Supermarine Attacker
Attacker | |
---|---|
Role | Naval fighter |
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | Supermarine |
First flight | 27 July 1946 |
Introduction | August 1950 |
Retired | FAA: 1954 RNVR: 1957 PAF: 1964 |
Primary users | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Pakistan Air Force |
Number built | 182 + 3 prototypes |
Developed into | Supermarine Type 510
|
The Supermarine Attacker is a British single-seat naval jet fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Supermarine for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was the first jet fighter to enter operational service with the FAA.[1]
In order to rapidly introduce jet aircraft to Navy service, Supermarine proposed using the wing developed for their most advanced piston-powered design, the Supermarine Spiteful, with a new fuselage for the Rolls-Royce Nene engine. Performing its maiden flight on 27 July 1946, the flight testing phase of development was protracted due to several issues, including handling difficulties. The first Attackers were introduced to FAA service in August 1951.
Common to the majority of other
Development
Origins
The origins of the Attacker can be traced back to a
Joe Smith presented the Type 392 for consideration and three prototypes (TS409, TS413 and TS416) were ordered. Prior to the design being officially named Attacker, the aircraft had was referred to as the "Jet Spiteful" with "Jet Seafang" for a naval version.[3][4]
E.10/44, (issued February 1945[4]) specified a maximum speed of 550 mph (885 km/h) up to 30,000 ft (9,100 m).[4]
As originally intended, the Type 392 was supposed to provide an interim jet fighter to equip the RAF while another aircraft, the
Handling problems with the Spiteful prototype delayed progress on the jet-powered version, leading to the pre-production order of 24 being stopped, although work on the three prototypes continued. In January 1945 Supermarine had been ordered to stop work on their Seagull air-sea rescue amphibian and give the Type 392 maximum priority. Due to the delay, the FAA instead ordered a batch of 18 de Havilland Vampire Mk. 20s for the purpose of gaining experience with jet aircraft.[9][10] After evaluating both the Jet Spiteful and the E.1/44, the RAF decided to reject both designs since neither aircraft offered any perceptible performance advantage over contemporary fighters such as the Gloster Meteor and the de Havilland Vampire, which were the RAF's first two operational jet aircraft.[11]
Into flight
Following the design's rejection by the RAF, Supermarine decided to approach the
Flight testing was largely conducted at Supermarine's newly created experimental establishment at the former RAF Chilbolton.[13] The Attacker had several deficiencies, one of which was using the Spiteful tail-wheel undercarriage rather than a nose-wheel undercarriage, a configuration that resulted in the Attacker being considerably more difficult to land on an aircraft carrier. According to aviation author Bill Gunston, this tail-dragger undercarriage meant that, when operating from grass airfields, the jet exhaust would create a long furrow in the ground that "three men could lie down in".[14] However, according to aviation periodical Flight, claims of scorched or ploughed surfaces, even grass, were exaggerated.[15] The Attacker was neither the only nor the first jet aircraft to be equipped with such an undercarriage, which was also used on the experimental Heinkel He 178 and several early Messerschmitt Me 262 aircraft. The chief designer at Vickers-Supermarine, Mr. J. Smith, claimed that testing had validated the performance of the tail-dragger undercarriage as acceptable.[15]
On 17 June 1947, the first navalised prototype, Type 398 TS413, conducted its first flight, flown by test pilot Mike Lithgow;[16] occurring four years after the Meteor had performed its first flight. During November 1949, production orders on behalf of the FAA were received by Supermarine.[citation needed] On 5 May 1950, the first production variant of the aircraft, designated Attacker F.1, performed its first flight; one year later, deliveries of the type commenced.[2]
Design
The Supermarine Attacker was a navalised jet-propelled fighter aircraft, the first jet-powered aircraft to be introduced into FAA service.[2] While originally designed to a wartime requirement for the RAF, it was not introduced until the early 1950s, and was ultimately developed for use aboard aircraft carriers. For a jet aircraft, the Attacker's design was unusual, with a tail-dragger undercarriage with twin tailwheels, as well as an unswept wing.[2] The flight controls were relatively conventional, based on those of the Spiteful. The forward position of the cockpit was well-received, and provided an exceptionally good view for the pilot.[17]
The Attacker had a relatively strong structure, making extensive use of heavy-gauge materials, principally
In terms of its aerodynamics, the Attacker was well streamlined, described by Flight as being "perhaps more perfect than any other fighter".[17] The fuselage was continuously curved with no straight lines. It was shaped to have some of the wing's laminar flow characteristics and its lines were interrupted only by the faired cockpit canopy and the engine air intakes on either side of the cockpit.[18] The intakes diverted the front fuselage boundary layer to prevent it entering the engine; tests with the diverters faired-over gave reduced engine performance including thrust.[18]
The design of the wing was largely unchanged from the Spiteful, save for being slightly enlarged to match the bigger Attacker.
