The Folland Gnat was a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Air Force, and flown extensively by the Indian Air Force. It was designed by W.E.W. Petter, and first flew in 1955. Its design was such that it could be built without specialised tools by countries that were not highly industrialised.[1][2] Although never used as a fighter by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the "Gnat T.1" trainer variant was widely used. The Gnat became well known as the mount for the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team.
The Gnat also achieved export success, particularly with India, the largest foreign operator who manufactured the aircraft under license. India then developed the HAL Ajeet, a modified and improved variant.
Design and development
The Gnat was the creation of W.E.W. "Teddy" Petter, a British aircraft designer formerly of Westland Aircraft and English Electric. Designed to meet the 1952 Operational Requirement OR.303 calling for a lightweight fighter, Petter believed that a small, simple fighter would offer the advantages of low purchase and operational costs. New lightweight turbojet engines that were being developed enabled the concept to take shape.[1] Petter 's first design resulted in the private venture Folland Midge which had a short lifespan, but served as a proof-of-concept design.
A privately owned Folland Gnat.
The Midge first flew on 11 August 1954 but was destroyed in a crash on 20 September 1955. The Gnat, being developed in parallel with the Midge, was an improved version of the original fighter design, differentiated by larger air intakes and provision for a 30 mm Aden cannon in each intake lip.
One of the hallmarks of the Gnat's design was its compact size. However, to achieve such a size, its systems were closely packed, making maintenance more difficult. Some of its systems were not noted for their reliability and the aircraft suffered from high operating costs. There were also concerns that its cockpit was cramped and obstructed the instructor's forward visibility.[4] Furthermore, the limited weapons load and reduced fuel capacity both designed to reduce overall kerb weight meant that it could not operate for protracted periods . Despite the shortcomings, the Gnat and its predecessor the Folland Midge were praised by the RAF evaluation and the test pilots in the 1955 Gnat Flight Development Team that included a pilot from India. The lower cost of the Gnat, its compact dimensions, as well as "good press" for the aircraft in air shows, were among the factors that prompted a spurt in its export sales.
SFR Yugoslav Air Force received only two aircraft, construction numbers FL14 and FL17, machines originally marked as G-39-8 and G-39-9 respectively, and became Yugoslav AF inventory registration numbers 11601 and 11602. They were used for evaluation and tests by VOC (Flight test center).
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Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter-A ____(Rare Videos)by odzadze1238,618 views
@Gruntol5 I've seen film of how this was done. They were on a section of road on the coast with some props to make it look as though they were on a carrier
binaway 5 months ago
hi !in India it's known as saber killer(saber jets)
srijit8227 8 months ago
i read that in 1960 britain offered israel the license and tools to make these locally but because they couldn't carry a substantial payload and were only transonic they were rejected for buying the mirage III. so india was offered and went with it. it proved to be so good their local update the ajeet proved to be a really potent little fighter and stayed in use until recent years. i forget if the ajeet was supersonic in level flight however.
nomadnametab 1 year ago
To fly the Gnat is to Know exhilaration, acceleration and ecstacy. I Know.
AVMamfortas 1 year ago
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kamasutrair 2 years ago
In Finland we used these jets in the 60`s. My father, who was a pilot in the FAF, told me that 2 officers had an argue (drunk ofcourse) on which could outmanuvre the other.....the Mig 21 (bis) or Folland gnat. We used both at that time. So, one day they met at 20000 ft. The "dogfight" begun. He said "The Gnat could draw 8 around him"...the MIG had NO chance :-)
scandiguy75 2 years ago
Isn't it about speed and agility? Plus even the small Gnat has a nasty 'bite'!
Doubledig 2 years ago
The Gnat was an amazing little plane capable of nearly 700 mph. In the comedy film "Hot Shots," Gnats (ex-RAF and maybe some ex-Indian AF), repainted in US insignia, are used extensively and even (or so it appears) landing on and taking off American aircraft carriers.
Gruntol5 2 years ago
Some how a jet named after one of the smallest bugs does not seem intimidating.
StormRisingOriginal 2 years ago
Great Posts....love your site keep em coming!
Greenhornet270 2 years ago