Avro 652A Anson (Military Variants)

For a description of the format and data included in Production Tables, see here.

This page covers Production Tables of Type 652A Anson Military Variants only.
For Type 652A Anson Civil Variants see here.

For description of variants and summary of production, see Production Summary

Production Tables Index

Type 652A Anson - UK Built
Type 652A Anson - UK Built Exports
Type 652A Anson - UK Built Supplied Under Air Training Plans
Summary - UK Built Type 652A Anson Supplied to Foreign Air Arms
Type 652A Anson - Canadian Built
Federal AT-20 (Canadian Built Anson II In USAAF Service)
Type 652A Anson With Foreign Air Forces, Not Directly Exported From UK

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Notes

1. Of the 161 aircraft against TX and VL serials, 138 were for the RAF against Avro Work Order 9169. Of these, 92 were built at Yeadon (79 Series 1 and 13 Series 2) and 46 at Chadderton, all Series 2 [15]. It may be reasonably assumed, therefore, that TX154 through TX257 were all built at Yeadon, along with a further 8 from the VL serial range. Note that Sturtivant [1] gives only VL350, VL351 and VL353 - VL363 built at Chadderton. Note also that VL358 - VL363, although being last in the serial range of this contract, were in fact taken off contract and diverted to civil very early on, receiving their C of A between November 1945 and January 1946. The first aircraft of this contract for the RAF was not delivered until March 1946.
2. The exact relationship between Portuguese 3-digit serials and the original RAF serial is most likely, and taken from Cardoso [25]. Air Britain RAF Aircraft Register [4] gives a different relationship. Similarly, the relationship between the Portuguese 3-digit and 4-digit serial, again from Cardoso [25], while reasonable, is unconfirmed. The second contract for reconditioned Ansons to Portugal is unconfirmed. The c/ns are speculative but fit with an unallocated block in the appropriate time period. However, there appears to be no corresponding Avro Works Order.
3. The first letter of the Greek serial has been usually recorded as T T, but is presumably the Greek letter π (pi).
4. Five of the Greek Ansons escaped to Egypt and were later impressed into the RAF. They carried both their RAF and Greek serials, with the π changed to N [1].
5. The VP serial range covers 30 Ansons originally ordered by Iraq, but cancelled and taken over by the RAF. Documents in AVIA 49/229 show that three aircraft had already been built, two civil and one military, all at Yeadon. The contract delivery record [21] indicates that VP509 was delivered in May 1946, making it the second Series 2 delivered to the RAF. The next delivery, VP510, did not occur until June 1947; VP511 is indicated as diverted from RAF contract and became the prototype Mk.18. It would seem most likely that the three aircraft built at Yeadon were VP509 - VP511, VP510 and VP511 being the the two originally built in civilian configuration.
   In September 1945 the Afghan Government had shown some interest in acquiring a transport aircraft and the Air Ministry Anson Mk 18. One example, presumably VP511, was sent to Kabul for a demonstration in February 1947. VP511 was retained by Avro but eventually delivered to Afghanistan to replace the crashed c/n 1465.
6. Avro c/ns 1127 - 1151 were allocated for aircraft diverted to Turkey, but only 6 were delivered.
7. With deliveries under way to Canada for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (see note 9) and anticipating a lack of available Cheetah powerplants, MAP contracted with Avro to deliver 223 aircraft in the Awxxx and DGxxx serial ranges to be delivered as engineless airframes and fitted on arrival with Wright Whirlwind R-760-E1 powerplants as Mk.IVs. In the end, there was no scarcity and all the airframes were fitted with Cheetahs and recorded in Canada as Mk.Is.
8. References [1] and [4] both give PH846 and PH866 as becoming G-AGUH and 'UI respectively, but these are also recorded as ex VL358 and VL359 by the same sources and the Avro Production document [15], so the final identities of PH846 and PH866 remain unknown.
9. The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS), was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, during the Second World War. The BCATP agreement between the U.K. and Canada being signed on 17th December 1939 and the same day Australia signed two agreements, one with the UK regarding carrying out training in Australia and the second was between, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK regarding training in Canada. Under a parallel agreement, the Joint Air Training Scheme, South Africa trained aircrew for the South African Air Force and other Allied air forces. Southern Rhodesia, as a British Crown Colony, was not a signatory of the BCATP; the Rhodesian Air Traning Group (RATG) was created in January 1940 to provide the same function, being subsumed by the RAF later in the same year.
