HAWKER SIDDELEY ANDOVER

The 'Hawker Siddeley Andover' is a twin engined turboprop military transport aircraft produced by Hawker Siddeley for the Royal Air Force 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.

Contents

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Operators

Military operators

Civil operators

Survivors

Specifications (Andover C1)

References

External links

Related content

Design and development

Three examples of the first aircraft with the name Andover, the ''Avro 651 Andover'', served as air ambulances at RAF Halton in the early 1920s. The fourth example of this type, the Avro 563 Andover[1], was a 12 passenger airliner which entered RAF service in 1925.
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 C.1'. Subsequent RAF types are the 'Andover CC.2' VIP transport and 'Andover E.3' electronic calibration aircraft.

Operational history

Three of these RAF Andovers continue to fly, one C.1 with the ''Empire Test Pilots School'' and one C.1 with the ''Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron'' of the ''Joint Test and Evaluation Group''. The remaining aircraft is a modified C.1 converted for photo-reconnaissance, the 'Andover C.1(PR)', serial number ''XS596''. This is the UK designated aircraft under the Treaty on Open Skies. All three are based at RAF Boscombe Down.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force operated 10 aircraft, acquired while still relatively new in 1976. These 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).

Variants

;Andover C.1
:First production series for RAF, 31 aircraft built.
;Andover C.1(PR)
:One C1 aircraft was converted for Photographic Reconnaissance duties.
;Andover CC.2
:Not a variant of the cargo/transport Andover but a VIP transport version of the Hawker Siddeley 748.
;Andover E.3
:Six C1 aircraft were converted for radio and airport aids calibration.

Operators

Military operators

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★ Royal New Zealand Air Force

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★ No. 1 Squadron RNZAF

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★ No. 42 Squadron RNZAF
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★ Royal Air Force

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★ No. 21 Squadron RAF

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★ No. 32 Squadron RAF

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★ No. 46 Squadron RAF

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★ No. 52 Squadron RAF

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★ No. 60 Squadron RAF

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★ No. 84 Squadron RAF

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★ No. 115 Squadron RAF

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★ No. 242 Operation Conversion Unit RAF

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★ Empire Test Pilots School

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★ Royal Aircraft Establishment
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.

Civil operators

In August 2007 a total of 5 former-military Andover aircraft remain in airline service. Current operators are^[1]:
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★ Air Transport Office (1)

★ International Trans Air Business (3)
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★ 748 Air Services (1)
Both former RAF and RNZAF ^[2] aircraft were later sold to civil operators mainly in Africa.
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★ Bionic Aviation (Congo) operates at least one Andover CC2 (reg. 9Q-CLL) currently (2007) on charter use between Johannesburg (Lanseria) and Kolwezi, DR Congo

★ Eureka Aviation bought 4 aircraft from RNZAF for operations in Africa.

★ Eastern Congo Airlines operated at least one Eureka Aviation aircraft.

★ ITAB (Congo) operates at least one ex-RNZAF Andover between Lubumbashi and Kolwezi carrying passengers and limited cargo.

★ Katanga Air bought 2 aircraft from Thameside Aero Services.
;Dubai

★ ITAB Cargo bought one aircraft from Eureka Aviation in 1997.
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★ Gabon Express bought 1 aircraft from Eastern Congo Airlines in 1998.

★ Jesus Alive Ministries bought 1 aircraft.

★ Thameside Aero Services bought 3 aircraft from RNZAF in 1998.

★ Thames Aero Spares bought 1 aircraft from RNZAF in 1998 and sold it to 748 Air Services.
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★ 748 Air Services operated 2 aircraft in 1998.
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★ Unknown operator bought one aircraft from Gabon Express.

Survivors

As well as the small numbers of Andovers which are still flying (including three British military examples, the following aircraft are on public display:
;''XS639'' Andover E.3A
:Former navigation aid calibration Andover is exhibited in the Royal Air Force Museum.
;''NZ7621'' Andover CC.1
:A former Royal Air Force aircraft ''XS600'' sold to the Royal New Zealand Air Force is on display at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in Christchurch.

Specifications (Andover C1)

References

1. Flight International, 21-27 October 2007
2. New Zealand Military Aircraft Serial Numbers Hawker Siddeley HS.748MF Andover C.1

External links

★ RAF Museum Andover page

★ Various RAF Andover photos, including the unique and still-serving Andover C1 (PR)

★ RNZAF Museum Andover page

★ New Zealand Military Aircraft Serial Numbers Hawker Siddeley HS.748MF Andover C.1

Related content

'Related development:'
Avro 748
'Comparable aircraft:'
'Designation sequence:'