A&AEE Boscombe Down photo's from the 1990's.

In 1992, the A&AEE at RAF Boscombe Down became known as the Aircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment, formally known as the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment; following the name change, the Experimental side of operations passed to the Defence Research Agency.

Only one year later, in 1993, the Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO) took control of the airfield. After that, it was passed on to the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), headquartered in Farnborough.

The photographs shown below are from the 1990s and early 2000s.

To conclude, in 2001, DERA was split into two parts, with one becoming the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and the other a civilian British multinational defence company, QinetiQ. Photographs from this era will be shared later.

Tales around the runway caravan. 

ZA267 Tornado F.2 (Second ADV prototype) Used by BAE as a Trials and development aircraft.

It later passed to the RAF Marham Fire section before being transported to RAF Syerston as an Instructional airframe.

 

XV292/292  C-130K C.1 Hercules LTW 

 

XS235 DH.106 Comet 4C 'Canopus' A&AEE

XS235 DH.106 Comet 4C 'Canopus' A&AEE.

ZA195 Sea Harrier F/A.2 British Aerospace Dunsfold operating out of EGDM.

XS606 Andover C.1 ETPS

ZA326 Tornado GR.1 There appears to be a problem.

ZA326 Tornado GR.1 aborting! Not for the first time in its operational life. This 8th production Panavia Tornado was to have entered service with the TTTE, but after a devastating fire, it had to be rebuilt; following the rebuild, the RAF refused to accept the aircraft, and it later passed to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Bedford in its prominent 'Raspberry Ripple' colour scheme.

Its final years' flights were made from here at Boscombe Down.

It was the last flying Tornado GR.1. 

XW987 Blackburn S.2B Buccaneer.

XL564 Hawker Hunter T.7 EPTS.

XX830 Sepecat Jaguar T.2 ETPS.

It had been a British Aerospace 'Trials' aircraft.

XX341/1 Hawk T.1 ETPS.

XZ103/FP  Jaguar 41 Sqn RAF.

ZD745/DA Tornado GR.4 31 Sqn 'Goldstars'.

ZD745/DA and XZ103/FP are operating multiple paired missions.

ZE432 BAC-1-11-479FU after returning from AIM Aviation at Bournemouth 'Hurn', where it had received this final colour scheme. 

It started its operational flying back in 1973 when it was ordered and delivered to Air Pacific as 

DQ-FBV, later to the ETPS, but sadly soon after this photo, was found to have corrosion, leading to its scrapping; the cockpit was saved and now resides at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum.  

 

ZJ647 Alpha Jet ex 98+71 German Air Force, in total 12 arrived from storage at Furstenfeldbruck in Germany, 6 airframes were initially non-flying, two were destined for the Test and evaluation facility at DERA Llanbedr, seen here, one of the four early flying examples still in    

 a GAF colour scheme.

 

XW175 VAAC Harrier was the only fly-by-wire Harrier.

The XW175 Harrier was a remarkably impressive aircraft; not only was it fly-by-wire, but it was also the longest-serving Harrier, in service from 1969 to 2008, spanning forty years. It was the last fixed-wing aircraft to take off from HMS Invincible. 
It was stripped of its American technology at the end of its service, returning it to a Harrier T.4A.

ZB615 Jaguar T.2A ETPS.

ZD285 Lynx AH.7 Defence Research Agency. 

ZD285 Lynx AH.7 Stored by 2003 at Boscombe Down.

XL612  Hunter T.7 ETPS's primary use with the ETPS was demonstrating how to recover from an inverted spin. Its status is with the civil register, currently at Swansea airport. 

XX105 BAC-1-11, with its unique colour scheme, operated from RAE Bedford (Thurleigh) for 21 years with the Blind Landing Experimental Unit (BLEU) and transferred to Boscombe Down in 1994 in a similar role.

ZH654 Harrier II T.10 (DERA).

ZH654 Harrier II T.10 (DERA). 

