Gloster Meteor
Royal Danish Air Force Gloster Meteor
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Gloster Aircraft Company Armstrong-Whitworth
Designed by	George Carter
Maiden flight	5 March 1943
Introduced	27 July 1944
Primary users	Royal Air Force Royal Australian Air Force Belgian Air Force Israeli Air Force
Number built	~3,900

The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. The Royal Danish Air Force ( Danish: Flyvevåbnet) is the Air force of Denmark, it is an expeditionary Air Force with capability organised An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts The Gloster Aircraft Company Limited, known locally as GAC was a British aircraft manufacturer George Carter (born January 10 1944, in Buffalo New York) is a retired American professional Basketball player The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל The Gloster Aircraft Company Limited, known locally as GAC was a British aircraft manufacturer The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A jet aircraft is an Aircraft propelled by Jet engines Jet aircraft fly much faster than Propeller -powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. A jet aircraft is an Aircraft propelled by Jet engines Jet aircraft fly much faster than Propeller -powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as Designed by George Carter, it first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Wilfred George Carter was the chief designer at Glosters from 1937 was awarded the C Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Gloster Meteor was not an aerodynamically advanced aircraft, nor even the world's fastest aircraft on introduction, but the Gloster design team succeeded in producing an effective jet fighter that served the RAF and other air forces for decades. Meteors saw action with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the Korean War and remained in service with numerous air forces until the 1970s. The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the

Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational service 2.1 Night fighter 2.2 Service during the Korean War 2.3 Record setting 2.4 Other uses 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Survivors 6 Specifications (Meteor F MK I) 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Bibliography 9 External links

Design and development

Development of a turbojet-powered fighter by Sir Frank Whittle's firm, Power Jets Ltd. TurboJET (噴射飛航 is the brand name for the operations of the Hong Kong -based Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management Limited (信德中旅船務管理有限公司 Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 &ndash 9 August 1996 was an English Royal , and the Gloster Aircraft Company began in November 1940. The Gloster Aircraft Company Limited, known locally as GAC was a British aircraft manufacturer The first British jet powered aircraft, the single-engined Gloster E28/39 prototype, had its maiden flight on 15 May 1941. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Air Ministry subsequently contracted for the development of a twin-engined jet fighter under Specification F9/40. The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force. This is a partial list of the British Air Ministry (AM specifications for Aircraft. Originally the aircraft was to have been named Thunderbolt, but to avoid confusion with the USAAF P-47 Thunderbolt the name was changed to Meteor. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The Meteor's construction was all-metal with a tricycle undercarriage and conventional low, straight wings, featuring turbojets mid-mounted in the wings with a high-mounted tailplane to keep it clear of the jet exhaust. In Aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels that supports an Aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer, is a small lifting surface located behind the main lifting surfaces of a Fixed-wing aircraft

Eight prototypes were produced. Delays with getting type approval for the engines meant that although taxiing trials were carried out it was not until the following year that flights took place. Taxiing also refers to the sport of stealthily following an unknowning person The fifth prototype, DG206, powered by two de Havilland Halford H.1 engines due to problems with the intended Whittle W.2 engines, was the first to become airborne on 5 March 1943 from RAF Cranwell, piloted by Michael Daunt^[1] Development then moved to Newmarket Heath and, later, a Gloster-owned site at Moreton Valence. In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft all military aircraft are allocated and display a Serial number. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 &ndash 9 August 1996 was an English Royal Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. RAF Newmarket was an RAF station near Newmarket, Suffolk, England, near the border with Cambridgeshire. See also Morton (disambiguation Moreton may refer to the following places In Australia: Division of Moreton, an electoral district The first Whittle-engined aircraft, DG205/G, flew on 17 June 1943 (it crashed shortly after take-off on 27 April 1944) and was followed by DG202/G in July. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. DG202/G was later used for deck-handling tests aboard aircraft carrier HMS Pretoria Castle. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with DG203/G made its first flight on 9 November 1943 but was soon relegated to a ground instructional role. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. DG204/G (powered by Metrovick F.2 engines) first flew on 13 November 1943 and crashed on 1 April 1944. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. DG208/G made its debut on 20 January 1944, by which time the majority of design problems had been identified and a production design approved. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The two remaining prototypes never flew. DG209/G was used as an engine test-bed by Rolls-Royce. For the present day company see Rolls-Royce plc. For other uses see Rolls-Royce (disambiguation. DG207/G was intended to be the basis for the Meteor F. 2 with de Havilland engines, but when the engines were diverted to the de Havilland Vampire the idea was quietly forgotten. The de Havilland Aircraft Company (less commonly spelled de Haviland was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

On 12 January 1944, the first Meteor F. Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 1, serial EE210/G, took to the air from Moreton Valence. It was essentially identical to the F9/40 prototypes except for the addition of four nose-mounted 20 mm Hispano cannon and some tweaks to the canopy to improve all-round visibility. The Hispano-Suiza HS404 Autocannon was one of the most widely used aircraft weapons of the 20th century used by British, American An aircraft canopy is the transparent enclosure over the cockpit of some types of Aircraft. For the production Meteor F. 1, the engine was switched to the Whittle W. 2 design, by then taken over by Rolls-Royce. For the present day company see Rolls-Royce plc. For other uses see Rolls-Royce (disambiguation. The contemporary W.2B/23C turbojet engines produced 7. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 56 kN of thrust each, giving the aircraft a maximum speed of 417 mph (670 km/h) at 3,000 m and a range of 1,610 km. The Meteor Mk. I was 12. 5 m long with a span of 13. 1 m, with an empty weight of 3,690 kg and a maximum takeoff weight of 6,260 kg.

