Fairey Provider COD Mk I

From the early stages of the development of the Fairey Rotodyne the RAF and the Royal navy showed a keen interest in the design. After the flight of the first prototype in 1957 the Royal Navy asked for a specialized version of the Rotodyne to serve as a COD aircraft for the Navy’s aircraft carriers.

This became the Fairey Provider. The first prototype of the Provider flew in 1959 and after a lengthy test phase the Royal navy ordered 62 Providers Mk Is in 1962. The aircraft proved to be very popular in the COD role and in 1965 48 additional Provider Mk IIs were ordered.

The Provider served until 1998 when the last one was retired.