The Embraer/Enaer Cotopaxi Survey Aircraft

[Rheged]

Whilst stuck in hospital recently, the backstory below occurred to me.   As usual, if anyone wishes to add further details  or actually build it I'm very relaxed about it.   Please regard this as my entry in the Lightning, Hunter and Canberra group build.    I appreciate that it's not a "build" as such and may not strictly qualify for inclusion.  If so, can a moderator move the post to a more appropriate location?    Thanks    Michael/Rheged.

  The Embraer/Enaer Cotopaxi Survey Aircraft 

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In September 1988, the governments of Brazil and Chile reached  an agreement that both countries would benefit from a high altitude meteorological and geophysical/land survey aircraft. The Chilean government were particularly keen to monitor in real-time weather conditions in the Atacama Desert and high Andes as well as surveying earthquake and volcanic activity throughout the country.   In the case of Brazil, considerable pressure from several United Nations and other international committees over Amazonian deforestation  made the acquisition of  a regular and reliable landscape monitoring system  capable of  real-time data downloading essential.  The aerospace industries of both countries cooperated to produce a suitable operational requirement.
The Chilean Air  Force was at this time operating three Canberra P R 9 aircraft, supplied by the RAF in 1982 during the Falklands War. Both aerospace companies agreed that this was an excellent  starting point for their design.  Discreet negotiations between Brazil, Chile the UK and British Aerospace  led to eight second-hand Canberra aircraft being sold to the Embrear/Enaer  consortium and flown by RAF crews to the Embraer production base at Gavião Peixoto  in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.  All eight aircraft had been returned to "zero hours" configuration at Warton before despatch.
Whilst the Cotopaxi aircraft design was ostensibly a South American affair, assistance was provided by BAe both in the lengthening of the wings and in the sensor fit. What emerged was obviously based on the original English Electric Canberra, but with wings 10% longer than the PR9 and a slightly bulged fuselage to hold a comprehensive sensor fit. The sensors were announced publicly as a full meteorological outfit  and an adequate land survey set of cameras.   In order to stress the civilian nature of this airframe, the name Canberra (obviously a bomber)  was changed to  Cotopaxi after an Andean volcano . The first of three Chilean  Cotopaxi aircraft made its initial operational flight the length of the country in April 1992.  During the flight, real-time weather data was widely broadcast in clear. This placated the Argentine government, who had expressed concern that a reconnaissance  aircraft flying at 55,000 feet along the Andean ridge would  threaten their security. 
Actually, the Argentine government had every reason to be concerned.  In addition to the publicly announced sensor fit, the Chilean Cotopaxi aircraft had  very sophisticated sensors capable of acquiring vast quantities of data from the Argentine air defence and military communications systems. This was sent direct from the aircraft by an encrypted system to an MoD Skynet satellite and then on to GCHQ at Cheltenham and HMS Ferret at Chicksands.
The Brazilian Cotopaxi aircraft were used  as advertised; to survey land use , illegal forest clearance and rain forest meteorology in the Amazonian basin.  Flights twice a week permitted immediate action to prevent illegal environmental degradation. 
All of the aircraft were maintained  at Gavião Peixoto , as the runway here is the longest in South America.   As of July 2022, five Cotopaxi aircraft remain in service; two Chilean and three Brazilian. One Chilean airframe was written off after an extremely hard landing  in October 2007 at Pudahuel Air Base in Santiago. Both of the crew escaped with minor injuries  but the aircraft was written off.  It is interesting to note that an RAF team present at the time assisted in the clearance of the wreckage and may have recovered  sensor equipment and immediately flown it out of the country in an RAF VC10 that was staging through Santiago at the time.
 One Brazilian Cotopaxi  had an engine fire on the ground; no one was hurt but the aircraft burned out.  Another Cotopaxi was sold back to BAe  in 2015 and flown by a contract crew to Warton in Lancashire via Ascension  and Gibraltar. There is no hard information as to its status, but a "long winged Canberra" has been reported as currently in operation from Boscombe Down  in "raspberry ripple" markings .  Any information that members are able to provide would be most welcome

[kerick]

That could lead to some interesting builds! I've got a B-57 that could do that.

[PR19_Kit]

Another Cotopaxi was sold back to BAe  in 2015 and flown by a contract crew to Warton in Lancashire via Ascension  and Gibraltar. There is no hard information as to its status, but a "long winged Canberra" has been reported as currently in operation from Boscombe Down  in "raspberry ripple" markings .  Any information that members are able to provide would be most welcome

Heheheheh, my mind is working overtime already.   

As for your story's eligibility, it's about Canberras and it's a WhatIf so I think it does. I'll check with fellow mod and come back to you.

[Pellson]

This is good! This is really good, even! 

[NARSES2]

I like this 

[Old Wombat]

I like this 

As do I.

[Rheged]

Thank you for your support, people!       Three weeks in hospital certainly allows the mind to concentrate on backstories.

[zenrat]

 

[Gondor]

Very nice and very readable too 

Gondor