.
Had we gone we would then have had to consider the routing to a barrier patrol that avoided proximity to opposing forces. Quite an exercise and would have been very sporty.
I guess the real stow stopper was the lack of less-neutral and more friendly bases.
Apparently the powers that be failed to realise the difference between AVTUR and AVGAS!
Interesting.
Was talking to a friend today who worked in ATC at the time. He'd been shown a flight plan for some Buccs that ended in Chile. Did any actually make it? I know the Canberras did.
Was talking to a friend today who worked in ATC at the time. He'd been shown a flight plan for some Buccs that ended in Chile. Did any actually make it? I know the Canberras did.
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I remember standing with Bill Rose(HP/Bae Rep of many years) when photo's were being taken of a Martel armed Victor, he had a very worried look on his face. In his opinion, if they ever flew with this thing attached, he thought that they would have to fire both sides at the same time, otherwise the Old girl would turn on her back with the forces needed when launching just one, as it was so far away from the centreline. Luckily he was never proved right or wrong.
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Photo of a Martel-armed Victor at
Victor - Falklands - Anti-Shipping Role - Britmodeller.com
and from RAF Marham - Memory 5 - Lynne Braithwaite 1982
"Yet another interesting exercise was being carried out. The design and construction of Martel Missile Pylons to fit on the Victor wing in place of the Mk20B pods. The stress and design men arrived from BAe and worked in OC Eng's ( Wg Cdr Carruthers) with their drawing boards etc. Stn Workshops manufactured each part as soon as the design was completed. The Martel technicians were working flat out alongside the Victor Techies to devise the wiring and fitting of the control panels. Well in about two weeks the job was done and one a/c was actually fitted with the pylons and missiles and that was as far as it went."
Victor - Falklands - Anti-Shipping Role - Britmodeller.com
and from RAF Marham - Memory 5 - Lynne Braithwaite 1982
"Yet another interesting exercise was being carried out. The design and construction of Martel Missile Pylons to fit on the Victor wing in place of the Mk20B pods. The stress and design men arrived from BAe and worked in OC Eng's ( Wg Cdr Carruthers) with their drawing boards etc. Stn Workshops manufactured each part as soon as the design was completed. The Martel technicians were working flat out alongside the Victor Techies to devise the wiring and fitting of the control panels. Well in about two weeks the job was done and one a/c was actually fitted with the pylons and missiles and that was as far as it went."
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Ewan,
Not during the conflict but subsequently 4 Buccs deployed to Stanley just to make the point! My bro-in-law led them.
Foldie
He'd been shown a flight plan for some Buccs that ended in Chile
Foldie
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UOR Mods
By Bengo:
"Or, in the case of the SHAR, do UOR mods to HUD WAC software in the SHAR SSF/SIM, then pay manufacturer to spend two years afterwards sorting out the mess. "
No UOR mods done to SHAR HUDWAC software for the conflict. 2 Software updates (tapes actually) for FALK 82 (added SEAM into HUDCASS 2) and FALK LOFT 82 ( provided LOFT capability as alternate fit) - both updates produced by the Chief Engineer at Smiths Cheltenham - picked up on the Sunday before the Task Force sailed and delivered by yours truly to SHAR AEO's on Invincible and Hermes.
One NAVHARS update ( sets of programme cards /aircraft) dropped to us in the South Atlantic - provided capability to bomb point 'offset ' from that being marked by the Blue Fox -a lighthouse I think !! -That update came from Ferranti Edinburgh.
"Or, in the case of the SHAR, do UOR mods to HUD WAC software in the SHAR SSF/SIM, then pay manufacturer to spend two years afterwards sorting out the mess. "
No UOR mods done to SHAR HUDWAC software for the conflict. 2 Software updates (tapes actually) for FALK 82 (added SEAM into HUDCASS 2) and FALK LOFT 82 ( provided LOFT capability as alternate fit) - both updates produced by the Chief Engineer at Smiths Cheltenham - picked up on the Sunday before the Task Force sailed and delivered by yours truly to SHAR AEO's on Invincible and Hermes.
One NAVHARS update ( sets of programme cards /aircraft) dropped to us in the South Atlantic - provided capability to bomb point 'offset ' from that being marked by the Blue Fox -a lighthouse I think !! -That update came from Ferranti Edinburgh.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
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PN. I think calling the Nimrod FR conversion during Corporate "a bit of a mess" is a little unfair. In the first place it had been decreed that the Ninrod was incapable of receiving AAR ( Boscombe pronouncement by a TP who had never prodded!) Once it had been judged actually easy, things went ballastic and a dummy probe was ready and fitted in about a week if memory serves. This was shown to be feasible with the addition of small finlets on the tailplane to restore directional stability. After a further week the working version was ready and two trial sorties were flown: one to show it worked and the other to demonstrate a max onload. On landing from that flight a BAe Devon was waiting on the tarmac to take the RAF TP (who just happened to be a former AARI) to Kinloss to train 4 pilots to do the business (they had been receiving intensive training in flying close line astern). Ernie Banfield then took on the AARI role after he had been suitably fettled.
Yes, I know it was a lash up but it worked and was never intended to be permanent. The decision to perpetuate the capability came later. p.s. Since you have flown all those types plus the Lanc I probably know you. Care to PN me?
Yes, I know it was a lash up but it worked and was never intended to be permanent. The decision to perpetuate the capability came later. p.s. Since you have flown all those types plus the Lanc I probably know you. Care to PN me?
