ProjectTech
Profiles
Project Tech Profiles examine the projects and design studies that litter the long, long road to the aircraft that eventually entered service. They are lavishly illustrated with original company drawings, specially produced drawings , photographs and newly commissioned artwork.
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The Admiralty and AEW
Chris Gibson
The Admiralty, until 1964 the Office of the Lord High Admiral, has been the guardian of all things naval in Britain since the 17th century. Amongst the Admiralty’s tasks has been to ensure that the Royal Navy was provided with the best available equipment.
However over the years various events have conspired against the Admiralty’s stated aims. One example of this is the provision of an airborne early warning capability to the fleet and this story is told in The Admiralty and AEW. From the pre-war airborne radar experiments using an Avro Anson to the numerous studies for the CVF carriers in the early 21st century, it is a fascinating story.
This Project Tech Profile examines the numerous project studies from the British aviation industry since the role was first considered in 1941. Using newly released archive material and specially commissioned illustrations, The Admiralty and AEW tells the story of Avro, BAC, Blackburn, Fairey, Hawker Siddeley and Westland’s efforts to provide the Royal Navy with an eye in the sky throughout the Fifties and Sixties.
The story culminates with the Sea King AEW.2 of the Eighties and the ongoing search to equip the Royal Navy’s new carriers with that “must-have” of modern warfare: an airborne warning and control system.
