Performance: Maximum speed 599 mph, Range 480 miles, Service ceiling 44,500 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Bombload 2,000 lbs Hawker Sea Hawk Dimensions: Wingspan 39 ft, Length 39 ft 8 ins, Height 8 ft 8 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1953 Number built: 500+ The Hawker P.1040 was designed as an interceptor for the R.A.F., but when they showed little interest it was offered to the Admiralty. After evaluation it was found suitable for their needs, and a fully navalised prototype flew for the first time in late August 1948. Following successful carrier trials a production order was placed in late 1949, with the first production Sea Hawk F.1 taking to the air in 1951. The Sea Hawk entered service with the Royal Navy in 1953 and was built through nine Mks, many aircraft being sold to N.A.T.O. while the last Royal Navy Sea Hawk was retired in 1960. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 9,278 lbs, Maximum take-off 16,150 lbs Powerplant: One 5,200 lbf Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 474 mph, Range 500 miles, Service ceiling 37,500 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Bombload none Convair XFY ‘Pogo’ Dimensions: Wingspan 25 ft 8 ins, Length 34 ft 11 ins, Height 23 ft 11 ins Crew: 1 Entered trial: 1954 Number built: 3 In May 1951 Convair was awarded a contract to design and build an experimental V.T.O.L. aircraft, which became the Convair XFY, nicknamed ‘Pogo’. The XFY was a tail-sitter, and designed around the 5,500 hp Allison YT40-A-14 engine, which powered 16 ft diameter contra-rotating propellers that would provide the lift to get the aircraft airborne. The pilot's seat was mounted on gimbals that allowed movement from 45° to 90° for the transition from vertical to horizontal flight. The first transitional flight took place in November 1954, but the aircraft always proved difficult to fly and the project was cancelled in 1955. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 11,139 lbs, Maximum take-off 16,250 lbs Powerplant: One 5,500 hp Allison YT40-A-14 turboprop Performance: Maximum speed 715 mph, Range 445 miles, Service ceiling 50,000 ft Armament: 4 x 30 mm Aden cannons 4 x Matra rocket pods Hawker Hunter F.6 Dimensions: Wingspan 33 ft 8 ins, Length 45 ft 11 ins, Height 23 ft 2 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1954 Number built: 1,972 (all mks) The swept wing Hawker Hunter entered service with the R.A.F. in 1954 and quickly replaced the first-generation jet fighters such as the Gloster Meteor and the de Havilland Venom. The Hunter remained the main interceptor aircraft with the R.A.F. until the introduction of the English Electric Lightning in the early 1960s, then having a second career as a successful ground attack aircraft, while two-seat training trainers remained in service until the early 1990s. The Hunter was also widely exported and would serve with twenty-one national air forces, those of the Lebanese Air Force lasting until 2014 when they were finally retired. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 14,122 lbs, Maximum take-off 17,750 lbs Powerplant: One 10,145 lbf Rolls-Royce Avon 207 turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 647 mph, Range 1,050 miles, Service ceiling 42,000 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons 6 x 5 inch rockets Grumman F9F Cougar Dimensions: Wingspan 34 ft 6 ins, Length 32 ft 1½ ins, Height 12 ft 3 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1954 Number built: 1,988 (all mks) The Grumman F9F Cougar was based on the earlier F9F Panther, but had swept instead of straight wings and a more powerful engine. The prototype first flew in September 1951, with the first production aircraft being assigned to VF-32 at the end of 1952. The only version of the Cougar to see combat was the TF-9J trainer during the Vietnam War, where small detachments were used in the forward air control and airborne command roles in South Vietnam between 1966 and 1968. The TF-9J two seat trainer version remained in service with the U.S. Navy until 1974 when the last aircraft was withdrawn. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 18,866 lbs, Maximum take-off 24,763 lbs Powerplant: One 8,500 lbf Pratt & Whitney J48 turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 695 mph, Range 810 miles, Service ceiling 46,000 ft Armament: 6 x 0.5 inch machine guns Maximum Bombload 6,000 lbs Republic F-84 Thunderstreak Dimensions: Wingspan 37 ft 6 ins, Length 43 ft 4¾ ins, Height 10 ft 6 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1954 Number built: 3,428 In 1949 Republic Aviation proposed to the U.S. military a swept wing version of their F-84 Thunderjet in an attempt to bring the performance of the aircraft up to that of the North American F-86 Sabre. Design problems delayed the aircraft’s entry into service until May 1954, but soon further problems were encountered with the aircraft. It was then decided to phase them out of service and mothball the fleet, which was completed by 1958. Tensions between the superpowers in 1961 resulted in the F-84F fleet being reactivated, but the following year they were again grounded after further problems and withdrawn in 1964. