Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

(NF-11) Two-seat night fighter

(TT-20) Target tug

Power Plant:

Two 3,500 lbst Rolls Royce Derwent 8 turbojets

Specifications:

Armament:

Four 20 mm Hispano Mk V cannon

History:

In 1948 Armstrong Whitworth re-designed the Gloster Meteor as a two-seat night fighter and in this regard it fitted the Rolls Royce Derwent 8 engine in the NF-11 and the Derwent 9 in the NF-12 and NF-14. Having the same basic fuselage as the Meteor T-7, the two-seat trainer variant, the fuselage was extended by 1.52 m (5 ft), using the extended wing of the Meteor F.3.

The prototype NF-11 (VW413), formerly the fourth production T-7, first flew in October 1949. Installation of a 71 cm (28 in) diameter radar scanner caused some design problems, but eventually three prototypes (WA546, WA547 and WB543) were built, the first true NF-11 prototype flying on 31 May 1950 at Baginton in Warwickshire.

Extended flight tests occurred at the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (AA&EE) at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, and the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough in Hampshire. First production aircraft (WD585) flew on 13 March 1950, and service commenced with No 29 Squadron at Tangmere in West Sussex. However, the type initially had problems as the radar unit had a poor serviceability record.

In 1952 the Danish Air Force took delivery of 20 Meteor NF-11s, these being ex-RAF aircraft (WM384 to WM403). After replacement by North American F-86 Sabres, six were converted to Meteor TT-20 target towing configuration by Armstrong Whitworth. In 1962 the survivors took up Swedish civil registration with Swedair Ltd. France obtained 41 ex-RAF NF-11s in 1953 and they were used as all-weather fighters. Belgium bought 24 NF-11s for Nos 10 and 11 Squadrons in 1952 and 1956. In 1959 they were sold and were operated by COGEA as target tugs with civil registrations.

Over the years Meteor NF-11s have been used as trials aircraft. These included radome trials by Ferranti, TRE, and Fairey Aviation, and de Havilland carried out trials of the Fireflash and Firestreak air-to-air missiles. Twenty were supplied to the Royal Navy (RN) for target towing. The NF-11 received some development, the NF-12 having American APS21 AI radar and a lengthened nose; the NF-13 being a tropicalised variant of the NF-11; and the NF-14 bein g the final production model which had a blown canopy and the fuselage lengthened to 15.66 m (51 ft 4 in).

A number of trials aircraft came to Australia, these being late production NF-11s. These included WM262, which was fitted with a Sperry Auto-stabiliser, Decca navigator, and modified radome. It was used for trials with the EMI-Vickers Blue Boar missile system and was used at Woomera, SA, being transferred to and operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as A77-3. It was scrapped in 1956.

At least two further NF-11s (WM372 and WM373) were delivered to Woomera in 1955 for trials with No 6 Joint Services Trials Unit on the Fireflash missile program and they initially operated in an all white colour scheme, later being painted red and white similar to the Meteor U-15 and U-21 aircraft.

Two former trials aircraft have survived: WD647, an NF-11, which was converted to TT-20 standard for target towing, was donated by the British Defence Ministry to, and has been placed on display at, the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra. WD767, an NF-11, was obtained and placed on display for some years at the Mildura Air Museum in Victoria. In 1994 it was exported to the Classic Aircraft Collection at Dairy Flat near Auckland, New Zealand.