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| W. E. W. Petter, of the English Electric Company, who had been responsible for design of the Canberra bomber, was to achieve another milestone for the RAF in designing its first single-seat fighter able to exceed the speed of sound in level
flight. So advanced was the design - and so complex the aerodynamic problems which this design posed - that Britain's first transonic wind tunnel was built to facilitate testing. Short Brothers at Belfast were instructed by the Ministry of Supply (MoS) to build a research aircraft able to investigate aspects of Petter's design which the MoS considered more revolutionary than functional. Thus Short's S.B.5 had a wing which could investigate sweepback at 50°, 60° and 69°, landing gear which could be adjusted to cater for the CG changes in these different configurations and, at a later stage, a low-set tailplane. When both wind tunnel testing and S.B.5 confirmed that Petter's design had been right from the outset, the MoS let English Electric get on with construction of two prototypes and a static test airframe.
The first P.1A prototype flew on 4 August 1954, showing very clearly that the company had a significant aeroplane on their hands, but one which needed some further development. The three resulting P.1B prototypes had more powerful engines mounted one above the other in the rear fuselage, with the lower engine well forward of the upper; a changed nose air intake to the engines, with a centrally mounted shock cone; modified airbrakes; plain trailing-edge flaps; and an improved cockpit canopy. The first of these flew on 4 April 1957 and the production F.1 Lightning began to enter service with the Central Fighter Establishment at RAF Coltishall in December 1959.
By the spring of 1966 the fully developed F.6 was beginning to enter RAF service, proving that the RAF had indeed acquired an important aircraft. Speed was in excess of Mach 2 in level flight and the aircraft's operational ceiling was 18,290m. As far as the RAF was concerned this represented a quantum jump in performance, but it was not only the performance which was revolutionary. It was also the first RAF fighter designed as an integrated weapons system, which meant that detection of the target and positioning of the Lightning for an interception were carried out by electronic systems. Once the Ferranti fire-control radar had locked on to a target, an airborne computer ensured that steering and interception data were fed to an automatic control system which positioned the Lightning so that its missiles were locked on to the target before instructing the pilot to fire them.
F.3 (which entered RAF service in January 1964) were the major production variant. A total of 338 Lightnings were built by English Electric and the British Aircraft Corporation. These included T.4 and T.5 two-seat trainers, equivalent to the F.1A and F.3 respectively and retaining full operational capability. In addition to those which have seen RAF service, Lightnings have also been supplied to the air forces of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
 | A three-view drawing (1660 x 1190) |
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 2 x RR "Avon 302C", 58.8kN |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 19000 kg | 41888 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 10.6 m | 35 ft 9 in |
| Length | 16.8 m | 55 ft 1 in |
| Height | 6.4 m | 21 ft 0 in |
| Wing area | 35.3 m2 | 379.97 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | M2.3 | M2.3 |
| Ceiling | 18300 m | 60050 ft |
| ARMAMENT | 2-4 x 30mm machine-guns, 2 guided or 48 unguided missiles |
| Charles, e-mail, 07.01.2010 04:56 Unwittingly,I happened upon the airshow in Farnborough one day(visit from abroad)to have this monster turn tail down, right above me and put on full afterburners. Somewhat naive, for a moment I thought it was Armageddon,as I looked straight up those pipes. The shaking and noise was ferocious. reply | | Ching Fuller, e-mail, 02.01.2010 23:16 Tp put a few things straight! I flew the Lightning F1A, F2, F3, T4 and T5 over the period OCT 62 to JUL 66. The F1A and F2 were released to service with a 1.7Mach limit and the F3 (45% more fin area) at Mach 2. I flew the F1A and 2 to Mach 2 and the F3 to 2.2 Mach. In all cases the aircraft were still accelerating. The F1A could carry two 30mm Aden cannon (ROF 1200 rounds /min each) and two Firestreaks. The F2 could carry the same or just 4 X Adens. The F3 could only carry two Firestreak or after 1965 two Redtop all aspect intercept missiles (they homed onto leading edge heating). In an F1A I once inadvertently and ballistically went through 72 000ft (the height at which one engine flamed out and the other cut back to fast idle dropping the AC off line and freezing the altimeter.)at quite a steep angle of climb. My Taylor, Woodhouse and Baxter partial pressure helmet worked better than advertised; that and the inflated G suit and sleeveless pressure jerkin safely saw down to 45 000ft where a relight of the dead engine was successful.
In all marks of Lightning the fuel consumption was spectacular. The 1A, 2 and 3 carried 7 500lbs of fuel and at low level in afterburner used 750lbs /min. reply | | Bob, e-mail, 12.12.2009 00:06 My dear Bill,
....2300 hrs flown on F104 (1300 F 104 G + 900 F 104 S).... + 1400 hrs on MRCA TORNADO IDS Version ...... + only 250 on TYPHOON (I'm getting hold my friend (!))....aren't enough for you ? reply | | Bill Beardsley, e-mail, 07.12.2009 23:13 Bob McGuire....you're out of your mind and just plain wrong about your corrections regarding Lightning performance. Oh, and the F-104S? That was the DOG of all 104 models, heavy and nowhere near the performance of the A thru C models.
