Carrier Airborne Early Warning

[danielgrimes]

One of the limitations of the UK's small carriers was/is a lack of an airborne early warning aircraft such as an E-2 Hawkeye. Indeed, this was apparently one of the deficiencies of the UKs air strategy during the Falklands - although Nimrods did fly from Ascension.

Has the UK MOD ever investigated this capability (or lack of)?

An aircraft with STOL performance and long mission duration is obviously difficult, so thinking about this I though an unmanned airship would be a good vehicle (as well as a good target!!). Have any navies ever investigated this idea, or is there something obviously stupid I haven't considered - like it would give away the position of the fleet?

Thanks

 

[LowObservable]

The US Navy was getting quite serious for a while with the Westinghouse/Airship Technologies YEZ-2A. But somebody decided that it had to be joint and Army-led (because it had to do with cruise missile defense, and overland missile defense is the Army's job) and the Army decided to use aerostats instead.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFD61539F933A25752C0A96F948260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=all

 

[dan_inbox]

One of the limitations of the UK's small carriers was/is a lack of an airborne early warning aircraft such as an E-2 Hawkeye. Indeed, this was apparently one of the deficiencies of the UKs air strategy during the Falklands - although Nimrods did fly from Ascension.

Has the UK MOD ever investigated this capability (or lack of)?

This is why they developed the Westland Seaking AEW variants: AEW2A, AEW7 and now AAaC7

 

[Just call me Ray]

There are proposals for either a Merlin or Osprey-derived AEW variant to replace the Sea King AEW as well. Prior to that they had Gannet AEW aircraft, and prior to that they had the Avenger AEW. I imagine they probably also relied on shore-based AEW as a supplement too.

 

[avatar]

what about these
http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/Vertigo.pdf
http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/Chimera.pdf

interesting studies , wot?

 

[Jemiba]

"An aircraft with STOL performance and long mission duration"
The french navy once considered an AEW version of the Dassault Spirale III,
STOL tactical transport, although its short field performance probably wasn't
the main reason for it, as it would have been launched by catapult from the
Foch/Clemenceau. But such an aircraft may be adaptable to being launched
from a ski-jump.
(From RAF Flying Review 4/1962)

 

[JAZZ]

Rendered..

 

[hesham]

what about these
http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/Vertigo.pdf
http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/Chimera.pdf

interesting studies , wot?

 

[Abraham Gubler]

For CVA-01 the Royal Navy planned to develop a new Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and Carrier On-board Delivery (COD) aircraft, the Hawker Siddeley (Blackburn Division) P.139B. When CVA-01 was cancelled in 1966 funding for the the P.139B, which was well advanced, dried up. The P139B was to carry a new Frequency Modulated Interrupted Continuous Wave Radar with fore and aft scanners. After the aircraft was abandoned the radar was further developed – unsuccessfully – for the Nimrod AEW.3.

 

[ouroboros]

Aren't there pictures of JSF's using wingtip pods, that supposedly would cover a mission like this? And weren't those pods originally from some other program...