History Behind Corgi AA27901: Phantom FG.1 XT864/007R, 892 NAS (1978)
Introduction
Corgi Aviation Archive AA27901 depicts McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 XT864 in the markings of 892 Naval Air Squadron aboard HMS Ark Royal during November 1978. Carrying the side number 007 and the carrier code R, the aircraft represents the final weeks of Royal Navy Phantom operations at sea.
HMS Ark Royal was approaching withdrawal, while 892 NAS was preparing to surrender its aircraft for transfer to the Royal Air Force. The squadron's departure brought the Royal Navy's conventional catapult-and-arrestor fixed-wing carrier era to a close, ending a tradition that had shaped British naval aviation for decades.
XT864 was one of the last Phantoms to leave Ark Royal, although it was not the aircraft used for the final catapult launch. That distinction belonged to XT870/012 on 27 November 1978.[6]
Quick Facts
- Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas F-4K Phantom FG.1
- Serial: XT864
- Side number: 007
- Carrier code: R
- Operator: Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
- Unit: 892 Naval Air Squadron
- Aircraft carrier: HMS Ark Royal
- Period represented: November 1978
- Later operator: No. 111 Squadron, Royal Air Force
- Present location: Ulster Aviation Society, Lisburn
- Model: Corgi Aviation Archive AA27901
- Scale: 1:48
- Limited edition: 2,500 pieces worldwide
The Phantom FG.1: A British Carrier Fighter
The Phantom had originally been developed in the United States as a two-seat, supersonic carrier fighter for the US Navy. Its combination of speed, powerful radar, long-range missiles and substantial fuel capacity made it one of the most capable combat aircraft of its generation.
Britain selected the Phantom during the 1960s for both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The naval version was designated F-4K by its manufacturer and entered British service as the Phantom FG.1, indicating its intended fighter and ground-attack roles.
The RAF Museum records that Britain acquired 52 Phantom FG.1s, including the development aircraft. The production fleet was divided between the Royal Navy and the RAF, with the latter receiving aircraft that had originally been intended for an expanded carrier force.[2]
Although based on the American F-4J, the British Phantom was significantly modified. It was fitted with Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines and British avionics, giving it a distinctive appearance and performance character of its own.
Rolls-Royce Spey Power and British Modifications
The Royal Navy intended to operate the Phantom from aircraft carriers considerably smaller than those used by the United States Navy. More thrust was therefore considered particularly valuable during catapult launches and during a recovery that might need to be abandoned at short notice.
The British aircraft received two Rolls-Royce Spey engines in place of the American General Electric J79s. Installing the larger Speys required substantial changes to the engine bays, rear fuselage and air intakes. Auxiliary intake doors were also added around the rear fuselage to supply the engines with sufficient air.[3]
Other naval adaptations included a folding radome, folding outer wing sections and an extendable nose-wheel oleo. These features helped the aircraft fit aboard Ark Royal and improved its attitude during launch.
The modifications gave British Phantoms a noticeably broader rear fuselage than their American counterparts. Together with the dark Royal Navy finish and raised launch position, they produced one of the most distinctive versions of the entire Phantom family.
Launching a Phantom from HMS Ark Royal
A fully loaded Phantom required assistance from Ark Royal's steam catapult to reach flying speed within the limited length of the carrier's deck. Before launch, the aircraft was connected to the catapult while its engines were brought to high power.
The FG.1's nose-wheel oleo could be extended to its maximum position, raising the nose and increasing the aircraft's angle of attack. Corgi describes the oleo as reaching a 40-inch position before launch, giving the Phantom its famously aggressive nose-high stance.[1]
With the aircraft secured, both Spey engines could be taken into afterburner. Once the catapult was fired, the Phantom accelerated along the deck and entered the air with very little margin for delay or malfunction.
Recovering aboard Ark Royal was equally demanding. The pilot had to follow a precise approach towards a moving and pitching deck, while the observer helped manage navigation, radar information and cockpit workload. A hook beneath the rear fuselage engaged one of the carrier's arrestor wires to bring the aircraft to a rapid halt.
If the hook failed to engage, the pilot had to apply full power immediately and climb away for another attempt. The Phantom's power was therefore important not only during launch but also during the dangerous final seconds of every carrier landing.
HMS Ark Royal and the Phantom Conversion
HMS Ark Royal had entered service in the 1950s, before the Phantom FG.1 had even been designed. Extensive alterations were therefore needed before such a large and powerful aircraft could be operated safely from her flight deck.
The carrier received changes to its flight deck, catapults, arresting equipment and jet-blast arrangements. These modifications allowed Ark Royal to operate an air group that combined Phantom fighters, Buccaneer strike aircraft, Gannet airborne-early-warning aircraft and helicopters.
