| Swift | |
|---|---|
 Swift F Mk.2WK242 / "P" ofNo. 56 Sqn. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter,interceptor |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd. |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 197 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1954 |
| First flight | 29 December 1948 (Type 510) |
| Retired | 1967 |
| Developed from | Supermarine Attacker |
| Developed into | Supermarine 545 |
TheSupermarine Swift is a British single-seatjetfighter aircraft that was operated by theRoyal Air Force (RAF). It was developed and manufactured bySupermarine during the 1940s and 1950s. The Swift featured many of the new jet age innovations, such as aswept wing. On 26 September 1953, a Swift F.4 piloted byCommanderMike Lithgow broke the world absolute speed record, reaching a speed of 737.7 mph (1,187 km/h).
After a protracted development period, the Swift entered service as aninterceptor aircraft with the RAF in 1954. However, due to a spate of accidents incurred by the type, the Swift was grounded for a time, and had a relatively brief service life. The problems with the Swift led to a public scandal surrounding the development and performance of the aircraft, harming the reputations of the British government, the RAF, and the British aircraft industry.
Ultimately, the less problematicHawker Hunter assumed much of the role intended for the Swift and only half as many Swifts were manufactured as had once been intended. A laterphoto reconnaissance variant of the Swift had resolved some of the teething problems, but that proved to be too late for it to regain favour. An advanced derivative of the Swift that was to be capable oftransonic speeds, theSupermarine 545, was also under development during the early 1950s. However, it was cancelled in 1955, principally due to the poor performance of the Swift.
During 1945, theSecond World War ended and a newLabour government, headed byClement Attlee, came to power in Britain.[1] The incoming government's initial stance on defence was that no major conflict would occur for at least a decade, and so there would be no need to develop or to procure any new aircraft until 1957. In accordance with that policy, aside from a small number of exceptions such as what would become theHawker Sea Hawk for theRoyal Navy, the majority ofSpecifications issued by theAir Ministry for fighter-sized aircraft during the late 1940s were restricted to research purposes.[2]
In part, the Swift had its origins in the experimental fighter prototypes that had been developed. Specifically, a number of Supermarine-built prototypes had been ordered underSpecification E.41/46, which had sought the production of an experimental fighter aircraft with aswept wing. The first of these was theType 510, which was substantially based on the straight-wingSupermarine Attacker, which was procured for theFleet Air Arm. The principal difference from the Attacker was that it had a swept wing.[3] During 1948 the Type 510 made itsmaiden flight, a year after the first navalised prototype Attacker had flown, making it the first British aircraft to fly with bothswept wings and a swepttailplane. In trials for the Fleet Air Arm, the Type 510 was also the first swept-wing aircraft to take off from and land on anaircraft carrier.
During the late 1940s, in the face of the emergingCold War, the RAF came to recognise that it would urgently require the development and procurement of fighters equipped with features such asswept wings. That need was felt to be so pressing that it was willing to accept interim fighter aircraft while more capable fighters were being developed.[4] In 1950, with the outbreak of theKorean War, Britain's involvement in that conflict led to a flurry of orders being placed. In particular, the RAF felt that a pair of proposed fighter aircraft fromHawker Aircraft andSupermarine were of great importance and, in the same year, ordered the proposed fighters "off the drawing board".[5] The Supermarine design was designated as theType 541, and was essentially an advanced development of the earlier Type 510 experimental aircraft.[3]
The initial order placed in 1950 for 100 aircraft was intended to serve as an insurance policy in the event that Hawker failed to produce a viable aircraft. .[5] In early 1946, the Type 541 order was increased to 150 aircraft, the Air Ministry hoping that it would enter service before the rival Hunter. However, the development of both types was protracted.
The Type 541 replaced its predecessors'Rolls-Royce Nenecentrifugal flowturbojet engine with theaxial-flow Rolls-Royce AJ.65 turbojet, which became theAvon series. The fuselage, which had been given a cross section suitable for the Nene engine, was not redesigned for the narrower AJ.65 and Avon engines, and retained a somewhat portly appearance. The aircraft also had with atricycle undercarriage. Two of Type 541 prototypes were built. The first made its maiden flight on 01 August 1951[6] and the second during the following year.
Production of the Swift had been declared to be a "super-priority" item under a policy created bySir Winston Churchill, who had regained the position of Britain'sprime minister in 1951, as a means of increasing projects considered to be of vital military importance. Volume manufacturing commenced in advance of the implementation of modifications based on the results of flight experiences with the prototypes: "too much had been asked for in too little time and production aircraft were coming the production line before a major redesign could be accomplished".[3]
The first production variant was a fighter designated theSwift F Mk 1, of which 18 were eventually built. It was powered by a single 7,500 lbf (33.4 kN)-thrust Avon 109 engine and was armed with two 30 mm ADEN cannons. On 25 August 1952, the first flight of a production standard Swift F 1 took place.Peter Thorne, who had been appointed as the senior RAF test pilot for the incoming Swift in 1954, came to doubt the aircraft's suitability. Thorne and several other pilots noted the Swift had unusual handling qualities, as well as a troublesome engine.[7]
The second variant was theSwift F Mk 2, of which 16 were built. It was practically the same as the F 1, except for being fitted with two extra ADENs and theleading edge of the wing was altered from straight to a compound sweep.[3] However, the addition of the cannon caused problems, because the modifications required to house the increased ammunition load led to dangerous handling characteristics, and it was also clear that more thrust was required from its engine. Numerous further modifications were required to resolve the problems.[3]
The third Swift variant was theF Mk 3, of which 25 were built, powered by an Avon 114 engine withreheat. It was never put into operational service with the Royal Air Force and was used as an instructional airframe. The next variant was theF Mk.4, which included a variable incidence tailplane, intended to correct the handling problems that the Swift suffered from. It did fix the problem, but it was found that reheat could not be ignited at high altitude, adding to the Swift's list of problems.
