Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstr..._AW.660_Argosy

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.

The Argosy came from the Air Ministry "Operational Requirement 323" (OR323)
which resulted in a specification issued in 1955 for a medium-range freight
aircraft capable of lifting 25,000 lb (11,340 kg) and that had a range of 2,000
mi (3,200 km) with 10,000 lb (4,500 kg). This led AW to develop a twin-engine
design for the military, the AW.66. The potential for civil sales led to a civil
design AW.65, which differed by having full section doors at each end of the
fuselage to allow quick loading and unloading. A lack of funds led to
abandonment of the military requirement, but Armstrong Whitworth had already
decided to go ahead with the civil variant as a private venture, it being
redesigned with four Rolls-Royce Darts as the AW.650.

The AW.650 was a high-wing four-engined general-purpose transport aircraft,
powered by four Rolls-Royce Dart 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, while sideways-opening doors were fitted at both ends of the fuselage,
with the flight deck high up in the nose. This gave an unobstructed cargo space
measuring 10 by 47 feet (3.0 m × 14.3 m) with a sill height corresponding to
that of a normal flatbed truck. This unusual "pod and boom" structure, similar
to the earlier C-82 Packet and C-119 Flying Boxcar transports, would earn it the
nickname "The Whistling Wheelbarrow". It had a maximum weight of 88,000 lb
(39,915 kg) and a payload of 28,000 lb (12,700 kg). Cruising at 276 mph (444
km/h), it had a range of 1,780 mi (2,865 km) and could seat 89 passengers. The
first Argosy made its maiden flight on 8 January 1959, receiving Federal
Aviation Administration type certification on 2 December 1960. 10 of the initial
civil version, the Series 100, were built

While the RAF had lost interest in the original AW.66, it still needed to
replace its obsolete piston engined Vickers Valettas and Handley Page Hastings,
and in 1959 the British Air Ministry drew up a specification for a military
derivative of the AW.650 to serve as a medium-range transport, paratroop and
supply aircraft. The resultant design, the AW.660, was significantly different
from the AW.650. It 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, a
stronger cargo floor was fitted. Two doors were fitted, one each on the
starboard and port sides, to enable paratroopers to exit. The military Argosy
had four Rolls-Royce Dart 101 turboprops and had twice the range of the civil
Series 100. The new clamshell doors were tested on the second Argosy Series 100
from July 1960, while the first of the RAFs 56 Argosies flew on 4 March 1961.


Role
Cargo Transport

Manufacturer
Armstrong Whitworth

First flight
8 January 1959

Retired
1991

Primary user
Royal Air Force

Number built
74

Civil use

The Argosy Series 100 entered service with the American cargo airline Riddle
Airlines, which planned to use them to meet contracts to provide logistics
support to the United States Air Force within the United States, at the end of
1960, Riddle purchasing seven Argosies. When Riddle lost the logistics contract
in 1962, its Argosies were repossessed by Armstrong Whitworth and sold on to
other airlines which had taken over the contracts from Riddle.

The last Argosies, operated by American cargo airline Duncan Aviation, were
withdrawn in 1991.

Military use

The Argosy was used by the Royal Air Force for its capability to accommodate 69
troops, 48 stretcher cases or 29,000 lb (13,000 kg) of freight. This meant it
could carry military equipment such as the Saracen or Ferret armoured cars, or
artillery such as the 105 mm (4.13 in) howitzer or Wombat. Design changes to the
Saracen and the mainspar running through the top of the freight bay subsequently
precluded the use of the Argosy as a Saracen transport.

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
Year's 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
retired the last aircraft in February 1975; replacement by the Lockheed Hercules
in RAF service had begun from December 1970. The E.1 version of the Argosy was
with 115 Squadron from 1968 to 1978, most of the time based at RAF Cottesmore,
and was used in the calibration role.

Specifications (Argosy C Mk 1)

General characteristics
Crew: Four
Capacity: up to 69 troops, 54 paratroops, 48 stretcher cases or 29,000 lb
(13,154 kg) of cargo
Length: 86 ft 9 in (26.44 m)
Wingspan: 115 ft 0 in (35.05 m)
Height: 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m)
Wing area: 1,458 ft² (135.5 m²)
Empty weight: 56,000 lb (25,401 kg)
Useful load: 29,000 lb (13,150 kg)
Loaded weight: 97.000 lb (43,999 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 105,000 lb (47,627 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.8 Mk 101 turboprops, 2,470 ehp (1,843 kW)
each
Propellers: 4 blade Rotol propeller, 1 per engine

Performance
Cruise speed: 253 mph (220 knots, 407 km/h)
Range: 3,450 mi (3,000 nmi, 5,552 km)
Service ceiling: 23,000 ft (7,010 m)




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