Editing Avro Shackleton (section)

==Design==
[[File:Avro 696 Shackleton AEW2, UK - Air Force AN1667777.jpg|thumb|Front of a Shackleton AEW2. Note the [[contra-rotating propeller]]s]]
The Shackleton was a purpose-built aircraft for the maritime patrol role, however the legacy of Avro's preceding aircraft is present in many aspects of the overall design. The centre section of the Shackleton's wing originates from the Lincoln, while the outer wing and undercarriage were sourced from the Tudor. At one stage during development the tailplane had closely resembled the Lincoln's, but was enlarged and changed soon after.<ref name = "flight 612"/> An entirely new fuselage was adopted, being wider and deeper to provide a large space in which to accommodate the crew, their equipment, and a large bomb bay.<ref name="jeff 72">Jefford et al. 2005, p. 72.</ref><ref name = "Jones 31">Jones 2002, p. 31.</ref> Later variants of the Shackleton were substantially redesigned, adopting a nosewheel undercarriage, redesigned wings and centre-section, and a larger fuel capacity for more range.<ref name="jeff 76">Jefford et al. 2005, p. 76.</ref>

Various armaments and equipment were carried by the Shackleton in order to perform its missions. In ASW operations, the [[air-to-surface-vessel radar|ASV Mk 13 radar]] was the primary detection tool. It could detect a destroyer at a range of {{convert|40|nmi|mi km|||}}, a surfaced submarine at {{convert|20|nmi|mi km|||}}, and a submarine's [[conning tower]] at {{convert|8|nmi|mi km|||}}, although rough seas considerably reduced the radar's effectiveness.<ref name="jeff 72-74"/><ref name = "Jones 34">Jones 2002, p. 34.</ref> Other equipment included droppable [[sonobuoy]]s, [[electronic warfare support measures]] and an [[Autolycus (submarine detector)|Autolycus]] diesel fume detection system. A special camera bay housed several reconnaissance cameras capable of medium altitude and nighttime vertical photography and low-altitude oblique photography. The crew would also perform visual searches using various lookout positions that were provided for this purpose.<ref name = "flight 617">''Flight'' 18 May 1950, p. 617.</ref> Weapons carried included up to nine bombs, three homing [[torpedo]]es or [[depth-charge]]s. The aircraft also had two [[Hispano 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm cannon]] in a Bristol dorsal turret. An [[in-flight refueling]] receptacle could be accommodated, but was not fitted on production aircraft.<ref name="jeff 72-74">Jefford et al. 2005, pp. 72–74.</ref>

[[File:Avro 696 Shackleton MR2C, UK - Air Force AN1026411.jpg|thumb|left|An RAF Shackleton in flight, 1978]]
The Merlin engines were replaced with the larger, more powerful and slower-revving [[Rolls-Royce Griffon]]s with {{convert|13|ft|m|adj=mid|-diameter|}} [[contra-rotating propeller]]s. This engine's distinctive noise often caused crew members to develop high-tone deafness. The Griffon was needed because the Shackleton was heavier and had more drag than the Lincoln.<ref>''Flight'' 18 May 1950, pp. 612–613, 616.</ref><ref name = "Jones 33">Jones 2002, p. 33.</ref> The Griffon provided equivalent power to the Merlin but at lower [[Revolutions per minute|engine speed]], which led to reduced fuel consumption in the denser air at low altitudes; the Shackleton would often loiter for several hours at roughly {{convert|500|ft|m|abbr=on}} or lower when searching for submarines. Lower-revving Griffons, compared to Merlins, reduced engine stress which improved their reliability. Using conventional propellers would have needed an increase in propeller diameter to absorb the engine's power and [[torque]], but this was not possible due to space limitations imposed by the undercarriage length and engine [[nacelle]] positioning, so the contra-rotating propellers were adopted, which gave greater blade area within the same propeller diameter.

Numerous problems were encountered during the Shackleton's operational service. In practice, the diesel fume detection system was prone to false alarms and thus received little operational use. The engines, hydraulics and elements of the avionics were known for their unreliability, and the aircraft proved to be fairly maintenance-intensive. The prototype MR 3 was lost due to poor stalling characteristics. This was rectified prior to production, although a satisfactory stall-warning device was not installed until 1969. The Shackleton is often incorrectly assigned the unfortunate distinction of holding the record for the highest number of aircrew killed in one type in peacetime in the RAF.<ref name="jones 86">Jones 2002, p. 86.</ref> However the true figures suggest that some of its contemporaries fared far worse, for example the Gloster Meteor with over 430 fatalities <ref>{{cite book|author=Nick Carter |title=Meteor Eject!: Recollections of a Pioneer RAF Jet Pilot of the 1950s and 60s: Amazon.co.uk: Carter, Nick: 9781873203651: Books |date= |id={{ASIN|1873203659|country=uk}} }}</ref> against the Shackleton's 156. Several programs to support and extend the fatigue life of the Shackleton's airframe were required; the fatigue life problems ultimately necessitated the rapid introduction of a whole new maritime patrol aircraft in the form of the [[Hawker Siddeley Nimrod]], which began being introduced to RAF service in 1969.<ref>Jefford et al. 2005, pp. 73, 77–78, 87–88.</ref>
[[File:Shackleton-WR982-305.jpg|thumb|right|MR3 Co-pilot position]]