Typical of early jet aircraft, the Meteor F. 1 suffered from stability problems at high transonic speeds, experiencing large trim changes, high stick forces and self-sustained yaw instability (snaking) due to airflow separation over the thick tail surfaces ^[2]. Transonic is an Aeronautics term referring to a range of velocities just below and above the Speed of sound (about mach 0 A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling

Operational service

The first 20 aircraft were delivered to the Royal Air Force on 1 June 1944 with one example also sent to the U. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. S. in exchange for a Bell YP-59A Airacomet for comparative evaluation. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

No. 616 Squadron RAF was the first to receive operational Meteors, 14 of them. No 616 (South Yorkshire Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force from 1938 to 1957 The squadron was based at RAF Culmhead, Somerset and was previously equipped with the Spitfire VII. Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout After a short conversion course at Farnborough for the six leading pilots, the first aircraft were delivered in July ^[1]. The squadron was soon moved to RAF Manston on the east Kent coast and, within a week, 30 pilots were deemed successfully converted. RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996 KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format

The RAF initially reserved the aircraft to counter the V-1 flying bomb threat with No. The Fieseler Fi 103, better known as V-1 (German Vergeltungswaffe 1 was an early Cruise missile used during World War Two 616's Meteors seeing action for the first time on 27 July 1944 with three aircraft active over Kent. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After some initial problems, especially with jamming guns, the first two V1 "kills" occurred on 4 August. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. In total, the Meteor accounted for 14 flying bombs. The anti-V1 missions of 27 July 1944 were the Meteor's (and the Royal Air Force's) first operational jet combat missions. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

After the end of the V-1 threat, and the introduction of the supersonic V-2, the Meteor F 1 was not deployed further in combat against the Luftwaffe. See also Vergeltungswaffe The V-2 rocket ( Vergeltungswaffe 2 was the first Ballistic missile and first man-made object to achieve ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. The RAF was at this time forbidden to fly Meteor missions over German-held territory for obvious intelligence security reasons, and in any case the greatly improved F 3 was in prospect. No. 616 Squadron briefly moved to RAF Debden to allow USAAF bomber crews to gain experience in facing jet-engine foes before moving to Colerne, Wiltshire. RAF Debden is a former RAF airfield in England. The field is located 3 miles SE of Saffron Walden and approximately 1 mile north of the village of The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Colerne, a medium sized village lies midway between Bath and Chippenham in the county of Wiltshire, England. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye

No. 616 Squadron exchanged its F 1s for the first Meteor F 3s on 18 December 1944. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This was a substantial improvement over the earlier mark, although the basic design still had not reached its full potential. Wind tunnel and flight tests demonstrated that the original short nacelles, which extended fore and aft of the wing, contributed heavily to compressibility buffeting at high speed. A wind tunnel is a research tool developed to assist with studying the effects of air moving over or around solid objects The word nacelle is derived from the Old French nacele, which means a small Boat or Dinghy, which was in turn derived from the New, longer nacelles not only cured some of the compressibility problems but added 120 km/h (75 mph) at altitude, even without upgraded powerplants. The last batch of Meteor F 3s featured the longer nacelles while other F 3s were retrofitted in the field with the new nacelles. The F 3 also had the new Rolls-Royce Derwent engines, increased fuel capacity, and a new larger, more strongly raked bubble canopy. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A bubble canopy is a canopy made like a soap Bubble, which attempts to provide 360° vision to the pilot

On 20 January 1945, four Meteors were moved to Melsbrook in Belgium. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those In March, the entire squadron was moved to Gilze-Rijen and, then in April, to Nijmegen. Gilze en Rijen ( is a Municipality in the southern Netherlands. Nijmegen (ˈnɛɪmeɣən) (obsolete spellings Nijmwegen Nymegen Nieumeghen &mdash Nimwegen in local dialect and in German, Nimègue in French The Meteors flew armed reconnaissance and ground attack operations without encountering any German jet fighters. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information By late April, the squadron was based at Faßberg, Germany and suffered its first losses when two pilots collided in poor visibility. Faßberg is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The war ended with the Meteors having destroyed 46 German aircraft through ground attack and having faced more problems through misidentification as the Me 262 by Allied aircraft and flak than from the Luftwaffe. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces

The next major change was the Meteor F 4 that went into production in 1947, by which time there were 16 RAF squadrons equipped with Meteors. The first F 4 prototype flew on 17 May 1945. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The F 4 had the Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 engines (a smaller version of the famous Nene), the wings were 86. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 4 cm shorter than the F 3 and had blunter tips (derived from the world speed record prototypes), a stronger airframe, fully pressurized cockpit, lighter ailerons (to improve maneuverability) and rudder trim adjustments to reduce snaking. Cabin pressurization is the active pumping of compressed Air into an Aircraft cabin when flying at altitude to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew For the band with a similar name see The Ailerons Ailerons are hinged control surfaces attached to the Trailing edge of the Wing of a Fixed-wing A rudder is a device used to steer a Ship, Boat, Submarine, Hovercraft, or other conveyance that move through a fluid (generally air or Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger Control surface on a Boat or Aircraft. Dutch roll is a type of Aircraft motion consisting of an out-of- phase combination of "tail-wagging" and rocking from side to side The F 4 could also be fitted with a drop tank under each wing while experiments were performed with carriage of underwing stores and also in lengthened fuselage models. A hardpoint is any part of an Airframe designed to carry an external load The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo The F 4 was 170 mph faster than the F 1 at sea level (585 against 415), although the reduced wings impaired its rate of climb.

Because of the increased demand, F 4 production was divided between Gloster and the Armstrong Whitworth factory at Bagington. Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century The majority of early F 4s did not go directly to the RAF: 100 were exported to Argentina (and saw action in the 1955 revolution, one being shot down on 16 September 1955 near Rio Santiago) while in 1947, only RAF Nos. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Revolución Libertadora ( Spanish, Liberating Revolution) was a military uprising that ended the second presidential term of Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) 74 and 222 Squadrons were fully equipped with the F 4. Nine further RAF squadrons were upgraded over 1948. From 1948, 38 F 4s were exported to the Dutch, equipping four squadrons (322, 323, 326 and 327) split between bases in Soesterberg and Leeuwarden until the mid-1950s. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Soesterberg ( is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Soest, and lies about 5 km northeast of Zeist, Leeuwarden ( Stadsfries: Liwwadden, West Frisian: Ljouwert) is the Capital city of the Dutch province of Friesland In 1949, only two RAF squadrons were converted to the F 4, Belgium was sold 48 aircraft in the same year (going to 349 and 350 Squadrons at Beauvechain) and Denmark received 20 over 1949-50. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Beauvechain ( Bôvètché: Bôvètché) (Bevekom is a Walloon Municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe In 1950, three more RAF squadrons were upgraded, including No. 616 and, in 1951, six more. In 1950, a single order of 20 F 4s was delivered to Egypt. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics.

A modified two-seater F 4 for jet-conversion and advanced training was tested in 1949 as the T 7. It was accepted by the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm and became a common addition to the various export packages (for example 43 to Belgium 1948-57, a similar number to the Netherlands over the same period, two to Syria in 1952, six to Israel in 1953, etc. The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. ). Despite its limitations - unpressurized cockpit, no armament, limited instructor instrumentation - over 650 T 7s were manufactured.

As improved jet fighters began to emerge, Gloster decided to perform a significant redesign of the F 4 to keep it up to date, while retaining as much of the manufacturing tooling of the F 4 as possible. The result was the Meteor F 8 (G-41K) which was to be the definitive production model, serving as a major Royal Air Force single-seat fighter until the introduction of the Hawker Hunter and the Supermarine Swift. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The first prototype F 8 was a modified F 4, followed by a true prototype, VT150, that flew on 12 October 1948^[3] at Moreton Valence. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. See also Morton (disambiguation Moreton may refer to the following places In Australia: Division of Moreton, an electoral district Flight testing of the F 8 prototype led to the discovery of an aerodynamic problem: when ammunition was expended, the aircraft became tail-heavy and unstable around the pitch axis due to the weight of fuel retained in fuselage tanks no longer being balanced by the ammunition. Gloster designers cleverly solved the problem by substituting the tail of the abortive "G 42" single-engine jet fighter. Empennage émpənij is an Aviation term used to describe the Tail portion of an Aircraft. The F 8 and other production variants were to successfully use the new tail design; the new tail gave the later Meteors a distinctive appearance, with taller straighter edges compared to the rounded tail of the F 4s and earlier marks.

