Supermarine Swift

The Supermarine Swift is a British single-seat jet fighter aircraft that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was developed and manufactured by Supermarine during the 1940s and 1950s. The Swift featured many of the new jet age innovations, such as a swept wing. On 26 September 1953, a Swift F.4 piloted by Mike Lithgow broke the world absolute speed record, reaching a speed of 735.7 mph (1,187 km/h).

After a protracted development period, the Swift entered service as an interceptor aircraft with the RAF in 1954. However, due to a spate of accidents incurred by the type, the Swift was grounded for a time, and had a relatively brief service life. The problems with the Swift led to a public scandal surrounding the development and performance of the aircraft, harming the reputations of the British government, the RAF, and the British aircraft industry.

Ultimately, the less problematic Hawker Hunter assumed much of the role intended for the Swift and only half as many Swifts were manufactured as had once been intended. A later photo reconnaissance variant of the Swift had resolved some of the teething problems, but that proved to be too late for it to regain favour. An advanced derivative of the Swift that was to be capable of transonic speeds, the Supermarine 545, was also under development during the early 1950s. However, it was cancelled in 1955, principally due to the poor performance of the Swift.

Design and development

Background

In 1945 the Second World War ended and a new Labour government, headed by Clement Attlee, came to power in Britain. The incoming government's initial stance on defence was that no major conflict would occur for at least a decade, so there would be no need to develop or procure any new aircraft until 1957. Accordingly, apart from a few exceptions such as what would become the Hawker Sea Hawk for the Royal Navy, the majority of Specifications issued by the Air Ministry for fighter-sized aircraft during the late 1940s were for research purposes.

In part, the Swift had its origins in the experimental fighter prototypes that had been developed. Specifically, a number of Supermarine-built prototypes had been ordered under Specification E.41/46, which had sought the production of an experimental fighter aircraft with a swept wing. The first of these was the Type 510, which was substantially based on the straight-wing Supermarine Attacker, which was procured for the Fleet Air Arm. The principal difference from the Attacker was that it had a swept wing. The Type 510 made its maiden flight in 1948, a year after the first navalised prototype Attacker had flown, making it the first British aircraft to fly with both swept wings and a swept tailplane. In trials for the Fleet Air Arm, the Type 510 was also the first swept-wing aircraft to take off from and land on an aircraft carrier.

During the late 1940s, in the face of the emerging Cold War, the RAF came to recognise that it would urgently require the development and procurement of fighters equipped with features such as swept wings. That need was felt to be so pressing that it was willing to accept interim fighter aircraft while more capable fighters were being developed. In 1950, with the outbreak of the Korean War, Britain's involvement in that conflict led to a flurry of orders being placed. In particular, the RAF felt that a pair of proposed fighter aircraft from Hawker Aircraft and Supermarine were of great importance and, in the same year, ordered the proposed fighters "off the drawing board". In early 1946, the Type 541 order was increased to 150 aircraft, the Air Ministry hoping that it would enter service before the rival Hunter. However, the development of both types was protracted.

thumb|Swift FR.5 landing at the [[Farnborough air show in 1955]]

The Type 541 replaced its predecessors' Rolls-Royce Nene centrifugal flow turbojet engine with the axial-flow Rolls-Royce AJ.65 turbojet, which became the Avon series. The fuselage, which had been given a cross section suitable for the Nene engine, was not redesigned for the narrower AJ.65 and Avon engines, and retained a somewhat portly appearance. The aircraft also had with a tricycle undercarriage. Two of Type 541 prototypes were built. The first made its maiden flight on 01 August 1951 and the second during the following year.

Into production

Production of the Swift had been declared to be a "super-priority" item under a policy created by Sir Winston Churchill, who had regained the position of Britain's prime minister in 1951, as a means of increasing projects considered to be of vital military importance. Volume manufacturing commenced in advance of the implementation of modifications based on the results of flight experiences with the prototypes: "too much had been asked for in too little time and production aircraft were coming the production line before a major redesign could be accomplished".

thumb|left|Swift.F.1 test aircraft operated by Vickers-Armstrong in 1953

The second variant was the Swift F Mk 2, of which 16 were built. It was practically the same as the F 1, except for being fitted with two extra ADENs and the leading edge of the wing was altered from straight to a compound sweep. By that time, the shortcomings of the Swift were not yet apparent, which perhaps had allowed Supermarine to gain the RAF's favour for its proposal, designated as the Type 545, over the rival Hawker P.1083. The Type 545 had been drawn up to conform with the requirements given by Specification F.105D. It was to have been capable of attaining Mach 1.3. powered by an Avon engine, promising superior performance to that of the P.1083. The Type 545 bore a resemblance to the Swift, although it was a complete redesign, having an area-ruled fuselage and wing changes. In 1955, work on the project was cancelled, in part due to the considerable difficulties experienced with the Swift.

