English Electric Lightning and the TSR2

Some footage of these great aircraft.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Royal
• Air
• Force
• English
• Electric
• Lightning
• jets
• B.A.C.
• Flying
• Flight
• Jet
• Aviation
• Flight International
• Airplane
• Aircraft
• Plane
• Fixed-wing Aircraft
• Planes
• Landing
• War
• Pilot
• Fighter

[kisauktak]

I saw the Lighting flying over Taif ,Saudi Arabia in 1975, they were based at Khamisin The Royal Saudi Air Force. They were brilliant.They flew past the control tower at the Taif base and the Yank civilian training staff from Northrop took off in their F5e's and after about ten minutes came back down without even coming close to catching up with the Lighting.

It made us Brits just smile with pride and the Yanks never said another thing..

[joluqa]

@kisauktak The lightning was an icon of those days they had done the same in Malta as they went for intercepts over the Mediterranian sea,those were the days mate.

[LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH]

@smilo996 The Yanks forced the UK government to scrapped TSR2. Surely you know the story of the cash strapped Wilson government being effectively blackmailed by the Yanks? Wilson wanted a loan from the IMF. The Yanks made it clear that they could either support the British application to the IMF, or oppose it. Guess what the catch was? TSR 2 represented a massive threat to the F-111 in terms of sales exports. So, what would have been NATO's most potent strike aircraft was killed off.

[bigbullsful]

White elephant.

[stevo728822]

My old man was a RAF electronic technician on the Lightning. He said they used to call it the "flying brick".

[smilo996]

why on earth did Britian bottle it and back out of the TSR2 project. Did the UK not end up with the F111 at a cost multiple time larger than oroginal planned and less capable than the potential of the TSR2 anyway Always think the Jaguar took on some of the shape of the TSR 2. Greart shame. There was also a swing wing version planned which the Americans also used to great effect on the F14.

[AgriVidsProductions]

This plane makes me proud to be British

[PICLex]

Thank's for sharing joluqa.

[motorguzzi100]

flt ltnt hale would agree the lightning was faster than f15 it could out climb it 180 seconds to 45000ft not bad for old 1959 plane and that was from brake release on ground

[LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH]

@motorguzzi100 Correct. NATO ran an intercept exercise in 1985/6. Concorde ran at full throttle and blew away EVERY NATO fighter-including the allegedly faster F-15. ONE aircraft caught the Concorde at full chat- The Mighty Lightning. Awesome machine, then & now.