Cold War Jets: Royal Air Force Fighters & Bombers

132 Pages·2016·47.91 MB·English

by  Chris Sandham-Bailey

£7.99

D uringthelatterhalfofthe20thcenturyWesternEurope apermanentpresenceinSingaporewhereeverythingfromthe
livedinperpetualfearofanattackfromtheEast. MeteortotheJavelinwasbased.
CounteringthisthreatmeantthedefencesofNATOhad IntheMiddleEast,theRAFretainedapresenceformanyyears
tobecontinuallyreinforcedwiththelatesttechnologies withseveraltypesseeingactionduringtheSuezCrisis.TheRAF
–resultingintheColdWararmsrace. Luqa,Malta,andRAFAkrotiri,Cyprus,basessaweverythingfrom
Whileanyactualstrikewasthoughtlikelytoendinmutually VenomstoValiantswhileBritishandFrenchforcesattemptedto
assureddestruction,theinterveningperiodwouldseeintenseaction retakethecanalandtoppleNassar,theEgyptianpresident.
asthetwosidesmet.Airsuperioritywouldbeessential,ashad FurthersouthatRAFKhormaksar,theRAFsawprolongedaction
beenprovenduringtheSecondWorldWar,sinceitwasvitalforthe whiletryingtoprotectthesovereigntyofAdenagainstvarious
bomberstogetthroughwiththeirnuclearpayload. guerrillagroups,eventuallypullingoutin1967.
Despitetheworldteeteringonthebrinkofwarformanyyears, Duringthe1970stheRAFretainedasizablepresenceinWest
orperhapsbecauseofit,theRoyalAirForceandBritishaviationin GermanyandfightersremainedonstandbyintheUKforQuick
generalenjoyedanewgoldenage.Theinventionsofthe1939-45 ReactionAlerttointerceptSovietaircraftthatprobedBritish
war,thejetengineandradar,providedspringboardsforexcitingnew airspace,somethingthathascontinuedintothe21stcentury.
projectswhichwereinconstantdevelopment,thebrandnewaircraft During1982theRAFplayedavitalroleintheFalklandsWarwith
amazingcrowdsattheannualSBACshowsatFarnborough. Harriers,VulcansandVictorsallbeinginvolved.Thefollowing
Glamoroustestpilotsbrokethesoundbarrierandfuturisticaircraft decadesawtheendoftheColdWarbutthejetsbuiltasaresultofit
suchastheEnglishElectricP.1andthebehemoththatwastheAvro698 continuedtobeusedduringtheGulfWarandlaterintheBalkans.
mesmerisedspectators.Bothtypeswentontobecomeiconicaircraft(the Thesoaringcostofcombataircrafthasresultedinanongoing
LightningandVulcan)thateveryschoolboydreamedofonedayflying. reductioninthesizeofairforcesaroundtheglobeandthe
AsthethreatfromtheUSSRandWarsawPactnationscontinuedto threatstopeaceintheearly21stcenturyarenolongerasclear
remainapresenceinmilitaryplanning,therolesrequiredofaircraft cutastheywereduringtheColdWarwhenitwastheEastversus
evolved.DespitetheRAFhavingproventhebenefitsofoperating theWest.This,combinedwiththeever-increasinguseofdrones,
fromtemporaryairstripsbothduringtheBattleofBritainandasthey meansweareunlikelytoeveragainseeanRAFaslargeor
leapfroggedfromairfieldtoairfieldafterD-Day,thejetsofthepostwar impressiveasitwasduringtheColdWar.
yearsnecessitatedhardrunwaysofincreasinglengthtoaccommodate ThereisnoofficialconsensusonwhentheColdWarstarted
theirgreaterweightandthedistancetheyrequiredtogetairborne. andendedbutitisgenerallyagreedthatitcoveredaperiod
Inlateryears,boththeJaguarandHarrierweredesignedto fromaround1947to1991,soallthemainfrontlinejetsusedby
operateinthefieldshouldtheworstcometotheworstandthe theRAFduringthistimehavebeenincludedhere.Someearly
airfieldswerelostduringafirststrike.TheHarriercouldoperate andpost-ColdWarschemeshavebeenincludedtoo,duetotheir
fromliterallyanywhereandtheJaguarwascapableofusingthe significanceinrelationtothetype.Mostofthedatesfortypesare
autobahnsofWestGermany. basedonthefirstflightoftheinitialprototypewhichledtothe
Bomberswhichwerelookingobsoleteintheirprimaryroleasa productionaircraft,butinsomecaseswheretheyhaveevolved
nucleardeterrent,duetothesubmarinefleettakingoverthatrole, fromothertypesthelaterdatehasbeengiven.