Go buy a book will ya!? reply | |
| | Bob Mc Guire, e-mail, 01.12.2009 01:32 Sorry guys....,
althought the Lightning was a superb aircraft its real (..!!) perfomances are the following:
max speed : mach 2.18 at 41000 ft
rate of climb: clean aircraft 43000 FT /min
Max ceiling: 57000 ft
The F 104 S (italian version) could easily outclimb and outrun any Lightning version reply | | paul scott, e-mail, 17.09.2009 22:52 Dear Larry P*** off mate. reply | | paul scott, e-mail, 20.08.2009 15:35 Excellent aircraft when Britain had got it right - Duncan Sandys, the dreadful man of British aviation and usurper of technological genius stated that: 'unfortunately, the Lightning programme has gone too far ahead to cancel'. Thank heavens that was the case. Although the cost of putting /keeping the Lightning in service was very high. High fuel consumption (I believe quoted as 150 lbs. 'per second') and maintenance time per flying hour was high. On the recommendation of BAC to the RAF, the serious upgrades for the belly tank and overwing fuel tanks helped, but with perfection, there's bound to be a few headaches. My favourite is the FMK6, in the 'bluish' colour scheme as seen at RAF Hendon Museum. A true legend! reply | | Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 18.08.2009 19:52 Mach 2.3 and 87,300 feet, ballistic, of course. reply | | John Dighton, e-mail, 04.08.2009 11:07 I have read the comments above as to the speed of the Lightning. I was taught at school in South Africa by a retired RAF pilot. He told me that the Lightning was capable of mach 3 and that they often used to intercept U2 spy planes at over 100,000ft just to tee the yanks off. Yes gentlemen, this plane was fast, very fast and with the exception of the Foxbat, perhaps the fastest combat aircraft ever produced! reply | | Tom Morgan, e-mail, 12.07.2009 23:47 I have a book on the lightning by Ian Black lots of great photographs but not much text.Did he write another one? reply | | d.jay, 11.07.2009 23:19 I an suprized a know it all like Mr Rudnicki does not know this, read FLT LT Ian Blacks book and find out, do not form opinions with half the facts. reply | | Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 05.07.2009 21:49 Were the tankers running standing patrols or did they scramble with the intercepters? reply | | d.jay, 04.07.2009 20:06 The short endurance was no handicap for this intercepter it had a pipe stuck out of its left wing for air to air refueling so it could plug in to a Valiant or later a Victor tanker then roar of on full tanks. Although it only carried two missiles its superior performance ment it could get in to a perfect fireing position on any aircraft as lots of gun camera shots show. reply | | Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 16.06.2009 16:41 I thought I was wrong but I was mistaken. At least I didn't multiple click. 5 times. You must have been excited. Firestreak it is. Still, endurance and weapons load are assets Lightning did not possess. reply | |
| | Barry, 16.06.2009 15:03 The Lightning was a fast (very fast)interceptor and to this day it is possibly the fastest aircraft to fly with the R.A.F. The ever contraversial Mr.Runicki has again made one or two errors in his sumation. The Lightning was armed firstly in the F1A and F2 with D.H.Firestreak infra red homing missiles and then latterly on F3 and F6 the supposedly more capable but less reliable Red Top missile. I for one wuold be fascinated to know when the Lightning was ever armed with the SkyFlash. There is no doubt that the Lightning was of limited range and endurance especially when reheat was engaged. Pilots have commented on many occasions watching the fuel gauges with alarm as the fuel was sucked through the engines at an increasing rate. However, in its later life this truly great plane could outfly the F15 and F16 with recorded camera gun shots
proving the point.It did intercept Russian Bombers on an almost daily basis, what it could not do was CAP (combat air patrol)for which it was never designed. It is true that the Aden cannon was deleted from the F2 and F3 but was re-established on the F6 after all you can't fire across the bows of an intruder with an air to air missile! reply | | leo rudnicki, e-mail, 08.05.2009 23:55 The lightning was the fastest and the fastest climbing fighter of it's day. It had no range and carried only two Red-Top or Skyflash missiles. It was not able to intercept Soviet Bombers carrying stand-off missiles, for which the RAF used F-4's with 4 Sparrows & Sidewinders. The job that Tornado F-3 was made for. Lightning was a creation of the government. reply | | Martin Bayliss, e-mail, 08.05.2009 12:37 The lightning was the world's best fighter from 1964 to the late 70's, when the US introduced the F15 into squadron service. The lightning pioneered many things, but one of these pioneering features which is rarely commented on, was the relatively low wing loading of the Lightning wing combined with a highly swept leading edge. This enabled the aircraft to be efficient at high speed flight but also to be manoeuvrable. That is why the Lightning was not only amongst the fastest fighter aircraft ever, but also easily the most manoeuvrable of its day. Today, all other fighter aircraft have copied the Lightning concept of a highly swept wing combined with a low wing loading. Compare and contrast with the F104, fast but hopeless at air combat manoeuvring. reply | | Chuck Restivo, e-mail, 12.04.2009 06:51 I saw several of these aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia in the early 1980s. Royal Saudi Air Force? reply | | leo rudnicki, e-mail, 04.04.2009 00:00 A wonderful airshow aircraft. Climb like a rocket, lots of noise in reheat (a /b), real fast. No gas, no ammo, 2 shots with crappy red-tops and its RTB. No need for a thermos of tea. You'll be back soon or under silk. The a /c was chosen by politicians 'cause it was cheaper than a real combat a /c. It was a research plane. that is why no stores stations,or endurance. Never had it till Tornado F3. Remember Dunkirk and Dieppe when the RAF couldn't put a cap on the coast of France. Fuel and ammo. reply | | Nikos J. Farsaris, e-mail, 27.12.2008 23:11 I have heard that real service ceiling exceeded 21000 meters but it was keft a confidential information throughout the whole service life of the Lightning reply |
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