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) controlled the airfield. After, it passed again to the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) headquartered at Farnborough.

The photographs I am showing below are from this period in the Nineteen Nineties and up to the early Two Thousand.

Just to conclude on these operating names, it was 2001 when (DERA) gave way and was split into two, with one part being the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the other a civilian British multinational defence company QinetiQ, photographs from this era will have to come 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 devasting 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 and 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 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 it being scrapped; the cockpit was saved and now resides at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum.  

 

ZJ647 Alpha Jet ex 98+71 GAF, 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 is the only fly-by-wire Harrier.

XW175 Harrier was quite an impressive aircraft; not only flyby wire, it was the longest-serving Harrier, 1969 through to 2008, forty years of service and 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 to 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 ll T.10 (DERA).

ZH654 Harrier ll 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 was also an A.01 ZA254 and A.03 ZA267. 

ZA267 was one of the three ADV aircraft, all 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,  sadly, was 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!

RNAS Yeovilton Commando Assault demonstration

After my last post, I looked closely at the" Commando Assault" demonstrations that had brought a close to this great show throughout the years. I immensely enjoyed 2016 with the arrival of the CHF Merlin Helicopters at Yeovilton. Sadly, the iconic (Junglie) Seakings had been retired by the time of the 2016 air show.

I have found through the years that by the time of this fabulous finale, the Sun and, very often, the weather are not conducive for photography. 2016, I spent several days photographing the rehearsals for this exciting climax.

Participating were the Culdrose-based Hawk as seen below, although on the airshow day, XX159 flew the mission, six Merlins, one an HC.3A and the other five all HC.3. The Army Air Corps supplied two Wildcat AH.1s and an Apache AH.1 from the ADHT.

Hawk T.1 XX205/842 CU RN getting airborne for a rehearsal day.

ZJ118/B Merin HC.3 846Sqn, RN.

ZJ995/AD Merin HC.3a RAF on the airshow day, they used ZJ994/AC.

ZJ130/O and ZJ118/B preparing to drop Commandos.

ZJ994/AC HC.3A RAF pouring on the power.

ZJ130/O Merlin HC.3 RN disgorging troops of 40 Commando.

ZZ510 Wildcat AH.1 652 Sqn AAC.

ZZ410 Wildcat AH.1 652Sqn AAC.

ZZ410 Wildcat AH.1 652Sqn AAC  low pass.

ZJ223 Apache AH.1 ADHT arrives to offer support.

ZJ118 Merin HC.3 846Sqn, RN.

ZJ995/AD Merlin HC.3A, RAF.

ZJ125/J Merlin HC.3 846 Sqn, RN.

ZJ137/W arrives first, followed by ZJ132/Q with the trailer.

ZJ137/J with the Landrover.

ZJ137/W leaving the drop zone.

ZJ132/Q leaves low and fast, having delivered the trailer.

ZJ131/P 846 Sqn RN was not used on airshow day, ex RAF 28 Sqn at Benson, and today it is upgraded to an HC.4 in the grey paint scheme.

ZJ995/AD, RAF ZJ118/B, ZJ130/B RN and ZJ223 Apache AH.1 AAC.

ZJ223 leaving the formation.

ZJ130/O Merin HC.3 RN and ZJ995/AD HC.3A RAF.

All six Merlins.

ZJ131/P Merlin HC.3 RAF surrounded by the senior service

! 

Mission over.

ZJ223 Apache AH.1 leaves us chewing grass.

Last, XX159/842 CU RN lands back at Yeovilton in a photograph that could have been the scene there ten years earlier when active Sea Harriers used that taxiway, not museum aircraft!

Happy Days!