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 13,830 lbs, Maximum take-off 28,000 lbs Powerplant: One 7,220 lbf Wright J65-W-3 turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 675 mph, Range 1,000 miles Service ceiling 46,800 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Bombload none North American FJ-2/3 Fury Dimensions: Wingspan 35 ft 1½ ins, Length 37 ft 7 ins, Height 13 ft 7 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1954 Number built: 538 At the time of the Korean War the U.S. Navy did not possess any similar aircraft to the North American F-86 Sabre of the U.S.A.F. then entering service. When Mig 15s began to be encountered in action the Navy urgently required a competitive aircraft, so a navalised version of the Sabre was requested. This became the FJ-2 Fury which entered service in 1954, just too late to participate in the war. The FJ-2 was soon superceded by the superior FJ-3 which first entered service in May 1955, the Navy being more than satisfied with the aircraft which remained in service until 1962. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 11,802 lbs, Maximum take-off 18,790 lbs Powerplant: One 6,000 lbf General Electric J47-GE-2 turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 680 mph, Range 2,000 miles Service ceiling 46,800 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Maximum Bombload 3,000 lbs North American FJ-4 Fury Dimensions: Wingspan 39 ft 1 ins, Length 36 ft 4 ins, Height 13 ft 11 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1955 Number built: 374 The FJ-4 Fury was a major redesign that resolved many of the problems of the FJ-2/3. The wings and tail surfaces were redesigned for better performance when operating from a carrier or at high altitude, while a deeper fuselage allowed fuel capacity to be increased, and along with many other modifications there was little in common with the earlier models although the aircraft looked familiar. The first FJ-4 flew in October 1954 with deliveries commencing in early 1955, and in total 374 were built, 222 being the FJ-4B fighter-attack version. Many aircraft remained in service with reserve units until the late 1960s. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 13,210 lbs, Maximum take-off 23,700 lbs Powerplant: One 7,700 lbf Wright J65-W-16A turbojet
Performance: Maximum speed 1,300 mph, Range 850 miles Service ceiling 60,000+ ft Armament: 2 x 30 mm Aden cannons 2 x Firestreak air-to-air missiles
English Electric Lightning F.1
Dimensions: Wingspan 39 ft 1 ins, Length 36 ft 4 ins, Height 13 ft 11 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1960 Number built: 337
The English Electric Lightning was designed to meet the Air Ministry specification F23/49 for a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, and flew for the first time in August 1954. The Lightning was powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon jet engines which gave the aircraft a speed of Mach 2 (1,300 mph), the engines being arranged one above the other instead of the normal side by side positions. The main achilles heel of the aircraft was its short range, and from 1974 the Lightning was gradually phased out of the R.A.F. and were replaced by the slower, but more capable, Panavia Tornado F3. The last Lightning was retired from the R.A.F. in 1988. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 31,068 lbs, Maximum take-off 45,750 lbs Powerplant: Two 16,000 lbf Rolls-Royce Avon 301R turbojets
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Performance: Maximum speed 263 mph, Range 1,700 miles, Service ceiling 25,000 ft Payload: 24-38 passengers Vickers Viking Dimensions: Wingspan 89 ft 3 ins, Length 65 ft 2 ins, Height 19 ft 7 ins Crew: 3 Entered service: 1946 Number built: 161 The Vickers Viking was designed during World War Two as an interim civil airliner to meet the needs of British post-war commercial aviation. Many components were based on those used by the Wellington bomber with a new fuselage that could carry up to twenty-seven passengers. Both B.O.A.C. and B.E.A. ordered the aircraft, and the type was the first purpose built post World War Two airliner to fly anywhere in the world when they began revenue eaning service in 1946 with B.O.A.C. From the early 1950s they were withdrawn and sold to minor airlines, where many aircraft remaining operational until the mid to late 1960s. SPECIFICATION: Weights: Empty 23,000 lbs, Maximum take-off 34,000 lbs Powerplant: Two1,690 hp Bristol Hercules 634 radial engine Performance: Maximum speed 580 mph, Range 1,716 miles, Service ceiling 46,000 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Bombload 3,000 lbs McDonnell F2H Banshee Dimensions: Wingspan 41 ft 9 ins, Length 48 ft 2 ins, Height 14 ft 6 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1948 Number built: 895 The Banshee was designed to meet a United States Navy specification for a carrier strike aircraft. The aircraft was a development of McDonnell’s earlier FH Phantom which first flew in early 1945, but with many improvements to make it a more potent aircraft. The Banshee was of basic jet design for the time, with low mounted straight wings, with the pilots cockpit fitted just forward of the wing. The Banshee was one of the primary American fighters used