Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Pilotless weapons target

Power Plant:

One 2,500 lbst Bristol Siddeley Viper Mk 201 turbojet

Specifications:

History:

In March 1948, following a series of meetings between members of the British Ministry of Supply and the Australian Department of Supply and Development, specification No E.7/48 was issued to cover the design and manufacture of a small high-speed pilotless target aircraft for use in the guided weapon development program. At the same time, in order to get the aircraft into service quickly, it was agreed a piloted version (known as the Pika – aboriginal word for ‘flyer’) should be designed. Six pilotless and two piloted aircraft were to be built powered by the Armstrong Siddeley Adder ASA.1 gas turbine engine providing 1,050 lbst, this being a pure jet development of the Mamba propeller turbine which powered the Fairey Gannet.

Design work began at the Government Aircraft Factory (GAF) at Fishermen’s Bend, VIC in the middle of 1948. The Pika differed little from the pilotless aircraft in overall dimensions or basic layout and its all-up-weight was not much greater, this being achieved by reducing the fuel capacity and omitting special items of equipment required only for target trials. Initially known as “Project B”, the prototype Jindivik Mk 1 flew for the first time on 28 August 1952.

Twelve Jindivik Mk 1 aircraft were manufactured (serials A92-1 to A92-12). They did not have airframe numbers but did carry numbers B-1 to B-12. They all had the Adder engine and carried remote control equipment, most of which was developed in the United Kingdom by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough in Hampshire in conjunction with the British Instrument and Electronics Industry.

In 1949 a more advanced specification for a target drone was issued and, to meet this, the Mk 2 was developed, being a refined and simplified variant of the Mk 1 with provision for carrying special trials equipment. This was the first true production model and was fitted with the 1,640 lbst Armstrong Siddeley Viper ASV.2 engine This was a larger engine and required some re-design of the aircraft. The first Mk 2 flew on 11 December 1953.

The airframe was fabricated of light-alloy sheet and standard sections were fastened by riveting or Redux bonding. Paper honeycomb filling was used to reinforce the leading-edges. Control surfaces were conventional except there was no rudder. Mk 2, 2A and 2B production totalled 190 aircraft comprising A92-21 to A92-110 (c/ns 1 to 90); c/ns 91 to 100 supplied to Sweden; A92-111 to A92-124 (c/ns 101 to 114); Mk 2A (c/ns 67, 70 and 121) A92-87, A92-90 and A92-111; Mk 2B (c/ns 115 to 200) serials A92-201 to A92-276.

In May 1955 talks took place between the Australian and Canadian Governments with a view to licence production in Canada but this plan did not materialise.

Some 29 aircraft known as the Mk 2BL were supplied without engines and major equipment to the United Kingdom and they were completed by Fairey Engineering Ltd at Ringway Airport, Manchester, the first aircraft being flown at RAE Llanbedr in Wales on 19 July 1961.

In April 1957 the Royal Swedish Air Board ordered ten Mk 2s and they received serials S-1 to S-10 (c/ns 91 to 100). They were operated from a base close to the Arctic Circle under extremely difficult conditions, often snow being cleared from the runway. These aircraft made 104 flights between May 1959 and May 1964. One was damaged by a test missile and went off course heading for Norway. It was allowed to fly across Norway tracked by radar and crashed into the North Sea.

The Mk 3 (known as the Mk 103A in Britain, Mk 203 with the Royal Australian Navy and Mk 303 with the United States Navy) introduced improved control and trials equipment, including an AC electrical system, making flights up to 20,100 m (66,000 ft) possible. This model could be operated as a short-span aircraft. Between 1960 and 1967 Jindivik’s flew more than 1,000 sorties from the British base at RAE Llanbedr, North Wales, the main role at that time being as a target tug for towed targets carrying radar enhancing devices.

