Gloster meteor

Meteor F.Mk I

The first prototypes , called the Gloster Pioneer, were developed in 1941, the experienced Gloster Meteor Mk.I made its first flight on May 15, 1941 . On it stood two engines designed by Frank Whittle . By 1944, the aircraft was finalized, tested and adopted by the Royal Air Force on July 12, 1944 . The first production modification was FI Meteor (aka G.41A ), its prototype, its 210 / G model, took off in January 1944. FI was considered a transitional model to F.III, which they were going to build in massive quantities. The first batch of production aircraft consisted of 20 Gloster G.41A Meteor F.Mk I fighters, equipped with W.2B / 23C Welland engines and with minor improvements in the airframe design, including a new flashlight that gave the pilot improved visibility.

The first sorties took place on July 27, 1944, and soon the Meteors intercepted and shot down 2 V-1 projectiles (a total of 14 such vehicles were shot down by them). Then part of them (the 616th squadron) was removed from combat duty and, using new machines, tactics were developed to counter the attacks of German jet fighters on the construction of bombers .

Meteor F.Mk III

The Meteor F.Mk III aircraft delivered in January 1945 (missed F.Mk II existed in a single copy) were the last to take part in the war. They had an increased fuel supply and a sliding, all-stamped cab lantern (externally F.III can be easily distinguished by a new lantern that does not lean sideways, as before). A total of 210 Meteors were built. All these machines were transferred to the 616th squadron. In January 1945, this unit was transferred to the vicinity of Bata, where it completed the rearmament, and on January 20 the first link of the fighters crossed the English Channel and the village was located at the 84th air group near Brussels. By the end of the month, the entire 616th squadron had gathered there. Jet aircraft were considered to be a technique of special secrecy and many restrictions were imposed on their combat use - for example, it was strictly forbidden to cross the front line in order to avoid enemy capture of the vehicle. In fact, only interception of German aircraft in the rear of the Allies was allowed. But in conditions of complete domination of Anglo-American aviation, the Luftwaffe did not show much activity in the air and the Meteors did not conduct a single air battle. Since the beginning of spring, the Meteoram squadrons (together with the 504th deployed to the continent) have been allowed to fly deep into Germany for "free hunting", but not on enemy planes, but on cars and trains. Great military successes for neither one nor the other was not listed. Both squadrons successfully ended the war, only the 616th lost two Meteors with the pilots: the cars collided in clouds when they returned from the mission.

Meteor F.Mk IV

Meteor F.4 was born out of three separate studies that were launched in 1944, shortly after the delivery of the first Meteor F.1 606 aircraft to the British Air Force squadron.

The aerodynamics department of the Royal Aviation Institute in Farnborough has been exploring the possibilities of improving aircraft performance at high flight speeds. Tests in a wind tunnel showed a separation of the air flow around the engine nacelles at a speed of Mach 0.75 (a strong increase in drag and increased vibration). Further experiments showed that stalling can be avoided by increasing the length of the nacelles in front and behind the wing. In November 1944, full-scale tests of the enlarged nacelles on the EE211 prototype were carried out, which showed a significant improvement in the flight qualities of the aircraft.

Another study led to the creation of the Derwent 5 engine - a smaller version of the excellent Nene engine , which gave the aircraft a doubling of thrust (compared to the Welland engine).

The prototype of the new Meteor, EE360, created on the basis of Meteor F.3, made its first flight on July 17, 1945. He showed a speed of 179 km / h more than the usual Meteor F.3. The tests were so successful that it was decided to immediately begin production of a new modification under the designation Meteor F.Mk 4 .

Due to the increase in speed, the glider voltage also increased. The developers had to reduce it by reducing each wing by 85 centimeters, which, with a decrease in voltage and a strong increase in roll speed, led to an increase in take-off and approach speeds, as well as a decrease in the vertical climb speed.

On November 7, 1945, a specially modified Gloucester modified Meteor F.Mk IV aircraft set a world speed record of 969.6 km / h.

The post-war release could not boast of speed, so the first production models of Meteor F.4 entered the squadrons only in the middle of 1947, and the obsolete Meteor F.3 was completely replaced in combat units in 1948. The British Air Force received 465 aircraft in this modification.

