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WARBIRD TECH SERIES

28: ENGLISH ELECTRIC LIGHTNING

Kev Darling

Lightning. The sheer mention of the aircraft evokes images of immense power, reheat shock cones, and a mighty noise to its many aficionados. To others it represented a fighter pilot's craft and is mentioned with reverence and awe. To one final group, however, it was as engineering nightmare. For reasons best known to themselves, they still show great loyalty and affection to the slab-sided beast that caused such frustration and problems.

Born in the final days of the Second World War, the Lightning, Britain's only true supersonic fighter, managed to survive many traumas. Most were of a political nature, with politicians and senior officials seemingly determined to block development of the aircraft at every turn. This was to come to fruition with the 1957 Defence White Paper, which was later described in typical British fashion as "misguided", although in private stronger language was used.

Eventually, English Electric and its successor BAC spawned six variants of this truly great aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF). They provided air defence of the UK, with aircraft scrambling to counter the latest Soviet incursion.

Contents include:

Preface - And the Thanks Go To…,

From the Ashes of Surrender - The German Technology that Sparked a Fighter,

From Paper to the Skies - Tales from the Development Programme,

Under the Skin - The Lightning Described,

Lightnings Join the RAF - Lightnings for Tigers and the Phoenix,

Special Full Colour Section: Shades of War - The English Electric Lightning,

Two Seaters for Rookies - The Lightning Trainers,

Slightly Bigger & Better - The Advent of the Square-Tailed Lightning,

Fighters Over the Desert - Lightnings for Arabia and Kuwait,

Appendix A: The Lightning Alphabet - Lightnings for Arabia and Kuwait,

Significant Dates - Key Dates in the History of the Lightning.

Other details include:

Lightning Test Beds,

Subscale Development Aircraft,

Full-Size Experimental Aircraft,

Details all variants,

Cockpit/airframe close-ups.