ADF-SERIALS
Australian
& New Zealand Military Aircraft Serials &
History
RAAF A10 & Navy N15 Hawker Siddeley/British Aerospace HS748
The T.2s were used as flying classrooms for the training of navigation and air electronics officers (AEOs) for the RAAF and observers for the RAN and visited points throughout Australia and also RNZAF Wigram in New Zealand during their service life. The Series 2/228 aircraft were powered by the higher rated Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.8 engines unlike the Series 2/229 aircraft which were fitted with the standard Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.7 engines. They had three navigator stations forward (one instructor and two students) while to the rear behind the observation section with bubble windows were three AEO stations (one instructor and two students). The AEO area was replaced with a crew rest area in the mid 1990s with two double seat units and a table. These eight aircraft also had a free drop hatch in the floor. With effect from 1st July 1989 32 Squadron was reformed at East Sale to fly all ten RAAF HS748s. The T.2s were operated on behalf of the School of Air Navigation.
The C.2s were operated in the communications rôle from the end of 1989 after their replacement at Fairbairn by Falcon 900s but by June 1996 had been withdrawn from service. These two aircraft operated extensively throughout Australia in the VIP rôle and also travelled abroad visiting such places as Honiara (Solomon Islands), Lord Howe Island, Port Vila (Vanuatu), Daru Island, Girua, Goroka, Gurney, Kieta, Lae, Madang, Mendi, Mount Hagen, Port Moresby, Rabaul, Tari, Telefomin and Wewak (all in Papua New Guinea) and also flew to destinations throughout New Zealand.
An Airborne Navigation Training System upgrade was under way for the Series 2/228s in late 1998 and two of the aircraft were undergoing conversion and trials when it was decided to retire the 748s. In consequence the upgrade programme was cancelled and of the remaining six aircraft, one was donated to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, Victoria in January 2004. The last five aircraft were retired after performing a three-hour final farewell flight over the Gippsland region on 30th June 2004.
During over thirty-seven years of service the aircraft had been called upon to do a variety of additional tasks. These included search and rescue, maritime surface surveillance patrols, delivering relief supplies to flood and bushfire areas and ferrying emergency supplies to Darwin and evacuating refugees after Cyclone Tracy hit the city on Christmas Day in 1974. Three of the aircraft were fitted out with 26 passenger seats and flew emergency schedules linking Canberra, Launceston, Hobart, Melbourne, and Sydney for several months in 1989 during the long Australian pilots’ dispute. Affectionately known as “Draggies” in RAAF service, the 748s also flew a formation team at several air shows. This was known as the “Howlettes”. By the time the type was retired, the fleet had flown 192,559 accident free hours and carried out 180,771 landings of which the two VIP aircraft had flown 36,654 hours and carried out 40,904 landings.
The RAN ordered two Series 2/268s with delivery in May and August 1973. Like the RAAF model 228 aircraft, these two machines were powered by Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.8 engines and also had a similar navigator’s position. They were initially used in the transport rôle replacing Dakotas with 851 Squadron based at HMAS Albatross at Nowra, New South Wales. Between 1978 and 1981 the two aircraft were extensively modified into Electronic Warfare (EW) trainers. Fitted with electronic countermeasures (ECM) jamming equipment and chaff dispensers, the aircraft were tasked as airborne trainers to simulate a hostile EW environment. The Squadron was disbanded on 31Aug84 and the aircraft transferred to 723 Squadron, also based at Nowra, where they continued performing similar tasks. The aircraft were decommissioned at Nowra on 23rd June 2000 by which time they had flown 23,910 hours and carried out 23,050 landings
(Introduction written by Richard Church)
| ADF.Serial | Const No. | Aircraft History |
| A10-595 | 1595 | Production Number 76. Cost
$2,000,430. First Flight 13/01/67 as A10-595. Handover 17/03/67. To 34 Sqn 23/03/67. Officially Delivered to RAAF 29/03/67 and used as a VIP aircraft by 34 Squadron, Fairbairn A.C.T. To 32 Squadron, East Sale 16/01/90 for use in the communications role. Static Display at Mangalore Airshow 1993. Withdrawn East Sale by June 1996. Advertised for sale by tender Nov 1998. Registration SE-LIE reserved 23/01/99. Sold to West Air, Sweden as SE-LIE and delivered ex Essendon 01/03/99. Converted to Series 2A/229, stripped out and converted to a pure freighter. Painted in full West Air colours with the RAAF grey as the base. Total time 17,535 hours and 19,815 landings. Registered as SE-LIE to West Air, Sweden 15/06/00. Registered European Turboprop Management 27/09/01. Registered SG Finans AS Norge 17/06/05. Noted Lidkoping late Jul06 crew training for Alaire of Spain aircrew. Ferried Lidkoping 22/08/06 and withdrawn from use. Registration SE-LIE cancelled as scrapped 06/12/06. Total Time 21,279 hours, 23,964 landing at this time.
