Evolution, Basic Design Philosophy and Development Available to Purchase

The Origins of the Argosy and its Progressive Development from the AW.66 through to the Hawker Siddeley Series 222 Argosy including a Description of the Various Freight Handling Systems Devised for Use with the Aircraft and Concluding with a Review of Operational Experience. ALTHOUGH it was some years later that the name Argosy was given to the aircraft, the project began in 1955 when Sir W. G. Armstrong‐Whitworth Aircraft were invited to tender for a Medium Transport Aircraft to meet OR.323. This requirement called for an aircraft capable of carrying a payload of 10,000 lb. over a stage length of 1,500 nautical miles, with operation from 2,000 yds. runways at I.S.A.C.+30 deg. C. It had a freight hold over 42 ft. long, 9 ft. wide and 8 ft. high with a built‐in ramp/door at the rear for loading and supplies dropping. Inward opening paratroop doors were fitted on each side of the rear fuselage and there was an outward opening freight‐cum‐passenger door on the port side of the front fuselage. In this proposal the company considered various approaches for the tail configuration, a twin‐tail boom layout, a single tail boom layout and a twin‐tail boom layout with the booms projecting from the rear of the fuselage. This last layout was the one selected for submission as it gave more freedom for the loading ramp and a stiff tail support. Fig. 1 shows a model of the aircraft, powered with two Napier Eland engines and known as the AW.66.