The Phantom provided fleet air defence, while the Buccaneer supplied the principal long-range strike capability. Gannet aircraft extended the fleet's radar coverage, helping fighter controllers identify approaching aircraft and direct the Phantoms towards them.
This combination made Ark Royal the centre of a complex naval air-defence system rather than simply a platform from which individual fighters operated. The carrier, its radar organisation, airborne-early-warning aircraft and Phantom crews all had to work together.
892 Naval Air Squadron and the Omega Symbol
892 Naval Air Squadron reformed on 31 March 1969 in preparation for operational Royal Navy Phantom service. It became the Fleet Air Arm's only frontline squadron to operate the Phantom FG.1 from an aircraft carrier.[4]
The squadron's aircraft carried a distinctive Omega symbol on the fin. Omega is the final letter of the Greek alphabet, and Corgi's historical account explains that it was adopted because squadron personnel believed they might represent the final generation of conventional Royal Navy fixed-wing carrier aircraft.[4]
The design appeared inside a white diamond laid over a red fin flash. Combined with the dark Extra Dark Sea Grey upper surfaces, white undersides, Royal Navy titles and individual nose numbers, it gave 892 NAS Phantoms an unmistakable identity.
The aircraft were also marked with the letter R, Ark Royal's identifying carrier code. XT864 therefore appeared as 007/R or R-007 in photographs and published references, while Corgi describes the model as XT864/007R.
Fleet Air Defence during the Cold War
The Phantom's primary naval responsibility was to protect Ark Royal and the ships accompanying her from hostile aircraft. During the Cold War, a carrier group potentially faced reconnaissance aircraft, bombers and anti-ship missiles approaching from long range.
The Phantom's radar allowed the observer in the rear cockpit to search for and track targets beyond visual range. The pilot could then position the aircraft for interception using information supplied by the observer and by fighter controllers aboard the carrier.
Maintaining aircraft at readiness was therefore an important part of the squadron's work. Crews could be ordered to launch quickly to investigate radar contacts, escort unfamiliar aircraft or demonstrate that the fleet was being actively defended.
When operating ashore from RAF Leuchars, 892 NAS also contributed to Britain's Quick Reaction Alert system. This placed Royal Navy crews alongside RAF interceptor units in the defence of United Kingdom airspace.
XT864 and the Identity 007
XT864 served with several Royal Navy Phantom units, including 700P, 767 and 892 Naval Air Squadrons. Its strongest historical association is with 892 NAS and the side number 007 represented by Corgi.
Unlike some aircraft identities applied only temporarily, XT864's connection with 007 has endured. The aircraft survives today wearing restored Fleet Air Arm colours, allowing the real airframe represented by AA27901 to be seen by visitors.
Corgi records that XT864 was one of the last aircraft to leave HMS Ark Royal before the carrier's withdrawal. After a period in storage, it transferred to the Royal Air Force and joined No. 111 Squadron at RAF Leuchars.[4]
With No. 111 Squadron, the aircraft continued serving as an interceptor and carried out Quick Reaction Alert duties in defence of British airspace. This gave XT864 a second operational career after its Royal Navy service had ended.
November 1978 and Ark Royal's Final Flying Operations
Corgi places XT864 aboard Ark Royal during November 1978, the carrier's final month of fixed-wing flying. By this stage, the ship's aircraft were preparing to disembark and the Royal Navy's Phantom era was rapidly approaching its conclusion.
Imperial War Museums preserves the official photographic record of the final launch. Its catalogue describes a Phantom of 892 NAS leaving Ark Royal's waist catapult as the last fixed-wing aircraft of the carrier's air group to depart for RAF St Athan and transfer to the Royal Air Force.[5]
The aircraft used for that historic launch on 27 November was XT870, carrying the side number 012, rather than XT864. It was flown by Flight Lieutenant Murdo Macleod, with Lieutenant Denis McCallum in the rear cockpit.[6]
XT864 should therefore be described as one of Ark Royal's final Phantoms rather than the aircraft that made the last launch. Its November 1978 identity still places it firmly within the final days of the carrier's operational air group.
The End of the Conventional Carrier Era
Ark Royal's withdrawal ended the Royal Navy's ability to launch heavy conventional aircraft by catapult and recover them using arrestor wires. The Phantom, Buccaneer and Gannet fleets could not operate from the smaller ships that followed.
This did not permanently end British fixed-wing carrier aviation. The Sea Harrier later returned fast jets to Royal Navy ships using short take-off and vertical landing techniques, without the steam catapults and arrestor equipment required by the Phantom.
