English Electric Lightning

Lightning
Lightning F.3 in 1964
Role	Interceptor
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	English Electric British Aircraft Corporation
First flight	4 August 1954 (P.1A) 4 April 1957[1]
Introduced	December 1959
Retired	1988 (RAF)
Primary users	Royal Air Force Kuwait Air Force Royal Saudi Air Force
Number built	337 (including prototypes)[1]

The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, remembered for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; RAF pilots described it as "being saddled to a skyrocket".^[1] English Electric was later incorporated into the British Aircraft Corporation, later marks being developed and produced as the BAC Lightning.

The Lightning was used throughout much of its service life by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force. The aircraft was a regular performer at airshows and was the first aircraft capable of supercruise. The Lightning was also one of the highest performance planes ever used in formation aerobatics. The Lightning aircraft is now largely retired to museums, but four examples still fly at "Thunder City" in Cape Town, South Africa.

Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 2.1 Performance 3 Variants 4 Operators 4.1 Military operators 4.2 Civil operators 5 Aircraft on display 6 Specifications (Lightning F6) 7 Popular culture 8 See also 9 References 9.1 Notes 9.2 Bibliography 10 External links

Design and development

The prototypes, known as P.1, were built to Ministry of Supply Operational Requirement ER.103 of 1947 for a transonic research aircraft. The first of the two P.1s WG760 flew for the first time from RAF Boscombe Down on 4 August 1954. It was soon realised that the aircraft should be regarded as a prototype fighter to satisfy the British Air Ministry's 1949 specification F23/49 rather than being research aircraft. This specification followed the cancellation of the Air Ministry's 1942 E.24/43 supersonic research aircraft specification which had resulted in the Miles M.52.^[2] The Lightning shared a number of innovations first planned for the Miles M.52 including the shock cone and all-moving tailplane, the latter described by Chuck Yeager as the single most significant contribution to the final success of supersonic flight.^{[citation needed]}

The P.1's chief designer was W.E.W (Teddy) Petter, formerly chief designer at Westland Aircraft. The design was controversial and the Short SB5 was built to test wing sweep and tailplane combinations. The original combination was proved correct. The forerunner of the Lightning series was the P.1A and P.1B flying "proof-of-concept" aircraft. Looking very much like the production series, the prototypes were distinguished by the rounded-triangular intakes, short fins and lack of radar or operational equipment.^[1] On 25 November 1958, the P.1B became the first British aircraft to fly at Mach 2.^[1]

The Lightning was designed as a point defence interceptor - essentially a guided missile-armed, air superiority fighter optimised to defend mainland Britain against bomber attacks. In order to reduce cross sectional area of the fuselage and improve performance, the fuel capacity was highly restricted. It was armed with two 30 mm ADEN cannons and two air-to-air missiles, at first the de Havilland Firestreak and later the Hawker Siddeley Red Top.

A unique way of minimising the drag of the twin engine installation was put forward by Petter. This involved stacking the engines vertically (staggered to avoid too much weight aft, with the lower engine forward of the upper), effectively tucking them behind the cockpit, fed from the nose and achieving minimum frontal area. This effectively gave twice the thrust of its contemporaries for an increase in frontal area of only 50%. The dish antenna for the Ferranti AI23 AIRPASS: Airborne Interception Radar and Pilot Attack Sight System was mounted in the shock cone.

Limitations of fuel capacity dominated this aircraft's design as its fuselage was nearly all engines and ducting, and thus could not hold any internal fuel. Hence all available other room was adapted to the purpose of holding fuel. The leading edge and flaps were even used as fuel tanks, and the landing gear had very narrow tyres that retracted outward so that there could be greater tankage inboard. This also meant that when the addition of drop tanks for greater range was considered, they could not be placed beneath the wing and were mounted on top instead. When the aerodynamic principle of the area rule became used in aircraft design, a ventral tank was added to the fuselage so the aircraft could carry more fuel while being more aerodynamic.

In September 2008, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers conferred on the Lightning its "Engineering Heritage Award". Former pilots and engineers, who were involved with the plane during the 1950s and 1960s, gathered at the BAE Systems site at Warton Aerodrome to mark the engineering feat.^[3]

Operational history

The first operational aircraft, a pre-production P.1B (XG336), arrived at RAF Coltishall in Norfolk in December 1959. From 1960 the production mark F1 served initially with 74 Squadron. An improved variant the F2 first flew on 11 July 1961 and entered service with 19 Squadron at the end of 1962. The F3 was first flown on 16 June 1962 and the longer-range F6 on 16 June 1965. The versions sold to Saudi Arabia were essentially similar to the T5 and F6 models in UK service and this final production batch reverted to the classic natural metal external finish which lasted well in the drier Arabian climate.