The next in the line, theFR Mk 5, had a longer nose to accommodate a number of cameras to allow a reconnaissance role, as well as other modifications to its structure. The FR 5 also reverted to the F 1's twin ADEN cannon armament. It first flew in1955 and entered service the following year, performing reconnaissance mainly at low level, making the reheat problem at high altitude irrelevant.
Two further variants were designed. ThePR Mk 6 was an unarmed photo reconnaissance plane. However, its use was short-lived, due to the ever-present reheat problems. The last variant was theF Mk 7, which was the first Swift model to be fitted with guided missiles, theFairey Fireflashair-to-air missile, and was powered by a new model of the Avon. Only fourteen F 7 aircraft were built and none ever entered service with the RAF, being relegated – along with its prototype missiles – to conducting guided-missile trials.
In 1953, as a response to growing RAF interest in developingtransonic aircraft to serve as a stopgap while the next generation ofsupersonic fighters were being developed, both Supermarine and Hawker proposed derivatives of their respective Swift and Hunter aircraft.[8] By that time, the shortcomings of the Swift were not yet apparent, which perhaps had allowed Supermarine to gain the RAF's favour for its proposal, designated as theType 545, over the rivalHawker P.1083. The Type 545 had been drawn up to conform with the requirements given bySpecification F.105D. It was to have been capable of attainingMach 1.3. powered by an Avon engine, promising superior performance to that of the P.1083.[9] The Type 545 bore a resemblance to the Swift, although it was a complete redesign, having anarea-ruled fuselage and wing changes. In 1955, work on the project was cancelled, in part due to the considerable difficulties experienced with the Swift.[10]
In February 1954, the Swift F 1 entered service with the RAF,No. 56 Squadron becoming the first RAF squadron to operate the type. With its introduction, the Swift became the RAF's first swept-wing aircraft. The Swift F 2 entered service that same month. Wood refers to the type's introduction as having been "panicked", and that the adoption soon proved to be an "abysmal failure".[3] Tragedy struck very early in the career of the Swift: there were a number of accidents that involved the F 1 and F 2, one of them being fatal. In August 1954, it was decided that the Swift F 1 would be grounded, and the Swift F 2, which had effectively replaced the F 1 that same month, was also soon grounded as well, for similar reasons.[3]
The Swift F 3 and F 4 fighters were noted to have improved performance over their predecessors. The F 4 was the last variant that the RAF would accept in an interceptor role.[3] All fighter variants of the Swift were withdrawn from service by the RAF after a short time in service, to be replaced by the more capableHawker Hunter. While subject to its own problems, the Hunter had quickly proved to be a successful fighter aircraft.[11] By autumn 1954, the problems with the Swift had become public knowledge, and reports of the pending cancellation of the Swift appeared in the national press. In Parliament,Under-Secretary of State for AirSir George Ward said of the aircraft: "Aerodynamic difficulties have been encountered, and it is not possible to say with certainty if they can be overcome in the version under development".[11]
In early February 1955, it was rumoured that the Swift had failed its final evaluation by the RAFCentral Fighter Establishment, and that the type was likely to be restricted toaerial reconnaissance or toground attack roles.[12] On 2 March 1955,Minister of SupplySelwyn Lloyd acknowledged that development of the Swift had cost £20 million prior to the scrapping of the fighter variants. According to Wood, the Swift had become a national scandal by early 1955, which not only tarnished the aircraft, but also the RAF and the British aircraft industry, with the public and the government generally becoming more averse to other aircraft projects.[12]
The FR.5 was the last Swift variant to enter service with the RAF and was eventually replaced by the Hunter FR.10, with the FR.5 leaving RAF service entirely in 1961. The Swift FR. 5 had been deemed suitable for its role and was based with two squadrons that were assigned toRAF Germany.[12] The Swift never saw combat action with the RAF, but it did break a number of speed records in its time. InLibya, on 26 September 1953, an F.4 (WK198) piloted byCommanderMike Lithgow broke the world absolute speed record, reaching a speed of 737.7 mph (1,187 km/h),[citation needed] though it was broken just eight days later by theDouglas Skyray, aUnited States Navy (USN) fighter. The Swift has the distinction of being the last British production aircraft to hold the record (theFairey Delta 2 was experimental). Fewer than two hundred Swifts were built from an order of 497. A number of Swift airframes were taken to Australia forOperation Buffalo in 1956, being placed at various distances from a detonating atomic bomb.[13]
Its last variant had resolved many of the problems that had plagued earlier Swifts but the programme was not continued. The Hunter, performing satisfactorily in the same roles, removed any requirement to persist with the Swift.[14]
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Data fromSupermarine Aircraft since 1914 (2nd ed.)[25]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
