Date:	Monday 26 April 1943
Time:	night
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk II
Owner/operator:	515 Sqn RAF
Registration:	AA402
MSN:	740
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Heston, Middlesex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Taxi
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Heston, Middlesex
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.II AA402, 515 Squadron: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 26 April 1943 after undercarriage collapsed during taxiing in high winds at RAF Heston, Middlesex. Both crew uninjured. Aircraft possibly repaired, as not Struck Off Charge until 1 November 1944 (18 months later)

515 Squadron was formed from Defiant Flight, also known as Special Duties Flight – an electronic counter measuress unit equipped with the Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.II – at RAF Northolt on 1 October 1942. It moved to RAF Heston later that month. As part of 11 Group, 515 Squadron performed radar jamming duties, using Moonshine and Mandrel equipment.

Moonshine was the code-name for ARI TR1427, (Airborne Radio Installation Transmitter Receiver), a British airborne spoofer/jammer installed in the 20 modified Boulton Paul Defiants of No. 515 Squadron RAF to defeat Freya radar and was developed at the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE). Mandrel was the code-name for a jammer deployed against Freya and Würzburg radars used by aircraft of 515 sqn and 100 Group. Developed at the TRE, Mandrel was also built in the United States as AN/APT-3.

From May 1943, 515 Sqn re-equipped with the Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IIF.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft AA100-AZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain (2nd Edition) 2000 p.6)
2. 515 Squadron ORB for April 1943: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1981/15: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8413891
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._515_Squadron_RAF
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heston_Aerodrome#Military_operations_1939%E2%80%931945

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Feb-2008 14:11	JINX	Added
04-Feb-2012 09:15	Nepa	Updated [Operator, ]
25-Apr-2015 06:39	Gagarin	Updated [Source, ]
30-May-2024 10:14	Nepa	Updated [Location, Operator, ]