The F 8 also featured a fuselage stretch of 76 centimetres (30 inches), intended to shift the aircraft's centre of gravity and also eliminate the use of ballast that had been necessary in earlier marks. The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo The F 8 incorporated uprated engines, Derwent 8s, with 16 kN (1,633 kgp / 3,600 lbf) thrust each combined with structural strengthening, a Martin Baker ejection seat and a "blown" teardrop cockpit canopy that provided improved pilot visibility. Martin-Baker Aircraft Co Ltd is a British manufacturer of Aircraft Ejection seats and was a pioneer in their design and manufacture In Aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military in an emergency Between 1950 and 1955, the Meteor F 8 was the mainstay of RAF Fighter Command, and served with distinction in combat in Korea with the RAAF as well as operating with many air forces worldwide, although it was clear that the original design was obsolescent compared to contemporary swept-wing fighters such as the North American F-86 Sabre and the Soviet MiG-15. Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the Royal Air Force for much of the mid-20th century The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Initial deliveries of the F 8 to the RAF were in August 1949, with the first squadron receiving its fighters in late 1950. Like the F 4, there were strong export sales of the F 8. Belgium ordered 240 aircraft, the majority assembled in Belgium. The Netherlands had 160 F 8s, equipping seven squadrons until 1955. Denmark had 20, ordered in 1951; they were to be the last F 8s in front-line service in Europe. The RAAF ordered 94 F 8s, which served in Korea - see below. Despite arms embargoes, both Syria and Egypt received F 8s from 1952, as did Israel (where they served until 1961). On 1 September 1954, two Israeli F 8s shot down two Egyptian Vampires and in the 1956 Suez Crisis, F 8s were employed by both Egypt and Israel in ground-attack roles. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, (أزمة السويس - العدوان الثلاثي Crise du canal de Suez מבצע קדש Kadesh After the crisis, both Egypt and Syria disposed of their Meteors in favour of various MiG variants. In a later order, Brazil received around 60 ex-RAF F 8s in 1963. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

In the 1950s, Meteors also were developed into effective photo-reconnaissance, training and night fighter versions. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information A trainer is an Aircraft used to develop piloting navigational or war-fighting skills in flight crew A night fighter (also all-weather fighter) is a Fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility The fighter-reconnaissance (FR) versions were the first to be built, replacing the ageing Spitfires and Mosquitos then in use. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Two FR 5s were built on the F 4 body, one was used for nose section camera tests, the other broke-up in midair while in testing over Moreton Valence. On 23 March 1950, the first FR9 flew. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Based on the F 8, it was 20 cm longer with a new nose incorporating a remote-control camera and window and was also fitted with additional external ventral and wing fuel tanks. Production of the FR9 began in July. No. 208 Squadron, then based at Fayid, Egypt was the first to be upgraded followed by the 2nd Tactical Air Force in West Germany, No. 2 Squadron RAF at Bückeburg and No. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( No II (AC Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently one of two RAF squadrons operating in the Reconnaissance Bückeburg is a small town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was once the capital of the tiny principality of Schaumburg-Lippe and is today located 79 Squadron RAF at RAF Gutersloh flew the FR 9 from 1951 until 1956. The former Royal Air Force Station Gütersloh, more commonly known as RAF Gütersloh, was a Royal Air Force Germany Airbase, the nearest In Aden, No. 8 Squadron RAF was given the FR 9 in November 1951 and used them until 1961. Aden (ˈeɪdən Arabic: عدن) is a city in Yemen, 170 kilometers east of Bab-el-Mandeb. No VIII Squadron (8 Sqn of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing E-3D Sentry from RAF Waddington Ecuador (12), Israel (7) and Syria (2) were the only foreign customers for the FR 9. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics.

In addition to the armed, low-altitude operation, tactical FR 9 variant, Gloster also developed the PR10 for high-altitude missions. The first prototype flew on 29 March 1950 and was actually converted into the first production aircraft. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Based on the F 4, it had the F 4-style tail and the longer wings of the earlier variant. All the cannons were removed and a single camera placed in the nose with two more in the rear fuselage; the canopy was also changed. The PR 10 was delivered to the RAF in December 1950 and were given to No. 2 and No. 541 Squadrons in Germany and No. 13 Squadron RAF in Cyprus. No XIII or 13 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Tornado GR4A and GR4 from RAF Marham Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía The PR 10 was rapidly phased out from 1956 with improving surface to air missile technology and newer, faster aircraft rendering it dangerously obsolete. A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft

Night fighter

As a night-fighter, the Meteor again replaced the Mosquito, however, it was never more than an interim measure. The Mosquito night fighter had remained in use even as it was largely obsolete. Gloster proposed a night fighter design to meet the Air Ministry specification for the Mosquito replacement. Based on the two seater trainer, the pilot in the front seat and the Navigator in the rear. Once accepted however, the work passed to Armstrong Whitworth for both the detail design and production; the first prototype flying on 31 May 1950. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although based on the T. 7 twin seater, it used the fuselage and tail of the F 8, and the longer wings of the F 3. An extended nose contained the US built Air Intercept radar. As a consequence the 20 mm cannons were moved into the wings, outboard of the engines. A ventral fuel tank and wing mounted drop tanks completed the "Armstrong Whitworth Meteor" NF 11.

