Swift F.1 of No. 56 squadron RAF Waterbeach, 1954

Swift F.1 WK210/'C' in the colours of 56 Sqn. The Swift first entered service with 56 Sqn at RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, on February 13, 1954.

Данный Swift изображен на тот момент, когда 79-я эскадрилья была переформирована в 4-ю эскадрилью (январь 1961 года). Красные стрелы 79-й эскадрильи остались, но в носовой части добавились молнии - эмблема нового подразделения. К началу февраля эскадрилья сменила все Swift на Hunter FR.Mk 10.

Swift FR.5 WK293 sporting 4 Sqn colours on the nose and 79 Sqn's markings on the intake and rear fuselage. This apparent 'dual identity' was as a result of 79 Sqn being re-numbered 4 Sqn on January 1, 1961.

Swift FR.5 WK315 served with No 79 Sqn, which replaced its Meteor FR.9s with the variant in June 1956, operating the Swift in the fighter-reconnaissance role in Germany until the end of December 1960.

Swift FR.5 XD962/'J', flown by Sqn Ldr CS 'Mac' MacDonald, CO of 2 Sqn, shown here with a ventral tank. Note also the clear cockpit canopy, reheat jetpipe eyelids and absence of a wing fence, compared with the F.1.

Swift F.7 XF118 was one of ten operated by the Guided Weapons Development Squadron at RAF Valley from June 1957 until December 1958, and was used for intensive trials of the Fireflash air-to-air missile, an example of which is seen mounted beneath the wing.

Swift F.7 XF119 of the Guided Weapons Development Squadron, RAF Valley, carrying a Fairey Fireflash air-to-air missile.

Swift F.7, trials aircraft with Fairey Fireflash air-to-air missile

Swift F.1 WK205 was delivered on February 15, 1954, and saw service with 56 Sgn and the AFDS. It was then used as an instructional airframe at RAF Weeton, Lancashire, before being scrapped in 1958.

View of FR.5 WK303 in a loop.

Swift FR.5 WK303/'H' of 79 Sqn in a dive. The aircraft would go supersonic in a dive, with a tendency to drop a wing, give a slight kick on the elevator and perhaps a forward movement of the control column as Mach 1.0 approached.
Fg Off Alan “Harv" Harvie on the downhill run of a loop in Supermarine Swift FR.5 WK303 of No 79 Sqn in June 1960. This squadron received its Swifts in 1956.

This formation of Hunters flanked by a pair of 79 Sqn Swift FR.5s clearly illustrates the Hunter's more slender lines. Although the Swift had a poor rate of turn and very marginal performance at high altitude, many pilots who flew both the Swift FR.5 and the Hunter preferred the former at low level, in particular for its stability and smooth handling.

At low level the maximum range for a typical FR mission, flown at operational speeds with a full fuel load, was in the order of 360nm, reducing as speeds were increased to a maximum of 600kts. This enabled the Swift to reach targets as far away as Berlin even from RAF Gutersloh - where this photograph is believed to have been taken.

Supermarine Swift in use as a missile testbed.
Distinguishable by its extended nose, housing an Ekco radar, this is one of the 12 production standard Swift F.7s built. Flown by the AFDS at RAF Valley, the F.7s were the first British fighters equipped with air-to-air guided weapons.

Swift F.7 XF114 is seen here, resplendent in an overall black colour scheme, at the Cranfield College of Aeronautics, Bedfordshire, in 1965. It carried out braking trials for the Air Ministry and is now in storage in Southampton.

Two views of the Jet Heritage collection present at Hurn in February 1989.

The Empire Test Pilots School was resident at Farnborough from 1946 until 1968 occupying the hangar on the south side of the airfield, this now being used today as the civil enclave. In this view are some of the ETPS fleet at Farnborough during 1961. These include a Vampire T.11, Meteor NF.14, Meteor T.7, Hunter F.4, Hunter T.7, Dragonfly HR3, Devon C.1, Shackleton MR.2, Canberra B.2, Swift F.7 and Chipmunk T 10.

29 декабря 1948г.: с аэродрома Боскомб-Даун под управлением Майка Литгоу поднялся Supermarine Type 510, первый британский самолет со стреловидными крылом и хвостовым оперением.

The Supermarine 510

Shown is the sole Supermarine 510, VV 106, which began the evolution of the Attacker and the Swift. First flown on 29 December 1948, with Lithgow at the controls, he was also flying the 510, by now equipped with arrester hook, when it became the first fully swept-winged aircraft to land aboard a carrier, during trials with HMS Illustrious on 8 November 1950.