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| A10-596 | 1596 | Production number 77. First Flight 10/03/67 as A10-596. Handover 27/04/67. Officially Delivered to RAAF 04/05/67 and used as a VIP aircraft by 34 Squadron, Fairbairn A.C.T. To 32 Squadron, East Sale 13/11/89 for use in the communications role. Withdrawn East Sale by June 1996. Advertised for sale by tender Nov 1998. Total time 19,119 hours and 21,089 landings. Registration SE-LIF reserved 23/02/99. Sold West Air Sweden as SE-LIF and delivered ex Essendon 01/03/99. Converted to Series 2A/229, stripped out and converted to a pure freighter. Painted in full West Air colours using the RAAF grey as the base. Registered as SE-LIF to West Air Sweden 08/09/99. Named "Number 10". Registered European Turboprop Management 27/09/01. Registered SG Finans AS Norge 17Jun05. Flew last revenue flight 02/10/06 and used for crew training at Lidkoping. Painted overall grey and sold Air Creebec Inc of Canada. Ferried ex Lidkoping via Bergen and Keflavik 29Oct06. Swedish registration cancelled 01Nov06 and regd to Air Creebec Inc as C-FLJC 06Dec06. Fitted with a roller floor, smoke detectors and 8 X 250 gallon internal removable fuel cells by Air Creebec Inc. Its Canadian CofA was issued on 20/01/07 and it entered service on 15/02/07 painted overall grey. The aircraft will be used as a freighter carrying diamond mining equipment to the Canadian hinterland. As C-FLJC withdrawn from use Timmins, Ontario, Canada 29/01/08 at total time 24,312 hours, 26,677 landings. Regn cancelled 15/07/08. Was finally broken-up at Timmins in 11/2011.
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| A10-601 | 1601 | Production number 108. Registered G-AVZD to Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd 06/12/67. First Flight 21/02/68, CofA issued 05/04/68. Used as a certification aircraft for Rolls-Royce Dart 8 engines with tropical trials at Asmara during April 1968. Development trials ended 29/06/68 and aircraft modified to standard RAAF fit. Registration cancelled 09/08/68. Handover to RAAF at Woodford 30/08/68. Arrived RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale as A10-601 20/09/68 after departing Woodford 07/09/68 via Athens, New Delhi, Bangkok, Singapore, Denpasar, Darwin and Alice Springs. Static Display Laverton 1988. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. Static Display Bairnsdale 2000. Was ferried to Point Cook on 20/01/04 in the overall grey colour scheme and retired, for the RAAF Museum. Total time 20,485 hours and 18,040 landings.
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| A10-602 | 1602 | Production number 121. First Flight 01/08/68 as A10-602. Delivered RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale 03/10/68. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. Avalon Airshow 2001. Withdrawn 30/06/04, total time 19,864 hours and 18,864 landings. Sold TAG Aviation Jul04 and ferried to West Sale as Turbo 602 10/08/04 for storage. Owned by Ms Lorraine MacGillivray/Mr Trevor Gunn of Sale and registered as VH-POZ on 16/09/04. The aircraft was parked at west Sale aerodrome near the end of 2004. Was ferried ex West Sale via Broome en route East Africa. Registration cancelled as sold in Tanzania 07/04/05. On arrival Africa registered 3D-POZ and operated by GGG Aviation. Noted as such Nairobi-Wilson 22/05/06. Noted in Guinee Air Cargo titles at Conakry on 07/06/2007 registered as 3X-GEE. Last noted at Conakry 28/01/2011 reportedly used for ground training.