Nos. 29, 141 and 85 Squadrons were given the NF 11 in 1951 and the aircraft was rolled out across the RAF until the final deliveries in 1955. A "tropicalized" version of the NF 11 for Middle East service was developed; first flying on 23 December 1952 as the NF 13. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city The aircraft equipped No. 219 Squadron RAF at Kabrit and No. RAF Kabrit was a Royal Air Force station in the Suez Canal Zone, Egypt. 39 Squadron at Fayid, both in Egypt. The aircraft served during the Suez crisis and remained with No. The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, (أزمة السويس - العدوان الثلاثي Crise du canal de Suez מבצע קדש Kadesh 39 Squadron when they were withdrawn to Malta until 1958. Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands The aircraft had a number of problems, notably the limited visibility through the heavily framed T 7 canopy made landings tricky and the external fuel tanks under the wings tended to break-up when the wing cannon were fired. Gun harmonization, normaaly set to about 400 yards, was poor due to flexing of the wings in flight. Belgium (24), Denmark (20), Australia (one) and France (41) were the foreign customers for the NF 11. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Ex-RAF NF 13s were sold to Syria (six), Egypt (six) and Israel (six). Some of the French aircraft remained in operation as test beds into the 1980s.

As radar technology developed, a new Meteor night-fighter was developed to use the APS-21 system. Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships The NF 12 first flew on 21 April 1953. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was similar to the NF 11 but had a nose section 43. 2 cm longer; this altered the centre of gravity and the tailplane was enlarged to compensate. The NF 12 also had the new Rolls-Royce Derwent 9 engines and the wings were reinforced to handle the new engine. The RAF operated the NF 12 from August 1953 with seven squadrons equipped up to 1956 (No. s 85, 25, 152, 46, 72, 153 and 65); the aircraft was replaced over 1958-59. Because of the "sensitive" nature of the radar system, no NF 12s were offered for export.

The final Meteor night-fighter was the NF 14. First flown on 23 October 1953, the NF 14 was based on the NF 12 but had an even longer nose to accommodate new equipment pushing total length to 15. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 5 metres and a larger bubble canopy to replace the framed T 7 version. Just 100 NF 14s were built; they first entered service in February 1954 beginning with No. 25 Squadron and were being replaced as early as 1956 with the Gloster Javelin. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Overseas, they remained in service a little longer, serving with No. 60 Squadron at Tengah, Singapore until 1961. Tengah is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning "Central" Singapore As the NF 14 was replaced, some 14 were converted to training aircraft as the NF(T) 14 and given to No. 2 Air Navigation School on Thorney Island where they served until 1965. Thorney Island is an Island (effectively a Peninsula) that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex.

Service during the Korean War

The Royal Australian Air Force acquired 113 Meteors between 1946 and 1952, 94 of which were the F 8 variant. ^[4] F 8 Meteors saw extensive service during the Korean War with No. 77 Squadron RAAF, which was part of British Commonwealth Forces Korea, and had personnel from other Commonwealth air forces attached to it. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the No 77 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron British Commonwealth Forces Korea (BCFK was the formal name from 1952 of the Commonwealth army naval and air units serving with the United Nations (UN in the The squadron arrived in Korea equipped with P-51D Mustangs. It did jet conversion training at Iwakuni, Japan, and returned to Korea in April 1951 with about 30 Meteor F 8s and T 7s. The squadron moved to Kimpo in June, and was declared combat-ready the following month. Gimpo is a city in Gyeonggi Province South Korea. It borders on Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River There was some apprehension, as the F 8 was clearly inferior in most respects to the communist forces' MiG-15, and was superior to the F-86 Sabre only in rate-of-climb and acceleration. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

No. 77 squadron first flew Meteors in a combat mission on 30 July 1951. No 77 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January The squadron had mainly been trained in the ground attack role, and had difficulties when assigned to bomber escort duty at sub-optimum altitudes. Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as Close air support for and in proximity to their own ground forces On 29 August 1951, eight Meteors were on escort duty in "MiG Alley" when they were engaged by six MiG-15s; one Meteor was lost and two damaged, and 77 Squadron did not officially destroy any enemy aircraft on this occasion ^[5] On 27 October, the squadron achieved its first probable followed by two probables six days later. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January "MiG Alley" is the name given by US Air Force pilots to the northwestern portion of North Korea, where the Yalu River empties into the Yellow Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. ^[6] On 1 December, during a clash between 12 Meteors and some 40 MiG-15s, the squadron had its first two confirmed victories: FLGOFF Bruce Gogerly made the first kill. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Flying Officer ( Fg Off in the RAF FLGOFF in the RAAF FGOFF in the RNZAF F/O in the former RCAF and frequently in the RAF is a junior commissioned However, this occurred at the cost of four Meteors destroyed. As a result, bomber escort was taken over by the USAF and 77 Squadron returned to ground-attack duties. The Meteor performed well but proved vulnerable to ground fire, as the rocket sights required a long level run to operate effectively.

By the end of the conflict, the squadron had flown 4,836 missions, destroying six MiG-15s, over 3,500 structures and some 1,500 vehicles. About 30 Meteors were lost to enemy action in Korea — the vast majority of these were shot down by anti-aircraft fire while serving in a ground-attack capacity. ^[4]

Record setting

Late in 1945, two F Mk 3 Meteors were modified for an attempt on the world air speed record. An air speed record is the highest speed attained by an Aircraft of a particular class On 7 November 1945 at Herne Bay in Kent, UK, Group Captain H. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35000 J. (Willy) Wilson set the first air speed record by a jet aircraft of 606 mph (975 km/h) TAS. True airspeed ( TAS) is the speed of an aircraft relative to the airmass in which it flies i A small plaque commemorating this achievement can be found in Macari's Cafe, Herne Bay.