During the 1960s, as strategic awareness increased and a multitude of alternative fighter designs were developed by Warsaw Pact and NATO members, the Lightning's shortcomings in terms of range and firepower became increasingly apparent. The withdrawal of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms from Royal Navy service enabled these slower but much longer-ranged aircraft to be added to the RAF's interceptor force alongside those withdrawn from Germany which were being replaced by SEPECAT Jaguars in the ground attack role. Later the Tornado F3s also arrived to defend UK airspace. While slower and less agile than the Lightning, the Tornado carries a much larger armament load and much more advanced avionics. Lightnings were slowly phased out of service between 1974 and 1988, although much testing and modification was needed to keep them in air-worthy condition due to the high number of flight hours accumulated.

The English Electric Lightning is credited with a single kill, ironically a British aircraft- a Harrier pilot ejected, but the pilotless aircraft continued to fly. The order was given to shoot down the aircraft and the Lightning achieved this successfully.^[4]

In their final years of UK service, all RAF Lightnings were based at RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire and many were camouflaged to make them less conspicuous when flying at low level. They tended to defend the Flamborough Head Sector of airspace above the North Sea. These later aircraft were the single-seater F3 and F6 and the twin seat trainer variant T5, all constructed by British Aircraft Corporation and distinguished from earlier versions by their flat topped fins. In their last year of service their pilots regularly pushed the aircraft to their limits as they used up the remaining hours of fatigue time.

Many Lightnings are conserved in museum collections where their clean sleek lines are evocative of the high speeds that they once attained. The Short SB5 and a P.1A are at the RAF Museum, Cosford. The Civil Aviation Authority refused a licence for the surviving airworthy examples to perform at air shows in the UK but there are three flying in South Africa (see Operators below).

Performance

The Lightning’s speed and climb performance were excellent not just by 1950s or 1960s standards but even compared with modern operational fighters. Its initial rate of climb was 50,000 ft per minute (15 km/min). The contemporary Mirage IIIE climbed initially at 30,000 ft/min (9 km/min), the MiG-21 managed 36,090 ft/min (11 km/min). The recent Tornado F3 does 43,000 ft/min (13 km/min).

The Lightning could, using re-heat (afterburner), reach FL 360 (nominally 36,000 ft) in 2.5 minutes.^[5][6]

The official ceiling was a secret to the general public and low security RAF documents simply stated 60,000+ ft (18 000+ m), although it was well known within the RAF to be capable of much greater heights; the official maximum altitude mainly being determined by cockpit pressurisation reliability and safety. In September 1962 Fighter Command organized a series of trial supersonic overland interceptions of Lockheed U-2As, temporarily based at RAF Upper Heyford to monitor resumed Soviet nuclear tests, at heights of around 60,000-65,000 ft.^[7][8] The trials took place in two stages, the second series consisting of 14 interceptions, including four successful and four abortive ones at 65,000.^[9] The late Brian Carroll, a former RAF Lightning pilot and ex-Lightning Chief Examiner, reported taking a Lightning F53 up to 87,300 feet (26 600 m) over Saudi Arabia at which level "Earth curvature was visible and the sky was quite dark" but control-wise it was "on a knife edge".^[10]

In 1984, during a major NATO exercise, Flt Lt Mike Hale intercepted an American U-2 at a height which they had previously considered safe from interception. Records show that Hale climbed to 88,000 ft (26,800 m) in his Lightning F3 XR749. This was not sustained level flight, but in a ballistic climb or a zoom climb, in which the pilot takes the aircraft to top speed and than puts the aircraft into a climb, trading speed for altitude. The normal service ceiling for this aircraft was 60,000 feet in level flight. Hale also participated in time-to-height and acceleration trials against F-104 Starfighters from Aalborg. He reports that the Lightnings won all races easily with the exception of the low level supersonic acceleration, which was a "dead heat".^[11] Subsequently, in 1959, a specially prepared F-104 broke the world altitude record, reaching 103,395 ft using a zoom climb and an auxiliary rocket for additional power.

Carroll reports in a side-by-side comparison of the Lightning and the F-15C Eagle (which he also flew) that "acceleration in both was impressive, you have all seen the Lightning leap away once brakes are released, the Eagle was almost as good, and climb speed was rapidly achieved. Takeoff roll is between 2,000 and 3,000 ft [600 to 900 m], depending upon military or maximum afterburner-powered takeoff. The Lightning was quicker off the ground, reaching 50 ft [15 m] height in a horizontal distance of 1,630 feet [500m]".

