English Electric Lightning

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The English Electric Lightning was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era.

It was designed and manufactured by English Electric, who were subsequently integrated into the unified British Aircraft Corporation, after which point the aircraft was marketed as the BAC Lightning.

The Lightning was the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft and was the first aircraft in the world capable of supercruise.

The Lightning was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; pilots commonly described it as "being saddled to a skyrocket".

It was powered by the Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine; each aircraft had two Avon engines in an unusual stacked arrangement in the main fuselage with the cockpit perched on top.

The Lightning was developed to counter increasingly-capable bomber aircraft, and thus had remarkable climb, altitude and speed flight performance in order to perform rapid interception.

The type was subsequently developed for greater range and speed, as well as to perform reconnaissance and ground-attack missions.


General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 55 ft 3 in (16.8 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.6 m)
• Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)
• Wing area: 474.5 ft² (44.08 m²)
• Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojets
• Dry thrust: 12,530 lbf (55.74 kN) each
• Thrust with afterburner: 16,000 lbf (71.17 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.0 (1,300 mph, 2,100 km/h) at 36,000 ft. 700 KIAS at lower altitude
• Range: 850 mi (1,370 km) Supersonic intercept radius: 155 mi (250 km)
• Ferry range: 920 mi (800 NM, 1,660 km) 1,270 mi (1,100 NM, 2,040 km) with ferry tanks
• Service ceiling: 54,000 ft (16,000 m) zoom ceiling >70,000 ft
• Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s)
• Wing loading: 76 lb/ft² (370 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.78

Armament

• Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN cannon
• Hardpoints: 2× under-fuselage for mounting air-to-air missiles, 2x overwing pylon stations for 260 gal ferry tanks and provisions to carry combinations of:
• Missiles: 2 De Havilland Firestreak or 2× Hawker Siddeley Red Top