Nevertheless, November 1978 marked the end of a particular kind of naval air power. Britain no longer possessed a carrier capable of operating a large supersonic interceptor with the range, radar and missile capacity of the Phantom FG.1.
That transition gives the final Ark Royal Phantoms a significance extending beyond the individual aircraft. They represent the closing chapter of Britain's post-war conventional fleet-carrier force.
XT864 after Royal Navy Service
After serving with No. 111 Squadron, XT864 was retired from operational flying as the Phantom began giving way to the Tornado F.3. It subsequently became the gate guardian at RAF Leuchars and was the first RAF Phantom selected for that role at the station.[4]
Following the closure of Leuchars as an RAF flying station, the aircraft was acquired by the Ulster Aviation Society. It was dismantled, transported to Northern Ireland, reassembled and restored in its former Royal Navy appearance.
XT864 is now displayed in the society's collection at Maze Long Kesh near Lisburn, carrying the 007 identity and 892 NAS Omega markings represented on the Corgi model.[7]
The survival of the complete aircraft creates a direct link between the model and the historical subject. Collectors can compare AA27901 with a preserved airframe rather than relying entirely on photographs or written descriptions.
Royal Navy Markings and Display Appeal
The late Fleet Air Arm colour scheme is one of AA27901's strongest visual features. Extra Dark Sea Grey covers the upper surfaces, while the white undersides, red-white-blue roundels and prominent Royal Navy lettering provide contrast.
The tail combines Ark Royal's R code with the red, white and black Omega emblem of 892 NAS. The side number 007 gives the aircraft an especially memorable identity and helps distinguish it from other Phantom releases.
In 1:48 scale, the model has substantial physical presence. Corgi gives the model a wingspan of approximately 244 mm, with the large fuselage, twin engine exhausts, underwing stores and extended naval undercarriage all remaining clearly visible.[1]
The launch configuration is particularly appropriate for the subject. Displaying the aircraft with its nose raised recreates the stance for which Ark Royal's Phantoms became famous.
Lasting Legacy and Collector Appeal
AA27901 brings together three closely connected stories: the British development of the Phantom, the final operational period of HMS Ark Royal and the continued survival of XT864 itself.
The subject is historically significant without relying on the mistaken claim that XT864 made Ark Royal's final launch. Instead, it represents one of the last aircraft to leave the ship and one of the few former Fleet Air Arm Phantoms to survive complete.
The model's size also separates it from most Corgi jet releases. At 1:48 scale, the Phantom becomes a centrepiece model rather than a compact representation, making the cockpit, undercarriage and distinctive Spey-powered fuselage much more prominent.
For collectors, Corgi Aviation Archive AA27901 combines an individually identifiable surviving aircraft with one of the most important moments in post-war Royal Navy aviation. The release was limited to 2,500 individually numbered pieces worldwide.[8]
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CORGI AVIATION ARCHIVE PHANTOM FG.1 AA27901
1:48 Scale • Limited Edition of 2,500 • Retired Release
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Sources and Further Reading
- Corgi: McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 AA27901 - official product identity, model dimensions and description of the Phantom's extended nose-wheel launch position.
- Royal Air Force Museum: McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 - development of the Phantom as a carrier-borne interceptor and details of the British FG.1 production fleet.
- Airfix: Development of the British Phantom - Rolls-Royce Spey installation, revised fuselage, larger intakes, folding radome and naval nose-wheel modifications.
- Corgi Die-cast Diaries: New Phantom Prepares for Blast Off - history of 892 NAS, the Omega marking, XT864's departure from Ark Royal, RAF service and preservation.
- Imperial War Museums: The Last Fixed-Wing Launch from HMS Ark Royal - official photographic record of the final Phantom departure from Ark Royal's air group in November 1978.
- Fleet Air Arm Officers' Association: 27 November 1978 - identification of XT870/012 as the Phantom used for the Royal Navy's final catapult launch from Ark Royal.
- Ulster Aviation Society: Phantom FG.1 XT864/007 - surviving aircraft details, Royal Navy and RAF service, technical specifications and present preserved location.
- The Collectables Vault: Corgi Aviation Archive AA27901 - model photographs, product details, certificate number and confirmation of the 2,500-piece limited edition.
Historical note: Corgi depicts XT864 as 007R of 892 Naval Air Squadron aboard HMS Ark Royal in November 1978. XT864 was one of the final Phantoms to leave the carrier, but the last catapult launch was made by XT870/012 on 27 November. Ark Royal's withdrawal ended conventional catapult-and-arrestor fixed-wing operations in the Royal Navy; fixed-wing carrier aviation later returned with the Sea Harrier using short and vertical take-off techniques.
Written by Jay Sawyer