In British Airways trials in April 1985, Concorde was offered as a target to NATO fighters including F-15s, F-16s, F-14s, Mirages, F-104s - but only Lightning XR749, flown by Mike Hale and described by him as "a very hot ship, even for a Lightning", managed to overtake Concorde on a stern conversion intercept.^[11] The XR749 now resides at the entrance of Score Group plc's gas turbine testing and servicing facility in Peterhead, Scotland.

Despite its acceleration, altitude and top speed, the Lightning found itself outclassed by newer fighters in terms of radar, avionics, weapons load, range, and air-to-air capability. More of a problem was the obsolete avionics and weapons fit, particularly the 30 mile (very short) range 1950s radar sets: the avionics were never upgraded in RAF service since Lightnings were always supposedly just about to be replaced by something better.

Roland Beamont (Lightning development-programme chief test pilot), after flying most of the 2nd Generation Century series US fighters of that era, made it clear that in his opinion, nothing at that time had the inherent stability and control and docile handling characteristics of the P1 series prototypes and Lightning derivatives throughout the full flight envelope. Its turn performance and buffet boundaries were well in advance of anything known to him, the Mirage 1 included^[12]. This remained so right up until the next generation of fighter/interceptors was developed worldwide, with underbelly intakes and straked leading edges, or canards.

Variants

English Electric P.1A

• Single-seat supersonic research aircraft.
• Two prototypes built and one static test airframe

English Electric P.1B

• Single-seat operational prototypes to meet Specification F23/49.
• Three prototypes built
• 20 development aircraft ordered in February 1954, (so-called pre-production or development batch)^[13] Type was officially named 'Lightning' in October 1958.

Lightning F1

• Single-seat fighter
• Delivered in 1960
• A total of 19 built (and one static test airframe)
• Two × Rolls-Royce Avon 200R engines
• VHF Radio
• Two × 30 mm ADEN cannons in nose
• Two × Firestreak missiles
• Ferranti AI-23 "AIRPASS" radar

Lightning F1A

• Single-seat fighter
• Delivered in 1961
• Now the "BAC Lightning"
• Avon 210R engines
• Addition of in-flight refuelling probe
• UHF Radio
• A total of 28 built

Lightning F2

• Single-seat fighter (an improved variant of the F1)
• Delivered in 1962
• A total of 44 built with 31 later modified to F2A standard
• Five later modified to F52 for export to Saudi Arabia

Lightning F2A

• Single-seat fighter (F2s upgraded to near F6 standard)
• A total of 31 converted from F2
• Avon 211R engines
• Retained ADEN cannon and Firestreak of F2 (The Firestreak Pack could be replaced with an Aden Cannon Pack to give the aircraft four Aden Cannon)
• Larger Ventral Tank and Arrester Hook
• About two hours endurance

Lightning F3

• Single-seat fighter
• Upgraded radar - AI-23B
• Avon 301R engines
• Firestreak changed for Red Top missiles
• Enlarged and clipped tailfin due to aerodynamics of carriage of Red Top
• ADEN cannon removed
• A total of 70 built (at least nine were converted to F6 standard)

Lightning F3A

• Single-seat fighter
• Extended range, 800 miles with large ventral tank
• New cambered wings
• A total of 16 built at the end of F3 production, known also as an F3 Interim version or F6 Interim Version
• 15 modified later to full F6 standard^[13]

Lightning T4

• Two-seat side-by-side training version, based on the F1A.
• Two prototypes and 20 production built
• Two aircraft later converted to T5 prototypes
• Two aircraft later converted to T54

Lightning T5

• Two-seat side-by-side training version, based on the F3.
• 22 production aircraft built
• One former RAF aircraft later converted to T55 for Saudi Arabia (crashed before delivery)
• Two former RAF aircraft later civilian operated

Lightning F6

• Single-seat fighter (an improved longer-range variant of the F3)
• New wings with better efficiency and subsonic performance, increased fuel storage
• Overwing fuel tanks and larger ventral fuel tank
• Change back to 30 mm cannons (initially no cannons but later in the forward part of ventral pack rather than in nose).
• Two x Red Top missile
• A total of 39 built (also 9 converted from F3 and 15 from F3A)

Lightning F52

• Slightly modified ex-RAF F2 single-seat fighters for export to Saudi Arabia (five converted from F2).

