British Aerospace (BAC) Lightning F.6
At the end of World War II, the United Kingdom began work on a supersonic research aircraft similar to the US’ Bell X-1, the Miles M.52. In 1949, the RAF issued a requirement for a supersonic fighter interceptor, and the Miles M.52 research team realized that their experimental aircraft—still on the drawing board—would actually be better suited to satisfying this requirement. Under the leadership of W.E.W. “Teddy” Petter, the designer of the wartime Westland Lysander and postwar English Electric Canberra, the English Electric P.1 was built as a technology demonstrator before the RAF gave permission for full production: this was because the P.1 was considered very radical for its time.
As Petter preferred small fighter designs, the P.1 crammed as many innovations into the airframe as possible. Since emphasis was placed on speed, use was made of a notched-delta wing design and conventional tailplane, with a nose mounted “shock body” conical intake which would contain a radar on an operational aircraft—similar to the Soviet MiG-21. However, what made the P.1 most innovative was its unique twin-engined design which stacked the engines atop each other rather than in tandem. This was to give the P.1 less drag as it had a smaller frontal area, and had the added benefit of being more efficient and easier to handle on one engine. Fuel tanks had to be carried in the wings (and even the flaps) as there was no room in the fuselage. The first P.1 flew in August 1954, and a P.1B became the first British aircraft to reach Mach 2 in November 1958. The RAF was impressed and ordered the P.1 into production as the Lightning F.1.
The Lightning soon became very popular with pilots for its performance. Lightnings could reach altitudes rivaled only by the Lockheed U-2, and its time-to-climb would not be equaled until the F-15 Eagle, well over 30 years after the Lightning’s entry into service. Despite this high performance, the Lightning still had viceless handling. Its only weakness was its chronic lack of range: even with the addition of a ventral tank, giving the Lightning its characteristic tadpole shape, it simply could not sustain its incredible speed for very long without exhausting its fuel. It also lacked armament: though the Lightning F.1 had two fixed 30mm cannon and an option for a ventral pack with two more cannon, 48 rockets, and/or Firestreak missiles, later Lightning marks depended solely on either Firestreak or Red Top missiles, neither of which were particularly reliable. The ventral gun pack was reintroduced in the Lightning F.6, but it was still limited to two missiles and two cannon, when contemporary fighters had far more options. In an effort to extend its range and provide more options, overwing hardpoints were introduced in export Lightning F.53s and retrofitted to RAF examples, but this only mitigated the problem.
Nonetheless, as a point-defense interceptor, the Lightning was unmatched, and it survived several attempts to replace it in the form of the Phantom FGR.2 and numerous unbuilt successors. This also meant, however, that the Lightning’s late-1950s era Ferranti Airpass radar system was never updated. Maintenance was also a nightmare due to the stacked engines, which had a tendency towards hydraulic leaks and engine fires; Kuwait became the only other export nation for the Lightning besides Saudi Arabia, but had to rapidly replace their Lightnings with Mirages because the maintenance was beyond their capabilities.
The Lightning was retired in favor of the Tornado F.3 in the mid-1980s; it was to be the RAF’s last single-seat fighter until the Eurofighter Typhoon entered service in 2002, and the last all-British pure fighter design.
ZF593 is the only Lightning currently on display in the Western Hemisphere; though displayed as a RAF Lightning F.6, it is actually the export version of the F.6, the F.53, and flew with the Royal Saudi Air Force from 1969 to 1986. It finished its RSAF career with 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt, and when the squadron replaced its Lightnings with Tornado F.3s, it was sent back to the United Kingdom as part of the deal. The intent was to display it at Warton, UK but in 1990 it was sold to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Georgia. To make room for newer acquisitions, ZF593 was then sold to the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2012.
Though the aircraft never served with the RAF, it is painted as an aircraft of 5 Squadron at RAF Binbrook, wearing RAF tactical camouflage of the 1970s and early 1980s. This is the first time I've seen a Lightning since I was a kid living in then-West Germany, so it was quite a treat.
