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Armstrong Whitworth AW.169

History

As tensions between East and West intensified during the Cold War (1947-1991), while military technology developed rapidly, the main conventional threat to Great Britain was bolstered by a powerful nuclear-powerful Soviet bomber force. In the 1950s, when turbojets were the undisputed route to future aerial victory, aircraft became more and more capable of flying higher and faster than before at speeds in excess of Mach 2. In response to the threat of potential predatory enemy attackers, various programmes have been undertaken by British Aerospace to seek a local solution in the form of a Mach 2 high altitude interceptor/day and night fighter.

Background

From meetings and studies conducted in the early to mid-1950s, the authorities developed a "wish list" of the types of interceptors needed to stay one step ahead of the Soviet Union. This involves a very advanced design that provides significant performance, enabling the use of an "all-in-one" weapon package that includes airborne systems and externally-launched air-to-air missiles (AAMs).

In addition to the speed requirements, an excellent rate of climb is required to ensure that the aircraft can reach altitude in a short period of time and then fly to the target at supersonic speed. It is envisaged that a crew of two is required to fully operate the aircraft and its required systems and subsystems, and it is also envisaged that the aircraft will reach Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in 1962 - so at this point, several types of interceptors are already in service device will be retired.

For the Armstrong-Whitworth team, the schedule called for an initial first flight in mid-1959 and an initial operational capability (IOC) in mid-1962.

The F.155T specification was finally written and published on January 15, 1955 for the new interceptor, with a separate specification for a compatible AAM to provide the inherent firepower of the aircraft (without installing fixed artillery weapons) .

Radar Fit

The radar of choice for new aircraft becomes artificial intelligence. The 18 ("Air Intercept" Mk. 18) series will be installed in the hollow space in the nose cone. This X-band unit will be supplied by GEC (General Electric Company) and build on the frame of the existing Mk. 16 Series All Weather Javelin Interceptor for Gloster (detailed elsewhere on this page).

The same unit later served de Havilland's new fleet defense fighter, the Sea Fox (described elsewhere on this site). The radar has a range of 20 miles.

AW. 169 takes shape

Armstrong Whitworth, who had been building aircraft until the First World War (1914-1918), offered a possible design to meet fairly stringent requirements - this is what was proposed "AW. 169". Its layout originated from the early research-oriented AW. 166 people contributed to the development of the initiative. The resulting design used an ultra-thin, dart-like airframe to mount the radar in the nose, two-seat side-by-side cockpit location, avionics and fuel storage.

The cockpit separates the crew, with only the pilot sitting under the port-facing light-frame canopy, while the radar operator is buried in the fuselage (slightly lower) along the starboard side (under the flat bubble canopy). The ultra-thin wing main aircraft is swept back on the leading edge and straightened with clipped wingtips on the trailing edge.

These elements are further mounted on the shoulders along the sides of the hull and are located amidships. Passing through each element at its respective midpoint is a "paired" engine nacelle, using a single intake point at the front (with a high-speed, variable-depth impact cone) and a split at the rear exhaust vent.

The nacelle extends well in front of the leading edge of the wing. The fins will rely on a single vertical fin to support a highly mounted, fully mobile horizontal plane. For ground walking, a traditional retractable short-leg tricycle arrangement will be provided.

The construction will involve light and strong alloys.

The interceptor's armament should be 2 Air-to-Air Missiles (AAM), one on each wingtip. This would be used in conjunction with nose-mounted radar and an onboard crew management system to create a capable long-range counter for Soviet bombers.

Engine and Architecture

Power comes from 4 x de Havilland Gyron Junior hp. Fifty-three turbojet afterburner (reheat) engines work with a single Spectre rocket unit to provide over 15,000 pounds of combined thrust. The Gyron Junior is a scaled-down version of the de Havilland Gyron, commissioned in the early to mid-1950s and first commissioned in August 1955. It served with types such as the later Blackburn "Pirates". Naval fighter jets described elsewhere on this site.

Missile units buried in the bottom of the hull are used for short-term concentrated fire. This increased power will help push the new interceptor to the desired Mach 2.0 speed (and faster when diving).

Dimensionally, the aircraft has a barrel length of 84 feet and a wingspan of 51.7 feet, which is much longer than it is wide. And finally AW. The 169 grossed close to ?54,000, making it a formidable big blocker on paper.

End of the road

Despite AW's commitment. The 169 design has never passed paper stages, cockpit mockups and wind tunnel testing. There is still a lot of work to be done on this advanced form of interceptor, so trying to set the IOC date to 1962 is a long way at best.

As such, it was like many other products of the time - but still showed how forward looking British Airways was in the "age of turbojets".