In total, 539 F.4 modification aircraft were built at the Gloster plant, another 44 aircraft were created at the Armstrong Whitworth factory (Armstrong Whitworth joined the Meteor production in 1946).

F.4 was the first modification of the Meteor that the United Kingdom exported - it was in service with the air forces of Argentina, Denmark, Egypt, Belgium and the Netherlands. Until 1967, it was also in service with the auxiliary air forces of Great Britain - right up to the dissolution of fighter squadrons.

The Meteor Trainer model (Coach), which made its first flight on March 19, 1948, had a fuselage elongated by 0.76 m F.Mk IV, which allowed to place a second cockpit. The aircraft was equipped with a duplicated control system, did not carry weapons and was ordered by the British Air Force under the designation Meteor T.Mk 7 . A total of 712 such aircraft were built.

Meteor F.Mk 8

The most numerous model (1,183 vehicles in total) was the Meteor F.Mk 8 , which made its first flight on October 12, 1948. It had an elongated fuselage, a modified tail unit, an additional fuel tank with a volume of 432 liters and a fully-stamped flashlight. Additional equipment included a gyroscopic sight and a Martin-Baker ejection seat. The Dervent 8 turbojet engines with a thrust of 1633 kg were installed on it, which made it possible to develop a top speed of almost 966 km / h.

As part of the Royal Australian Air Force, he participated in the Korean War . During this war, the Australian Air Force pilots acted as part of a group of US Air Force fighters that provided combat cover for the B-29 strategic bombers.

It was in service with the air forces of many countries until the 1970s .

Australia: 87 aircraft delivered; 41 aircraft returned after the Korean War.

These characteristics correspond to the modification F.Mk.IV. Data source: Partridge, 1970; James, 1971.

Specifications

• Crew : 1
• Length : 12.5 m
• Wing span : 11.33 m
• Height : 3.3 m
• Wing Area: 32.5 m²
• Wing Profile : EC1240 - wing root, EC1040 - wingtip
• Wing Elongation Ratio: 3.9
• Chassis base: 4.06 m
• Track track: 3.23 m
• Empty weight: 4562 kg
• Normal take-off weight: 6800 kg
• Maximum take-off weight : 8440 kg
• The volume of fuel tanks : 1480 liters (+ 1728 liters in PTB)
• Powerplant: 2 × Turbojet 5
• Thrust : 2 × 15.6 kN (1587 kgf )

Flight characteristics

• Maximum speed:
  • at altitude: 790 km / h at 12,190 m
  • by the ground: 940 km / h
• Cruising Speed :
  • at altitude: 855 km / h at 9150 m
  • by the ground: 870 km / h
• Stall Speed: 165 km / h
• Landing speed: 200 km / h
• Practical range: 670 km / 1610 km (without / with PTB)
• Practical ceiling : 13,563 m
• Absolute ceiling: 14 900 m
• Rate of climb : 38 m / s
• Climb time:
  • 9150 m in 5 minutes
  • 12,190 m in 8 minutes
• Wing load: 202 kg / m²
• Dead weight : 0.47
• Takeoff run: 760 m
• Mileage length: 910 m

Armament

• Shooting gun: 4 x 20 mm British Hispano with 780 rounds
• Outboard fuel tanks :
  • 2 × 455 liters under the wing
  • 1 × 818 L under the fuselage

• De Havilland DH.100 Vampire
• Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (USA)

• James Derek N. Gloster Aircraft Since 1917. - London, GB: Putnam, 1971. - P. 245-306. - 446 p. - ISBN 0-370-00084-6 .
• Loftin LK, Jr. Quest for performance: The evolution of modern aircraft . - Washington, DC: NASA Scientific and Technical Information Branch, 1985.
• Partridge JJ The Gloster Meteor F.IV. - 2nd revised edition 1970 (original in 1966). - Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1970. - (Aircraft in Profile, Volume 4.). - ISBN 0-85383-013-4 .
• Kharuk A.I. Fighters of the Second World War. The most complete encyclopedia. - M .: Yauza, EKSMO, 2012 .-- 368 p. - 1,500 copies - ISBN 978-5-699-58917-3 .

• Encyclopedia of Military Aviation - Meteor