Avro Shackleton is a British four-engine piston anti-submarine patrol aircraft of the RAF. The aircraft was designed by the British company Avro on the basis of the heavy four-engined bomber of the Second World War Avro Lincoln. This heavy piston engine with a pedigree dating back to the mid-1940s has been the celestial companion of Soviet submarines for many years. The Avro Shackleton was mass-produced from 1951 to 1958, during which time 185 aircraft of various modifications were assembled in the UK. Quite an impressive figure, given the narrow specialization of the aircraft.
The patrol plane was named after Ernest Henry Shackleton, the Anglo-Irish explorer of the Antarctic. A man who belonged to the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Ernest Shackleton was a member of four Antarctic expeditions, three of which he directly commanded. It should be noted that the plane fully justified the name given to it, without tarnishing the memory of the outstanding researcher. Avro Shackleton aircraft in various modifications remained in service with the British Royal Air Force for 40 years - until 1991, a very decent result for aviation technology.
The era of piston aircraft, which was rapidly leaving after the end of World War II, nevertheless left several small loopholes for such aircraft, one of which was long-range coast-based patrol aircraft. In those years, the first jet engines were not highly reliable and were quite voracious, while no one demanded high flight speeds from patrol cars, let alone record ones. When the British needed a replacement for the fleet of former American Liberator patrol bombers (versions PB4Y-1 and PB4Y-2) that were flying off their own in the war, they decided to make their aircraft, which would not differ fundamentally from its predecessor.
Avro Lincoln
Built by Avro engineers who had mastered and honed their skills in designing four-engine aircraft on numerous Lancaster and Lincoln bombers, the new patrol aircraft simply could not fail. The patrol aircraft they created first took to the skies in 1949 and then for 40 years was looking for submarines of a potential enemy, mainly Soviet ones, as part of the British and South African Air Forces.
Since the aircraft were actively operated until 1991, more than 10 Avro Shackleton of various modifications have survived to this day. Moreover, most of them have not risen into the sky for a long time. The closest to flying is the aircraft with tail number WR963, the video of which can be found today on the video hosting Youtube. This aircraft is being restored by a group of enthusiasts. In the video at the airport in the British city of Coventry, the plane jogs down the runway, there is a chance that someday it will be able to take to the sky again.
The Avro 696 Shackleton is a multipurpose anti-submarine aircraft that was developed on the basis of the Avro 694 Lincoln heavy bomber during the Second World War. The new aircraft retained the wing and landing gear of the Lincoln, but received a completely new fuselage, which became wider, taller and shorter. At the same time, the horizontal tail of the aircraft turned from low-lying to high-lying, and the vertical tail washers, characteristic of the British Lancaster and Lincoln bombers, gained weight, becoming much more massive in appearance, and also rounded. Instead of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, new Rolls-Royce Griffon engines with three-blade coaxial propellers were installed on the multipurpose anti-submarine aircraft. The new fuselage made it easy to accommodate a crew of 10 on board. In the dorsal turret, two 20-mm cannons were installed, and in the tail section there were two 12, 7-mm machine guns. Inside the large bomb bay, the aircraft could carry both depth and conventional air bombs.
The new car made its first flight on March 9, 1949. The first serial Avro Shackleton took to the skies on October 24, 1950, and in February of the following year, serial aircraft began to enter service. The first large production version of the patrol aircraft was powered by four Rolls-Royce Griffon 57A engines and was designated the Shackleton MR. Mk.1A.
Almost immediately after the start of deliveries to the troops of the Shackleton MR.1 aircraft, British designers began to create a modernized version, taking into account the shortcomings and shortcomings that were identified during the operation of the MR.1 version. The new version of the aircraft received the designation Shackleton MR. Mk.2. Especially for her, the Avro designers designed a completely new streamlined bow section, in which there was a twin 20-mm artillery mount located above the bombardier site. Instead of the radar antenna fairing, which was located in the lower front part, the aircraft received a half-retractable fairing in the ventral cannon turret, which made it possible to provide a 360-degree view. The rear heavy machine guns and a transparent tail fairing were also dismantled, and the non-retractable one-wheeled tail support was replaced with a two-wheel retractable support.
The last production version of the Shackleton MR. Mk.3 was created with a view to improving all the general characteristics of the vehicle - the ailerons were improved, wing-end fuel tanks were installed, and the wing configuration was changed. The designers did not deprive their attention and the aircraft crew - the MR. Mk.3 version received a cockpit with excellent visibility and a soundproof cockpit for the second crew - in case of long patrols in the air. The increase in the total weight of the aircraft led to the appearance of a tricycle retractable landing gear with a nose strut and double wheels. Another notable change to the aircraft was the absence of a dorsal turret, and the appearance of under-wing hardpoints made it possible to use rockets. Eight of the 42 built production Shackleton MR. Mk.3 aircraft were delivered to the South African Air Force.
Shackleton MR. Mk. 3
In the mid-1960s, after the completion of production, the aircraft was once again improved. Increasing the structural strength of the patrol vehicle made it possible to increase the fuel supply. Also, two small Rolls-Royce Viper 203 turbojet engines with a thrust of 1134 kgf each appeared on the plane. They were installed in the outer wing gondolas, providing the car with additional thrust during takeoff and climb, in the event that the plane took off with maximum load.
During the operation of the Avro Shackleton aircraft, the British faced one rather unexpected problem - a lack of fuel. In the age of jet aviation, high-octane gasoline for piston aircraft engines of the Lancaster successor was in short supply. The problem with high-quality fuel was especially acute when the aircraft were based in "overseas" territories - in Akrotiri in Cyprus, Catania, as well as the Icelandic base of Keflavik and Italian bases.
The latest version of the veteran aircraft was the Shackleton AEW.2. This aircraft was developed in 1971 by British Aerospace (BAe), it was created as an alternative to the anti-submarine aircraft and the Gannet AEW.3 AWACS aircraft from Fairey / Westland. A total of 12 aircraft were built in the AEW.2 version. Their main difference was that the semi-retractable ventral fairing of the radar antenna was replaced by a fixed convex fairing, located in front of the bomb bay, it housed the APS-20 search radar, which was also used on the Gannet AEW.3 aircraft. Other external changes were related to the fact that more different antennas were installed on the plane.
Shackleton AEW.2
All 12 aircraft were in service with the 8th Squadron of the British Air Force, searching for submarines, performing the function of early detection of enemy boats. They were based at Lozigaons Royal Air Force Base, flying over the North Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the Western Atlantic. Some patrol flights took up to 14 hours. The aircraft remained in service until 1991, when they began to be replaced by Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW. Mk 1 early warning aircraft.
Flight performance Shackleton AEW AEW.2:
Overall dimensions: aircraft length - 26, 62 m, height - 6, 1 m, wingspan - 31, 09 m, wing area - 132 m2.
Empty weight - 24 600 kg.
Maximum takeoff weight - 42,300 kg.
Power plant - 4 Rolls-Royce Merlin PDs with 4x1460 hp.
The maximum speed is 462 km / h.
Practical range - 4600 km.
Combat radius of action - 2672 km.
The flight duration is up to 14 hours.
Service ceiling - 7010 m.
Crew - 3 people + 7 operators.