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| A10-603 | 1603 | Production number 122. First Flight 13/09/68 as A10-603. Delivered RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale 30/10/68 having previously been displayed at the Farnborough Air Show. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. East Sale Airshow 2003. Withdrawn 30/06/04, total time 19,943 hours and 18,259 landings. Sold Thameside Aviation Jul04 and ferried to West Sale in white top, blue cheat line colour scheme as Turbo 603 06/08/04 for storage. Registered as VH-AMQ to Mr Ross Michael Hornblower 02/02/05. Ferried ex West Sale 16/02/05 via Broome to Kula Lumpur and onwards to Southend from Bari and Alexandria. Arrived in the UK at Southend airport on 20/02/05 and placed in storage. Registration VH-AMQ cancelled as exported USA 25/09/08 but remained in store at Southend, UK still marked as VH-AMQ. Was sold to the 'Skylark Hotel' at Southend Airport and lifted onto their site along with A10-606 on 19/07/10 missing engines & many parts. The owners plan to display one aircraft in front of the hotel. Unfortunately suffering badly from vandals and covered in graffiti. 28/01/2021 Destroyed by fire in hotel grounds.
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| A10-604 | 1604 | Production number 127. First Flight 07/11/68 as A10-604. Delivered RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale 15/12/68. Laverton Airshow 18/04/1971. Oakey Airshow 1986. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. Bairnsdale Airshow 1993. In late 1998 this aircraft had been sent to QANTAS as part of a GPS installation project (AIR5195), the first of the HS748's to go into be worked on. The aircraft's control surface gust locks somehow failed one night when the aircraft was parked outside and then the tail was subject to some high wind loads (cause of wind - natural or aircraft-made - never confirmed). As the decision was being taken around the same time to phase out the HS748 fleet from the ADF, they stopped modifying the HS748s with GPS. Total time when withdrawn from use by the RAAF 18,048 hours and 16,405 landings. The aircraft was to go to the Fire School at Amberley as a training aid but was sold 22/03/99 to International Aviation Pty Ltd and registered VH-IMG to Horizon Airlines Pty Ltd. 15/07/99 Ferried from Kingsford-Smith Airport to Bankstown as VH-IMG and stored. Loaned to Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown 16/04/03 for static display. Horizon Airlines was placed in Administration 14/10/03 and later ceased operations. The aircraft has been scrapped, but the cockpit section was to have been returned to the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown. It appears that didn't happen and the nose was scrapped as well
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| A10-605 | 1605 | Production number 130. First Flight 19/12/68 as A10-605. Delivered RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale 28/02/69. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. Visitor to Avalon 1992. Avalon Airshow 2001. Avalon Airshow 2003. East Sale Airshow 2003. Withdrawn 30/06/04, total time 21,105 hours and 19,287 landings. Sold TAG Aviation Jul04. Owned by IAP Group Australia Pty Lad and registered VH-AMQ on 23/09/04. Ferried to Bankstown as 'Turbo 5' 18/09/04 in the overall grey colour scheme. Reduced to spares by 28/10/04. Registration cancelled 15/12/04.
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| A10-606 | 1606 | Production number 133. First Flight 24/02/69 as A10-606. Delivered RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale 15/05/69. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. Visitor to Avalon 1992. Avalon Airshow 2003. Withdrawn 30/06/04, total time 19,277 hours and 16,399 landings. Sold Thameside Aviation Jul04. Ferried to West Sale as 'Turbo606' 06/08/04 for storage in white to, blue cheat line colour scheme. Registered as VH-AHL to Ross Michael Hornblower 04/02/05. Ferried ex West Sale 27/02/05 via Broome, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Muscat, Heraklion arriving Southend 03/03/05 and put in store as VH-AHL. Was sold to the 'Skylark Hotel' at Southend Airport and lifted onto their site along with A10-603 on 19/07/10 missing engines & many parts. The owners plan to display one aircraft in front of the hotel. Unfortunately suffering badly from vandals and covered in graffiti.