Later the Mk 3A appeared, Mk 3 A92-303 (c/n 125) being converted to Mk 3A standard and re-serialled A92-400, and flew for the first time on 10 November 1961. Initial aircraft supplied to the United Kingdom was A92-415 (c/n 15) known as a Mk 103A, followed by 49 known as the Mk 103AL. A further 17 were supplied known as the Mk 3B in 1966 followed by a further 31 in 1968. Built at the Government Aircraft Factory, they were supplied to the British Aircraft Corporation’s Guided Weapons Division at Bristol in Gloucestershire.

Ten examples were supplied to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in early 1966 and, known as the Mk 203, carried N11- serials.

The US Navy also showed interest initially in 1955 and eventually a demonstration was arranged at Point Mugu in California, three Jindivik’s together with take-off trolleys and mobile control vans being airlifted by the RAAF in mid 1962. An operating team from the Weapons Research Establishment at Woomera and RAAF No 1 Air Trials Unit from Woomera was formed and a series of 11 flights provided a demonstration in weapon firing exercises with ships of the US Navy.

These tests showed the need to minimise target losses in practice firings if the missile hit rate was high, and a need to provide very low altitude targets. Subsequently a series of towed targets was developed and in 1962 further exercises were carried out with the United States Navy, 18 flights being made at altitudes of 12 m (40 ft) to 19,812 m (65,000 ft). The effectiveness of the aircraft radar was demonstrated at up to 167 km (105 miles) and the recoverable towed target facility was also demonstrated. Ling-Temco-Vought Inc was granted sales and operating rights for the United States and 14 aircraft and associated equipment were ordered, later increased to 24, with a further 18 in 1966. By late 1964 80 flights had been carried out in the United States.

Some airframe design changes were required for high altitude work and this involved the addition of detachable wing-tip extensions, increasing the wing span by 2.03 m (80 in), the extensions being of all-metal construction and being a standard fitting on all late models. In conjunction with this, Ampor camera pods were designed to locate the WRE Mk I wide-angle lens cameras each covering a full hemispherical field.

The Jindivik was initially envisaged as a cheap expendable target with a life expectancy of five flights but with careful attention to detail in the airframe, engine and guidance equipment this figure was increased many times and, except when the aircraft was hit by a missile, the rate of recovery exceeded 20 flights with an average life of 35 flights being achieved. A ground crew of six engineers supported by 30 technicians could handle a program of 12 to 15 flights per week. In 1963 the 1,000th flight was achieved, and A92-97 completed its 50th flight. A couple of aircraft are known to have flown up to 250 flights.

In January 1979 development of the Mk 4 and Mk 4A was announced, using new stronger materials allowing acceleration limits to be increased and revised electronic equipment, thus increasing fuel to allow an endurance of 1 hr 52 mins. Power was provided by the Viper 201 engine which gave the Mk 4A a max speed of 965 km/h (600 mph). On 9 April 1980 the United Kingdom ordered 40 Mk 4As but this was subsequently reduced to 15. The prototype of the Mk 4 was N11-800 (formerly A92-608) and it made 16 flights, the second prototype N11-801 (formerly A92-726) making 47 flights before being lost off Jervis Bay, NSW in May 1983. The 15 British aircraft were known as the Mk 104AL and were serialled A92-802 to A92-816. In April 1994 18 Mk 4As were ordered for Britain and production was re-commenced, these becoming A92-901 to A92-918.

During its production life the Jindivik in its various models attained a total of 502 aircraft, with 161 delivered to the Weapons Research Establishment, 268 to the Royal Aeronautical Establishment; ten Mk 2s for Sweden, 42 Mk 3As to the US Navy, and 21 Mk 3s and one Mk 4 for the Royal Australian Navy.

The last Australian Jindivik flight was by A11-452 at Jervis Bay Range airfield on 25 June 1998, a week before its replacement the Kalkar (the US-built Tracor MQM-107E) was fired for the first time on a test flight and recovered. A few examples have survived and have been placed in museums, the only surviving example (A92-9) of the twelve Mk 1s built having been restored and placed on display at RAAF Edinburgh, SA.