wereconvertedtotankers,allowingtheRAFtoreachanypartofthe Therearesomenotabletypesabsentthatprovidedavitalroleand
globe;themostfamousexamplebeingtheBlackBuckraidswhenthe havetheirownaficionados,includingthePhantom,theNimrodand
VictortankerfleethelpedVulcanbombersreachtheFalklandIslands. theTornadowhichwasaresultoftheColdWarbutiscurrentlystillin
WhiletherewasneveradirectconflictbetweenEastandWest service.OtherabsentjetsincludetheProvost,GnatandHawk,these
thereweremanyproxywarswheretheRAFandBritish-designed threebeingusedastrainersbytheRAF.Duetothelimitednumber
aircraftwereinvolved.Thepossibilityofa‘dominoeffect’,where ofpagesavailable,nottypecouldbecoveredsotheaircraftfeatured
onenationalafteranotherfelltocommunism,wasaconstantworry havebeenlimitedtofrontlineBritish-builtfightersandbombersthat
intheFarEastandwhileitwasnotinvolvedintheVietnamWarthe arenolongerinservicewiththeRAF.
RAFhadapresenceintheregionformanyyears. AlthoughtheJaguarwasanAnglo-Frenchcollaborationandthe
RoyalNavyfightersmayhaveseenactionduringtheKorean secondgenerationHarrierswereoflargelyAmericanindesign,they
WarbuttheRAFwasusedduringtheMalayanEmergencyandwas werestilladerivativeoftheoriginalHawkerP.1127.
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COLDWARJETS3
CONTENTS
6
GLOSTER
METEOR ▼
16
DE HAVILLAND
▼
VAMPIRE
▼
26
DE HAVILLAND
VENOM
34
ENGLISH ELECTRIC
CANBERRA
▼
44
SUPERMARINE
SWIFT
▼
50
HAWKER
▼
HUNTER
60
VICKERSVALIANT
▼
Wordsandillustrations: Marketingmanager: Thanks:Iwouldliketothankanumberofpeople,firstlyDanSharpand
CHRISSANDHAMBAILEY CHARLOTTEPARK Mortonsforsupportingthispublication.Allthehardworkingvolunteers
atBruntingthorpeincludingtheBuccaneerAviationGroup,theLightning
Design: Commercialdirector:
GARETHWILLIAMS NIGELHOLE PreservationGroup,WT333andeveryoneelsewhokeepstheseColdWar
warriorsrunning.Tangmere,NewarkandtheEastMidlandsmuseumsfor
Publishingdirector: Publishedby: allowingmeaccesstotheircollections.JohnSmith,PhilWillsher,Dave
DANSAVAGE MORTONSMEDIA
Fleming,RobMonfea,JoeWarnerCherrieandmylongsufferingyet
Publisher: GROUPLTD, understandingfamily.LastlyTimSpilsburyandSimonPotterwithout
STEVEO’HARA MEDIACENTRE, whomnoneofthiswouldhavebeenpossible.
MORTONWAY,
RJeOpNroAgrTaHphAicNs: SCHOFIELD HORNCASTLE, Printedby:WilliamGibbonsandSons,Wolverhampton
&PAULFINCHAM LINCOLNSHIRE ©2016MortonsMediaGroupLtd.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublication
LN96JR. maybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicor
Productioneditor: mechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorage
DANSHARP Tel.[phone] retrievalsystemwithoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.
4COLDWARJETS
68 ▼
GLOSTER
JAVELIN
78
HANDLEY PAGEVICTOR▼
86
AVRO▼
VULCAN
92
ENGLISH ELECTRIC
LIGHTNING
▼
102
▼
HAWKER
SIDDELEY/
BAE
112
HARRIER BLACKBURN
▼
BUCCANEER
120
SEPECAT
JAGUAR
▼
130 COLOUR CHART
COLDWARJETS5
a .
e
c i on.
R
MMETEOR
W iththesuccessfulearlyflightsoftheGloster
E28/39,whichprovedSirFrankWhittle’snew design.Aninitialorder
turbojetengine,itwasevidentthatthefuture wasplacefor12aircraft.In
ofcombatandaviationlaywiththenewform totaleightprototypeswere
ofpropulssion.Atthisstagetheoutputoftheengineswas eventuallybuilt,DG202-DG209.
insufficienntfor Recognisingthepotential,
asingleunnit GlosterwasinstructedbyLord
topower Beaverbrooktoconcentrateon
afighter thenewTwinEnginedWhittleFighter.
onitsownn InformallytheprojectwasknownasRampage
whilemakking followedbyThunderboltbutwiththeP-47in
themostoofthe service,thenameMeteorwassettledoneventually
speedthaatcould toavoidconfusion.
beavailabble. Despitethedemandsofthewar
Therefooreit onresources,progressionon
wasproposseedin theairframedesignand
specificationFF99/40that constructionwas
twoengineswouulldbeused relatively
andarmamentwouulldconsist
offour20mmHispanoo
cannon(originallysixwerree
intendedbutduetoweighttiissues
thenumberwasreduced).Havviinngalready
workedcloselywithWhittle’scommppanyPower
JetsLtd,Glosterwasthelogicalchoiicceforthe
6COLDWARJETS
Deliveredonin
January1952,WH480served
exclusivelywith41Sqnuntil
scrappedinJanuary1958.The
GLOSTER
aircraftinitiallyworethebands
METEOR onthetailsbutthesewere
F.8 WH480 laterreplacedwiththe
finflash.Finishedin
41 SQN
alloverAluminium.
