Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy

infobox Aircraft
name = AW.650 & AW.660 Argosy
type = cargo
manufacturer = Armstrong Whitworth

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caption = Armstrong-Whitworth AW.650 Argosy
designer =
first flight = 8 January 1959
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built = 74
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a British post-war military transport/cargo aircraft and was the last aircraft produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although given different type numbers, the AW.650 civil and AW.660 military models were both called "Argosy" and for practical purposes are basically the same design.

Development

The Argosy came from the Air Ministry "Operation Requirement 323" (OR323) which resulted in a specification issued in 1955 for a medium range freight aircraft capable of lifting 25,000 lb and that had a range of convert|2000|nmi|km|abbr=on with convert|10000|lb|abbr=on. This led AW to develop a twin engined design for the military, the AW.66. The potential for civil sales led to a civil design AW.65. The 1957 Defence White Paper would show the lack of funding available for military work but AW had revised the design for the civil market alone as a 4 engined aircraft.

Operational history

The Argosy was used by the Royal Air Force for its capability to accommodate 69 troops, or 48 stretcher cases or 29,000 lb (13 tonnes) of freight. This meant it could carry military equipment such as the Saracen or Ferret armoured cars, or artillery such as the 105 mm howitzer or Wombat.

The earliest deployments were in 1962 to 105 Squadron in the Middle East and 114 and 267 Squadrons at RAF Benson. The following year 215 Squadron received its Argosies when based at RAF Changi, Singapore. The squadron was disbanded on New Years Eve 1967 and the aircraft went to 70 Squadron at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. This was the last squadron to operate the aircraft in the transport role when it disposed of them in February 1975 in favour of Lockheed Hercules. [ Jefford, "RAF Squadrons"]

The E.1 version of the Argosy was with 115 Squadron from 1968 to 1978, most of the time based at RAF Cottesmore. [ Jefford, "RAF Squadrons"]

Variants

Armstrong Whitworth AW 650 Argosy (1959)

(series 102 and 222).

The Argosy was powered by four Rolls-Royce Dart 526 turboprop engines driving Rotol four-blade propellers. The tailplane was on twin booms from the inner engine nacelles leaving the cargo doors at the rear of the fuselage clear for straight-in loading. This unusual "pod and boom" structure would earn it the nickname "The Whistling Wheelbarrow".

It had a maximum weight of 97,000 lb (44,000 kg) and a payload of 28,000 lb (12,700 kg or 12.5 long tons). Cruising at 210 knot (speed)s (390 km/h), it had a range of 3,000 nautical miles (3,450 statute miles or 5550 kilometres) and could seat 65 passengers. Two aircraft operated later by SAFE Air in New Zealand as the main link between the Chatham Islands and the mainland, were fitted with a pressurised "passenger capsule".

Ten Series 101 and 102 aircraft were built. Eight Series 200 aircraft were built, the series 200 had a larger freight hold and enlarged front and rear doors to enable it to carry standard size cargo pallets. The series 200 also had a lighter redesigned wing increasing the maximum range and Rolls-Royce Dart 532/1 turboprops.

The last flight by a New Zealand Argosy was made by operator SAFE AIR in 1990, that aircraft now being preserved in Blenheim, New Zealand.

Armstrong Whitworth AW 660 Argosy C Mk 1

The military Argosy C.1 was designed as a replacement for the Vickers Valetta as a medium range transport, paratroop and supply aircraft. The 660 was based upon the AW.650 Argosy civil transport which had flown 27 months previously. The first production military Argosy first flew in March 1961. The military version had the nose door sealed to take a weather radar radome, the rear doors were changed to 'clam shell' style with an integral loading ramp, and two doors were fitted, one each on the starboard and port sides, to enable paratroopers to exit. The strong tricycle landing gear of the original design allowed take-off and landing on rough or unprepared airstrips.

The military Argosy had four Rolls-Royce Dart 101 turboprops and had twice the range of the civil Series 100.

