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Arguably the most unconventional Fairey-designed aircraft to enter full production, the Gannet was developed to meet a 1945 Royal Navy requirement for an advanced carrier-based turboprop-powered anti-submarine hunter-killer.

Intended to counter the recent expansion of the Soviet submarine fleet at the start of the Cold War era, the Gannet was equipped with the last electronic detection equipment and if an enemy submarine was detected, it could be marked, tracked and attacked using bombs, depth charges, rockets and air-launched acoustic torpedoes. It was a highly effective anti-submarine aircraft, able to attack submarines on the surface or submerged.

One feature of the Gannet that gave it a unique appearance was its innovative Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba powerplant. This arrangement saw two gas turbine engines mounted side by side, sharing a common gearbox, but operating independently, each engine driving its own coaxially mounted, contra-rotating propeller. Another unique feature was the bi-folding wing system, designed to allow this large aircraft to be stored aboard relatively small aircraft carriers.