Sadly, on the 24th of August 2000, whilst landing back at EGDM,

It was slightly higher than this photo when the crew ejected; both suffered back injuries, and the aircraft was written off, damaged beyond repair. The investigation found an inaccurate fuel gauge reading.

XX342/2 Hawk T.1 ETPS.

ZB615 Jaguar T.2A ETPS.

ZH102/02 AEW.1 8Sqn RAF.

ZA267 Tornado F.2

ZA267 was the second ADV prototype.

The BAE company designation was A.02. There were also A.01 (ZA254) and A.03 (ZA267). 

ZA267 was one of the three ADV aircraft, all of which were dedicated to different roles. 

A.02's strengths were engines, general systems and armaments; I imagine it was spending time at RAF Boscombe Down.

ZG501 Harrier GR.7 (AWC) SAOEU

'Strike Attack Operational Evaluation Unit

Formed back in 1983 with the introduction of the Panavia Tornado GR.1 into RAF service, by 1988, they had added ZG501 Harrier GR.7, which later became a GR.9.

ZE756 Tornado F.3 AWC (Air Warfare Centre)

ZE756 Tornado F.3 RAF. 

Flying missions with the Tornado GR.1 and a GR.1A.

 

 ZA353 B-53 Tornado GR.1 (TTTE) was seen here whilst serving with DERA at Boscombe Down.

ZA449 Tornado GR.1A recovers to Boscombe Down.

XZ570 Seaking HAS 5+ or Mod! (DTEO) at Boscombe Down in 1996.

It had been used for testing Merlin helicopter engine filters.

XV211 Lockheed Hercules C.1 LTW RAF.

XV211 Lockheed Hercules C.1, accompanied by FT375 Havard IIB, was sadly sold by Tender in May 1996 and became G-BWUL on the civil register. 

XV208 Lockheed Hercules W.2 'Snoopy' operated by DERA/MRF.

XS596 Andover C.1 (DERA) modified to a (PR) photo-reconnaissance type and used for the British Open Skies Treaty flights.

I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

Happy days!

Royal Navy Hunters, Sea Harriers and Joint Force Harriers at RNAS Yeovilton

I look back in wonder, having found these latest transparencies taken at the Royal Navy Air Station at Yeovilton in Somerset in the early 1990s. They bring back memories of those days when I had to surreptitiously escape from my business for a few hours; RNAS Yeovilton was the ideal getaway, as it was just a forty-five-minute drive from my home.

The Hunters at Yeovilton were operated by the Fleet Requirements and Air Directions Unit (FRADU) until 1983, when Flight Refuelling Ltd (FRA) at Bournemouth (Hurn) Airport won the new operating contract. The Hunters often pitched up at Bournemouth to be serviced by Lovaux. Sadly, by 1994, their days were numbered as the BAe Hawk T.1A entered operational use, and by May 1995, they were withdrawn.

From April 2000, the  Royal Navy's Sea Harriers FA2s were amalgamated with the four serving RAF Harrier GR7/7A squadrons under the new single structure. They were all to be deployable at sea and land. This brought new movements to Yeovilton, with the RAF Harriers using Yeovilton's dummy deck whilst training for their sea-based deployments.

Below are a few of my transparencies captured in the described period, some on Kodachrome 64 and Fuji Velvia. The last one, "Admiral's Barge," was my first digital photo.

 Having uncovered even more Yeovilton action, I must post part two. 

For now, let's get on with the action...   

ZE695/711 first flew as a Harrier FRS.1 in 1993. It was later converted to an FA.2. It is seen on the approach to RNAS Yeovilton, operated by 899 NAS OEU based at RAF Boscombe Down.

 

More on the "SHARS" latter.

Let's have a look at a few of the Hunters first.

XE685/861 'VL' Hunter GA.11 RN landing on runway 27 at RNAS Yeovilton. Transferred to the civil register as G-GAII at Exeter.

Later, it was featured in a four-ship civilian team known as 'Team Viper' and then purchased by Hawker Hunter Aviation, which is based at RAF Scampton.  

