Post by willi1 on Jan 2, 2024 11:55:42 GMT
The English Electric Lightning, later BAC Lightning, was a twin-engine interceptor from the British manufacturer English Electric. The aircraft was used by the Royal Air Force and Arab air forces from the late 1950s until 1988.Thanks to its slim fuselage shape with strongly swept wings without boundary layer fences, the Lightning achieved excellent flight performance in terms of speed, climb performance and summit altitude. It was the first British fighter to reach speeds of Mach 2 using afterburner, and one of the first aircraft ever to fly at speeds above Mach 1 without afterburner. Their disadvantages were the short operational range and the limited armament. What was remarkable was that the two jet engines were arranged one above the other in the fuselage: this meant that if one engine failed, the aircraft remained capable of flying straight without the pilot having to take action.
A total of 337 machines were built. The top speed is 2,450 km/h and a height of 21,000 m could be reached.
