The Meteor PR.29Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union many secret stories of the Cold War have been revealed. One of the most interesting is that of the
Meteor PR.19. This previously unknown aircraft was the UK's answer to the USAF's U2 spyplane. Flying higher than other aircraft, it was able to penetrate the formidable defences of the Iron Curtain and bring back vital information about troop movements, missile deployments and the testing of nuclear weapons.
What has not been known until today was the antipodean chapter of this story. In 1958, the Australian Government began to become increasingly alarmed at what was happening in it's northern neighbour, Indonesia. It's President, Sukarno had come to power in the closing days of WWII when the Japanese decided to make the reimpositon of Colonial rule as difficult as possible after their inevitable defeat. He had fought a short but sharp war of independence agains the Dutch and finally forced their withdrawal from Indonesia in 1949. This had been largely accomplished through a combination of guerrilla warfare and clever political manouevring and the creation of a coalition with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which was one of his main supporters.
However, the Dutch had retained control of their separate colony of West New Guinea. Sukarno, having had a success with the Dutch in the East Indies, turned his sight on West New Guinea and began formulating his policy of "Konfrontasi" (Confrontation). Throughout 1959, armed insurgents and military personnel were landed in West New Guinea to attack the Dutch and again embroil them in an insurgency. The Dutch however responded vigorously, defeating these incursions with the help of the local New Guinean tribesmen who were supportive of their administration and disliked the invading Indonesians. Upset at the idea of what was perceived largely as a Communist inspired, revolutionary nation gaining a foothold on the border with its colony in New Guinea, the Australian government became agitated and beligerent. However, the Australian military was in a considerably run down condition at this time, with few forces available to it (only five regular Infantry Battalions in fact).
Worried about the possibility of real war on its doorstep again, Canberra sought re-assurances from Washington under the terms of the ANZUS Pact. Washington after deliberation decided that while it was willing to guarantee the defence of Australia, it was not willing to underwrite the possibility of Australia being the aggressor in any potential conflict with Jakarta which Washinton was wooing as a potential ally. Canberra got the message and was forced to do a policy reversal, moderating its previously beligerent language. The suddent withdrawal of Australian support, with the clear message from the United States that it was unwilling to support the continued administration of West New Guinea by the Dutch, meant the Dutch were left swinging in the wind. They therefore decided that it was proving too expensive to maintain their control of this far-flung colony on the other side of the world and so they withdrew after negotiating a handover to the United Nations, who then made Indonesia the "controlling power". In order to confirm their annexation of the former colony, Jakarta engineered a plebiscite in conjunction with the UN. When the "Representative Elders" had voted almost unanimosly in favour of Indonesian annexation, the United Nations in turn formally handed the territory to the Indonesians in 1969. This plebiscite was essentially rigged and was one of the most shameful chapters of the United Nations.
Unsure about its inability to determine independently what was actually occurring in this remote area the Australian government asked the RAAF what could be done. The RAAF recognised they had only a limited reconniassance capability in the form of a few modified Canberra B.20s. However, these were known to be vulnerable to the MiG 15 and 17s that the Indonesian Air Force were equipped with, while they would have been easy meat if Jakarta purchased more advanced, supersonic fighters. The RAAF though, from information received from migrants who had joined their ranks in the great post-War immigration diaspora from the UK were aware of the RAF's effort to develop high altitude reconniassance versions of the Meteor which were able to cruise high above the maximum ceiling of the early MiG fighters. So, it was recommended that the RAAF approach the RAF for help. The RAF however, refused to even discuss the matter with the RAAF, worried that any such information might leak to the Communist Bloc', despite it apparently being known amongst the ranks of its emigrant personnel.
The RAAF undeterred decided to develop their own version. A77-3, ex-WM262, an RAF Meteor NF.11 had been assigned to the RAAF for use in trials at the Woomera Rocket Range in Australia in connecton with the development of various guided weapons, including the Blue Boar guided bomb. This aircraft had crashed in 1955. Initially, efforts were made to repair it, with parts ordered from the UK to rebuild the aircraft. However the RAAF decided to use it instead as the basis of it's high altitude aircraft so it was officially written off charge and the RAF informed of its scrapping. Engaging the services of designers from the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) and the Government Aircraft Factory (GAF), they made considerable alterations to the original airframe, providing it with a much greater wingspan and using two considerably more powerful CAC produced R.A.7 Avon jet engines which were used in the CA 27 Sabre fighters which had replaced the Meteor in RAAF service. The result was named the Meteor PR.29. It carried two cameras in a modified nose, one a vertical and the other at an oblique angle. The two cameras enabled a large swathe of countryside to be photographed in considerable detail. It was intended that once the operational attitude was reached, A77-3 would essentially become a powered sailplane with its engines throttled.