XE665/876 'VL'  Hunter T.8C was initially constructed as a Hunter F.4 serving with the RAF in Germany. Following its conversion to a T.8 at Coventry Airport, it entered service with the Royal Navy at RNAS Lossiemouth, then passed to Yeovilton and eventually FRADU, featuring a dark sea grey colour scheme.

 Sadly, moving to the  civilian register as

G-BWGM.

XF357/871 'VL' Hunter T.8C Royal Navy (FRADU).

WV256/862 'VL' Hunter GA.11. Status: it became G-BZBP. It can be seen at RAF St Mawgan, where it bears the marks of 26 Squadron RAF, having previously served at RAF Oldenburg in Germany.

Similar to the Harrier's story of not being saleable abroad due to American technology in their canopies, this Hunter was built at Kingston-Upon-Thames in 1955. It was presented for auction in 1995, forty years after entering service. Amazingly, did it have to be withdrawn from the auction due to American funding for its manufacture? 

Eventually, it was sold in 2000 by Phillips in a MOD aircraft auction.

 

I would be very interested if anybody could shed further light on the financial implications.

WT722/878 'VL' Hunter T.8C. Its status was at the Classic Air Force hanger at RAF St Mawgan, but sadly, its civil registration has been cancelled, and its destiny has yet to be discovered. 

XE685/861 'VL' Hunter GA.11 Royal Navy. These jets had a history. XE685 was built in Blackpool for the Royal Air Force in 1955. It entered service at RAF Lynham in Wiltshire and later transitioned to RAF Jever in Germany. Following RAF service, it was put into storage. 

Acquired by the Royal Navy, it was converted to a GA.11 at Kingston-upon-Thames. It joined the Navy service at Lossiemouth, passing to RNAS Brawdy and then back to 'Lossie', before moving to Dunsfold and finally arriving at Yeovilton. It was scrapped on March 30, 1994, at the mere age of 39. 

XE689/864 'VL' Hunter GA.11 suffered a fire in France and returned to Hyères airbase in Southern France. Following the incident, the rear fuselage was replaced with that of  XE707, allowing it to return to service.

 It passed through the Lovaux works at Bournemouth Hurn airport in June 1994 for a major maintenance program and returned to Yeovilton in December 1994. 

Sadly, the early retirement program saw Hunter XE689/864 "VL" withdrawn from service the following May 1995. On the 16th of that month, it was flown to RAF Shawbury for storage and, later in July'95, sold to the civilian register.

XZ492/128 Sea Harrier FRS.1 800Sqn late 1993 before passing to RAF St. Athan for conversion to an FRS.2.

 

It was great to see different models of the Sea Harrier operating at Yeovilton, as well as various shades of grey at the time.

XZ493/126  Sea Harrier FRS.1 800 Sqn, landing at Yeovilton in 1994. Later that year, it crashed into the Adriatic Sea while approaching HMS Invincible.

 It had also served with 801 NAS, providing combat air patrol missions (CAP) and protecting the ships of the British task force during the Falklands conflict. Painted in a dark grey scheme, Argentinian pilots referred to it as ' La Mureta Negra' (The Black Death). 

Today, it can be seen in the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

ZD615/723 Sea Harrier F/A2 899 Sqn OCU, recovering to (EGDY).

ZB604/722 Sea Harrier T.4N Royal Navy Lining up for a dummy deck launch. 

The Navy's Training Harriers, the T.4N, had no radar, but pilot training on the radar instrumentation featured in the Harrier FRS1 aircraft was necessary. This led to FRADU utilising three Blue Fox-equipped Hunter T8Ms as radar trainers.

XZ445 Sea Harrier T.4A(N), seen here in earlier years, sadly crashed near Wellington, Somerset, in 1996 whilst flying through dense fog with the loss of its pilot and passenger.

  

ZB803/VL-718 899 NAS adorned with the 50th D-Day Anniversary markings in 1994.

RNAS Yeovilton was chosen as the airbase to host aircraft from 12 nations to celebrate this great event.

 See more on that here:- https://legendarymilavia.blogspot.com/2019/05/d-day-50th-anniversary-flypast.html.  