На фотографии изображен опытный самолет Type 510, уже имевший стреловидные крыло и хвостовое оперение

The type 510, VV106 was virtually an Attacker with swept flying surfaces. It first flew on December 29, 1948, and is seen here with its original blunt nose.

A rollercoaster ride: longitudinal stability problems plagued the Supermarine Swift from its inception. The example seen here is first production Swift F Mk 1 WK194, which first flew on August 25, 1952.

Although the lines of the 510 were improved by the addition of a needle nose, the adherence to a tailwheel undercarriage gave it an archaic appearance.

Лейтенант-коммандер М. Дж. Литгоу, 25 сентября 1953 года. Британцы старались не отставать от своих заокеанских коллег - в Королевских ВВС для "гонки за скоростью" использовали Supermarine Swift. И, наконец, 25 сентября 1953 года М.Дж. Литгоу установил на нем под Триполи, Ливия, рекорд скорости - 1183 км/час.

Supermarine test pilot Lt-Cdr Mike Lithgow in Swift F.4 WK198 on his arrival at RAF Idris in Libya in September 1953, where he set a new world air speed record. No doubt Supermarine’s management was delighted to have broken the previous record set by Hawker Hunter WB188 only three weeks previously.

Lt. Cdr. Michael J. 'Mike' Lithgow, Chief Test Pilot for Vickers Armstrong's Supermarine company standing beside the sole Supermarine 510, VV 106, which he demonstrated at the September 1949 SBAC Farnborough Air Show. A former Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot, Lithgow's association with Supermarine started in 1944, when he was seconded to the company to assist Jeffrey Quill in Spitfire/Seafire development flying. After the war, Quill persuaded Lithgow to join the firm, where he succeeded Quill as Chief Test Pilot in 1947. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Mike' Lithgow had overall flight development responsibility for the string of Supermarine designs that sired the RAF's Swift and the Royal Navy's Scimitar. Tragically, Lt. Cdr. Lithgow, along with his co-pilot 'Dickie' Rymer and three flight test engineers were to lose their lives in the prototype BAC One-Eleven's 'deep stall' crash of 22 October 1963.

A close-up of the after part of the fuselage of the Supermarine 510, taken at the R.A.F. Apprentices School, Halton, Bucks, recently. The entire rear part of the fuselage is hinged from just behind the leading edge of the tailplane. This modification has a similar effect to a variable-incidence tailplane.

The Supermarine 510 was photographed at R.A.F. Cardington by M. M. Gates of Ealing.

The Supermarine 510 stored at R.A.F. Cardington, are now painted inl standard R.A.F. camouflage.

The Supermarine Type 535 research aircraft, serialled VV119, was essentially the prototype of what would develop into the Swift, and was used memorably in the filming of David Lean’s The Sound Barrier.

Fine study of the 535 VV119 taken on August 13, 1951.

Fine study of the 535 VV119 taken on August 13, 1951. It bears the name Prometheus on its nose.

Many of the characteristic features of the Swift were apparent in the Type 541, WJ960, of 1951.

1 августа 1951г.: взлетел WJ960 - первый предсерийный истребитель Supermarine Swift. 8 сентября самолет выполнил вынужденную посадку из-за отказа двигателя.

The first pre-production prototype, WJ960, was not officially a Swift, but the name was used unofficially at that time. It first flew on August 1, 1951, and in June 1952 broke the London to Brussels speed record. In 1953, it was decided that WJ960 was not sufficiently representative of the intended production aircraft for further development work and it was relegated to Rolls-Royce Avon engine trials.

A characteristically superb portrait of the first pre-production Swift, WJ960, by the doyen of aviation photographers, Charles E. Brown. This production prototype was essentially similar to VV119 but with longer-span ailerons. Built at Hursley Park, the aircraft made its maiden flight on August 1, 1951, from Boscombe Down.

Serious flutter problems beset the first true Swift, WJ965, which first flew on July 18, 1952.

Старший летчик-испытатель "Supermarine" Майк Литгоу пилотирует Type 508, рядом с которым следует прототип Type 535 Swift. Авиашоу в Фарнборо, сентябрь 1951 года.

No 56 Squadron was the only unit to operate the Swift F.1 and F.2 interceptors. In this formation three of the unit’s natural-metal F.1s lead three camouflaged F.2s.

A line-up of Swift F.2s awaiting delivery at South Marston in 1956.

Swift F.3 WK247, photographed on September 5, 1954, was an F.2 with revised outer wings and an afterburning engine.

