Trooper1854
The Brit Pack
Then there was the TSR-2................
Joint Strike Fighter - More delays!
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
She ticked every box except the political one, thanks to Duncan Sandys who wrote a white paper stating the time of piloted aircraft is over. That also lead to the scrapping of the Canadian AVRO Arrow, the best aircraft of it's day.
Trooper1854
The Brit Pack
The thing with TSR-2 was that she was seen as the main compettitor to the F-111 in the world market.
Severe political pressure was put on the British government to stop the project.
They didn't just stop production, Harrold Wilson gave orders that all prototypes, drawings, and jigs were to be destroyed, so even if they lost the next election, the new government could not restart the project.
The RAF were meant to get a version of the F-111 instead.
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
Then the F111 order was cancelled costing Britain millions. Thankfully the Lightning was too far forward in its development to be cancelled.
There is one survivor at Duxford, or was last time I was there.
Trooper1854
The Brit Pack
There are two TSR2s, one at Duxford and one at Cosford.
The Duxford airframe is the only one that flew.
The Cosford one was dumped at Cranfield Institute, just up the road from me, where it was rotting away untill it was recovered by the RAF Museum.
All airframes were meant to have been scrapped, direct orders from No 10.
They wanted nothing left at all.
The Lightning was an incredible aircraft.
I met an Aggressor pilot, then based at RAF Alconbury, and he said that the Lightning, and then the Harrier, were the only two aircraft that scared the pants out of him in simulated combat.
The Lighting because it could go straight up with no warning, and the Harrier because it could go backwards with no warning!
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
I heard that the Lightning from Thunder City broke the world climb record again.
Trooper1854
The Brit Pack
Not at all suprised.
Never got to see one fly:crybaby:
Will have to get up to Bruntingthorpe to see theirs do its fast taxi run.
They do it at night with afterburner.
I know its not the same but its the closest I'll ever get.
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
If you want to get a "close" experience of a Lightning taking off in full reheat, sit inside a 45 gallon drum and let four blokes pound the crap out of it with 14 pound hammers. Ear muffs are not allowed.:mrgreen:
Trooper1854
The Brit Pack
I just read this, its a quote from a former Lightning pilot:
"Lightning never strikes twice, as they always get their target first pass!" :rock:
"Lightning never strikes twice, as they always get their target first pass!" :rock:
mmarsh
Active member
Never said they did, what I said was in order to fly them off a CVTOL desk they would need to build a ramp, which would make it impossible the fly off any other type of aircraft.
Best course of action assuming this cannot be fixed, is to cancel the F-35B and buy Super Hornets which are almost as good and much cheaper.
Yossarian
Forum Resistance Leader
UNLESS the rules of engagement are changed.
OR Congress "refocuses" spending limits of force deployment.
OR UNLESS the theatre of operation is deemed " Too Geopolitically Unstable" for peace loving peoples of the area of operation.
OR direct action must be taken in "sensitive steps" to aviod "ethinic upheaval of minorities" in the region.
OR bi party outcry over the use of force pressures the president to scrub the mission from the start...
But other than that, then yea I believe him. ;-)
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Updated News about F 35C , [FONT="]"The US Navy's F-35C Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF) carrier variant (CV) aircraft has successfully conducted the first in-flight refueling trials with a US Air Force's (USAF) KC-135 aircraft at an undisclosed location.[/FONT]" News Source