1. Uncontrolled copy not subject to amendment
Airmanship Knowledge for Air Cadets Learning Outcome 3 Know How to Identify Military Aircraft Part 3a: No2 Group Combat Support
Revision 3.00

2. Contents Aircraft in No 2 Group – Combat Support (Part 1): Sentry AEW1
Sentinel R1
Nimrod R1
Reaper
BAE 125 CC3
BAE 146 CC2
Nimrod MR2 2

3. 1. Sentry
Reporting Name: Sentry Role Letters and Marks: AEW 1 Role: Airborne Early Warning 3

4. Crew of 18, including an 11-man mission control crew
Sentry AEW 1
Operates in air and sea surveillance and airborne command-and-control roles
Crew of 18, including an 11-man mission control crew
Flying at 30,000ft it can scan 312 kms at ranges up to 280 nmls
Multi-mode lookdown radar separates targets from ground and sea clutter
Transmits information to ground units or ships using digital data links
The aircraft has a very distinctive circular radome above the rear fuselage, housing the surveillance radar 4

5. Technical Data
Wing Span: 44.4M Length: 43.9M Crew: 13 to 20 Maximum Speed: 460kts (853km/h) at 35,000ft Engines: Four CFM 56 turbofans 5

6. Sentry AEW1 6

7. 2. Sentinel R1
Reporting Name: Sentinel Role Letters and Marks: R1 Role: Reconnaissance 7

8. Sentinel R1
Long-range, battlefield-intelligence airborne radar aircraft for the RAF and the Army
Full day or night capability with a radar able to penetrate cloud, rain or smoke
Stand-off capability of several hundred kilometres, at altitudes up to 50,000ft
Provides high quality, radar ground image and tracks mobile targets
Near-real-time, secure data-link transmissions to mobile ground stations
Forms one arm of the ISTAR triad of Sentinel R1, Sentry AEW1 and Nimrod R1 8

9. Technical Data
Wing Span: M Length: 30.3 M Crew: 2 flight crew 3+ mission crew Maximum Speed: Mach 0.88 Engines: 2 x RRD BR710 turbofans 9

10. Sentinel R1 10

11. 3. Nimrod R1
Reporting Name: Nimrod Role Letters and Marks: R1 Role: Reconnaissance and electronic intelligence gathering
The Nimrod has sophisticated communications equipment, an advanced tactical sensor, electronic countermeasures (ECM) and navigation systems.
In-flight refuelling probes were fitted to some aircraft during the Falklands conflict and are now a standard fit. 11

12. Carries a highly sophisticated and sensitive suite of systems
Nimrod R1
Jet-powered reconnaissance and electronic intelligence gathering aircraft
Carries a highly sophisticated and sensitive suite of systems
Able to transit at high speed and then loiter at lower speed for long periods
Endurance of 10 hours, which can be extended by air refuelling
Carries two inertial navigation systems and a global positioning system
The Nimrod was developed from the Comet 4C and has the advantage of high altitude fast transit with good low speed manoeuvring and loiter capability - for which two engines may be shut down.
The Nimrod MR2 fleet is slowly being replaced by Nimrod MR4
Nimrods can carry Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self defence, bombs, depth charges, mines, sonobuoys, Stingray torpedoes and Harpoon air-to-surface missiles.
The R1 is a derivative of the MR2 which is used specially for reconnaissance and gathering electronic intelligence
The Nimrod has sophisticated communications equipment, an advanced tactical sensor, electronic countermeasures (ECM) and navigation systems.
In-flight refuelling probes were fitted to some aircraft during the Falklands conflict and are now a standard fit. 12

13. Technical Data
Wing Span: 35M Length: 35.86M Crew: 4 flight crew 24 mission crew Maximum Speed: 500kts (922km/h) at 30,000ft Engines: Four Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans 13

14. Nimrod R1

15. 4. Reaper
Reporting Name: Reaper Role Letters and Marks: N/A Role: Reconnaissance / Attack 15

16. Reaper
Reaper is a Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS), also known as an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV)
Roles are long duration reconnaissance and strike
Developed by General Atomics in the US and known as MQ-9 in US Air Force service
Reaper is operated by 39 Sqn at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
Crew of 2 operate the Reaper and its on-board systems remotely from Nevada
Weapons include Hellfire missiles and 500lb laser-guided bombs 16

17. Technical Data
Wing Span: 20.1M Length: 11M Crew: 2 (the aircraft is operated remotely) Maximum Speed: 250kts Engines: 1 x Honeywell TPE T Turboprop 17

18. Reaper 18

19. 5. HS125 CC3
Reporting Name: HS125 Role Letters and Marks: CC3 Role: VIP Communications

20. HS125 CC3
Operates in the Royal or VIP transport and communication roles
Total of six aircraft, operated by No 32 (The Royal) Squadron, at RAF Northolt
Crew of two pilots, one cabin attendant and up to six passengers
Minimum ground time required to turn the aircraft around after landing
Fitted with a defensive-aids suite to combat infrared missile threats

21. Technical Data
Wing Span: 14.33M Length: 15.4M Crew: 3 Maximum Speed: 445kts (825km/h) at 30,000ft Engines: Two Garrett TFE 731 Turbofans

22. HS125 CC3

23. 6. BAe 146 CC2
Reporting Name: BAe 146 Role Letters and Marks: CC2 Role: VIP/Communications

24. BAe 146 CC2
Operated in the Royal or VVIP transport and communication roles
Wide-bodied aircraft, equipped to promote space and comfort
A strong, rugged aircraft, able to operate from unprepared sites
Four high-bypass ratio turbofans, enabling short-field performance and quiet operation
Fitted with a defensive-aids suite to combat infrared missile threats

25. Technical Data
Wing Span: 26.3M Length: 26.1M Crew: 2 Maximum Speed: 339mph at 30,000ft Engines: 4 x Avco Lycoming ALF502 turbofans

26. BAe 146 CC2

27. 7. Nimrod MR2
Reporting Name: Nimrod Role Letters and Marks: MR2 Role: Long Range Maritime Patrol/Recon/Search and Rescue Nimrod MR2 was withdrawn from service in March 2010 27

28. Crew of 13, which included ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ sensor coordination teams
Nimrod MR2
Nimrod was the only jet-powered maritime patrol aircraft prior to the development of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon
Roles were anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare and search and rescue
Endurance of 10 hours
Crew of 13, which included ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ sensor coordination teams
Carried Sting Ray torpedoes, Harpoon antiship missiles, bombs and depth charges
The Nimrod had sophisticated communications equipment, an advanced tactical sensor, electronic countermeasures (ECM) and navigation systems.
In-flight refuelling probes were fitted to some aircraft during the Falklands conflict and became a standard fit on all Nimrod aircraft. 28

29. Technical Data
Wing Span: 35M Length: 38.63M Crew: 12 Maximum Speed: 500kts (922km/h) at 30,000ft Engines: Four Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans 29

30. Nimrod MR2 30

31. Any questions?