In September 2008, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers conferred on the Lightning its "Engineering Heritage Award" at a ceremony at BAE Systems' site at Warton Aerodrome. Until 2009, three Lightnings were kept flying at " Thunder City" in Cape Town, South Africa. įollowing retirement by the RAF in the late 1980s, many of the remaining aircraft became museum exhibits. Overwing fuel tank fittings were installed in the F6 variant and offered an extended range, but the maximum speed of the configuration was limited to a reported 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 km/h). Later developments provided greater range and speed along with aerial reconnaissance and ground-attack capability. This performance and the initially limited fuel supply meant that its missions are dictated to a high degree by its limited range. The Lightning has exceptional rate of climb, ceiling, and speed pilots have described flying it as "being saddled to a skyrocket".
The Lightning was designed and developed as an interceptor to defend the V bomber airfields from attack by anticipated future nuclear-armed supersonic Soviet bombers such as what emerged as the Tupolev Tu-22, but it was subsequently also required to intercept other bomber aircraft such as the Tupolev Tu-16 and the Tupolev Tu-95.
It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Kuwait Air Force (KAF), and the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).Ī unique feature of the Lightning's design is the vertical, staggered configuration of its two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines within the fuselage. Later the type was marketed as the BAC Lightning. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was later merged into the newly-formed British Aircraft Corporation. It remains the only UK-designed-and-built fighter capable of Mach 2.
The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s.
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