Production of the Argosy for the RAF totalled 56 aircraft which served in six squadrons; three in the UK and one each in Aden, Cyprus, and the Far East. The Argosy was withdrawn from service in 1975 as an economic measure.Those aircraft not scrapped or retained were sold to commercial operators.

Hawker Siddeley Argosy E Mk 1

In 1963, Hawker Siddeley Group dropped the names of its component companies, rebranding its products under the Hawker Siddeley banner. To meet a requirement for a RAF flight inspection aircraft nine Argosy C.1s were modified in 1971 as the Argosy E1. These were a regular sight at British airfields operated by 115 Squadron until replaced by the Hawker Siddeley Andover in 1978.

Hawker Siddeley Argosy T Mk 2

After the removal of the Argosy C.1 from the cargo/transport role it was decided to modify several aircraft as Navigation Trainers for the RAF Training Command. Two aircraft were modified as the Argosy T2, but they were not successful and the programme was abandoned due to defence cuts. "XP411" (see below) is was one of these.

Operators

Military operators

;UK
*Royal Air Force
** No. 70 Squadron RAF (based in Cyprus)
** No. 105 Squadron RAF (based in Middle East)
** No. 114 Squadron RAF (based in United Kingdom)
** No. 115 Squadron RAF (based in United Kingdom with the Argosy E1)
** No. 215 Squadron RAF (based in Singapore)
** No. 267 Squadron RAF (based in United Kingdom)
** No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit RAF
** No. 6 Flying Training School RAF

Civil operators

;AUS
* IPEC Aviation ;CAN
* Transair-Midwest ;GAB
* SOACO ;IRL
* Aer Turas ;LUX
* Nittler Air Transport;NZL
* SAFE Air ;PHI
* Philippine Airlines ;UK
* Air Bridge Carriers
* British European Airways
* Elan Parcel Service
* Rolls-Royce
* Sagittair ;USA
* Capitol Air Lines
* Duncan Aviation
* Riddle Airlines
* Universal Airlines
* Zantop Air Transport ;ZAI
* Otrag Range Air Service

urvivors

*ZK-SAE, "Merchant Enterprise" - Woodbourne Blenheim, New Zealand.
*G-APRL - Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England. [cite web | url=http://www.midlandairmuseum.co.uk/aircraft.php| title= Midland Air Museum|accessdaymonth = 16 March | accessyear = 2007]
*G-BEOZ - Aeropark, Nottingham East Midlands Airport, England.
*XP447 - parked at General William J. Fox Airfield, Lancaster, California, USA.
*XP411 - preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford, England.
*The cockpit of XN819 - Newark Air Museum, Newark, England.
*N896U - on display at Yankee Hill Air Museum, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA.

pecifications (Argosy C Mk.1)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref={name of first source}
crew= Four
capacity=up to 69 troops or 28,930 lb (13,150 kg) of cargo
length main= 45 ft 3 in
length alt= 27.18 m
span main= 115 ft 0 in
span alt= 35.05 m
height main=
height alt=
area main= 1,458 ft²
area alt= 135.5 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 10,200 lb
empty weight alt= 4,630 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 103,000 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 46,700 kg
more general=

engine (prop)=Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.8 Mk 101
type of prop=turboprops
number of props=4
power main= 2,440 hp
power alt= 1,820 kW
power original=

propeller or rotor?=propeller
propellers=4 blade Rotol
number of propellers per engine= 1
propeller diameter main=
propeller diameter alt=

max speed main= 234 kn
max speed alt= 269 mph, 433 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 2824 nmi
range alt= 3,250 mi, 5,230 km
ceiling main= 18,000 ft
ceiling alt= 5,500 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
*Armstrong Whitworth AW.650

similar aircraft=
*Blackburn Beverley
*Nord Noratlas

lists=

see also=

References

;Notes;Bibliography
* Jefford, C.G., "RAF Squadrons". Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 2nd edition, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2

External links

* [http://users.aber.ac.uk/emk/argosy.htm Photos and background]
* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=126 British Aircraft website]
* [http://www.argosyair.com/ Argosy reference site]