Lightning F53

• Export version of the F6 with pylons for bombs or unguided rocket pods (44 × 2 in (50 mm)
• A total of 46 built and one converted from F6 (12 F53Ks for the Kuwaiti Air Force, 34 F53s for the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force, one aircraft crashed before delivery)
• Used air-to-ground in dispute near border with South Yemen in 1969 with great success

Lightning T54

• Ex-RAF T4 two-seat trainers supplied to Saudi Arabia (two converted).

Lightning T55

• Two-seat side-by-side training aircraft (export version of the T5).
• Eight built (six T55s for the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force, two T.55Ks for the Kuwaiti Air Force and one converted from T5 that crashed before delivery)

Total production was 277 single-seat fighters and 52 two-seater trainers, including RAF and export aircraft.

Operators

Military operators

 Kuwait

• Kuwait Air Force operated both the F53K (12) single-seat fighter and the T55K (2) training version from 1968 to 1977

 Saudi Arabia

• Royal Saudi Air Force operated the Lightning from 1967 to 1986
  • RSAF Squadrons
    • 2 Squadron operated the F53 and T55
    • 6 Squadron operated the F52 and F53
    • 13 Squadron operated the F52, F53 and T55
    • RSAF Lightning Conversion Unit

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force operated the Lighting from 1959 to 1988.
  • RAF Aerial display teams
    • The Tigers of No 74 Squadron. Lead RAF aerial display team from 1962 and first display team with Mach 2 aircraft.
    • The Firebirds of No 56 Squadron from 1963 in red and silver.
  • RAF Squadrons
    • 5 Squadron operated the F1A and F6 (1965-1987)
    • 11 Squadron operated the F3 and F6 (1967-1988)
    • 19 Squadron operated the F2 and F2A (1962-1976)
    • 23 Squadron operated the F3 an F6 (1964-1975)
    • 29 Squadron operated the F3 (1967-1974)
    • 56 Squadron operated the F1, F1A, F3 and F6 (1960-1976)
    • 65 Squadron operated as No. 226 OCU with the F1, F1A and F3 (1971-1974)
    • 74 Squadron operated the F1, F3 and F6 (1964-1971)
    • 92 Squadron operated the F2 and F2A (1963-1977)
    • 145 Squadron operated as No. 226 OCU with the F1, F1A and F3 (1963-1971)
    • 111 Squadron operated the F1A, F3 and F6 (1961-1974)
    • 226 Operational Conversion Unit operated the F1A, F3, T4 and T5 (1963-1974)
    • Air Fighting Development Squadron
    • Lightning Conversion Squadron (1960-1963)
  • RAF Flights
    • Binrook Target Facilities Flight (1966-1973)
    • Leuchars Target Facilities Flight (1966-1973)
    • Wattisham Target Facilities Flight (1966-1973)
    • Lightning Training Flight (1975-1987)
  • RAF Bases
    • RAF Akrotiri
    • RAF Binbrook
    • RAF Coltishall
    • RAF Geilenkirchen
    • RAF Gütersloh
    • RAF Leconfield
    • RAF Middleton St. George
    • RAF Leuchars
    • RAF Tengah
    • RAF Wattisham

Civil operators

 South Africa

• Thunder City, a private company based at Cape Town International Airport, South Africa operates two Lightning T5 and two single-seat F6 (current October 2009).^[14]

An English Electric Lightning T5 belonging to Thunder City crashed during the biennial South African Air Force Overberg Airshow held at AFB Overberg near Bredasdorp on 14 November 2009.^[15] The Silver Falcons, the SA Air Force's official aerobatic team, flew a missing man formation after it was announced that the pilot, Dave Stock, had died in the crash.^[16]

 United States

• The Anglo American Lightning Organisation, a group based at Stennis Airport, Kiln, Mississippi, are returning to flight EE Lighting T5, XS422. The aircraft was formerly with the Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, UK.^[17]

Aircraft on display

The following aircraft are on public display:

• WG760 P.1A at the RAF Museum Cosford, England
• WG763 P.1B at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, England
• XG329 Lightning F1/3 at the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton, England
• XG337 Lightning F1/3 at the RAF Museum Cosford, England.
• XM135 Lightning F1 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, England.
• XN730 Lightning F2A at the Luftwaffe Museum, Gatow, Germany
• XN769 Lightning F2A at the Malta Aviation Museum, Ta'qali, Malta
• XN776 Lightning F2A at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, Scotland.
• XN782 Lightning F2A at the Luftfahrtausstellung Museum, Hermeskeil, Germany.
• XR728 Lightning F6 with LPG, Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome, Leicestershire. Taxi-able.
• XR749 Lightning F3 outside Score Group's Integrated Valve and Gas Turbine Plant, Peterhead, Scotland.
• XR771 Lightning F6 at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.
• XS417 Lightning T5 at the Newark Air Museum, Newark, England.
• XS420 Lightning T5 on loan to the Farnbrough Air Sciences Trust, Farnbrough, England.
• XS459 Lightning T5 at the Fenland and West Norfolk Aviation Museum, Wisbech, England.
• XS897 Lightning F6 at Aeroventure, Doncaster, England.
• XS903 Lightning F6 at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, England.
• XS904 Lightning F6 with LPG, Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome, Leicestershire. Taxi-able.
• XS925 Lightning F6 stand mounted at Castle Motors on the A38 near Liskeard, Cornwall, England.
• XS936 Lightning F6 at the RAF Museum, Hendon, England.
• ZF578 Lightning F53 as XR753 at the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Tangmere, England.
• ZF579 Lightning F53 at the Gatwick Aviation Museum, Charlwood, Nr Gatwick Airport, England.
• ZF580 Lightning F53 outside BAE Systems, Samlesbury, England
• ZF581 Lightning F53 outside BAE Systems, Rochester, England.
• ZF583 Lightning F53 at the Solway Aviation Museum, Carlisle Airport Cumbria England.
• ZF588 Lightning F53 at the East Midlands Airport Aeropark, Castle Donington, England.
• ZF592 Lightning F53 as 53-686 at the City of Norwich Airport Museum, Norwich, England
• ZF593 Lightning F53 at the Warner-Robins Museum of Aviation, Georgia, USA.
• ZF594 Lightning F53 at the North East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland, England.
• ZF597 Lightning T55 at the Olympic Flight Museum, Washington, USA.
• ZF598 Lightning T55 as 55-713 at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.

Specifications (Lightning F6)

Data from Air Vectors^[18][19]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 55 ft 3 in (16.84 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)
• Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)
• Wing area: 474.5 ft² (44.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 28,040 lb (12,720 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 41,700 lb (18,900 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojets
  • Dry thrust: 13,220 lbf (58.86 kN) each
  • Thrust with afterburner: 16,360 lbf (72.77 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph, 2,415 km/h) at altitude
• Range: 800 mi (1,300 km) combat 560 km
• Ferry range: 1,560 mi (1,360 NM, 2,500 km)
• Service ceiling: >60,000 ft (18,000 m) officially (87,300 ft/26,600 m^[20] recorded)
• Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (260 m/s)
• Wing loading: 87.9 lb/ft² (429 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.63^{[citation needed]} - 1.2^[21]

Armament

• Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN cannons
• Hardpoints: 2× under-chin (only for mounting AAMs), 2 under-wing and 2 overwing pylon stations holding up to 6,000 lb (2,750 kg) of payload
• Rockets:
  
  • 8× Matra rocket pods (each with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets) or
  • 4× Matra JL-100 drop tank/rocket pack (each with 19× SNEB 68 mm rockets and 66 US gallons/250 liters of fuel on overwing pylons, Royal Saudi AF Lightnings only)^[22]
• Missiles:
  
  • Air-to-air missile:
    • 2× De Havilland Firestreak or
    • 2× Hawker Siddeley Red Top
• Bombs: A variety of unguided iron bombs, drop tanks and the ability to mount a ventral pack of five Vinteen 360 70-mm cameras and linescan equipment for reconnaissance mission.

Popular culture

• British journalist and TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson borrowed a Lightning (serial XM172) which was temporarily placed in his garden and documented on Clarkson's TV show Speed.
• The cockpit sections from four scrapped Lightnings were used to construct the full-scale mockups of the CF-117b Rapier starfighters in the film Wing Commander.

See also

• Portal:British aircraft since World War II
  

Related development

• Short SB.5
  

Comparable aircraft

• F-104 Starfighter
• Sukhoi Su-15
  

Related lists

• List of aircraft of the RAF
• List of fighter aircraft
  

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: English Electric Lightning

• English Electric / BAC Lightning Information
• The Lightning Association
• Thunder City
• Warbird Alley: Lightning page
• Silent Sentinel: The tale of an A1 milestone
• APH's English Electric (BAC) Lightning - Vertical Reality
• Image of weapon load-out for a typical Lightning fighter.
• Five-minute RAF Recruiting film "Streaked Lightning" from 1962 at the National Archives Public Information Film library WMP and Quicktime

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