Identify this radar on the Shackleton

[Maury Markowitz]

I am curious about the radar seen on this Shackleton:

File:Avro Shackleton with Saunders-Roe airborne lifeboat.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

I assume the radome was moved to the nose leave room for the lifeboat. But it would seem the MR.1 radar would be free of the lifeboat already, so I'm not sure why they would use some other design in this case. The ASV 13 of the later models was mounted far enough behind the boat I don't think it would have to be moved.

So does anyone know for sure what this model is?

 

[Fluff]

The file description includes this info:

A late-model X-band H2S/ASV radar can be seen in the clear nose radome.

 

[Maury Markowitz]

I wrote that text. The question is which one exactly.

 

[Fluff]

I wrote that text. The question is which one exactly.

Introduction - Book chapter - IOPscience

Some detail on different marks of H2S

 

[Hood]

I think it would be an ASV Mk.13A.
The MR.1 was designed with the chin radome, a poor choice given a birdstrike with a seabird could easily swipe it off!
The later marks then got the retractable 'bin' further aft.

 

[Maury Markowitz]

Ah ha! Looking over a variety of images in Google, I found this:

Lancaster III ASR with Uffa Fox boat

Lancaster III ASR with Uffa Fox boat

www.sas1946.com

It seems this is the prototype fit of this system on a Shakelton MR.1 of the AIEU at Martlesham in 1951. An illustration of an aircraft with a clear radome is seen on that page.

Looking into that, it appears the aircraft is almost certainly WB835, at least according to:

The Shackleton Association - The Avro Shackleton Mark One

A complete history of all Avro Shackleton Mark 1 aircraft - when delivered, modifications, repairs, squadron allocation and final disposal details

www.thegrowler.org.uk

So that would definitely make it an early post-war version of the ASV 7.

Until I saw this diagram I hadn't realized how much they stretched it in later models.

 

[CJGibson]

The early Shackleton GR1s were fitted with ASV.XIII in a Perspex chin radome and as Hood says, was prone to bird strikes. It also suffered from airframe obscuration so was moved to the ventral location. See Nimrod's Genesis.

Chris

 

[yellowaster]

Definitely ASV Mk 13. Not ASV Mk 13A though - that was a sub-variant with a smaller scanner.

 

[Maury Markowitz]

Oh, ok, my ref said Mk. 7 in early models. Noted.