New submarine-hunting addition to aircraft museum's collection

An aircraft museum in north Cumbria has added a Cold War-era submarine-hunter to its collection.

The Fairey Gannet arrived at the Solway Aviation Museum near Carlisle where it will be going on permanent display.

The Fairey Gannet was an anti-submarine aircraft that served in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm between 1953 and 1978 Credit: ITV Border

Other aircraft in the museum's inventory include the RAF's iconic Vulcan bomber, an English Electric Lightning and a McDonnell-Douglas Phantom.

Fairey Gannet at the Farnborough Airshow in the early 1950s Credit: British Pathe

The Fairey Gannet served in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm between 1953 and 1978. They operated from aircraft carriers and were primarily designed to hunt and attack Soviet submarines in the event of the Cold War turning hot.

More than 300 of them were produced by Britain's Fairey Aviation Company and the aircraft was also exported to and used by the armed forces of Australia, West Germany and Indonesia.