English Electric Lightning (1960 - 1988)

F Mk 1 XM165/f of 74 Sqn flying at Mach 0.98 at Warton 1961 (Charles Lowe/BAe)

Schlieren photograph of shockwave pattern on windtunnel model of Lightning at Mach 0.98 (BAe)

Five Lightning Mk 1As of 56 Sqn breakduring their display at the first Air Tattoo at North Weald in 1963

Where the Hunter was ultimately shapely, its successor was the epitome of functionality; the Lightning's curves were confined to the fuselage cross-section. The original design study was in response to a research specification ER.103 of 1947. Both English Electric and Fairey Aviation submitted designs. That from the latter company was a pure research design, the FD.2, whereas the English Electric design, the P.1, had operational potential built in. As a result specification F.23/49 was issued which extended the P.1 concept to include operational fighter equipment.

The original design incorporated highly swept wings and a low-set tailplane, about which characteristics there was some official concern. Apart from investment in a new wind-tunnel by English Electric, it was also decided to build a flying model to test wing-sweep and tailplane setting, especially at low speeds. The Short SB5 (WG768) with fixed undercarriage and powered by a Derwent engine flew on 2 December 1952. The wings could be swept (on the ground) to 50°, 60° and 69° and the tailplane position could be moved from fintip to lower fuselage. As a result of tests on the SB5 the design was set with 60° wing sweep and with a low-set tailplane.

SB5 WG768 in flight with original high-set tail and maximum wing sweep

WG768 as preserved at Cosford with low-set tail

Three prototype P.1A aircraft were ordered and the first (WG760) flew on 4 August 1954. No operational equipment was built in and the power was provided by two Sapphire Sa5 engines of 8,100lbs thrust. The engines were mounted one above the other, but staggered to reduce frontal area. On its third flight on 11 August WG760 became the first British aircraft to exceed Mach 1 in level flight.

WG760 on an early flight

The research design was then developed into the protoype fighter as the P.1B designed to accommodate missiles and Ferranti AI23 Airpass radar in the nose shock cone. The first of three, XA847, flew on 4 April 1957 and on 25 November 1958 the aircraft flew at Mach 2 for the first time. The P.1B had two Avon engines of 11, 250 lbs thrust (14,350 lbs with reheat) and the fuselage was redesigned to take the larger engine.

P1B XA847 showing the revised nose and cockpit

In October 1958 the type was named Lightning and fifty were ordered, the first twenty to be pre-production machines for a wide range of development work. Several of the later of these aircraft served with the AFDS. The Lightning was almost certainly the last single-seat fighter to be designed and built in Britain. On its entry into service it represented a spectacular advance over the Hunter, with its top speed in excess of Mach 2 and a ceiling of 60,000ft which it could reach in little over a minute. It remained in front-line service from 1960 to 1987.

Second pre-production Lightning XG308 with enlarged fin and Firestreak missiles

F Mark 1 The designation was applied to the balance of the first order of thirty production aircraft. During development work with the pre-production machines the fin height was increased but in other respects the design was unchanged. Armament was fixed at two Firestreak air-to-air missiles and two 30mm Aden cannon in the nose. The Lightning entered service with 74 Sqn in June 1960.
Service Fighter 74 Training LCU; LTF; 226 OCU Target Facilities 5, 23, 111; Binbrook, Leconfield, Leuchars, Wattisham TFFs Other CFE (AFDS)

Fifth F Mk 1 XM138/G was delivered to AFDS in late 1959

F Mark 1A This differed from the F Mk 1 in several respects. Provision was made for in-flight refuelling through a detachable probe fitted under the port wing and the radio fit was changed from VHF to UHF. Wiring changes to the missile pylons resulted in external ducts along the fuselage side. The engine was the Avon 210R with a four position reheat control.
Service Fighter 56, 111 Target Facilities 5, 11, 23 Other FCTU

F Mk 1A XM177 of Wattisham TFF

F Mark 2 The Mark 2 was externally virtually similar to the F Mk 1A but it incorporated several internal changes. These included improved navigation equipment, a steerable nosewheel, offset TACAN, liquid oxygen breathing and variable nozzle reheat. The only external difference was a small intake scoop on the fuselage spine for a DC standby generator. The first F Mk 2 (XN723) flew on 11 July 1961 and the version entered service with 19 Sqn at Leconfield in December 1962.
Service Fighter 19, 92 Other CFE (AFDS)

F Mk 2 XN768/S of 92 Sqn

F Mark 2A This was the F Mk 2 rebuilt to incorporate some F Mk 6 features. 31 of the original 44 F Mk 2s were converted from 1968. The engines fitted were the Avon RA211R but the F Mk 2 armament fit was retained. External features were the most noticeable, comprising the cambered wing, square-cut fin and much enlarged ventral tank of the F Mk 6.
Service Fighter 19,92 Other RAE

F Mk 2A XN780/K of 92 Sqn approaching Victor tanker XH648 of 55 Sqn

The F Mk 3 was the fastest Lightning and was the preferred model for displays. Here XR749/DA of the LTF is put through its paces at Abingdon in 1986