The Attacker was powered by a single
In terms of armament, the Attacker F.1 had four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk. V cannon; at the time, this was viewed as the standard armament for a frontline RAF fighter.[23] These cannon were fired using electronically operated Maxifiux-Star units. The inboard cannon had a maximum capacity of 167 rounds of ammunition each, while the outboard cannon had up to 145 rounds each. External stores included two 1,000 lb bombs or four 300 lb rockets.[24]
Operational history
Britain
During August 1951, the Attacker entered operational service with the FAA; the first squadron to receive production aircraft was
Across the three variants to be adopted by the FAA, a total of 146 production Attackers would be delivered to the service.
Pakistan
During the early 1950s, Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) (later Pakistan Air Force (PAF)) sought to acquire its first-ever jet-powered aircraft. A combination of a lack of funds and political pressure that was exerted by British suppliers persuaded the service to acquire a variant of the Attacker known as the Type 538, which was essentially a "de-navalised" variant of the aircraft used by the FAA.[citation needed]
Variants
- Type 392
- Prototype land version to specification E.10/44, ordered as one of three prototypes on 30 August 1944, one built and first flown 27 July 1946.[30]
- Type 398
- Prototype navalised variant ordered on 30 August 1944, one built and first flown 17 June 1947.[30]
- Type 510
- Prototype with swept wings and tail whose development led to the Supermarine Swift.
- Type 513
- Prototype second naval prototype to specification E.1/45 ordered on 30 August 1943, one built and first flown 24 January 1950.[30]
- Type 398 Attacker F.1
- Production Nene 3 powered variant, 63 ordered on 29 October 1948 and built at South Marston, 50 built as F1 as two were cancelled and the last 11 built as FB.1s. First flight of production F.1 was on 4 April 1950.[30]
- Attacker FB.1
- Last 11 production F 1s were built as FB 1s plus an additional aircraft ordered on 27 March 1950 to replace one aircraft destroyed on a production test flight.[30] The FB1 had been modified from the original design to allow it to carry rocket projectiles or bombs under the wings.
- Attacker FB.2
- Updated fighter-bomber variant powered by the Nene 102, 24 ordered on 21 November 1950, 30 ordered on 16 February 1950 and a further 30 ordered on 7 September 1950, all 84 built at South Marston.[30]
- Type 538 Attacker
- Land based Royal Pakistan Air Force, 36 built with the first delivered in 1953.[1]
Operators
- Pakistan Air Force, 36 aircraft.
- No. 11 Squadron Arrows
- Fleet Air Arm,[31] 146 aircraft.
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
- Fleet Requirements Unit[41]
Accidents and incidents
- On 23 May 1950, Vickers test pilot Les Colquhoun was flying the first production Attacker F.1 WA469. He was carrying out high-speed tests when during one of the tests the outer portion of the starboard wing folded up and the ailerons became locked. Colquhoun decided not to eject and managed to do a high-speed landing at Chilbolton, in the course of which he used all but the last 100 yards (90 m) of the runway and burst a tyre.[42] The intact aircraft was examined so the cause of the incident could be discovered, Colquhoun was awarded the George Medal for his efforts in saving the aircraft.[43]
- On 5 February 1953, Attacker FB.1 WA535 from RNAS Stretton crashed near Winwick, Cheshire, killing the pilot Mr Roy Edwin Collingwood.
- On 21 July 1953, Attacker FB.2 WP293 (803 NAS) from RNAS Ford, crashed at North Stoke Farm, near Arundel, Sussex, killing the pilot Lieutenant Commander William T R Smith.
- On 10 November 1955, an accident involving Attacker FB.2 WP281, claimed the life of the chief Flying Instructor, Lieutenant Commander Charles James Lavender DSC when he tried to avoid collision with a RNAS Stretton.[44]
- On 26 June 1956, Attacker FB.1 WK328 practicing deck landings at RNAS Ford crashed near the parish church at Climping, West Sussex. The pilot, Lieutenant Jack Stanner Wyatt of 1832 (RNVR) Squadron, was killed. He was later buried in the churchyard he crashed close to.[45]
- On 6 July 1956, Attacker WP275 crashed in the English Channel off Littlehampton, West Sussex after a wing folded in flight; the pilot ejected safely. Parts of the aircraft were brought to the surface by a dredging vessel in 2005.[46][47]
- 15 July 1956 WP283, Attacker FB2, 1833 Sqn stalled on approach to RAF Honiley and crashed on road killing civilian.[48]
Surviving aircraft
Following its retirement from service in 1956, Attacker F.1
Specifications (F.1)
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft[51]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 11 in (11.25 m)
- Height: 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m)
- Wing area: 226 sq ft (21 m2)
- Empty weight: 8,434 lb (3,826 kg)
- Gross weight: 12,211 lb (5,339 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet, 5,000 lbf (22 kN) thrust
Performance
- Maximum speed: 590 mph (950 km/h, 512 kn)
- Range: 590 mi (950 km, 510 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
- Rate of climb: 6,350 ft/min (32.3 m/s)
Armament
- Guns: 4 × Hispano No. 3 Mark 5 20mm Cannon
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- de Havilland Sea Vampire
- Hawker Sea Hawk
- McDonnell FH Phantom
- North American FJ-1 Fury
- Vought F6U Pirate
References
Notes
- ^ The E.1/44 was low priority and there was a lack of enthusiasm within Gloster for the project. Gloster's design was being built in two forms - one with de Havilland Ghost and one with the Nene. The production order to F.23/46 of September 1945 was later cancelled.[5]
- ^ a b Bingham 2004, p. 109.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The first jet fighter to enter Royal Navy squadron service." BAE Systems, Retrieved: 16 July 2019.
