The device mounted inboard on the starboard wing of Meteor T.T. Mk 20 WD647 is a Del Mar DX4 winch which was used when the aircraft was a target tug at Woomera in the seventies. The Del Mar winch is an American design which was capable of tow lengths greater than the British winches then in service with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

The requirement for a longer tow length arose with the diminishing use of conventional air-to-air gunnery and the advent of guided missiles. With the latter weapons, it had become necessary to equip the target with an artificial heat, light or radar source which effectively rendered it larger than the towing aircraft. If the artificial source were to fail after missile launch, this created a serious safety issue for the towing aircraft. Furthermore, radar controlled anti-aircraft artillery had demonstrated an ability to track up the towing cable with similar dire consequences! Hence the need for greatly increasing the tow length. Existing British winches were capable of tow lengths of only 7,000 feet maximum. Pending the development of the Rushton long tow winch by Flight Refuelling Ltd., the British Ministry of Defence ordered a number of Del Mar DX4 winches from the United States.

The Del Mar DX4 is a comparatively compact unit weighing 350 pounds (159kg) and capable of a tow length of 20,000 feet (6,096m). The cable was 0.051 inch (1.3mm) gauge piano wire with a breaking strain of 1,200 pounds (544kg). The winch was wind-driven by a four-bladed propeller with pitch control provided by an electric motor.

The towing cable was routed from the winch via a system of tubes and pulleys to a cradle under the rear fuselage of the aircraft. The cradle could mount a dart type target and was fitted with a cable cutter for use in emergencies. Additionally, four folded sleeve targets could be housed internally in the rear fuselage with a mechanism for attaching them to the towing cable. The winch and associated systems were controlled by an operator in the rear cockpit. It is claimed that these operators tended to develop a hunched posture during live firing exercises!

When WD647 was delivered to QAM, the winch was removed to maximise fuel uplift for the ferry flight. The winch was subsequently delivered to Amberley courtesy of an RAAF C-130 Hercules.

Reference:

Evans, Don. 2004, The Long Drag - A Short History of British Target Towing,
Flight Recorder Publications, England.