10. On 13 July 1940 the Canadian Government received a request from the RAF that they wished to transfer four service flying training schools to Canada. The RAF soon revised its request to include eight service flying training schools, two air observer schools, one bombing and gunnery school, one air navigation school, one general reconnaissance school and one torpedo bombing school. On 29 August 1940, the complete staff and equipment for No. 7 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) from Peterborough, England, set sail for Canada. An airfield at Collins Bay, Ontario, was already being built for them and, to avoid confusion with other BCATP schools, they became No. 31 SFTS. (From this point on, all numbers 31 and above were reserved for RAF schools transferred or formed in Canada during the war.) In the long run, between 9 September 1940 and 3 November 1944, the RAF operated 26 aircrew training schools in Canada. All aircraft at these schools retained their RAF serial.
11. The usually accepted figure for aircraft delivered to Canada is 1528. The two sources giving the most detailed listing of Ansons supplied to Canada, Sturtivant [1] and Griffin [12], neither agree with that figure in their listings, nor with each other!
    The Canadian serialed examples are straightforward, with 1072 allocated serials, plus 2 for aircraft built from spares, but for those retaining their RAF serials, Sturtivant lists 448 (including 7 instructional airframes), for a grand total of 1522, while Griffin only has 436. By careful comparison between these and the A.M. Form 78 [20] and RAF Delivery Records for the Anson [21], this author generally finds agreement with Sturtivant, with two alterations: one more airframe to Canada, N9883, which Sturtivant lists as going to the RAAF, but the Ledger gives Canada, and A.M. Form 78 agrees, for a grand total of 1523. Secondly, N5330, given by Sturtivant as shipped to Canada on 12 December 1940, did not reach its destination and was lost at sea in March 1941.
12. Several Mk.XIX Srs.1 aircraft were converted to Srs.2 during their military career. Reviewing A.M. Form 78 [20], 49 aircraft can be identified as spending several months at A,V.Roe between September 1948 and March 1953:
    PH814, PH815, PH829, PH843, PH844, PH845*, PH858, TX154, TX155, TX157*, TX159, TX161, TX165, TX166*, TX170, TX171,
    TX172, TX173, TX176*, TX180, TX181, TX182*, TX183, TX184, TX185, TX186, TX192, TX195, TX196, TX197, TX203, TX204, TX205,
    TX211*, TX212, TX213, TX214, TX217, TX218, TX219, TX221, TX225, TX227*, TX228, TX230, TX232, TX235, TX238, TX239.
    It would seem highly probable that these were aircraft converted from Srs. 1 to Srs. 2. Those indicated by an asterisk also appeared on the civil register as Srs.2.
    Additionally, seven Anson T.20's and two T.21's became Avro 19 Series 2 when converted to civilian use, while a further four Avro 19 Series 1 and were converted to Series 2 later in their careers (See Table 'Civil Registered Anson Mk.XI, Mk.XII and Avro 19 Built New or Converted From Military').
13. VM305 and VM306 were transferred to Contract 6/Acft/923, Avro Works Order Sales 5001, and retained by A.V.Roe and Co Ltd. VM305 served as the prototype T.20 (to meet Specification T.24/6) and first flew as such 5 August 1947; VM306 was built as the prototype T.22 (to meet Specification T.26/46) and first flew as such on 21 June 1948.
14. The following Anson T.21's were converted to C.21 by A.V. Roe in 1954/55 per A.M. Form 78 [20]: VS565, VS566, VS568, VS570, VS571, VS572, VS574, VS575, VS578, VS584, VS586, VS588, VS591, VV244, VV246, VV248, VV253, VV254, VV261, VV263, VV295, VV297, VV298, VV306, VV307, VV308, VV312, VV313, VV315, VV321, VV323, VV888, VV891, VV919, VV953, VV955, VV958, VV963, VV964, VV967, VV968, VV970, VV981, VV994, WB450, WB459, WJ512, WJ549, WJ552.
15. See Anson Works Order Table for breakdown of Work Order 7799.
16. With its increasing obsolescence in the role of coastal patrol, Ansons were relegated to instructional duties. Beginning with some of the aircraft produced under contracts 690658/37 and 766119/38, Mk.I trainers were delivered new to Flying Training Schools. They were fitted with dual controls and generally had the dorsal turret removed, though it was retained in some as an astrodome for use by navigators. The Mk.I trainers had their landing lights moved from the nose to the port wing leading edges.
17. 40 aircraft supplied to the RAAF. Delivered between December 1938 and April 1939, they were chartered/leased by the RAAF which had to pay delivery and packing charges (including return), accept all risks, maintain the aircraft and effectively pay 1/1000 of the original cost per hour flown, as when returned there would be a credit of original price less the cost of hours flown. [24].

Production References

For Production References see Production Summary.