Hawker Siddeley Andover

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The Hawker Siddeley Andover is a twin engined turboprop transport aircraft produced by Hawker-Siddeley and developed from the Avro 748 airliner. The Andover was named after the Avro Andover, a Royal Air Force (RAF) biplane transport used for medical evacuation between the wars, and RAF Andover, where trials of the aircraft were partially carried out.

The HS Andover has good short field performance. It was expected to deliver cargo and evacuate casualties intra-theatre in a European-war scenario.

The British Royal Air Force ordered 31 aircraft and these were delivered as the Andover C1.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force operated 10 of these ex-RAF aircraft, which saw service with UN missions to Somalia and on the Iran-Iraq border, and in disaster relief work in the Pacific. The type was retired from service in 1998. The main difficulty with their service in New Zealand was their limited range,(1000 nautical miles of Pacific Ocean separate New Zealand from its nearest neighbours).

Both former RAF and RNZAF aircraft were later sold to civil operators mainly in Africa.

One aircraft a C1(PR) (Serial Number XS596) is still used by the British government and is the UK designated aircraft under the Treaty on Open Skies.

Variants

Andover C1 - 31 aircraft for the RAF
Andover C1(PR) - one C1 aircraft was converted for Photographic Reconnaissance duties.
Andover CC2 - is not a variant of the cargo/transport Andover but a VIP transport version of the Hawker Siddeley 748.
Andover E3 - six C1 aircraft were converted for radio and airport aids calibration.

Military Users and Units

United Kingdom

No. 32 Squadron RAF
No. 46 Squadron RAF
No. 52 Squadron RAF
No. 60 Squadron RAF
No. 84 Squadron RAF
No. 115 Squadron RAF
No. 242 Operation Conversion Unit RAF
Empire Test Pilots School

Only 3 Aircraft currently remain airworthy. All 3 are operated out of Boscombe Down by the Empire Test Pilot School, Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron and the UK open skies mission.

New Zealand

Preserved Aircraft

The Royal Air Force Museum has preserved a former navigation aid calibration Andover.
An Andover C1 is preserved at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in Christchurch.

Specifications (Andover C1)

General characteristics

Crew: two-three
Capacity: 44 troops or 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) of cargo
Length: 78 ft 0 in (23.77 m)
Wingspan: 98 ft 6 in (30.02 m)
Height: 30 ft 1 in (9.15 m)
Wing area: 811 ft² (75.4 m²)
Empty: 25,524 lb (11,577 kg)
Loaded: 40,000 lb (18,000 kg)
Maximum takeoff: 51,000 lb (23,100 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Dart 12 Mk 201 turboprops, 3,245 shp (2,420 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 320 mph (512 km/h)
Range: 1,624 miles (2,613 km)
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
Power/mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Operators

New Zealand, United Kingdom.

External link

[RAF Museum Andover page]