Armstrong Whitworth AW.650 Argosy T.2 9Q-COA
(ex Royal Air Force) Armstrong Whitworth AW.650 Argosy T.2 9Q-COA Jason (msn 6791, ex XR136), of O.R.A.S. (Otrag Range Air Services) at East Midlands Airport, in November 1977. After the removal of the Argosy C.1 from the cargo-transport role, it was decided to modify 14 Argosies as Navigation Trainers for RAF Training Command, to replace the Vickers Varsity. Only two aircraft were fully modified to Argosy T.2, (XP447 and XR136), before the programme was cancelled in defence spending cuts. When the T.2 programme was cancelled the completed XR136 conversion was sold to O.R.A.S. which provided air transport for the OTRAG rocket range in Zaire, hence the Zaire registration. OTRAG (German: Orbital Transport und Raketen AG, or Orbital Transport and Rockets, Inc.), was a German company based in Stuttgart, which in the late 1970s and early 1980s planned to develop an alternative propulsion system for rockets. After intense international pressure OTRAG was forced to re-locate to Libya, but had closed down by 1987. 9Q-COA was scrapped at East Midlands on 10 June 1981
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Alternative Argosies Argosy Aw.650 Cancelled Conversion Cuts Decided Develop Forced Fully Hence Intense Midlands Modified Modify Orbital Planned Pressure Propulsion Provided Registration Removal Replace Rockets Scrapped Spending Stuttgart Trainers Varsity Whitworth Zaire
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