Marine scout Canadair CP-107 Argus
The Canadair CP-107 Argus (CL-28) naval reconnaissance ship was, in its time, a real “child of the cold war”, big and iron. His first flight took place in the distant 1957 year. And although he did not participate in any real competition, history world aviation he nevertheless ended up as the holder of a record that has not yet been broken. To be exact, there were two records. But first things first.
In 1952, the Canadian military realized that there was less hope for a quick victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, but more and more Russian submarines were walking along the borders. The old Lancaster could no longer meet the increasing needs of the Air Force, and therefore it was decided to create a new patrol aircraft.
The grandfather of the British aviation industry, the Bristol Type 175 Britannia, a long-range four-engine turboprop that provides a range of more than 7000 km, was chosen as the progenitor. Everything unnecessary was thrown out of it and everything necessary was installed, namely: radar in the nose cone, magnetometer in the tail, sonar, electronic counter station and equipment for explosive echolocation, as well as more than three tons of depth charges and torpedoes.
To increase the range, the designers went for a peculiar upgrade on the contrary. Instead of the modern turboprop, the Bristol Proteus (4000 hp) was equipped with the old but economical piston Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone (3700 hp). Of course, you can’t remember about high speed, but the plane coped with “unhurried” at a leisurely height of 150 meters. Coupled with increased fuel tanks, the maximum flight range was increased to 9500 km. Actually, in these figures lies the record, which became famous "Argus".
Dividing the distance by patrol speed (333 km / h), we get the time spent in the air without refueling. The first record flight lasted thirty hours and twenty minutes, but this achievement did not last long. Between 30 May and 1 June 1974, the crew of the Argus 711 of 407 squadron lasted thirty-one hours in the air, looking for the missing pleasure boat. The most interesting thing is that the boat itself all this time safely dangling on a leash in the port. This time was recorded as a record for serial aircraft without an in-flight refueling system. The record remains unbeaten so far (except for a few experimental devices).
A total of 33 aircraft were built in two series. The last flight of "Argus" made 24 July 1981 of the year. To date, five copies have been preserved, all in museum collections. This Argus can be seen at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario. Free admission.
PS: Anticipating references to the legendary flights of Chkalov and Gromov, I would like to note that ANT-25 and ANT-25-2 aircraft are outstanding, but they cannot be called serial.
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