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The P-2H Neptune is a land based maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft. It was designed during WWII and is powered by two piston engines and two jet pods to assist in take-off and for extra power when required to reach submarine contacts.
Its first flight was on 15 May 1945 and squadron delivery was in March 1947.
More than 1100 were built and no other post war maritime patrol aircraft has been built in such large numbers.
More photographs of the Lockheed SP-2H Neptune.
I made a return visit to RAF Museum at Cosford. I was last there in 2017. I am impressed with the range and variety of aircraft on display at RAF Cosford.
The Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft was derived from the Comet airliner. It had a flight crew of four (two pilots, a flight engineer and one navigator) and up to 25 crew operating the SIGINT equipment.
It originally entered RAF service in 1969 in MR.1 variant to replace the Avro Shackleton. From 1979 35 aircraft were upgraded to the improved MR.2 standard. Nimrod continued in service until 2010 when its successor, the MRA4 was cancelled. The aircraft was modified to carry wing mounted Sidewinder air-air missiles for self -defence during the Falklands conflict in 1982, they were known as the RAF’s biggest fighter! Less successful was the airborne early warning version, Nimrod AEW3 which was test flown but did not enter service.
The three Nimrod R.1 electronic-intelligence gathering aircraft entered service in 1971. They carried up to 29 crew and were involved in all major conflicts in the latter part of the 20th and early 21st centuries. When one of the original aircraft was lost following an accident in 1997, XV249 selected as a replacement and, after conversion, flew with No 51 Squadron from RAF Waddington. It took part in operation Ellamy over Libya in 2011 thus remaining operational until its withdrawal from squadron service on 28 June 2011. It arrived at RAF Cosford in 2012.
The Nimrod certainly needed a good clean and had a lot of moss growing on it.
I made a return visit to RAF Museum at Cosford. I was last there in 2017. I am impressed with the range and variety of aircraft on display at RAF Cosford. The first aircraft you see (well apart from the VC10, the Hercules by the car park, oh and the huge Bristol Britannia 312!
So once you have entered the museum, proper, the first aircraft you see is the Hawker Siddeley Dominie T.Mk.1 a navigation trainer that was used by the RAF.
The Dominie advanced navigation trainer was used for a long time with the Royal Air Force. It was the first jet-powered navigation trainer designed specifically for such a purpose to enter service with the Royal Air Force. The Dominie T1 was used to train weapon systems officers and operators, air engineers and air loadmasters in systems management, air leadership, decision making and teamwork.
It entered service in 1965 and was developed from the Hawker Siddeley HS.125 a twin-engine mid-size business jet.
This particular Dominie was retired in January 2011.
The VC10 was designed as a long range airliner able to operate from short runways at airfields in hot and high conditions as found in Africa and the Far East.
The rear engine configuration meant that the cabin was very quiet. The aircraft had a high cruising mach number and had very good short field performance. However, this was achieved at the cost of very high fuel burn in the cruise which may explain why the aircraft attracted few overseas customers.
In the later part of its service the aircraft was modified for the tanking role but kept its passenger and freight carrying ability.
A gallery of photos can be viewed of VC10 XR808’s journey to RAF Cosford here.
There was a civilian VC10 at Duxford.
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft.
In addition to the type’s principal use for initial training, the Second World War had RAF Tiger Moths operating in other capacities, including maritime surveillance and defensive anti-invasion preparations; some aircraft were even outfitted to function as armed light bombers.
One of the RAF’s longest serving aircraft types, the Canadian designed Chipmunk entered RAF service in 1950. Chipmunks replaced the Tiger Moth as an initial pilot trainer, offering relatively modern features such as flaps, brakes, radio and an enclosed cockpit.
They also equipped the RAF’s University Air Squadrons until 1973. Although the type was retired from flying training in 1993, Chipmunks continued to serve with the RAF’s Air Experience Flights until 1996, with which many thousands of Air Training Corps and Combined Cadet Force cadets have had their first taste of flight. Over seven-hundred Chipmunks were built for the RAF, some of which also served with the Army and the Royal Navy. A substantial number of civilian Chipmunks are still flying in countries around the world.
This Hawker Hart was on display at RAF Cosford.
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircraft in the inter-war period, but was obsolete and already side-lined for newer monoplane aircraft designs by the start of the Second World War, playing only minor roles in the conflict before being retired.
The Percival P.56 Provost is a basic trainer aircraft that was designed and manufactured by British aviation company Percival.
The Provost entered service with the RAF during 1953 and quickly proved to be more capable than the preceding Prentice. It was a relatively successful aircraft, being exported for multiple overseas operators. Various models were developed, both armed and unarmed, to meet with customer demands. The Provost later adapted to make use of a turbojet engine, producing the BAC Jet Provost. During the 1960s, the type was withdrawn from RAF service in favour of its jet-powered successor. It continued to be used for decades after with various export customers.
This de Havilland Devon C.2 was on display at RAF Cosford.
The De Havilland Devon was a military version of the de Havilland Dove short-haul airliner, one of Britain’s most successful post-war civil designs.
The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British short-haul airliner developed and manufactured by de Havilland. The Dove was a popular aircraft and is considered to be one of Britain’s most successful postwar civil designs, in excess of 500 aircraft being manufactured between 1946 and 1967. Several military variants were operated, such as the Devon by the Royal Air Force and the Sea Devon by the Royal Navy, and the type also saw service with a number of overseas military forces.
This Jet Provost T1 is on display at RAF Cosford.
The Hunting Percival Jet Provost was initially developed as a jet engine modification of the piston-engine Percival P.56 Provost, retaining to original wing structure mated to a new fuselage. It was built as a private venture by Hunting Percival Aircraft Limited at Luton Airport.