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| The Gloster Meteor was the only allied jet fighter to enter service during WW2 and is still doing useful service to this day as a test bed for Martin Baker ejection seats . Due to the low power of early jet engines, two engines were required for an operational aeroplane and the first prototype flew on March 5th 1943. |
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The Meteor entered service on 12th July 1944 with 616 squadron and accounted for thirteen V1 flying bombs. By early 1945 616 squadron recieved the developed F3 and the squadron was part of the 2nd tactical air force during it’s advance through europe.
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Post war the Meteor was developed considerably. The first version to benefit from the vastly increased engine power of the Rolls Royce Derwent was the F4, which also employed short span wings. The Meteor F4 gained the World air speed record for Great Britain with a timed run of 616 mph in 1946. |
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In order to facilitate the induction of pilots into the brave new world of jet flying a two seat version of the Meteor was developed from the F4 and was designated the T7. The ultimate day fighter version of the Meteor was the F8 which had a redesigned tail and fin, a lengthened fuselage and an ejector seat. The Meteor F8 was the standard RAF interceptor during the late 40’s and early 50’s. |
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By the early 1950’s there was a desperate need to replace the De Haviland Mosquito night fighter. As a stop gap until more sophisticated types could enter service a night fighter version of the Meteor was develeloped. |
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The Meteor NF11 was developed from the T7 by adding radar to a lengthened nose, the revised tail surfaces of the F8 and the long span wings of the F3, and moving the cannons into the wings. The night fighter Meteor was sub contracted to Armstrong Whitworths in Coventry. The final combat version of the Meteor was the NF14 night fighter. |
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The Meteor has many notable firsts and records to it’s credit. Not least is the first live ejection seat launch on 24 July 1946 which was developed by the Martin Baker aircraft company. The Meteor was exported widely and over 3,500 examples were built. |
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Specification - (F8) Top Speed: 598 mph at 10,000 ft. Weight: 10,684 lbs Ceiling: 43,000 ft Powerplant: Rolls Royce Derwent, (3,500lb thrust). Armament: Four 20mm cannon |
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F4 - First flown on 17 May 1945, powered by the Derwent 5, which was actually a scaled-down version of the Nene engine. |
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This was the first post-war variant. It had a pressurised cockpit, but no ejector seats. |
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The thrust of the engine was 75% more than the original, and the rate of climb was nearly double that of previous variants. It entered RAF service in 1947. |
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Brazil From 1953, Brazil received 70 aircraft, which were paid for with 15,000 tons of raw cotton, because of Brazil's shortage of convertible currency. |
