Taking into account the experience of the Second World War, in 1945, the British Admiralty published requirements for a deck-based anti-submarine aircraft. The Fairey Aviation company presented its Type Q aircraft (aka Fairey 17), a prototype of the future Fairey Gannet, to the competition.
The Gannet was a three-seat medium-sized aircraft with a folding wing of the "reverse gull" type and a retractable landing gear. It was equipped with an Armstrong Siddeley ASMD.1 Double Mamba turboprop engine (2950 hp), which rotated 2 coaxial screws. The maximum speed was 500 km / h, there was enough fuel for 5-6 hours of flight. It could carry up to 900 kg of bombs/torpedoes/depth charges/missiles. September 19, 1949-the first flight of the Fairey Gannet anti-submarine carrier-based aircraft.
According to the test results, the Fairey Gannet was recognized as the winner of the competition and launched into mass production. A total of 348 aircraft of all modifications were produced. In addition to the Royal Navy of Great Britain, they were also in service in Australia, Germany and Indonesia.
