Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Single-seat fighter

Power Plant:

(FR Mk 5)

One 7,175 lbst [dry], 9,450 lbst [with afterburning], Rolls Royce Avon 114 turbojet

Specifications:

Armament:

Nil

History:

The Supermarine Swift was designed and built to specification E.41/46 by the Supermarine Division of Vickers-Armstrongs (Aviation) Ltd, it being a swept-wing fighter based on the naval fighter, the Attacker.  The prototype, known as the Type 510 (VV106), made its first flight at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire on 29 December 1948.  It was extensively tested and became the Type 517.  The second prototype (VV119) became the Type 528 and made its first flight on 27 March 1950 with a Rolls Royce Nene engine, but this was replaced by the 7,500 lbst Rolls Royce Avon in the third aircraft (WJ960), which made its first flight on 1 August 1951 and became known as the Type 541 or Swift Mk I.

In January 1951 an order was placed for 50 Mk Is and the second Mk I prototype (WJ965) flew on 18 July 1952, incorporating a number of modifications which were embodied in production aircraft.  The first production Type 541 Swift F Mk I (WK194) was flown on 25 August 1952 and by this time production orders totalled 150 aircraft. The Mk I had an armament of two 30 mm Aden cannon and had an unbroken leading-edge wing-sweep, a fixed tailplane and no afterburner.  The first batch comprised 20 aircraft (WK194 to WK213) of which two became prototypes for other models, the F Mk 3 and F Mk 4.

Considerable difficulties were experienced with the development of the Swift, which competed with the Hawker Hunter for RAF orders. Eventually, on 26 February 1953, supersonic flight was achieved, and the aircraft eventually entered RAF service in some numbers in a variety of models.  By August 1952 orders totalled 290 aircraft but by 1955 the RAF decided that the first three marks of the aircraft were not acceptable for the high-altitude intercept role for which they were intended.

A number was involved in accidents due to control faults and orders standing for 492 aircraft were reduced to 170, excluding prototypes. Some 25 F Mk 3s and five F Mk 4s were completed.  The prototype F Mk 4 (WK198) was converted from a Mk I, making its first flight at Chilbolton in Hampshire on 2 May 1953.  This aircraft on 27 May 1953 flew from London to Paris in 19 mins 5 sec at an average speed of 1,077.1 km/h (669.3 mph) and on 5 July 1953 raised the world air-speed record to 1,187.2 km/h (737.7 mph).

The Mk Is were used for a lot of experimental work, including the installation of four Aden cannon, trials of 1,000 litre (220 Imp gal) drop tanks and lengthening of the nose to take cameras. A few were delivered to No 56 Squadron RAF at Waterbeach in Cambridge, being joined later by a number of F Mk 2s, of which 17 were completed.  The Mk 2 differed in having four 30 mm cannon and having a ‘dog-tooth’ wing leading-edge.  Some 25 F Mk 3s were completed (WK247 to –WK271) with Avon engines with afterburners and with a variable incidence tail.

As the Swift was found to be suitable for low-level work, four F Mk 4s were converted to FR Mk 5 reconnaissance fighter configuration, entering service with No 2 Squadron, and later with No 79 Squadron. A further 93 were completed.  Vertical and oblique cameras were installed in the nose, and armament reverted to two 30 mm cannon.  The FR Mk 5 entered service in April 1956 and production ended up with 170 aircraft, excluding prototypes, being completed. The PR Mk 6 was unarmed and was not proceeded with.

The F 7 was the last model of the Swift, having a Rolls Royce Avon 716 engine of 9,950 lbst and, in lieu of the Aden cannon, was fitted with four Blue Sky (later re-named Fireflash) air-to-air missiles but only 12 were completed, these being used for guided weapon testing, the wingspan being increased by 0.914 m (3 ft), the wings strengthened to take air-to-air missiles, and the nose re-designed and lengthened to house radar.  The first was delivered to the Guided Weapons Development Squadron at RAF base Valley on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales in 1957.

It seems initially two Swifts came to Australia and are recorded as being used for experimental work at Woomera.  These aircraft were Mk Is (WK199 and WK215) and were used initially for Aden cannon weapons trials in the United Kingdom.  WK199 was completed as a Type 551 and test flown in 1952. It was used in armament trials and went to the RAE at Farnborough.  In late 1955 it (and WK215) was prepared by Vickers- Armstrongs at Farnborough for Operation Buffalo.  WK215 was used for company trials and research flying at Chilbolton.  On 12 March 1957 these two aircraft were handed over to the RAAF, No 160 Wing Detachment, Edinburgh Field, SA.   Records indicate neither aircraft was given an RAAF serial for stores purposes.

After completion of testing the aircraft were shipped to Woomera, SA for use as static targets as part of the British contribution to the assessment of bomb blasts during trials at Woomera.  After the atomic bomb tests (known as Operation Buffalo) in South Australia it is known they survived relatively intact but were scrapped on site.  Four other Swifts, being Mk 2s, were noted as being allotted to Vickers-Armstrongs for use in connection with Operation Buffalo (WK216, WK217, WK221, WK229, WK231 and WK239).  These aircraft were noted at No 33 Maintenance Unit in the United Kingdom in mid-1955 and assigned to the program and it is believed they came to Australia.

The aircraft which did come to Australia were transferred to the RAAF in about 1957 for use as static targets during testing at Woomera during Operation Buffalo. They were amongst many items of equipment and structures placed ar various distances from where the 1.5kT yield tbomb was carried out on 4 October 1956 on the Maralinga range. None of the aircraft survived and are all thought to have been buried in situ in the initial stages but later clean up operations were carried out but they were broken up for scrap later.

Only a couple of Swifts survive.  WK198, an F 4, which in 1953 set a world airspeed record of 1,183.96 km/h (735.7 mph), is held by the North East Aircraft Museum at Sunderland in Cunty Durham. WK281, an FR 5, is on display at the Tangmere museum in West Sussex on loan from the RAF Museum. WK277, an FR 5, at the Newark Air Museum in Nottingham. WK275, an FR 4, is at Jet Art Aviation at Selby in North Yorkshire. XF113, an F 7, is at the Air Defence Collection at Salisbury in Wiltshire and XF114 / G-SWIF, an F 7, is at Jet Heritage at Bournemouth in Hampshire, which at one stage was to be restored to airworthiness.