SARO P.108 Lifeboat and P.147 Sea Raider glider concepts ...

[joncarrfarrelly]

SARO projects for rescue lifeboat and Sea Raider commando attack gliders.
Descriptions and small 3-views from Tagg-Wheeler From Sea to Air;
larger drawings from Wheeler From River to Sea.


P.108 1949
Two versions of a glider, the hull of which detached to serve as a lifeboat. The Mk.II version was favoured
and the hull shape, jettison system and operational technique were investigated in some detail.


(text copied from SARO Designations thread)

 

[joncarrfarrelly]

P.147 1951-52
Four versions of the Sea Raider project consisting of a glider housing two motor boats. Weights ranged from 10,000 - 30,000 lb
and wing spans from 60 ft to 110 ft. In addition the two motor boats ranged in weight from 8,200 lb to 24,150 lb. Straight
and cranked wings were considered but all schemes incorporated V-tails and the main hull incorporated a marine propulsion
system for use after jettisoning the wing and tail portions and discharging the motor boats and would be equipped with a
gun turret. In the boats 2 125 HP Rover V-6 piston engines were initially employed, later Rover Gas Turbines were proposed.


(Text copied from SARO Designations thread)


Note that the authors seemed confused between the actual boat part of the gliders and the small assault
craft (something submersible and Sleeping Beauty like?) shown inside the vessels.

 

[hesham]

You are my Hiro Jon.

 

[Stargazer]

Splendid! Some really worthwhile additions to what we had on the Saro projects.

Is it me, or does the front view in the picture before last oddly reminds of the Northrop Tacit Blue prototype?!?

 

[Lonewulf]

Thought you might like to see the P.108/2 lifeboat once it was released from the flying surfaces. This image is from the files held in the National archives (I bought a complete set of copies a couple of years ago). There are many factory drawings on construction and the projected use but almost all are too big to fit on the copier, in fact most are large scale in a long carboard tube. The records include the initial concept, development and correspondence between factory and Air Ministry.