during the Korean War, and remained in service with the U.S. Navy until the mid 1950s. From then onwards they continued to be used by reserve units until the early 1960s. SPECIFICATION: Weights: Empty 13,183 lbs, Maximum take-off 25,214 lbs Powerplant: Two 3,250 lbf Westinghouse J34-WE-34 turbojets Performance: Maximum speed 575 mph, Range 650 miles, Service ceiling 48,500 ft Armament: 4 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons Bombload none Yakovlev Yak-23 Dimensions: Wingspan 78 ft 7¾ ins, Length 26 ft 8 ins, Height 10 ft 10¼ ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1949 Number built: 316 In 1946 Alexander Yakovlev began on the development of a single-seat, straight-winged jet fighter which would have a speed of at least 600 mph at sea level and a good climb rate. The engine chosen was the Klimov RD-500 turbojet rated at 3,500 lbf, which was an unlicensed copy of the Rolls-Royce Derwent V. The prototype was first flown in July 1947, and after successful trials was placed in production with the first aircraft entering service in late 1949 with the Soviet air force. They were quickly replaced when the MiG-15 became available in numbers, a few of the aircraft then being supplied to members of the Soviet Bloc. SPECIFICATION: Weights: Empty 4,356 lbs, Maximum take-off 7,445 lbs Powerplant: One 3,500 lbf Klimov RD-500 turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 288 mph, Range 660 miles, Service ceiling 32,500 ft Armament: Provisions for four unguided 60 lb rockets Boulton-Paul Balliol T2 Dimensions: Wingspan 39 ft 4 ins, Length 35 ft 1½ ins, Height 12 ft 6 ins Crew: 2 Entered service: 1951 Number built: 199 The Boulton-Paul Balliol was designed as a conventional two seat advanced trainer which made its maiden flight in July 1948. In early 1950 an order was issued for the large scale production of the Merlin powered T.2, but after only a few aircraft had been delivered the Air Ministry changed its mind over its training policy and the order was severely cut back. Only the R.A.F. College at Cranwell and No 7 Flying Training School received the type, while the Sea Balliol T21 with folding wings and arrestor hook was produced for the Royal Navy, and saw service with 781 squadron at Lee-on-Solent and 1843 Squadron R.N.V.R. at Abbotsinch. SPECIFICATION: Weights: Empty 6,730 lbs, Maximum take-off 8,410 lbs Powerplant: One 1,245 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 35 inline engine Performance: Maximum speed 590 mph, Range 600 miles, Service ceiling 45,000 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Bombload 2,000 lbs Supermarine Attacker F.1 Dimensions: Wingspan 36 ft 11 ins, Length 37 ft 6 ins, Height 9 ft 11 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1951 Number built: 185 The Supermarine Attacker has its origins in a 1944 Air Ministry specification for a jet fighter fpowered by the newly developed Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. Supermarine’s design used the laminar flow wings and landing gear of the Supermarine Spiteful, which was unusual as it was of tail wheel configuration. The aircraft was trialled by the R.A.F. in 1946 but rejected for service. A navalised version was then prepared which first flew in 1947, and after trials was accepted for production. The Attacker F.1 entered service with No. 800 Squadron in August 1951, and was the first operational jet for the Royal Navy. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 8,434 lbs, Maximum take-off 12,221 lbs Powerplant: One 5,000 lbf Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 638 mph, Range 1,565 miles Service ceiling 44,500 ft Armament: 1 x 30 mm Aden cannon Bombload 6,800 lbs BAE Systems Hawk Dimensions: Wingspan 32 ft 7 ins, Length 40 ft 9 ins, Height 13 ft 1 ins Crew: 1 + 1 pupil Entered service: 1976 Number built: 1,000+ The Hawk first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk, and has subsequently been produced by its successor companies, British Aerospace and then BAE Systems. In the Royal Air Force it replaced the Folland Gnat as an advanced jet trainer from the mid 1970s as well as being used as a low-cost combat aircraft. Operators of the Hawk include the Royal Air Force Red Arrows display team, and has been sold in considerable numbers abroad, with over 1,000 being sold and operated by eighteen countries worldwide. The Hawk is still in production in the UK and under licence in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 9,880 lbs, Maximum take-off 20,000 lbs Powerplant: One 6,500 lbf Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 622 mph, Range 1,000 miles, Service ceiling 40,500 ft Armament: 6 x 0.5 inch machine guns Maximum Bombload 4,450 lbs Republic F-84 Thunderjet Dimensions: Wingspan 26 ft 5 ins, Length 38 ft 1 in, Height 12 ft 7 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1947 Number built: 7,524 The prototype XP-84 flew for the first time in February 1946 and entered service the following year as the F-84 Thunderjet. The type was plagued with so many problems that the U.S.A.F. considered cancelling the entire programme, but eventually these were overcome with the F-84D model which appeared in 1949. During the Korean War the F-84 flew a total of 86,408 missions for the loss of 335 aircraft, and remained in front line service until the late 1950’s when they were then turned over for use by the Air National Guard. 