Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 (Argosy)

Armstrong Whitworth AW. 660 (Argosy) History

Armstrong Whitworth's last major contribution to aviation was the AW. The 660 "Argosy", a four-engine, twin-boom, turboprop, designed for heavy-duty tractors with excellent range.

The design first flew on January 8, 1959, and played an established role in the civilian and military markets in the 1990s. Total production was 74, with one major operator becoming the Royal Air Force (RAF).

After WWII, Armstrong Whitworth engineers made plans for the AW. 65 and AW. 66. The former is a twin-engine civilian transport, while the AW. 65 is his military form. While both designs ultimately failed, AW. 66 was seen as a perfect candidate with a larger evolutionary vision.

Therefore, the same double-arm configuration with a shoulder-wing monoplane arrangement was used in the subsequent design "AW. 650", which has now been modified to utilize the power of 4 Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines.

The first flight took place in January 1959, following federal approval for civil aviation, the AW. The 650 entered civilian service as the "100 Series" (including the 101 Series and 102 Series brands).

In addition to the twin boom design, the aircraft certainly has a distinctive look: the section nose has a towering appearance thanks to the elevated flight deck above it. The nose cone hinges open to starboard, revealing a deep, cavernous fuselage space that can accommodate 69 fighters, 54 paratroopers or 48 medical stretchers. Instead, the Hold can handle loads of up to 29,000 pounds. Wheeled and retractable landing gear give the aircraft a very low ground profile for better cargo loading and unloading.

The sides of the fuselage are lined with porthole-style windows to limit visibility, and each shoulder-mounted wing element carries a pair of bottom-mounted turboprops with the nacelles extending beyond the leading edge of the wing. At the rear of the aircraft, the two booms are connected by a common horizontal plane, which in turn is supported by vertical stabilizers.

While the Transporter wasn't the prettiest aircraft of its time, it was still a reliable, practical aircraft.

A total of 17 100-series and 200-series aircraft were built. In March 1964, the "Series 200" was developed specifically to meet the requirements of British European Airways (BEA) as a stronger, lighter variant.

Modifications to the wings and cargo area allow for larger cargo loads over longer distances than the original. Out of a total of 17 aircraft, seven are 200 series airframes powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 532/1 turboprop engines.

Promising features of AW. As a military cargo carrier, the 650 led the Royal Air Force in pursuit of a militarized form known as the AW. 660 "Agosia". After some modifications to the civilian design, the military model flew for the first time on March 4, 1961. The redesign includes an overhaul of the cargo door, mission-specific equipment and increased deployment range.

This resulted in the operating standard C. Mk 1, which included an EKCO weather radar with seating for up to 72, additional fuel tanks in the central wing section and reinforced landing gear for harsh military service. The RAF took over the inventory of 56 C. Mk 1 transports for their historical role and operated until 1978.

These examples were flown by the 70th, 105th, 114th, 115th, 215th, 267th and 242nd Squadrons, as well as the RAF 6th Flight Training School and the Imperial Test Pilot School. Once their use ended, part of the fleet was handed over to the Kuwaiti Air Force and used for a while, while others were scrapped.

In 1963, the line was renamed the Hawker Siddeley overall label, followed by 9 C. Mk 1 aircraft, which were repurposed as the RAF "E. Mk 1" flight inspection type - these aircraft have always been Run until 1978.

Due to budget issues and a shrinking fleet, a vigorous move to modify the navigation trainer resulted in only two airframes being completed to T. Mk 2 standards.

It was not until 1991 that the civilian market form was abandoned, albeit in limited numbers, which was also the design's contribution to aviation. Civilian operators became Australia, Canada, Gabon, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States and Zaire.

AW. 670 is a short-term derivative of the proposed AW. 660 - For convenience, this version received a fixed tricycle landing gear - but the work did not go beyond the drawing stage.

Specification

BASICS

Years of Service

1960

Origins

UK

Status

retirement

does not work.

Crew

4

Production

74

Manufacturer

Armstrong Whitworth - UK

Carrier

Australia;Canada;Gabon;Ireland;Kuwait;Luxembourg;New Zealand;Philippines;Singapore;UK;US;Zaire

Roles

Special Mission: MEDEVAC

Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements through specialized shipboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capacity.

Transportation

General transport function for moving supplies/cargo or people (including casualties and VIPs) out of range.

Education (General)

Develop the ability to become a dedicated student pilot instructor (usually under the supervision of an instructor).

Training (Advanced)

A special advanced training platform for student pilots after completing basic flight training.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

86.8 feet

(26.45m)

Width/span

115. 0 feet

(35.05m)

Height

29. 3 feet

(8.92m)

Cured weight

55,997 lbs

(25,400 kg)

MTOW

105,006 lbs

(47,630 kg)

Wgt Difference

+?49,009

(+22,230 kg)

Performance

Installed:

4 x Rolls Royce Dart RDa. Eight Mk 101 turboprop engines, each producing 2,470 hp, drive a four-bladed propeller unit.

Maximum speed

255 km/h

(410 km/h | 221 knots)

Maximum

22,966 feet

(7,000 m | 4 km)

Area

5,449 km

(5,550 km | 10,279 nautical miles)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Armor

None.

Variation

AW. 660 "Argosy" - the name of the basic series. Oh. 650 - Civil market model of 1959; 17 examples completed. Argosy C. Mk 1 (AW. 660) - Retrofit with nose weather radar, reinforced landing gear, central wing fuel storage, APU, 72 seats and toilet/galley; 56 RAF service examples completed. Argosy E. Mk 1 - RAF flight inspection variant built by Hawke Sidley; 1971 model Argosy T. Mk 2 - RAF navigation trainer; 14 examples planned but only two completed .