Aircraft of the ADF – GAF Nomad

The first Army Nomad was, in fact, not one from this production batch, but was the second prototype aircraft, VH-SUR (c/n 02). Aircraft 02 featured tail modifications to increase the fin area and raise the rudder, and was displayed by GAF at the 1972 Farnborough Air Show. This aircraft was leased to the Army as A18-002 in July 1973, but crashed three months later on October 3. After repair at GAF, the aircraft resumed its identity as VH-SUR, but was later returned to the Army in 1976 as an instructional airframe at No 5 Base Workshops. Today, this aircraft is a gate guard at the Army Aviation Centre, Oakey.

The first production Nomad was retained by GAF as a demonstrator, and the second, VH-EPG (c/n 2), was handed over to its owners, Nationwide Air Services, on April 30, 1975. The eleven Army Nomads, which were also marketed by GAF as “Mission Masters”, were delivered between 1975 and 1979. The first, A18-303 (c/n 3), had first flown on June 20, 1975 and was delivered four months later on October 7. Being the first of the Army’s production machines, A18-303 was attached to Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU), at RAAF Laverton, for type certification. However, unease about the Nomad’s flight characteristics led to a very comprehensive evaluation by the RAAF until 1982. A18-303 was finally delivered to the Army at Oakey in May 1982, but was subsequently lost in a fatal accident, near Tenterfield NSW, on September 9, 1991.

The ARDU report showed that the Nomad was considered dangerous in some configurations, and was mainly critical of the flaps-down STOL handling characteristics. GAF was, of course, quick to the Nomad’s defence, claiming ARDU was evaluating the aircraft using military criteria, which GAF contended was not applicable to its civil use. Other complaints levelled at the Nomad have been its poor single-engine performance, its critical centre of gravity for loading, and problems with the tailplane.

On August 6, 1976, the stretched N24 prototype, VH-DHU (c/n 10), which had first flown on December 17, 1975, crashed when flutter of the tailplane and trim tabs occurred. Killed in this accident were GAF’s chief test pilot and the acting chief designer. However, the first production N24A, VH-DHF (c/n 30) was given a Certificate of Airworthiness by the Department of Transport in October 1977.

A further development of the N22 was to the N22S Searchmaster configuration. VH-SBY (c/n 86), the first of this type and identified by its chin radar bulge, first flew in November 1979. This model was later designated the N22C.

In Australian Army service, the Nomad was operated by No 173 (General Support) Squadron and the School of Army Aviation, at Oakey. Two additional Nomads, A18-314 and A18-315, were delivered to the Army at the end of 1982, specifically for the School to train Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) students.

The PNGDF had received six N22 Nomads as part of aid projects in the region, and these aircraft had been numbered P2-011 to P2-016. Similarly the Indonesian Navy, the TNI-AL, received sixteen N22S Searchmaster B models from 1978 (numbered P-801 to P-816), and later two Searchmaster L variants, with a different radar fit (P-817 and P-818), as part of an Australian aid package. The Philippines Air Force bought twelve N22Bs in 1978 (serialled between N22B-5 and N22B-23) and a further four in 1990. The Royal Thai Air Force had bought twenty during the early 1980s (serialled between 40211-40245), and received a further two as aid in 1987. Also four N24A Nomads were provided as aid to the Royal Thai Navy over 1983-84, which then bought a fifth (serialled between 120 and 129).

During 1982, the Government announced the Nomad programme would end at the completion of 170 aircraft. Production had peaked in the late 1970s at 24 aircraft per year, when the future of the programme looked secure. The line closed in 1984 and the last Nomad (c/n 170) flew on June 28, 1985. In spite of the limited export success, GAF felt their marketing strategy had been hampered by lack of Government assistance in assuring larger production batches. A market for well over 200 aircraft had been assessed, but with cancellation of the programme, many orders were withdrawn. All unsold Nomads were sent to storage at Oaklands, in the NSW Riverina.

In August 1987, the Government decided that 11 Nomads in storage at Oaklands would be given to the Australian military as commercial buyers could not be found. These aircraft, five N22s and six N24s, were to have followed an earlier order of seven N22Cs to the US Customs Service, but this had not eventuated.

By December 1987, these 11 had been increased by a further two aircraft, which had been used for demonstration and research duties by GAF, which was now renamed AeroSpace Technologies of Australia (ASTA). Nine of this batch were for the Army to enable early replacement of the Pilatus Porter, and four were for utility transport duties with the RAAF. Ultimately a further N24, VH-NOM (c/n 124), was added to the Army procurement.

The N24A aircraft were numbered in the 400-series, the three planned for the RAAF being A18-401 to A18-403 (c/n 128, 130, 135). The fourth RAAF aircraft had been a Searchmaster VH-SFR (c/n 90), which had accumulated many hours in surveillance work around Australia and had been an ASTA demonstrator in the US. It was modified from a Searchmaster back to an N22B and became A18-316. The Army aircraft were serialled A18-317 to A18-321 (c/n 166 to 170), and A18-404 to A18-408 (c/n 136, 139, 140, 142, 124).

A18-401 was delivered to ARDU, now located at RAAF Edinburgh, but was unfortunately lost in a fatal accident at Mallala SA on March 12, 1990. A18-316, also at ARDU, was not flown again and was withdrawn from service in November 1991, and in late 1992 passed to the Army at Oakey as a training aid. A18-402 and A18-403 were serialled VH-HVK and VH-HVL for ASTA testing and were then accepted by No 75 Squadron on January 31, 1989. Crews commenced training with the Army at Oakey in February, and then ferried the two Nomads to their new base at RAAF Tindal NT, arriving on March 5.

The two 75 Squadron machines provided transport between their isolated base at Tindal and the main hub of the Territory at Darwin. In addition, the Nomads support the RAAF’s weapons training range at Delamere, to the south of Tindal. After a control malfunction was experienced by one machine in 1991, both aircraft survived a lengthy grounding and are once again in service with 75 Squadron as utility transports.

The first of the ten new Army Nomads was delivered to ASTA in May 1991 for lengthy modifications to Army standards. Between April and December 1993, the Nomads were accepted by the Army. In common with all other Army aircraft, the new machines received the tan, light green and black camouflage adopted in 1984. These markings had been designed by DSTO’s Materials Research Laboratories, and replaced the original conspicuous gloss dark green and dayglo orange colour scheme.

No doubt the Nomad did have more export potential than the Government allowed, and conceivably the type could still have been in production; perhaps the Government halted the programme to make way on the GAF lines for the F/A-18 Hornet. In spite of the fact that the Nomad could perhaps have become a profitable money earner, as it did truly have a niche in the market that could have been developed further, the type remains largely unloved in the Australian military.