- ^ Buttler 2010, pp. 54, 56.
- ^ a b c d Buttler 2004 p208
- ^ Buttler p199
- ^ Buttler 2010, p. 54.
- ^ Andrews and Morgan 1989, p. 269.
- ^ Buttler 2010, pp. 56–57.
- ^ Andrews and Morgan 1987, pp. 269–270.
- ^ Mason 1992, p.350.
- ^ Taylor 1969, pp. 432–433.
- ^ Andrews and Morgan 1987, p. 270.
- ^ Flight, 15 May 1947, pp. 446, h.
- ^ Gunston 1975, p. 130.
- ^ a b Flight, 15 May 1947, p. 446.
- ^ Andrews and Morgan 1987, p. 271.
- ^ a b c Flight, 15 May 1947, pp. h-o.
- ^ a b c Flight, 15 May 1947, p. h.
- ^ a b Flight, 15 May 1947, p. 447.
- ^ Flight, 15 May 1947, p. 446-447.
- ^ a b c Flight, 15 May 1947, p. 448.
- ^ Flight, 15 May 1947, p. 449.
- ^ Flight, 15 May 1947, pp. 449-450.
- ^ Flight, 15 May 1947, p. 450.
- ^ "PROPELLERS TO THE JET AGE (1951- 1960)". Pakistan Air Force Museum Karachi.
In June 1951 the PAF entered the jet age with the Super marine Attacker fighter equipping the first jet squadron of the growing air force.
- ^ "PAKISTAN'S FINAL ATTACKERS". FlightGlobal.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012.
- ^ a b "DGPR Pakistan Air Force". Instagram (Press release). 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Paybills Aerobatics Team". AerobaticTeams.net.
- ^ "SUPERMARINE ATTACKER IN THE PAKISTAN AIR FORCE".
- ^ a b c d e f Sturtivant 2004, pp. 562–572.
- ^ Thetford 1978, pp. 336–337.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 58.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 125.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 138.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 317.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 343.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 345.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 347.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 348.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 349.
- ^ Ballance 2016, p. 411.
- ^ Bingham 2004, p. 101.
- ^ "No. 38982". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 August 1950. p. 3949.
- ^ MoD Accident Report number 01005/4, 22 November 1955.
- Aviation Safety Network
- Aviation Safety Network
- ^ "Recovered from the Sea 1". Aircraft Crash Sites at Sea. Wessex Archaeology. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- ^ "UK Military Aircraft Losses". www.ukserials.com. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Supermarine Attacker." Archived 22 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine Fleet Air Arm Museum. Retrieved: 27 February 2008.
- ^ Sturtivant 2004, p. 563.
- ^ Orbis 1985, p. 2980.
Bibliography
- Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3.
- "Attacker". Flight. 15 May 1947. pp. 446–450. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016.
- Ballance, Theo (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air-Britain. ISBN 978 0 85130 489 2.
- Bingham, Victor. Supermarine Fighter Aircraft. Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press, 2004. ISBN 1-86126-649-9.
- Birtles, Philip. Supermarine Attacker, Swift and Scimitar (Postwar Military Aircraft 7). London: Ian Allan, 1992. ISBN 0-7110-2034-5.
- Brown, Capt. Eric (CBE, DFC, AFC, RN). "Attacker - A Belated Beginning." Air International, May 1982, p. 233. ISSN 0306-5634.
- Buttler, Tony. "Database: Supermarine Attacker". Aeroplane. Vol. 38, No. 8, Issue 448, August 2010, pp. 54–71. London: IPC.
- Gunston, Bill. "Fighters of the Fifties: Vickers-Supermarine Attacker". Aeroplane Monthly, March 1975.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
- Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
- ISBN 0-09-937020-4.
- Sturtivant, Ray; Ballance, Theo (1994). The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Air-Britain. ISBN 9780851302232.
- Sturtivant, Ray. Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: ISBN 0-85130-283-1.
- Taylor, John W.R. "Supermarine Attacker". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
- Taylor, Michael J.H., ed. "Supermarine Attacker". Janes's Encyclopedia of Aviation, Vol. 5. Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Educational Corporation, 1980. ISBN 0-7106-0710-5.
- Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam, Fourth edition, 1978. ISBN 0-370-30021-1.
- Buttler, Tony (2004). Fighters and Bombers 1935-1950. British Secret Projects 3. Midland Publishing.