Swift (Jet fighter plane)
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- Work cat.: 2004484449: Walpole, Nigel. Swift justice, 2004:p. 8 (story of the Vickers Armstrong Supermarine Swift from its earliest days when it briefly held the world air speed record to its retirment from operational service early in 1961.) dust jacket (The Supermarine Swift was rushed into service with the RAF during 1954 to becone Britain's first second-generation jet fighter. In this role it was not deemed a success and has been burdened with a bad reputation sine that time. It was eventually replaced by the famous Hawker Hunter that had been extensively delayed because of teething troubles. Although the Swift was not successful as an interceptor fighter because of its poor performance at high altitude, it eventually found a vital role as a low-level, short-range reconnaissance aircraft operating on the edge of the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War.)
- Wikipedia, July 25, 2005(Supermarine Swift)
Wikipedia description:
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.
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