Table of Contents
Did the English Electric Lightning have flares?
When it was retired it 1988, the Lightning still did not have the ability to carry chaff or flares (essential for survival) or a radar warning receiver (which alert the pilot to the presence of hostile radars). The Lightning was Britain’s first, and only, Mach 2 fighter.
What was the top speed of the English Electric Lightning?
1,500 mph
Lightning fact file
Date: | 1962 |
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Crew: | 1 (pilot) |
Top speed: | 1,500 mph (2,414 km/h) |
Range: | 800 miles (1,287 km) |
Weapons: | 2 x 30mm Aden cannon and 2 x Firestreak air-to-air missiles or 4 x 30mm Aden cannons |
Why is the English Electric Lightning not allowed?
The shape of the Lightning meant that space for fuel was at a premium and while the Lightning carried as much fuel as its design allowed, it was not sufficient to keep it in the air for long when it flew at speed.
How many English Electric Lightnings are left?
There are only four flying Lightnings left in the world and they’re all in Cape Town, waiting for you.
What happened to English Electric?
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, had been making munitions, armaments and aeroplanes….English Electric.
Industry | electrical industry |
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Fate | Merged with General Electric Company plc |
What replaced the RAF Lightning?
Tornado F3s
The Lightning’s direct replacement was the Tornado F3s, an interceptor variant of the Panavia Tornado. The Tornado featured several advantages over the Lightning, including a far larger weapons load and considerably more advanced avionics. Lightnings were slowly phased out of service between 1974 and 1988.
Are any Lightnings still flying?
The Lightning has exceptional rate of climb, ceiling, and speed; pilots have described flying it as “being saddled to a skyrocket”….English Electric Lightning.
Lightning | |
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Manufacturer | English Electric British Aircraft Corporation |
First flight | 4 August 1954 (P.1A) 4 April 1957 |
Introduction | 11 July 1960 (frontline service) |
Retired | 1988 (RAF) |
What happened to GEC?
The General Electric Company, or GEC, was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering….General Electric Company.
Type | Public limited company |
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Founded | 1886 |
Defunct | 1999 |
Fate | Defence arm bought by British Aerospace to form BAE Systems (1999) GEC renamed Marconi (1999) |
What makes the British lightning so special?
What makes the Lightning unique. It’s the only jet fighter with a vertical twin-stack engine layout – It’s all British and did Mach 2.0 It’s probably the ultimate fighter in terms of man and machine working as one. It is a massively overpowered fighter with an incredibly high pilot work-load.
How long did the Lightning last for?
For twenty nine years it thundered over British skies as a brutish deterrent to would-be attackers. Ian Black flew this over-powered monster for the Royal Air Force in the final years of the Cold War. Here he shares the secrets of flying and fighting in Britain’s final jet fighter. What were your first impressions of the Lightning?
Is the Lightning the only UK fighter capable of Mach 2?
It remains the only UK-designed-and-built fighter capable of Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was later absorbed by the newly-formed British Aircraft Corporation.
What was the last British Lightning Jet?
The final British Lightning was the Lightning F.2A. This was an F.2 upgraded with the cambered wing, the squared fin, and the 610 imperial gallons (2,800 L) ventral tank. The F.2A retained the A.I.23 and Firestreak missile, the nose cannon, and the earlier Avon 211R engines.