English Electric Lightning
Sign in to saveAlso known as BAC Lightning, Lightning aircraft, Lightning
1957 interceptor aircraft family by English Electric
Key facts
- Type
- Interceptor (primary); fighter
- National origin
- United Kingdom
- Manufacturer
- English Electric British Aircraft Corporation
- Status
- Retired
- Primary users
- Royal Air Force Kuwait Air Force Royal Saudi Air Force
- Number built
- 337 (including prototypes)
- Introduction date
- 11 July 1960 (frontline service)
- First flight
- 4 August 1954 (P.1A) 4 April 1957
- Retired
- 30 April 1988 (RAF)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- second-generation jet fighter
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Developer
- English Electric
- Manufacturer
- British Aircraft Corporation
- Image
- English Electric Lightning F6, UK - Air Force AN2260192.jpg
- Has use
- interceptor
Show 8 more facts
- Commons category
- English Electric Lightning
- powered by
- Avon
- armament
- air-to-air rocket
- Commons gallery
- English Electric Lightning
- first flight
- 1957-04-04
- service retirement
- 2009-00-00
- service entry
- 1959-12-00
- total produced
- 334
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor from 1960 to 1988. It is capable of a top speed above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric. After EE merged with other aircraft manufacturers to form the British Aircraft Corporation it was marketed as the BAC Lightning. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Kuwait Air Force (KAF) and the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).
An unusual feature of the Lightning's design is the vertically stacked Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines, mounted with one over the other within the fuselage. The Lightning was designed and developed as an interceptor to defend the airfields of the British "V bomber" strategic nuclear force from attack by anticipated future Soviet nuclear-armed supersonic bombers such as those that emerged as the Tupolev Tu-22 "Blinder", but it was also expected to intercept other bombers such as the Tupolev Tu-16 ("Badger") and the Tupolev Tu-95 ("Bear").
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “English Electric Lightning” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.