In 1946, Group Captain Edward "Teddy" Donaldson broke this record with a speed of 616 mph (991 km/h) TAS, in EE549, a Meteor F 4. Group Captain ( Gp Capt in the RAF and Indian Air Force, GPCAPT in the RNZAF and RAAF, G/C in the former True airspeed ( TAS) is the speed of an aircraft relative to the airmass in which it flies i Test pilot Roland Beamont had previously taken the same aircraft to its compressibility limit at 632 mph, but not under official record conditions, and outside its official safety limits. Wing Commander Roland Prosper "Bee" Beamont CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar ( August 10[[ 920]] -

In 1947, S/L Janusz Żurakowski set an international speed record: London-Copenhagen-London, 4-5 April 1950 in a production standard F 8 (VZ468). Janusz Żurakowski ( 12 September 1914 - 9 February 2004) was a renowned Polish fighter and test pilot who at various Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Danes were suitably impressed and purchased the type soon after. ^[7]

Another "claim to fame" was the Meteor's ability to perform the "Żurabatic Cartwheel", a new aerobatics manoeuvre, named after the Gloster acting Chief Test Pilot, first accomplished in the Gloster Meteor G-7-1 prototype at the 1951 Farnbrough Air Show where the Meteor, due to its unique location of widely-set engines could have individual engines throttled back and forward to achieve a seemingly stationary vertical cartwheel. Many Meteor pilots would go on to "prove their mettle" by attempting the same feat. ^[8]

Other uses

Production of the Meteor continued until 1954 with almost 3,900 made, mainly the F 8 variant. As the Meteor was progressively relegated to secondary duties in later years, target tug, drone and specialized test vehicles were added to the increasingly diverse roles that this first-generation jet fighter took on.

Variants

In 1945 a single Meteor I, EE227, (right) was fitted with two Rolls-Royce Trent turboprop engines as a flying testbed, making it the world's first turboprop-powered aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller.

Meteor F 1

First production aircraft built between 1943 and 1944.

Meteor F 2

Alternate engined version - only one built.

Meteor F 3

Derwent I powered with sliding canopy.

Meteor F 4

Derwent 5 powered with strengthened fuselage.

Meteor FR 5

One-off fighter reconnaissance version of the F 4.

Meteor T 7

Two-seat trainer.

Meteor F 8

Greatly improved from the F 4. Longer fuselage, greater fuel capacity, standard ejection seat and modified tail (derived from the E.1/44). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This variant was a prolific frontline fighter in RAF squadron service, 1950-54. One experimental Gloster Meteor F8 "Prone Pilot" conversion was modified by Armstrong Whitworth. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Meteor FR 9

Fighter reconnaissance version of the F 8.

Meteor PR 10

Photo reconnaissance version of the F 8.

Meteor NF 11

Night Fighter variant with Airborne Intercept radar.

Meteor NF 12

Longer nosed version of the NF 11 with American radar.

Meteor NF 13

Tropicalised version of the NF 11 for overseas service.

Meteor NF 14

NF 11 with new two-piece canopy.

Meteor U 15

Drone conversion of the F 4.

Meteor U 16

Drone conversion of the F 8.

Meteor TT 20

High speed target towing conversion of the NF 11.

Meteor U 21

Drone conversion of the F 8.

Operators

 Argentina

• Argentine Air Force

 Australia

• Royal Australian Air Force

 Belgium

• Belgian Air Force

 Brazil

• Brazilian Air Force

 Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force

 Denmark

• Royal Danish Air Force

 Ecuador

• Ecuadorian Air Force

 Egypt

• Royal Egyptian Air Force

 France

• French Air Force

 Israel

• Israeli Air Force

 Netherlands

• Royal Netherlands Air Force

 New Zealand

• Royal New Zealand Air Force
  • No. 14 Squadron RNZAF (Two Meteor T. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Argentine Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Argentina or FAA) is the national aviation branch of the Armed forces of Argentina. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld The Brazilian Air Force ( Portuguese: Força Aérea Brasileira, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian armed forces and one of the three national Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The Royal Danish Air Force ( Danish: Flyvevåbnet) is the Air force of Denmark, it is an expeditionary Air Force with capability organised For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. The Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana FAE is the Air arm of the Military of Ecuador. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Egyptian Air Force, or EAF (القوات الجوية المصرية) is the aviation branch of the Egyptian armed forces. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The French Air Force ( French: Armée de l'Air (ALA literally Air Army) is the Air force of the French Armed Forces. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF, Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, is the aviation branch of the Netherlands armed forces New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Royal New Zealand Air Force ( RNZAF) is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. 14 Squadron RNZAF was a Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. 7 aircraft hired from the RAF)

