English Electric Lightning

English Electric / BAC · United Kingdom · first flew 1954 · fighter

The English Electric Lightning is a British supersonic interceptor famous for its vertically stacked twin engines and astonishing rate of climb.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	16.84 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Two engines stacked vertically
Sharply swept wings
Nose intake with central shock cone

Unmistakable for its two engines stacked in the deep fuselage, sharply swept mid wing, single circular nose intake with a central cone and the prominent ventral fuel tank.

Specifications

The English Electric Lightning has a length of 16.84 m (55 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.61 m (35 ft).
Its maximum speed is 2100 km/h (1305 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The P.1 prototype first flew in August 1954 and soon exceeded Mach 1 in level flight, the first British aircraft to do so. The production Lightning entered RAF service in 1960 as a dedicated bomber-killer, with two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets mounted one above the other in the fuselage.

Variants

Major marks ran from the F1 through to the definitive F6, with the multirole F2A and two-seat T4/T5 trainers. Successive variants added a larger ventral fuel tank, cambered wing leading edges and improved radar and missiles.

Where you'll see it

The Lightning guarded UK airspace from RAF stations such as Binbrook and Wattisham throughout the Cold War, intercepting Soviet aircraft over the North Sea until retirement in 1988. Preserved examples are displayed at RAF Cosford, Duxford and the Newark Air Museum, and ground-running Lightnings remain a heritage highlight in Britain.

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