The Swift F.3 variant - the first of which, WK247, is seen here - was similar to the F.1 and F.2 but introduced reheat for its Rolls-Royce Avon engine. All 25 F.3s ordered were built, but none entered squadron service. All except WK248, which went to the College of Aeronautics, were instructional airframes by the end of 1956.

The Supermarine Swift F Mk 3

The record-breaking Swift prototype, WK198;

Lt Cdr Mike Lithgow in F.4 WK198, a rebuilt F.1, leaves Chilbolton for Libya on September 22, 1953.

Swift F.Mk4, WK198, перед попыткой установить мировой рекорд скорости. 26 сентября в районе Триполи (Ливия) он развил скорость 1195 км/ч, но рекорд продержался только восемь дней и был побит американским Douglas F4D Skyray.

Самолет Swift в 1953 году установил мировой рекорд скорости. WK198, третий экземпляр Swift F.Mk 1, был переделан в рекордный F.Mk 4. Конструкция самолета включала в себя цельноповоротный стабилизатор.

Swift F.1 WK198 was modified to become the prototype Mk 4 (given the company designation Type 546), and is seen here on a test flight before Mike Lithgow’s assault on the world air speed record. The Mk 4 introduced a variable-incidence tailplane, which, it was hoped, would alleviate the type’s notable pitch-up characteristics.

WK 198 установил свой рекорд в ливийском городе Триполи. Теплый африканский воздух помог Swift развить скорость в 1183, 7 км/ч, но последующие вылеты были неудачными из-за выхода из строя форсажной камеры. Дальнейшие попытки не учитывались, так как 3 октября 1953 года американский Douglas F4D Skyray установил рекорд в 1211,4 км/ч.

The Swift F.1 served with only one unit, No 56 Sqn, with which it entered service in February 1954 at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire. Nearest the camera is WK208, lost after it became uncontrollable on May 13, 1954. All Swifts were grounded for two months as a result.

The "teeth" in the leading edge of the wings of a Swift F.R.5 are clearly shown.

VICKERS SWIFT F.R.Mk.5. Intended for very fast low-level reconnaissance and ground attack work, the Swift F.R.Mk.5 is in production at South Marston and is shortly to go into service with squadrons in 2nd T.A.F. Germany. The F.R.Mk.5 embodies refinements from lessons learned with the F.Mk.4. An afterburner with two-position nozzle is fitted to the Avon engine, and the extended nose contains three obliquely mounted cameras in the nose. Only two 30-mm. Aden guns are carried, plus a wide range of external stores and 220-gallon ventral drop tank.
Salient features: The lengthened nose of the Swift 5 gives a more streamlined appearance to the fuselage than on earlier marks, although the machine is still noticeably more tubby than the Hunter. The cockpit set just aft of the deep lateral intakes, is of the full tear-drop variety without the earlier rear metal reinforcing plates. The swept wings of low aspect ratio have backward curvature on the tips and the now familiar "saw cut" or "saw tooth" on the leading edge. The swept fin is of narrow chord with a long dorsal fillet, while the swept tailplane is set high on the rear fuselage and has marked dihedral. Undercarriage mainwheels retract inwards and the nosewheel forwards.
Photograph illustrates a recent production Swift F.R.Mk.5, XD904.

One of the latest serial allocations (XD) is shown on this recent production Vickers Supermarine Swift FR.Mk.5 - XD904.

Supermarine Swift F.R.Mk 5

In the international low-level reconnaissance competition held recently by the Allied Tactical Air Forces at Laarbruck, first and second places were won by Vickers Supermarine Swifts F.R. Mark 5.The field was composed of aircraft from many air forces, including French, Dutch and Belgian F.84Fs, and American B.57s. The winning pilot. FIt. Lt. A. D. Laurence of No. 79 Squadron R.A.F., scored 120 points out of a possible 200 on his fastest mission over 160 miles. Targets included camouflaged Army vehicles, airfields and bridges, and the mission demanded accurate visual reporting, speedy photograph processing and immediate intelligence reports.

Swift стал первым серийным британским реактивным истребителем со стреловидным крылом, но в силу ряда проблем технического характера его карьера продлилась всего 15 месяцев. Разведчику Swift FR.Mk 5 (на фотографии) в части срока службы повезло несколько больше.

The camera-equipped FR Mk 5. which also featured the dog-tooth wing leading-edge.

Swift FR.5 WK298 of 79 Squadron at ultra-low level over Germany.

