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The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. Although the German Messerschmitt Me 262 was the world's first operational jet, the Meteor was the first production jet as it entered production a few months before the Me 262. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, developed by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft began in 1940, work on the engines had started in 1936.-
The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although the Meteor was not an aerodynamically advanced aircraft, it proved to be a successful and effective combat fighter.-
Several major variants of Meteor were made to incorporate technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to serve in the RAF and other air forces, and remained in use for several decades.-
The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War, while Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) provided a significant contribution to the Korean War and several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel also flew Meteors in regional conflicts. As of 2011, two Meteors, WL419 and WA638, have remained in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds.-
Specifications (Meteor F.8 version)
Crew: 1
Length: 44 ft 7 in (13.59 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 2 in (11.32 m)
Height: 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m)
Wing area: 350 ft (32.52 m²)
Empty weight: 10,684 lb (4,846 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,700 lb (7,121 kg)
Powerplant: 2 — Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 turbojets, 3,500 lbf (15.6 kN) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 600 mph (522 knots, 965 km/h, Mach 0.82) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Range: 600 mi (522 nmi, 965 km)
Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,100 m)
Rate of climb: 7,000 ft/min (35.6 m/s)
Wing loading: 44.9 lb/ft (149 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.45
Time to altitude: 5.0 min to 30,000 ft (9,145 m)
Armament
Guns: 4 — 20 mm British Hispano cannons
Rockets: Provision for up to sixteen "60lb" 3 in rockets or eight 5 in HVAR rockets. under outer wings
Bombs: two 1.000 lb (454 kg)
The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although the Meteor was not an aerodynamically advanced aircraft, it proved to be a successful and effective combat fighter.-
Several major variants of Meteor were made to incorporate technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to serve in the RAF and other air forces, and remained in use for several decades.-
The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War, while Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) provided a significant contribution to the Korean War and several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel also flew Meteors in regional conflicts. As of 2011, two Meteors, WL419 and WA638, have remained in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds.-
Specifications (Meteor F.8 version)
Crew: 1
Length: 44 ft 7 in (13.59 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 2 in (11.32 m)
Height: 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m)
Wing area: 350 ft (32.52 m²)
Empty weight: 10,684 lb (4,846 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,700 lb (7,121 kg)
Powerplant: 2 — Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 turbojets, 3,500 lbf (15.6 kN) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 600 mph (522 knots, 965 km/h, Mach 0.82) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Range: 600 mi (522 nmi, 965 km)
Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,100 m)
Rate of climb: 7,000 ft/min (35.6 m/s)
Wing loading: 44.9 lb/ft (149 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.45
Time to altitude: 5.0 min to 30,000 ft (9,145 m)
Armament
Guns: 4 — 20 mm British Hispano cannons
Rockets: Provision for up to sixteen "60lb" 3 in rockets or eight 5 in HVAR rockets. under outer wings
Bombs: two 1.000 lb (454 kg)
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