 Norway

• Royal Norwegian Air Force

 South Africa

• South African Air Force

 Sweden

• Swedish Air Force (Operated by Svensk Flygtjanst under Air Force contract)

 Syria

• Syrian Air Force

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
  • No. 1 Squadron RAF
  • No. 2 Squadron RAF
  • No. 5 Squadron RAF
  • No. 11 Squadron RAF
  • No. 13 Squadron RAF
  • No. 19 Squadron RAF
  • No. 25 Squadron RAF
  • No. 29 Squadron RAF
  • No. 33 Squadron RAF
  • No. 34 Squadron RAF
  • No. 39 Squadron RAF
  • No. 41 Squadron RAF
  • No. 43 Squadron RAF
  • No. 46 Squadron RAF
  • No. 54 Squadron RAF
  • No. 56 Squadron RAF
  • No. 60 Squadron RAF
  • No. 63 Squadron RAF
  • No. 64 Squadron RAF
  • No. 65 Squadron RAF
  • No. 66 Squadron RAF
  • No. 68 Squadron RAF
  • No. 72 Squadron RAF
  • No. 74 Squadron RAF
  • No. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF ( Norwegian: Luftforsvaret) is the Air force of Norway. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The South African Air Force (SAAF is the Air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Swedish Air Force (Swedish Flygvapnet) is the Air force Branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The Syrian Air Force (القوّات الجوية العربية السورية Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al Arabiya as-Souriya) is the Aviation branch of the Syrian The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located No 1 (F Squadron is a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. It currently operates the Harrier GR7 from RAF Cottesmore. No II (AC Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently one of two RAF squadrons operating in the Reconnaissance No 5 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the operator of the new Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar (ASTOR No 11 or XI(F Squadron is a Royal Air Force squadron The squadron operated the Tornado F3 until No XIII or 13 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Tornado GR4A and GR4 from RAF Marham No XIX Squadron is a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. History No No 25 Squadron (alternatively No XXV Squadron) was a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. No 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the second British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon No 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Puma HC1 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire No 34 Squadron RAF was a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the First World War it operated as a reconnaissance No 39 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the MQ-9 Reaper since 2007 operating from Creech AFB No 41 Squadron (also written as "No XLI Squadron" of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Fast Jet No 43 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars No 46 Squadron Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 and has been disbanded and reformed three times before its last disbandment in No 54 or LIV Squadron is a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. It is a reserve squadron based at RAF Waddington, England Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful Squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from No 60 (Reserve Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. No 63 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed on 31 August 1916 at Stirling, No 64 Squadron was a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was first formed on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. No 65 Squadron is a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. History It was first formed on No66 Squadron was a Royal Air Corps and eventually Royal Air Force aircraft Squadron. The name No 68 Squadron has been used by the Royal Air Force for two quite different units No 72 Squadron Royal Air Force is currently a training reserve squadron based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. No74 Squadron RAF, also known as a Tiger Squadron from its tiger head motif is a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. 79 Squadron RAF
  • No. 81 Squadron RAF
  • No. 85 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 85 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. History The Squadron was formed at Upavon on the 1 August 1917 87 Squadron RAF
  • No. 91 Squadron RAF
  • No. 92 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 92 Squadron, also known as No 92 (East India Squadron, of the Royal Air Force was a fighter squadron which 96 Squadron RAF
  • No. 111 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 111 (Fighter Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars 124 Squadron RAF
  • No. 125 Squadron RAF
  • No. 141 Squadron RAF
  • No. 151 Squadron RAF
  • No. 152 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 141 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 January 1918 at Rochford for home defence in the London Area 151 Squadron was founded at Hainault Farm in Essex on June 12 1918 and was equipped with Sopwith Camel aircraft No 152 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF History No 152 Squadron was formed on 1 October 1918 at Rochford as a Camel night fighter unit 153 Squadron RAF
  • No. 208 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 208(R Squadron is a unit of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales 219 Squadron RAF
  • No. 222 Squadron RAF
  • No. No222 Squadron was a Royal Air Force fighter unit The Squadron was formed at Thasos on 1 April 1918 from A and Z Squadrons 234 Squadron RAF
  • No. 245 Squadron RAF
  • No. 247 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 245 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed on 20 August 1918 from No No 247 Squadron was formerly a Squadron of the Royal Air Force. 256 Squadron RAF
  • No. 257 Squadron RAF
  • No. 263 Squadron RAF
  • No. 264 Squadron RAF
  • No. 266 Squadron RAF
  • No. 500 Squadron RAF
  • No. 504 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 257 Squadron was formed at Dundee on the 18 August 1918 from Nos No 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter Squadron formed in Italy towards the end of No 264 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed from two former Royal Naval Air Service flights (No No 266 (Rhodesia Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. No 500 (County of Kent Squadron RAF was formed as a Special Reserve squadron at RAF Manston on 16 March 1931 The Squadron was reformed on 10 History No 504 (County of Nottingham Squadron was formed on 26 March 1928 as one of the Special Reserve Squadrons of the 527 Squadron RAF
  • No. 541 Squadron RAF
  • No. 600 Squadron RAF
  • No. 601 Squadron RAF
  • No. 604 Squadron RAF
  • No. 609 Squadron RAF
  • No. 610 Squadron RAF
  • No. 611 Squadron RAF
  • No. No 609 (West Riding Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force provide personnel to augment and support the operations of the Royal Air Force. No 610 (County of Chester Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed on Feb 10, 1936 at Hooton Park, Wirral, Cheshire No 611 (West Lancashire Squadron was an British Auxiliary Air Force later Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron formed in 1936 and finally disbanded 615 Squadron RAF
  • No. 616 Squadron RAF