straightforward.Theonlyradical
C
departurefrompreviousaircraftwas
MO
theengines;inalayoutanalogous
N
A T
canntoonthseinWthesetlnaonsdeWanhdirltwhienedn,wgihniecshmhaodu RCSTFIFTOHE
inthewings.Duetothemajorit oo CHR
U
beingtakenupbythewaref ort 94 t I
constructionofthe
T
makethemosto
minimumtoolingwas
ThefirstMeteortoflywass
constru ed G2 nMM , 4
RAFCran . ee s
compl g
wri .
ww ff
ee
.
J
e tstothe
t r uction
i more
, Rolls-
RR rr hichwas
nofthe
- c ene,the
i takesalsoallowed
hertopspeedand
ea rr teofclimb.
ofoundtobe
anoeuvrableand
etoaerobaticseven
bb bletoexecutethem
w nlyoneengine,
GLOSTER Towardstheendofthewar,fourMeteorF.3s–
METEOR F.3 includingEE239of616Squadron–werepaintedall
overWhite oidentifythemasnon-hostileandhelp
EE239 616 SQN
Alliedtroo becomefamiliarwiththenewfighter. ▼
Deliveredto74SqnatRAFHorshamStFaithinOctober
GLOSTER
1948,F.4VT282servedduringtheearly1950suntil
METEOR F.4 replacement.ItwasconvertedtoaU.15dronein1956and
VT282 74 SQN shotdown nSeptember8,1960,offthecoastofMalta
whilepart 728BNAS.Allover luminium. ▼
GLOSTER BasedatRAFOdiham,257Sqn’sRA444hadthe
METEOR F.4 distinctionofbeingthefirstjettolandinDublinfora
demonstrattiiontotheIrishAirCorpsduringMay1948.
RA444 257 SQN Thesquad nlogowaswornonthenose. ▼
8COLDWARJETS
▼
ThiswasthefirstMeteor
deliveredto43Sqn
GLOSTER inAugust1949,itwas
thenallocatedto12MU
METEOR F.8
whereitwasscrapped
VZ440 43 SQN inAugust1959.WA829
atTangmereMuseum
hasbeenpaintedupto
representVZ440.
Wearingallcamouflageontheuppersurfacewith
GLOSTER adistinctivecheckpatternonthefuselageand
wingtips,WA923wasdeliveredto63Squadronin
METEOR F.8
November1950andscrappedinFebruary1958.
WA923 63 SQN DarkGreen,DarkSeaGreyuppersurfacesand
LightAircraftGreyunderside. ▼
Havingalread oper de rli rm
GLOSTER Sqnconvertedtoo e llee tt oorsshhaamm tt
FaithinOcto .
METEOR F.8
finishedin ,
WA824 74 SQN
cam ufl
di ▼▼▼▼
anindicationoftheswift acopy f
progressmade. toldtogett ss ss nn rraatt rr
Rapidadvancementsby became l
Gloster’scompetitorsmeant foundth c n et
thatsubsequentiterationshad aconsiderabl hallen l
toberadicallyoverhauledto Specification . /4 utli
keepup.ThisledtotheF.8–the theneedfor co tr l et . l
finalsingleseatfighterversion trainertoredu t
oftheMeteor. causedbyunfamili rity ,
Initiallypilotsweregivena thedifferencesb tw e isto
cursorytourofthecockpitand engineandjet ypes. l
.
Hen H301
ll . eaa tthese
u eum, as
89.
▼
GLOSTER Flownbythe eaderof611
Squ dd ndduring1952,WH505was
METEOR F.8
laterconvertedtoU.16andwritten
WH505 611 SQN offonSeptember27,1962.
▼
stability.FormanyyearstheT.7
wasthefirstexperienceofjet
flightapilotwouldhave.
Followingthewar,theRAF operatorguidingthepilotonto committedtotheproduction
neededareplacementforthe theintrudersothelogicalbasis ofthesingleseatfighters,the
Mosquitonightfighterwhich foraMeteornightfighterwas programmewassubcontracted
wouldbecapableofmatching theT.7. toArmstrongWhitworthat
thenewjetbombersforspeed, Despitesoundingsimplethe Coventry.Anumberofchanges
thisultimatelyledtotheGloster developmentandintroduction hadasubstantialimpacton
Javelinbutuntilthenaninterim oftheNF.11wasaprotracted theaircraft,radarequipment
solutionwasrequired.Airborne affair.Withthecompany’s increasedtheweightrequiringa
interceptionreliedonaradar resourcesalreadyheavily greaterwingspanandthemore
10COLDWARJETS