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| A10-607 | 1607 | Production number 136. First Flight 28/03/69 as A10-607. Delivered RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale 27/06/69. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. Withdrawn from use and stored East Sale 31/05/98. Dismantled. Fuselage to DTSO Salisbury 01/06/98 for trial installation work but contract cancelled. Fuselage was located at DSTO Contractors Area, Salisbury South Australia. It sat in a cradle (minus tail plane and wings) out in a paddock. It was originally supplied as a 'test jig' for the HS748 Navigation Trainer upgrade, which was no longer required when the decision was made to retire the HS748's. The wings and tailplane were removed in such a way as to allow the aircraft to return to service but that never happened. Purchased by International Air Parts, for subsidiary Horizon Airlines as a source of spares and transported to Bankstown by road 08/01/01. The tail and rudder of this aircraft is outside 32 Sqn building at East Sale. Total Flight Time 17474 hours and 15,314 landing completed by this aircraft.
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| A10-608 | 1608 | Production number 139. First Flight 02/06/69 as A10-608. Delivered RAAF School of Air Navigation, East Sale 29/07/69. To Base Sqn East Sale 28/08/69. Then back to SAN. Operated by 32 Squadron with effect from 01/07/89. Avalon Airshow 2001. East Sale Airshow 2003. Withdrawn 30/06/04, total time 19,554 hours and 17,292 landings. Sold Thameside Aviation 07/04. Ferried to Bankstown as 'Turbo 8' 19/09/04 in overall grey colour scheme. Owned by IAP GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED and registered VH-AYS on 23/09/04. Ferried ex Bankstown 11/03/05 via Broome and Kuala Lumpur arriving Southend 14/03/05 (arrived with starboard prop feathered) from Heraklion and Dubai and put in store as VH-AYS. Was broken-up at Southend Airport between 05-20/05/09.
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| N15-709 | 1709 | Production number 201. First Flight 11/01/73 as N15-709. Delivered to RAN 29/05/73 arriving Nowra NSW 07/06/73. Later coded '800'. Fitted with specialised electronic equipment between 1978 and 1980 and subsequently used for electronic countermeasures training. Initially operated by 851 Squadron and transferred 723 Squadron 31/08/84. Decommissioned 23/06/00 and ferried East Sale for storage/sale 26/06/00. Total time 11,122 hours and 10,662 landings. Transited Darwin 08/05/01 registered as 3C-QQP arriving Norwich 10/05/01 with small “TAG” titles following sale to TAG Aviation. Departed Norwich 01/07/01 via Rome/Ciampino, Cairo, Jeddah, Djibouti, Mombasa, Mahé, Male, Colombo, Medan, Denpasar, Darwin and Mount Isa arriving Bankstown 11/07/01 following sale to Horizon Airlines Pty Ltd. Was due for fitment of large rear freight door from c/n 1751, JW-9008 of the Tanzanian Peoples Defence Force but Horizon Airlines placed in Administration 14/10/03 and later ceased operations. With all this the aircraft ended up with 11,239 hours and 10,690 landings which had increased by 117 hours and 28 landings by the time it got to Bankstown Museum (ferry via Norwich, UK from East Sale to Bankstown). The aircraft was completed externally for display purposes with time expired Fokker F27 Dart engines and props. It was located at the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown. With the closure of the museum there was talk of it going to the Wanaka Transport Museum in New Zealand as did a number of other museum aircraft. The logistics of moving such a large aircraft proved too much and N15-709 was broken up in 10/2019 23/10/2019 the forward fuselage plus a 2 metre section of the centre fuselage containing the EWTS arrived at FAAM Nowra
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| N15-710 | 1710 | Production Number 202. First Flight 16/03/73 as N15-710. Delivered to RAN 03/08/73 arriving Nowra NSW 17/08/73. Later coded '801'. Fitted with specialised electronic equipment in 1980/1 and subsequently used for electronic countermeasures training. Initially operated by 851 Squadron and transferred 723 Squadron 31/08/84. Decommissioned 23/06/00 and ferried East Sale for storage/sale 26/06/00. Sold TAG Aviation and stripped of usable parts and cut up in the 3rd week of March 2001. Remains with Horizon Airlines? It completed 12,788 flight hours and 12,388 landings.
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