7,524 Thunderjets were built, with over half this number being supplied to N.A.T.O. countries. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 11,470 lbs, Maximum take-off 23,340 lbs Powerplant: One 5,560 lbf Allison J35-A-29 turbojet Performance: Maximum speed 258 mph, Range 1,460 miles, Service ceiling 21,500 ft Payload: 34 troops or 20 paratroopers with equipment Vickers Valletta Dimensions: Wingspan 89 ft 3 ins, Length 62 ft 11 ins, Height 19 ft 7 ins Crew: 4 Entered service: 1948 Number built: 262 The Vickers Valetta was a military transport development of the Vickers Viking civil airliner, and differed in having more powerful engines, a strengthened floor and large loading doors. The Valetta began to enter service in 1948 where it replaced the Douglas Dakota in R.A.F. Transport Command. During its career the Valetta was used to carry out parachute drops for the Suez Crisis in 1956 and used as a general transport for a number of other British Military operations in the 1950s and 1960s. The main transport version was the Valetta C.1, while the C.2 was a VIP transport, and the T.3 and T.4 were training aircraft. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 24,980 lbs, Maximum take-off 36,500 lbs Powerplant: Two1,975 hp Bristol Hercules 230 radial engine
S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 12,505 lbs, Maximum take-off 20,900 lbs Powerplant: Two 2,070 hp Rolls-Royce 130/131 inline engines
Performance: Maximum speed 472 mph, Range 1,500 miles, Service ceiling 37,500 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Bombload 2,000 lbs Dimensions: Wingspan 45 ft, Length 36 ft 8 ins, Height 16 ft 2 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1946 Number built: 174
Performance: Maximum speed 288 mph, Range 660 miles, Service ceiling 32,500 ft Armament: Provisions for four unguided 60 lb rockets Boulton-Paul Sea Balliol T21 Dimensions: Wingspan 39 ft 4 ins, Length 35 ft 1½ ins, Height 12 ft 6 ins Crew: 2 Entered service: 1952 Number built: 30 The Boulton-Paul Balliol was designed as a conventional two seat advanced trainer which made its maiden flight in July 1948. In early 1950 an order was issued for the large scale production of the Merlin powered T.2, but after only a few aircraft had been delivered the Air Ministry changed its mind over its training policy and the order was severely cut back. Only the R.A.F. College at Cranwell and No 7 Flying Training School received the type, while the Sea Balliol T21 with folding wings and arrestor hook was produced for the Royal Navy, and saw service with 781 squadron at Lee-on-Solent and 1843 Squadron R.N.V.R. at Abbotsinch. SPECIFICATION: Weights: Empty 6,730 lbs, Maximum take-off 8,410 lbs Powerplant: One 1,245 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 35 inline engine Performance: Maximum speed 590 mph, Range 600 miles, Service ceiling 45,000 ft Armament: 4 x 20 mm cannons Bombload 2,000 lbs Supermarine Attacker F.1 Dimensions: Wingspan 36 ft 11 ins, Length 37 ft 6 ins, Height 9 ft 11 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1951 Number built: 185 The Supermarine Attacker has its origins in a 1944 Air Ministry specification for a jet fighter fpowered by the newly developed Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. Supermarine’s design used the laminar flow wings and landing gear of the Supermarine Spiteful, which was unusual as it was of tail wheel configuration. The aircraft was trialled by the R.A.F. in 1946 but rejected for service. A navalised version was then prepared which first flew in 1947, and after trials was accepted for production. The Attacker F.1 entered service with No. 800 Squadron in August 1951, and was the first operational jet for the Royal Navy. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 8,434 lbs, Maximum take-off 12,221 lbs Powerplant: One 5,000 lbf Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet
Performance: Maximum speed 1,300 mph, Range 850 miles Service ceiling 60,000+ ft Armament: 2 x 30 mm Aden cannons 2 x Firestreak air-to-air missiles
English Electric Lightning F.6
Dimensions: Wingspan 39 ft 1 ins, Length 36 ft 4 ins, Height 13 ft 11 ins Crew: 1 Entered service: 1960 Number built: 337
The English Electric Lightning was designed to meet the Air Ministry specification F23/49 for a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, and flew for the first time in August 1954. The Lightning was powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon jet engines which gave the aircraft a speed of Mach 2 (1,300 mph), the engines being arranged one above the other instead of the normal side by side positions. The main achilles heel of the aircraft was its short range, and from 1974 the Lightning was gradually phased out of the R.A.F. and were replaced by the slower, but more capable, Panavia Tornado F3. The last Lightning was retired from the R.A.F. in 1988. S P E C I F I C A T I O N : Weights: Empty 31,068 lbs, Maximum take-off 45,750 lbs Powerplant: Two 16,000 lbf Rolls-Royce Avon 301R turbojets Contents Contents 4 4 3 3 2 2
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