Hawker Siddeley (Avro) - 748
- arnavpaiphotography
- Jun 24, 2020
- 3 min read
Avro HS-748 (BH-572 'Subroto'), Hindustan Aeronautical Limited
Hawker Siddeley 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner designed and initially produced by British aircraft manufacturer Avro, a subsidiary of Hawker Siddeley, as a replacement for the aging Douglas DC-3 'Dakota' which was then in widespread use. HS-748 was the last model produced by Avro before it's complete merger into Hawker Siddeley (now British Aerospace, BAe). However, it's intention was to cater to a small number of passengers but with a higher level of performance including short take-off and landing capabilities with overall ruggedness. Production commenced the year after it's maiden flight, by the original equipment manufacturer and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited(HAL), under license.
INDIAN AIR FORCE
HAL assembled 89 aircraft of which 72 were for Indian Air Force, and remaining 17 to erstwhile flag-carrier Indian Airlines. The first HS-748 from HAL's factory (registration: BH-572) was named 'Subroto' in honour of the first Indian Chief of IAF, Late Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, and has been retained by the the company for its internal matter, ferrying chairman and other dignitaries.
The Avro HS-748's induction into the Indian Air Force was the work of Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh. Though the aircraft was never meant for military transport, IAF had made a request to modify the fuselage in such a way that cargo could be stored using a sliding-door, that could also be operational in para-dropping without hitting the tail plane. Complications in loading a jeep, that needed a 30 ft long ramp, led to IAF procuring the Antonov An-32 that possessed a rear-ramp as well as capabilities matching requirements at high-altitude regions such as Himalayas. Powered by Rolls-Royce Dart propeller engines, Avro HS-748 has been versatile in serving the nation, performing duties such as communication, frieght and courier at the Command-level, as well as training pilot and navigation crew. In late 1990's, Indian Air Force and Defence Research & Development Organization undertook an ambitious plan to upgrade two leased HS-748s into Airborne Early Warning Systems equipped with a mounted radome. Unfortunately, one of them was lost in a tragic crash, resulting in the project's failure and cancellation, after which the other prototype was dismantled and sent to IAF's Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment, as an avionics flight test-bed.
Speaking to Gp Capt HV Thakur, VM (Retd.), Dy. Chief Test Pilot, HAL(FW)-BC, on his experience with the aircraft; "Avro HS-748 has been in service for decades and flying the aircraft on route as well as for test flights has been a pleasure. My longest trip, Bangalore to Ambala non-stop, with then Gp Capt (later retired as an Air Marshal) RK Sharma, as my co-pilot, is easily the most memorable one. We still use the aircraft as hack platform for testing indigenous LRU's."
Passenger Variant, Indian Air Force
Cargo Variant, Indian Air Force
Passenger Variant of 'VIP Flight' Squadron, IAF
AROUND THE WORLD
Avro HS-748 has been extensively used in both commercial & military services, globally. Majority have retired the aircraft. Preserved models have either found themselves at museum collections or in historic flight displays.
On the Hambantota-Galle Highway, Sri Lanka, a beach-side restaurant 'Catalina Grill', run by Sri Lanka Air Force, has converted an ex-SLAF HS-748 into a cafe, and customers also have the opportunity to visit the cockpit (at extra cost) which is in impeccable condition!
THIS REPORT WAS PUBLISHED ON THE DIAMOND JUBILEE (60th) ANNIVERSARY OF THE AVRO HAWKER SIDDELEY 748'S MAIDEN FLIGHT THAT TOOK PLACE ON THIS DAY, 24th JUNE, BACK IN 1960 !
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