F Mark 3 The Mark 3 employed the Avon 301R and was the fastest of the Lightnings having a superb power to weight ratio of nearly 1:1. Armament was changed to the Red Top collision course missile (two carried) mated to the revised AI23B radar; the Aden cannon were omitted. The fin was enlarged by 15% and given a square-cut tip to maintain stability with the new missile. The F Mk 3 retained the original small ventral tank and range was limited. Cockpit instrumentation was brought up to full OR946 Integrated Flight System standard. The F Mk 3 joined the RAF with 23 Sqn in August 1964.
Service Fighter 23, 29, 56, 74, 111 Training 5, 11; 226 OCU; LTF Target Facilities Leuchars, Wattisham TFFs Other CFE (AFDS); FCTU

Colour shot of F Mk 3 XP740/J of 111 Sqn in markings typical of the 1960s.

F Mk 3 XP741/AR of 5 Sqn in the later grey/green camouflage introduced from 1977

F Mark 3A This was the designation applied to the F Mk 3 developed primarily to extend range. The designation was changed to F Mark 6 before entry into service.

XP697 was the first F Mk 3 converted into interim F Mk 6 configuration with the extra large belly fuel tank

T Mark 4 This was the first of the two-seat trainer versions of the potent fighter, based on the F Mk 1A. The upper forward fuselage was widened to accommodate side by side seats and the cannon armament deleted.
Service Training 19, 23, 56, 74, 111; LCS; 226 OCU Other RAE

XM968/968 of 226 OCU in the shadow markings of 145 Sqn and seen here at Coltishall in 1970

T Mark 5 The Mark 5 was the second trainer version based on the F Mk 3 with provision for either Firestreak or Red Top missiles. The variant was fully operational.
Service Training 5, 11, 23, 29, 56, 74, 111; 226 OCU; LTF Target Facilities Wattisham TDFF

T Mk 5 XS458/DY of the Lightning Training Flight

F Mark 6 The Mark 6 was the ultimate Lightning, developed from the F Mk 3. The prototype was F Mk 3 XP697 which flew in its new guise on 17 April 1964. The aircraft featured a new cambered wing which reduced drag and improved range at subsonic speeds. The wing also incorporated a revised spar which enabled the carriage of jettisonable overwing tanks. Range was further extended by a new ventral tank, with twin strakes, carefully designed to reduce drag and increasing the external fuel from 250 gals to 600 gals. From 1970 a number of F Mk 6s were fitted with two 30mm Aden cannon in the forward section of the ventral tank since the missile-only armament did not confer sufficient flexibility in handling Soviet North Sea reconnaissance flights.
Service Fighter 5, 11, 23, 56, 74, 111 Training 226 OCU; LTF

F Mk6 XR759/A of 5 Sqn

XS933/AJ, also of 5 Sqn in the two-grey colour scheme introduced from about 1983

Specifications and production

Mark	Role	Engine	Thrust	Weight lbs	Speed mph	Numbers
F1	Fighter	2 Avon 200R	11,250	25,753	M2.1	19
F1A	Fighter	2 Avon 210R	11,250	25,737	M2.1	28
F2	Fighter	2 Avon 210R	11,250	27,000	M2.1	44
F2A	Fighter	2 Avon 211R	11,250	27,500	M2.1	31*
F3	Fighter	2 Avon 301R	12,690	26,905	M2.2	70
F3A	Fighter	2 Avon 301R	12,690	28,041	M2.2	16
T4	Trainer	2 Avon 210R	11,250	27,000	M2.1	20
T5	Trainer	2 Avon 301R	12,690	27,000	M2.2	22
F6	Fighter	2 Avon 301R	13,200	28,041	M2.2	38#

Notes

* F2 conversions

# plus 9 F3 conversions

Further reading

Beamont, R English Electric Lightning Ian Allan, Shepperton, 1985

Black, I Lightning Airlife, Shrewsbury, 1988

Cornwell, E L (ed) BAC Lightning, The (Air Extra 14) Ian Allan, Shepperton, 1978

Darling, K Lightning: The Operational History Airlife, Shrewsbury, 1996

Hall, A W BAC Lightning (Warpaint 14) Hall Park Books, Milton Keynes, 1998

Halpenny, B B English Electric Lightning Osprey, London, 1984

Jackson, P A BAC Lightning Alan Hall Pubs, Amersham, 1977

James, H G English Electric P1 and Lightning 1 (Profile 114) Profile Publications, Leatherhead, 1966

Levy, R English Electric (BAC) Lightning (Aircam 37) Osprey, Canterbury, 1972

Lindsay, R Lightning Ian Allan, Shepperton, 1989

Philpott, B English Electric/BAC Lightning Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, 1984

Reed, A Lightning Ian Allan, London, 1984

Trevor, H Lightnings Live On! Lightning Preservation Group, Bruntingthorpe, 1996

The last Lightning display at Binbrook in August 1987 and as XR770/AA of 5 Sqn brakes to a halt, Flt/Lt Chris Allan pulls XS929/BG of 11 Sqn up in a typical climb off the deck.