Swift FR.Mk 5 из 79-й эскадрильи в небе Западной Германии. Swift применялись в качестве низковысотных истребителей и разведчиков. Самолеты входили в состав 2-й тактической ВА британских ВВС.
Supermarine Swifts F.R.5s of No. 79 Squadron in formation over Germany. Used for low-level fighter/reconnaissance duties, the Swifts are in service with the 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force.

A trio of Swift FR.5s of 2 Squadron, 2nd TAF, over the Rhine in 1957.

Unusual formation photographed by a Meteor of No.541 Squadron, R.A.F., Laarbruch, during the 3rd Central Region Reconnaissance Symposium held at H.Q. A.T.A.F. The Swift F.R.Mk.5 (XD 905) shows for the first time the ventral slipper tank. The all-silver Canberra (WT758) is a P.R.Mk.7, while the Shooting Star (TP-20) is a "rare bird", an RT-33A of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Swift так и не стал полноценным истребителем-перехватчиком, на что надеялись разработчики, но хорошо зарекомендовал себя как самолет тактической разведки - в данной роли его закупил ряд стран НАТО.

FR.5s in service with 2 Squadron, 2nd TAF, Germany, who received them early in 1956.

Supermarine Swift FR.5s.

Вполне приемлемая дальность полета Swift могла быть существенно увеличена за счет применения подфюзеляжного топливного бака.

Prototype F.7 XF774 displays its two wing-mounted Firefiash missiles.

Fireflash. Для испытаний ракеты Fairey Fireflash с полуактивной РГСН были построены 14 самолетов F.Mk 7. Конструктивно ракета состояла из основной секции, в носовой части которой располагались БЧ и взрыватель, а также двух твердотопливных ускорителей. Испытания, проведенные в октябре 1957-го - ноябре 1958 года, были успешными, но в итоге на вооружение приняли УР Firestreak с тепловой ГСН.

One of the production Supermarine Swift F Mk 7s. Fireflash-equipped, which were used for operational trials with the Fairey AAM by the No 1 Guided Weapon Development Squadron of the RAF in the late 'fifties. The two prototypes had later serials than the production aircraft.

Swift F.7 XF124 launches a Fairey Firefiash during trials with the Guided Weapon Development Squadron, RAF Valley, in October 1958.

The sixth production Valiant B.l, WP204, accompanied by a Swift FR.5 pictured during acceptance trials at A&AEE Boscombe Down, in 1954.

Первые семь серийных Valiant использовались для испытаний. На снимке представлена шестая машина, летящая в сопровождении истребителя Supermarine Swift F.Mk 7. Самолеты Valiant поставлялись в серебристой окраске с черными диэлектрическими панелями в носовой части фюзеляжа и законцовке киля. Белая "противоатомная" окраска была введена в 1957 году, после участия Valiant в испытаниях ядерных бомб "Grapple".

Swift Mk .7 with Fairey Fireflashs under both wings;

The all-blue production F.7 XF114 was the last "active” Swift, being used for aquaplaning tests at Cranfield as late as 1965/66.

MISSILE CARRIER. Swift Mk. 7 (XF113) has a deep g.m. launching arm. Unlike "private venture" Hunter, the Swift has military markings.

"Tooth" leading edge of the Swift F.R.Mk.5

The remains of a Supermarine Swift in Manchester's Droylsden scrapyard.

Supermarine Swift F.2 with maintenance serial 7301 was originally WK241. It is seen dumped at RAF Halton in company with Meteors and Prentices in 1959.

The fuselage of Supermarine Swift F.4 WK198 has already been reclaimed from the North East Aircraft Museum by its owner.

The first swept-wing British fighter to enter service, the Supermarine 541 Swift made its maiden flight on August 5, 1951. Developed from the Types 510 and 535, the type entered RAF service with 56 Squadron in August 1954 as the F1, being followed by the F2 and the F3 with reheat. The last fighter variant, the F4, first flew on May 27, 1953, and this was followed by the FR5 tactical reconnaissance aircraft. The final Swift was missile development, examples were built.

Vickers SUpermarine Swift FR.5

A three-view of the Swift F Mk 4.

VICKERS SWIFT F.R.Mk.5. Data: Manufacturer: Vickers Supermarine, South Marston, Hants. Power: one Rolls-Royce reheat Avon. Accommodation: single-seat. Dimensions: span 32 ft. 4 in.; length 42 ft . 3 in. No other data available.

Supermarine Swift FR 5 of No.2 squadron Royal Air Force 2nd ATAF Laarbruch , W. Germany, 1957