Design and Development
At the start of the 1960s the Royal Air Force issued a requirement for a medium tactical freighter and Avro started work on a military variant of the Dart-powered twin-engined Avro 748 airliner. Handley Page also proposed a variant of the Handley Page Herald to meet the same requirement and both types were tested by the Air Force in February 1962 at Martlesham Heath in Suffolk. A prototype Avro 748 Srs 2 was used for the trials.
The RAF decided to order a military variant of the 748, designated by Avro as the Avro 780 and the original Avro 748 prototype was modified with a upswept rear-fuselage and rear loading ramp as the Avro 748MF to test the military configuration. It had more powerful Dart Mk 301s engines and a unique kneeling landing-gear was fitted. In April 1963 the Royal Air Force ordered 31 aircraft and these were designated the Andover C.1 by the RAF. The 748MF first flew from Woodford Aerodrome on 21 December 1963. The aircraft had larger four-bladed propellers than the 748 which required a larger centre-section, although the wing tips were reduced by 18 in to maintain the same wingspan as the 748. A dihederal tailplane was also fitted to keep it clear of the propeller slipstream.
The first production Andover C.1 flew from Woodford on 9 July 1965 and the first four aircraft were used for trails and test with both Hawker Siddeley and the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down. Following a release to service in May 1966 the fifth production aircraft was delivered to 46 Squadron at RAF Abingdon in June 1966. Subsequent RAF types are the Andover CC.2 VIP transport and Andover E.3 electronic calibration aircraft.
Read more about this topic: Hawker Siddeley Andover
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