English Electric Lightning F.1

English Electric · UK · first flew 1959 · fighter

The F.1 was the initial production Lightning, entering service without the enlarged ventral tank that defines the look of later marks. Its clean belly profile and limited fuel fraction made it a point-defence interceptor of very short endurance.

Recognition (WEFT)

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

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Spot it by:

Small ventral tank absent — belly is clean with only the twin Firestreak missile wells
Short-span wings with no overwing ferry tanks provision
Two Firestreak missile bays side-by-side in lower nose; no guns in the later belly pack position

Absence of the large belly tank distinguishes F.1 from F.3 and F.6. The overall silhouette is the same stacked-engine, highly swept delta as all Lightnings, but the fuselage underside is notably slimmer. Compare with the F.6's prominent ventral pack.

Specifications

The English Electric Lightning F.1 has a length of 16.84 m (55 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.61 m (35 ft).
Its maximum speed is 2415 km/h (1501 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Entered RAF service 1960 with 74 Squadron at Coltishall. The F.1 and F.1A equipped four UK squadrons as the RAF's first truly supersonic interceptor. Range was brutally limited; pilots spoke of 'thirty-minute aeroplanes'. Around 20 F.1s and 28 F.1As were built.

Variants

The F.1A added UHF radio and limited inflight-refuelling capability. Both were quickly superseded by the F.3 with Avon 301 engines.

Where you'll see it

RAF 74, 56, and 111 Squadrons 1960-1965 in front-line service. A preserved F.1A is displayed at the RAF Museum Hendon.

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