COLD WAR JETS - ROYAL AIR FORCE FIGHTERS & BOMBERS.pdf

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uring the latter half of the 20th century Western Europe
lived in perpetual fear of an attack from the East.
Countering this threat meant the defences of NATO had
to be continually reinforced with the latest technologies
– resulting in the Cold War arms race.
While any actual strike was thought likely to end in mutually
assured destruction, the intervening period would see intense action
as the two sides met. Air superiority would be essential, as had
been proven during the Second World War, since it was vital for the
bombers to get through with their nuclear payload.
Despite the world teetering on the brink of war for many years,
or perhaps because of it, the Royal Air Force and British aviation in
general enjoyed a new golden age. The inventions of the 1939-45
war, the jet engine and radar, provided springboards for exciting new
projects which were in constant development, the brand new aircraft
amazing crowds at the annual SBAC shows at Farnborough.
Glamorous test pilots broke the sound barrier and futuristic aircraft
such as the English Electric P.1 and the behemoth that was the Avro 698
mesmerised spectators. Both types went on to become iconic aircraft (the
Lightning and Vulcan) that every schoolboy dreamed of one day flying.
As the threat from the USSR and Warsaw Pact nations continued to
remain a presence in military planning, the roles required of aircraft
evolved. Despite the RAF having proven the benefits of operating
from temporary airstrips both during the Battle of Britain and as they
leapfrogged from airfield to airfield after D-Day, the jets of the postwar
years necessitated hard runways of increasing length to accommodate
their greater weight and the distance they required to get airborne.
In later years, both the Jaguar and Harrier were designed to
operate in the field should the worst come to the worst and the
airfields were lost during a first strike. The Harrier could operate
from literally anywhere and the Jaguar was capable of using the
autobahns of West Germany.
Bombers which were looking obsolete in their primary role as a
nuclear deterrent, due to the submarine fleet taking over that role,
were converted to tankers, allowing the RAF to reach any part of the
globe; the most famous example being the Black Buck raids when the
Victor tanker fleet helped Vulcan bombers reach the Falkland Islands.
While there was never a direct conflict between East and West
there were many proxy wars where the RAF and British-designed
aircraft were involved. The possibility of a ‘domino effect’, where
one national after another fell to communism, was a constant worry
in the Far East and while it was not involved in the Vietnam War the
RAF had a presence in the region for many years.
Royal Navy fighters may have seen action during the Korean
War but the RAF was used during the Malayan Emergency and was
D
a permanent presence in Singapore where everything from the
Meteor to the Javelin was based.
In the Middle East, the RAF retained a presence for many years
with several types seeing action during the Suez Crisis. The RAF
Luqa, Malta, and RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, bases saw everything from
Venoms to Valiants while British and French forces attempted to
retake the canal and topple Nassar, the Egyptian president.
Further south at RAF Khormaksar, the RAF saw prolonged action
while trying to protect the sovereignty of Aden against various
guerrilla groups, eventually pulling out in 1967.
During the 1970s the RAF retained a sizable presence in West
Germany and fighters remained on standby in the UK for Quick
Reaction Alert to intercept Soviet aircraft that probed British
airspace, something that has continued into the 21st century.
During 1982 the RAF played a vital role in the Falklands War with
Harriers, Vulcans and Victors all being involved. The following
decade saw the end of the Cold War but the jets built as a result of it
continued to be used during the Gulf War and later in the Balkans.
The soaring cost of combat aircraft has resulted in an ongoing
reduction in the size of air forces around the globe and the
threats to peace in the early 21st century are no longer as clear
cut as they were during the Cold War when it was the East versus
the West. This, combined with the ever-increasing use of drones,
means we are unlikely to ever again see an RAF as large or
impressive as it was during the Cold War.
There is no official consensus on when the Cold War started
and ended but it is generally agreed that it covered a period
from around 1947 to 1991, so all the main front line jets used by
the RAF during this time have been included here. Some early
and post-Cold War schemes have been included too, due to their
significance in relation to the type. Most of the dates for types are
based on the first flight of the initial prototype which led to the
production aircraft, but in some cases where they have evolved
from other types the later date has been given.
There are some notable types absent that provided a vital role and
have their own aficionados, including the Phantom, the Nimrod and
the Tornado which was a result of the Cold War but is currently still in
service. Other absent jets include the Provost, Gnat and Hawk, these
three being used as trainers by the RAF. Due to the limited number
of pages available, not type could be covered so the aircraft featured
have been limited to front line British-built fighters and bombers that
are no longer in service with the RAF.
Although the Jaguar was an Anglo-French collaboration and the
second generation Harriers were of largely American in design, they
were still a derivative of the original Hawker P.1127.
COLD WAR JETS
3
INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
16
▼
▼
44
SUPERMARINE
SWIFT
60
Design:
VICKERSVALIANT
▼
Words and illustrations:
CHRIS SANDHAMBAILEY
GARETH WILLIAMS
Publishing director:
Publisher:
DAN SAVAGE
Reprographics:
STEVE O’HARA
JONATHAN SCHOFIELD
& PAUL FINCHAM
Production editor:
DAN SHARP
4
COLD WAR JETS
▼
6
GLOSTER
METEOR
DE HAVILLAND
VAMPIRE
▼
34
26
DE HAVILLAND
VENOM
ENGLISH ELECTRIC
CANBERRA
▼
50
HAWKER
▼
HUNTER
Marketing manager:
CHARLOTTE PARK
NIGEL HOLE
Commercial director:
Published by:
MORTONS MEDIA
GROUP LTD,
MEDIA CENTRE,
MORTON WAY,
HORNCASTLE,
LINCOLNSHIRE
LN9 6JR.
Thanks:
I would like to thank a number of people, firstly Dan Sharp and
Mortons for supporting this publication. All the hard working volunteers
at Bruntingthorpe including the Buccaneer Aviation Group, the Lightning
Preservation Group, WT333 and everyone else who keeps these Cold War
warriors running. Tangmere, Newark and the East Midlands museums for
allowing me access to their collections. John Smith, Phil Willsher, Dave
Fleming, Rob Monfea, Joe Warner Cherrie and my long suffering yet
understanding family. Lastly Tim Spilsbury and Simon Potter without
whom none of this would have been possible.
Printed by:
William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton
© 2016 Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage
retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Tel.
01507 529529
68
GLOSTER
▼
JAVELIN
78
86
HANDLEY PAGEVICTOR
AVRO
VULCAN
ENGLISH ELECTRIC
LIGHTNING
▼
92
102
HAWKER
SIDDELEY/
BAE
HARRIER
▼
112
BLACKBURN
▼
BUCCANEER
120
▼
SEPECAT
JAGUAR
130
COLOUR CHART
▼
COLD WAR JETS
5
▼

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