the pod, which had similar dimensions
to the jet’s 500-gallon centreline fuel
tank. Gradually delivered from December
1970 they were tted with combinations
of F.95, F.126 and F.135 cameras, it was
controlled from a panel in the rear cockpit
that enabled individual or multiple camera
operation. It also contained the advanced
EMI P391 Q-band sideways-looking radar
and a stabilised Texas Instruments RS-700
infrared linescan.
Air Cdre Ben Laite (ret’d), who served
as a navigator with 41 Sqn, explained: “We
were trained to re the minimum amount of
lm so as not to swamp the photographic
interpreters. One had to be very sharp to turn
the cameras on and off at the right time.
“On landing we had to have the imagery
processed, then assist a photographic
interpreter in the compilation of a mission
report, all within 30 minutes of shutting down
our engines.
“We tweaked the EMI pod a bit, following
the early sorties, but once it settled down it
did what it was supposed to do. The biggest
disappointment was the sideways-looking
radar. We hardly found a use for it, except
when ying along the Inner German Border,
when it looked a short distance into East
Germany. We always ew at low level, and
at such altitudes it did not see very far, but if
we’d own higher during wartime we’d have
been shot down.”
On August 8, 1973, Ben and his pilot,
Flt Lt John C Hill (ret’d), set out for Dubai
as part of 41 Sqn’s Far East Bersatu Pardu
deployment. “After several successful tanker
hook-ups, we had a major incident with a
hose jamming that tore out the Phantom’s
refuelling probe and forced us to divert to
Akrotiri,” he recalled. They later caught up
with the rest of the deployment at Tengah via
VC10 transport.
During the deployment Ben and another
pilot, Sqn Ldr Peter Riley (ret’d), were
selected with another crew to y on to RAF
Kai Tak to pre-position for a ‘show the ag’
sortie around Hong Kong. Briefed by the
resident air commander, they were told to
“remind the people of the colony that the
Royal Air Force can reinforce Hong Kong.
You are to make as much noise as possible
to make your presence felt. Civilian traffic
will be held off for 30 minutes.”Ben said: “We were very excited by such
an instruction. We planned a short route
around the signi cant points in the colony
then took off as a pair. I don’t think we were
out of reheat for much of the time, we just
roared around our planned route through
Hong Kong. It was amazing, just my best 30
minutes’ ying ever.”
One of Ben’s nal ights with the unit,
on September 20, 1973, was to track a
damaged Soviet submarine in the eastern
Atlantic heading slowly home on the
surface. “We were tasked to take some
infrared pictures...we led no ight plan
and the radar control centres en route were
simply told to assist us. We made an RV
with a tanker off the Scilly Isles and then
progressed towards the submarine’s general
location, nally directed onto the ‘target’ by
a Nimrod. We took pictures and returned
with maximum discretion and anotherhttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 45
interpreters. One had to be very sharp to turn
the pod, which had similar dimensions
Crews from 17 Sqn started training with the
Phantom OCU in 1970, and the unit ew the
type until February 1976. Illustrated is XV428
in July 1975. Peter R FosterAbove: Colourful tail markings show this FGR.2 – XV402 – was serving as the unit commander’s
aircraft with 41 Sqn when the photograph was taken in October 1976. Peter R Forster
Below: Solo display 228 OCU/64 Sqn Phantom, FGR.2 XV488/R, at the International Air Tattoo,
RAF Greenham Common, in 1979. Dr Kevin Wright