From January 1994, the NAS OCU relocated from RAF Boscombe Down back to RNAS Yeovilton, with their Sea Harrier FAS.2 then in service. 

The T.4Ns were upgraded to T.8s, the first of which was delivered in early 1995, wearing the black colour scheme that would be seen on all the T.8s. They still had no radar, but the instrumentation was improved to a similar specification as the FAS.2 (FA.2).  

Above ZD328/AC Harrier GR.7 from 3 Squadron RAF prepares to land before launching from the deck.

Following the commencement of the Joint Force Harrier (JFH) on April 1 2000, it was only a short time before Royal Air Force Harriers were seen using RNAS Yeovilton's dummy deck for training.

ZG861/AA Harrier GR.7 3 Squadron RAF with 848 Squadron Seaking HC.4  'Junglie' in the background. 

ZG861/AA Harrier GR.7 RAF. Lining up in front of the deck.

ZG861/AA Harrier GR.7 airborne off the deck.

ZD410/AJ Harrier GR.7 RAF.

On my visits, the RAF always seemed to arrive with three aircraft.

ZD466/56 and ZD470/60 arriving overhead (EGDY).

 A superb lineup, including the RAF T.10 ZH657/105, as you look towards the Fleet Air Arm Memorial Church, known affectionately as

"St Bart's" is the spiritual home of the Fleet Air Arm.

 

On Sunny days like the one above, the Southside ramp was more reminiscent of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

 

ZD470/60 GR.7 RAF preparing for another deck launch.

ZD466/56 Harrier GR.7 with the Joint Harrier Force markings.

   

ZD466/56 Harrier GR.7 RAF.

ZD470/60 GR.7 RAF follows ZD466/56 airborne. 

ZD610/000 Sea Harrier FA.2 'Shar' 899Sqn RN.

 

ZD610/000 Sea Harrier FA.2 'Shar' 899Sqn RN. Prepares to land for another deck launch.

ZD798/122 FA.2 Sea Harrier 801Sqn RN.

ZD605/VL-710 FA.2 Sea Harrier 899 Sqn Royal Navy.

ZD578/N-126 FA.2 800Sqn and an 801Sqn FA.2 launching before International Air Day.

 

ZH801/R-716 FA.2 Sea Harrier RN.

ZE692/718 FA.2 Sea Harrier and ZH809 FA.2 899Sqn, the 'Flying Fist'. The insignia derived from a flying gauntlet.

  

ZD990/721 T8 Sea Harrier 899Sqn RN practising vertical thrust lifts on a cold winter morning.

ZB605/720 T8 899 Sqn Sea Harrier departing Yeovilton.

ZD993/VL-723 T8 Sea Harrier 899 sqn Royal Navy.

ZD612/718 FA.2 899Sqn Run and break.

ZE696/126 FA.2 800Sqn RN.

ZH803/124 F/A2 800Sqn. 

This aircraft has been re-registered as G-RNFA, owned by Fly Harrier Ltd.

 It arrived at RAF St Athen from RNAS Culdrose, where it had been used at the School of Flight Deck Operations (RN SFDO). Maybe one day we will see it fly again?

ZH808/N-003 F/A2 Sea Harrier.

This is just a friendly reminder of those days when a Seaking HC.4  'Junglie' departs and a Lynx HAS.8 can be seen on the ground. 

ZH813/006 FA.2 Sea Harrier 801 Sqn RN.

ZH796/VL-715 FA.2 899 Sqn RN.

ZH809 FA.2 Sea Harrier 899 Sqn.

Affectionately known as"Admiral's Barge."

ZH809 FA.2 Sea Harrier 899 Sqn. The 25th Anniversary scheme was applied for the 2004 display season to celebrate 25 years of Sea Harrier service in the Royal Navy.

As a late-production aircraft, it flew for only 8 years, accumulating 1,073 flying hours.  

Just a lovely picture.

Farewell, my friends.

If you have reached this far, you may have enjoyed memories of some great days out in Somerset.

Happy Days!