Operational history

thumb|Close formation of six Swifts, 1956

thumb|Swift FR.5 WK281 wearing the markings of No. 79 Squadron RAF

In February 1954, the Swift F 1 entered service with the RAF, No. 56 Squadron becoming the first RAF squadron to operate the type. With its introduction, the Swift became the RAF's first swept-wing aircraft. The Swift F 2 entered service that same month. Wood refers to the type's introduction as having been "panicked", and that the adoption soon proved to be an "abysmal failure". By autumn 1954, the problems with the Swift had become public knowledge, and reports of the pending cancellation of the Swift appeared in the national press. In Parliament, Under-Secretary of State for Air Sir George Ward said of the aircraft: "Aerodynamic difficulties have been encountered, and it is not possible to say with certainty if they can be overcome in the version under development". On 2 March 1955, Minister of Supply Selwyn Lloyd acknowledged that development of the Swift had cost £20 million prior to the scrapping of the fighter variants. According to Wood, the Swift had become a national scandal by early 1955, which not only tarnished the aircraft, but also the RAF and the British aircraft industry, with the public and the government generally becoming more averse to other aircraft projects. It was broken again eight days later by the Douglas Skyray, a United States Navy (USN) fighter. The Swift has the distinction of being the last British production aircraft to hold the record (the Fairey Delta 2 was experimental). Fewer than two hundred Swifts were built from an order of 497. A number of Swift airframes were taken to Australia for Operation Buffalo in 1956. They were placed at various distances from a detonating atomic bomb to assess the effects of nuclear weapons on aircraft structures.

Its last variant had resolved many of the problems that had plagued earlier Swifts but the programme was not continued. The Hunter, performing satisfactorily in the same roles, removed any requirement to persist with the Swift.

Variants

thumb|World Air Speed Record certificate for Swift WK198, piloted by Mike Lithgow.

;Type 510

:Prototype developed from the Vickers Supermarine Attacker still with a tailwheel undercarriage but with swept wings and tail.

;Type 517

:Prototype fitted with a variable incidence tailplane.

;Type 535

:Prototype fitted with a nosewheel undercarriage.

;Swift F.Mk 1

:Single-seat fighter aircraft, fitted with a fixed variable-incidence tailplane, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 109 turbojet engine, armed with two 30-mm ADEN cannons.

;Swift F.Mk 2

:Single-seat fighter aircraft, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 109 turbojet engine, armed with four 30-mm ADEN cannons.

;Swift F.Mk 3

:Single-seat fighter aircraft, wing leading edges extended at the wingtips, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 114 afterburning turbojet engine, armed with four 30-mm ADEN cannons.

;Swift F.Mk 4

:Single-seat fighter aircraft, fitted with a variable-incidence tailplane, tailfin increased in height by one foot, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 114 afterburning turbojet engine, armed with four 30-mm ADEN cannons.

;Swift FR.Mk 5

:Single-seat tactical-reconnaissance aircraft, fitted with a lengthened nose to accommodate three cameras, equipped with a frameless cockpit canopy, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 114 afterburning turbojet engine, armed with two 30-mm ADEN cannons.

;Swift PR.Mk 6

:Proposed unarmed reconnaissance variant, one partially built before being cancelled.

;Swift F.Mk 7

:Single-seat fighter aircraft, fitted with a lengthened nose to accommodate a radar, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 114 afterburning turbojet engine, armed with four Fairey Fireflash air-to-air missiles and four 30-mm ADEN cannons.

Operators

;

Royal Air Force
No. 2 Squadron RAF operated FR.5 variant.
No. 4 Squadron RAF operated the FR.5 variant.
No. 56 Squadron RAF operated F.1 and F.2 variants.
No. 79 Squadron RAF operated FR.5 variant.

Aircraft on display

thumb|A Swift FR.5 on static display at [[Newark Air Museum In the foreground is a Fairey Fireflash, the missile armament intended for the Swift F.7.]]

VV106 (Supermarine Type 517) is stored by the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, England.
WK198 (the F.4 prototype, fuselage only) this former World Air Speed record holder is on display at Brooklands Museum, Surrey; it was first held at the North East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland, England, on 2 April 2008 it was relocated to the RAF Millom Museum, Cumbria, but with that museum's closure in September 2010, WK198 was transferred to Brooklands on 3 February 2011.
WK275 (F.4) Having spent four years being restored to exhibition standard by Jet Art Aviation, this aircraft is now on loan to the Vulcan To The Sky Trust. It represents the definitive fighter variant with slab tail.
WK277 (FR.5) on display at the Newark Air Museum, Newark, England.
WK281 (FR.5) on display at the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Tangmere, England.
G-SWIF (F.7, the former XF114) is stored by Solent Sky, Southampton, England.

Specifications (Supermarine Swift FR Mk.5)

thumb|Supermarine Swift 3-view drawings

thumb|The fuselage of WK198 on display at the [[Brooklands Museum]]

Notable appearances in media

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References

Citations

Bibliography

Buttler, Tony. X-Planes of Europe II: Military Prototype Aircraft from the Golden Age 1946–1974. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2015.
Winchester, Jim. The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books, 2005.
Wood, Derek. Project Cancelled. Macdonald and Jane's Publishers, 1975.

External links

Swift at Thunder and Lightnings
Picture of a Swift F.Mk.1
Picture of an early Swift
Picture of the Supermarine 510 VV106