 United States

• United States Army Air Force tested one aircraft and returned it to UK after tests. No 616 (South Yorkshire Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force from 1938 to 1957 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II.

Survivors

Although many Gloster Meteors survive in museums and collections, only five remain airworthy, four in the United Kingdom and an F 8 fighter (VH-MBX, Military S/N: VZ467) which was exported to Australia in 2001. The Temora Aviation Museum flies VH-MBX, currently in the colours of RAAF 77 Squadron, flown by Sgt. No 77 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron George Hale in Korea as "Halestorm. "

A sixth airframe WA591 is under restoration to airworthiness by the UK based Meteor Flight at Yatesbury.

Two remain in service with Martin-Baker at Chalgrove Airfield as flying testbeds for the development of ejection seats. Martin-Baker Aircraft Co Ltd is a British manufacturer of Aircraft Ejection seats and was a pioneer in their design and manufacture Chalgrove Airfield is located 8 Nautical miles (148 km southeast of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. In Aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military in an emergency The company ran its first airborne ejection test using a F 3 on 14 June 1946 and received three T 7s in 1952 of which it retains WA638 and WL419. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Other Meteors on display:

• Meteor F 4 EE531, Midland Air Museum, Coventry. The Midland Air Museum (MAM is situated just outside the village of Baginton in Warwickshire, England, and is adjacent to Coventry Airport. Second oldest Meteor in existence
• Meteor F 8 VZ477, Midland Air Museum, Coventry. The Midland Air Museum (MAM is situated just outside the village of Baginton in Warwickshire, England, and is adjacent to Coventry Airport. Cockpit section open for viewing
• Meteor NF 14 WS838 Midland Air Museum, Coventry. The Midland Air Museum (MAM is situated just outside the village of Baginton in Warwickshire, England, and is adjacent to Coventry Airport. Manufactured under licence by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. On loan from RAF museum.
• Meteor F 8 F84452 FAB (Brazilian Air Force), CINDACTA II, Curitiba, Brazil. The Brazilian Air Force ( Portuguese: Força Aérea Brasileira, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian armed forces and one of the three national The air traffic control centers of Brazil are known by the acronym CINDACTA, or " C entro In tegrado de D efesa A érea e C Curitiba (pron kuɾi'tibɐ or kuɾi'tʃibɐ is the capital City of the Brazilian state of Paraná. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Displayed at the entrance of the complex.

Specifications (Meteor F MK I)

Data from The Great Book of Fighters^[9] and Quest for Performance^[2]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 41. 24 ft (12. 57 m)
• Wingspan: 43. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 01 ft (13. 11 m)
• Height: 12. 99 ft (3. 96 m)
• Wing area: 350 ft² (32. 52 m²)
• Empty weight: 8,139 lb (3,692 kg)
• Loaded weight: 13,819 lb (6,268 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce W. 2B/23 Welland turbojets, 1,700 lbf (7. TurboJET (噴射飛航 is the brand name for the operations of the Hong Kong -based Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management Limited (信德中旅船務管理有限公司 6 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0. In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such 71, 410 mph at 10,000 ft (660 km/h at 3,050 m)
• Range: 500 mi (800 km)
• Service ceiling 34,000 ft (11,500 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,155 ft/min (24. The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. 6 m/s)
• Wing loading: 44. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing 9 lb/ft² (149 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0. Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface 45
• Time to altitude: 9. 0 min to 30,000 ft (9,145 m)

Armament

• 4 x 20 mm British Hispano cannons
• Provision for up to sixteen "60lb" 3 in rockets under outer wings

See also

• Gloster E.28/39 - the UK's first jet aircraft
• Heinkel He 178 - the world's first jet aircraft
  

Comparable aircraft

• Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
• Messerschmitt Me 262
• Arado Ar 234
• de Havilland Vampire
• Nakajima J9Y Kikka
  

Related lists

• List of World War II jet aircraft
  

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Video #1 of the Meteor
• Video #2 of the Meteor
• Temora Aviation Museum Meteor F 8
• Meteor flight
• Warbird Alley: Meteor
• Imperial War Museum Duxford: Meteor F 8
• Jewish Virtual Library: Meteor
• Vic Flintham (aviation historian): Meteor
• Jets 35: Trent engine
• 2 Sqn Association Meteor album

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