It was intended that A77-3 would be the first of several aircraft to equip a special Reconniassance Flight which would be under the control of a newly established National Reconniassance Office. On trials, A77-3 reached an altitude of 65,000 feet with ease, creating a new, unofficial Australian altitude record. Operating from bases in Far North Queensland or New Guinea, the PR.29 was expected to be able to cover West New Guinea easily.
In order to preserve the clandestine nature of the aircraft, all national markings and registration numbers were removed. The only marking known to be carried was the title "Seagull", written just below the left cockpit in recognition of its distinctive white wings. The only time the aircraft carried it's full compliment of markings was on it's initial roll out for the RAAF and Government representatives who were involved in the project. Painted white on it's uppersurfaces to better reflect the tropical heat and camouflage it against the clouds that it often flew over, its lower surfaces were painted "high-speed" silver and it was an impressive sight. With a tactical radius of over 1,500 miles, a top speed of approximately 600 mph and operating at over 60,000 feet, it was a very splendid addition to the RAAF's capabilities.
The RAF first became aware of the aircraft after it undertook several clandestine missions from the Butterworth RAAF base in Malaysia over Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra in 1965. Sukarno had decided to again employ his policy of "Konfrontasi" again but this time over the Malaysian states of Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo which Indonesia claimed. When news of the "very long wing spanned photo-recce version of the Meteor being used by the RAAF," reached London, alarm bells went off in the Ministry of Defence, which had been considering whether to deploy their own Meteor PR.19 in the campaign against Indonesian aggression. Several senior officers immediately flew out to Malaysia to investigate fearing a massive security breach. Only after some pointed questioning of their RAAF counterparts was the story reluctantly revealed to them. Rather than a copy, the PR.29 was more a case of parallel evolutinary development.
A77-3's career though, was relatively short lived. Entering service in 1963, A77-3 was already considered outmoded by it's users and the previous plan to build several were dropped. Its range was too short to enable it to cover the whole of Indonesia, either from Australian or Malaysian bases. This was seen as a severe shortcoming. While A77-3 had been undergoing it's trials, the RAAF had been considering the need for a much longer-legged and more capable successor. The obvious choice was that of an improved version of the Canberra. However, that is another story and lies outside the scope of this short article. A77-3 therefore became a unique, semi-experimental aircraft which allowed the RAAF to gain experience in high-altitude flight, a region where it had not previously dared to venture.
A77-3 was unfortunately lost in October 1967 when it is believed it encountered an Indonesian MiG 21 fighter over Indonesian Borneo. Nothing was heard as the aircraft was maintaining radio silence but it is assumed they were downed by an air-to-air missile fired at extreme range, with the MiG 21 on an almost parabolic trajectory to come within range of the PR.29. It and it's crew, Flt.Lt. Jon Laws and Fly.Off. Allud Jones were marked "missing". Their bodies were never recovered and their relatives were informed they had died as the result of an "accident". With the recent discovery in the archives of the documents which revealed the existence of this astounding aircraft, their relatives can now have closure, knowing they died proudly in the service of their country.
The ModelThe model is constructed from several sources. After discussions with our own PR19_Kit (imitation as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery
) and having looked at the plans of the original Pr.19, I sorted through the spares box and came up with a plan. As per the original PR.19, the fuselage is an NF.11, in this case the Xtrakit offering. The wings are from an ancient Airmodel U-2 vacuform and the engines from an equally ancient Novo Canberra B(I).8, inverted, to give them the "underslung" look. The actual intakes come from the High Planes Canberra B.6 which was used to form the basis for my
BAC Canberra MR.24 "Rudra". A77-3 did exist as an NF.11 which was used at Woomera for the Blue Boar guidance system trials. It crashed in 1955 and was written off charge in 1957.