British Aerospace (BAC) Lightning F.6
At the end of World War II, the United Kingdom began work on a supersonic research aircraft similar to the US’ Bell X-1, the Miles M.52. In 1949, the RAF issued a requirement for a supersonic fighter interceptor, and the Miles M.52 research team realized that their experimental aircraft—still on the drawing board—would actually be better suited to satisfying this requirement. Under the leadership of W.E.W. “Teddy” Petter, the designer of the wartime Westland Lysander and postwar English Electric Canberra, the English Electric P.1 was built as a technology demonstrator before the RAF gave permission for full production: this was because the P.1 was considered very radical for its time.
As Petter preferred small fighter designs, the P.1 crammed as many innovations into the airframe as possible. Since emphasis was placed on speed, use was made of a notched-delta wing design and conventional tailplane, with a nose mounted “shock body” conical intake which would contain a radar on an operational aircraft—similar to the Soviet MiG-21. However, what made the P.1 most innovative was its unique twin-engined design which stacked the engines atop each other rather than in tandem. This was to give the P.1 less drag as it had a smaller frontal area, and had the added benefit of being more efficient and easier to handle on one engine. Fuel tanks had to be carried in the wings (and even the flaps) as there was no room in the fuselage. The first P.1 flew in August 1954, and a P.1B became the first British aircraft to reach Mach 2 in November 1958. The RAF was impressed and ordered the P.1 into production as the Lightning F.1.
The Lightning soon became very popular with pilots for its performance. Lightnings could reach altitudes rivaled only by the Lockheed U-2, and its time-to-climb would not be equaled until the F-15 Eagle, well over 30 years after the Lightning’s entry into service. Despite this high performance, the Lightning still had viceless handling. Its only weakness was its chronic lack of range: even with the addition of a ventral tank, giving the Lightning its characteristic tadpole shape, it simply could not sustain its incredible speed for very long without exhausting its fuel. It also lacked armament: though the Lightning F.1 had two fixed 30mm cannon and an option for a ventral pack with two more cannon, 48 rockets, and/or Firestreak missiles, later Lightning marks depended solely on either Firestreak or Red Top missiles, neither of which were particularly reliable. The ventral gun pack was reintroduced in the Lightning F.6, but it was still limited to two missiles and two cannon, when contemporary fighters had far more options. In an effort to extend its range and provide more options, overwing hardpoints were introduced in export Lightning F.53s and retrofitted to RAF examples, but this only mitigated the problem.
Nonetheless, as a point-defense interceptor, the Lightning was unmatched, and it survived several attempts to replace it in the form of the Phantom FGR.2 and numerous unbuilt successors. This also meant, however, that the Lightning’s late-1950s era Ferranti Airpass radar system was never updated. Maintenance was also a nightmare due to the stacked engines, which had a tendency towards hydraulic leaks and engine fires; Kuwait became the only other export nation for the Lightning besides Saudi Arabia, but had to rapidly replace their Lightnings with Mirages because the maintenance was beyond their capabilities.
The Lightning was retired in favor of the Tornado F.3 in the mid-1980s; it was to be the RAF’s last single-seat fighter until the Eurofighter Typhoon entered service in 2002, and the last all-British pure fighter design.
ZF593 is the only Lightning currently on display in the Western Hemisphere; though displayed as a RAF Lightning F.6, it is actually the export version of the F.6, the F.53, and flew with the Royal Saudi Air Force from 1969 to 1986. It finished its RSAF career with 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt, and when the squadron replaced its Lightnings with Tornado F.3s, it was sent back to the United Kingdom as part of the deal. The intent was to display it at Warton, UK but in 1990 it was sold to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Georgia. To make room for newer acquisitions, ZF593 was then sold to the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2012.
Though the aircraft never served with the RAF, it is painted as an aircraft of 5 Squadron at RAF Binbrook, wearing RAF tactical camouflage of the 1970s and early 1980s. This is the first time I've seen a Lightning since I was a kid living in then-West Germany, so it was quite a treat.