page_title: Fairey Gannet AEW.3
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Fairey Gannet AEW.3 / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: English: Fairey Gannet AEW Mk 3 of 849 Naval Air Squadron D Flight based aboard H.M.S Eagle of en:Fleet Air Arm overflys HMS Eagle early 1970's Italiano: Un Fairey Gannet AEW del 849 Naval Air Squadron della it:Fleet Air Arm mentre sorvola la it:portaerei HMS Eagle nei primi anni settanta
context_page_description: The Fairey Gannet AEW.3 is a variant of the Fairey Gannet anti-submarine warfare aircraft intended to be used in the airborne early warning role on aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy. It was introduced to service in 1959 to replace the obsolete Douglas Skyraider, and was intended as an interim solution until the planned introduction of a new, purpose built AEW platform for use on the planned CVA-01 aircraft carriers. Neither the new aircraft carriers nor the new AEW aircraft were proceeded with, and the Gannet AEW.3 remained in service until the last aircraft carrier that could operate it was retired in 1978.
context_section_description: The Royal Navy developed its airborne early warning tactics in the Skyraider, and then evolved them with the increased capabilities of the Gannet, which had observers trained to interpret the information coming in from the onboard radar. They could use it to control the combat air patrol to intercept incoming strike aircraft, or alternatively direct its own aircraft to strike and attack a target.
  However, due to the quality of the equipment, the Gannet had limited command and control capability, built as it was around the AN/APS-20 S-Band search radar and AN/APX-7 IFF set, connected to the AN/ART-28 Bellhop datalink. The datalink would transmit the information received through the Gannet's onboard systems to the operations room on the aircraft carrier (or whichever ship was charged with directing the Gannet's operations), which would then act accordingly to any threat presented. However, the Gannet had no onboard computer or processing equipment (unlike the contemporary E-2B Hawkeye), which meant that the observers had to interpret the raw radar signal.
  The Gannet had a three-person crew, consisting of the pilot, located in the cockpit at the front of the aircraft, and a pair of observers in the cabin in the fuselage, accessible via a hatch next to the trailing edge of the wing. The aircraft had a typical endurance of 5–6 hours and a maximum altitude of 25,000 ft (7,600 m). The Gannet tended to cruise on just one engine of the Double Mamba powerplant; alternating between the two engines every half an hour.
  The sole operational Gannet squadron, 849 NAS had over the course of its time operating the aircraft a total of four operational flights plus the HQ flight. The HQ flight was stationed at three Fleet Air Arm air stations over the period of Gannet operation, while the majority of the operational flights were assigned to more than one aircraft carrier over the course of the Fleet Air Arm's use of the aircraft, with five RN carriers operating Gannet AEW flights.
  HQ Flight – RNAS Culdrose (1960–1965); RNAS Brawdy (1965–1970); RNAS Lossiemouth (1970–1978)
  A Flight – HMS Ark Royal (1960); HMS Centaur (1961–1963); HMS Victorious (1963–1967); HMS Hermes (1968–1970)
  B Flight – HMS Victorious (1960–1962); HMS Hermes (1962–1967); HMS Ark Royal (1970–1978)
  C Flight – HMS Hermes (1960–1962); HMS Ark Royal (1962–1966)
  D Flight – HMS Eagle (1964–1971)
  Each flight operated four AEW aircraft with a Gannet COD.4 for ship to shore communications. These flights were regularly deployed from the large aircraft carriers then in service with the Royal Navy. Additionally, it was intended that the Gannet would initially be deployed from the planned CVA-01 aircraft carrier, until the entry into service of a purpose built AEW aircraft. However, in the mid 1960s the British government brought in a series of defence cuts that led to the new carriers and their AEW aircraft being cancelled, and the phased withdrawal of fixed wing aviation in the Royal Navy. 849C Flight was disbanded in 1966 following the reduction of the carrier fleet to four ships with the withdrawal of Centaur for conversion to a commando carrier (which did not take place) and the decommissioning of Ark Royal for her major, three-year reconstruction to accommodate the McDonnell Douglas Phantom. Subsequent carrier withdrawals led to the disbanding of 'A' Flight in 1970 (when Hermes was withdrawn for conversion to a commando carrier) and 'D' Flight in 1972 (when Eagle was decommissioned). The final operational Gannets were operated by 'B' Flight aboard Ark Royal following that ship's major refit and recommissioning in 1970. The Gannet continued in service until the final decommissioning of Ark Royal in 1978 – a Gannet of 849B Flight was the last aircraft to be recovered by the ship on Saturday 18 November 1978. The withdrawal of Ark Royal meant that there was no longer a platform available in the Royal Navy to operate the Gannet, and hence 849 Naval Air Squadron was disbanded in December 1978, leaving the Royal Navy without embedded airborne early warning.
caption: A Gannet of 849D Flight overflies Eagle in the early 1970s
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