The English Electric Lightning was some crazy shiznit of a point defence interceptor...

[dug777]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Electric_Lightning

Pretty impressive even today...interesting to note it was the only aircraft capable of intercepting a U-2 in it's time, and Concord...

 

[So]

Yeah, the English were way ahead of everyone but the Germans on jet tech during the war too.

 

[timosyy]

A U2... bomber?

 

[So]

Originally posted by: timosyy
A U2... bomber?

Picky, picky, picky.

Cool plane though.

 

[everman]

U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: So
Yeah, the English were way ahead of everyone but the Germans on jet tech during the war too.

the germans were so far ahead of everyone else it was ridiculous. this plane shows clear Me-262 design influence, just like every other jet fighter of the era (F-86 sabre and MiG-15).

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

 

[So]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: So
Yeah, the English were way ahead of everyone but the Germans on jet tech during the war too.

the germans were so far ahead of everyone else it was ridiculous. this plane shows clear Me-262 design influence, just like every other jet fighter of the era (F-86 sabre and MiG-15).

The English had their jet fighters operational around the same time as the Germans. I'll grant you, the 262's swept wings and flaps were huge innovations but the British birds weren't that primitive.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: So
Yeah, the English were way ahead of everyone but the Germans on jet tech during the war too.

the germans were so far ahead of everyone else it was ridiculous. this plane shows clear Me-262 design influence, just like every other jet fighter of the era (F-86 sabre and MiG-15).

The English had their jet fighters operational around the same time as the Germans. I'll grant you, the 262's swept wings and flaps were huge innovations but the British birds weren't that primitive.

Stacking the engines on the lightning was pretty clever too

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

Wiki says first flown in 54...but you know wiki

Which would make it a "very" significant amount of time

 

[squirrel dog]

the germans were so far ahead of everyone else it was ridiculous

Agreed . Their heavy water project was well on its way , and they had the V2 already .

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

Wiki says first flown in 54...but you know wiki

Which would make it a "very" significant amount of time

I at first posted 54, but then it says 57 for maiden flight, so I went with that. It's impressive, but everyone knows that the SR-71 Blackbird is the coolest plane ever

 

[Vegitto]

Uuuh.. k.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

Wiki says first flown in 54...but you know wiki

Which would make it a "very" significant amount of time

I at first posted 54, but then it says 57 for maiden flight, so I went with that. It's impressive, but everyone knows that the SR-71 Blackbird is the coolest plane ever

lol, wiki gives the first flight of a SR-71 Blackbird as 64

You'll note that the max attained altitude of the Lightning is quite a bit higher then the Blackbird too...again, it's wiki tho

 

[So]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

Wiki says first flown in 54...but you know wiki

Which would make it a "very" significant amount of time

I at first posted 54, but then it says 57 for maiden flight, so I went with that. It's impressive, but everyone knows that the SR-71 Blackbird is the coolest plane ever

lol, wiki gives the first flight of a SR-71 Blackbird as 64

You'll note that the max attained altitude of the Lightning is quite a bit higher then the Blackbird too...again, it's wiki tho

No, it's not. From Wiki

Canberra-
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Blackbird -
Service ceiling: 85,000 ft (25 900 m)

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

Wiki says first flown in 54...but you know wiki

Which would make it a "very" significant amount of time

I at first posted 54, but then it says 57 for maiden flight, so I went with that. It's impressive, but everyone knows that the SR-71 Blackbird is the coolest plane ever

lol, wiki gives the first flight of a SR-71 Blackbird as 64

You'll note that the max attained altitude of the Lightning is quite a bit higher then the Blackbird too...again, it's wiki tho

Ah ok. The first version was in 62, but the actual SR-71 version was in 64.

better site than wiki

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

Wiki says first flown in 54...but you know wiki

Which would make it a "very" significant amount of time

I at first posted 54, but then it says 57 for maiden flight, so I went with that. It's impressive, but everyone knows that the SR-71 Blackbird is the coolest plane ever

lol, wiki gives the first flight of a SR-71 Blackbird as 64

You'll note that the max attained altitude of the Lightning is quite a bit higher then the Blackbird too...again, it's wiki tho

No, it's not. From Wiki

Canberra-
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Blackbird -
Service ceiling: 85,000 ft (25 900 m)

We're not talking about the Canberra, but the Lightning

 

[So]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: everman
U2 is an unarmed spy plane. And it still won't keep up with the SR-71

my bad, but when was the SR-71 produced?

This plane was designed and flown so long ago it's scary...

SR-71 was in 1962.
The Electric was 1957. A significant, but not huge gap in time.

Wiki says first flown in 54...but you know wiki

Which would make it a "very" significant amount of time

I at first posted 54, but then it says 57 for maiden flight, so I went with that. It's impressive, but everyone knows that the SR-71 Blackbird is the coolest plane ever

lol, wiki gives the first flight of a SR-71 Blackbird as 64

You'll note that the max attained altitude of the Lightning is quite a bit higher then the Blackbird too...again, it's wiki tho

No, it's not. From Wiki

Canberra-
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Blackbird -
Service ceiling: 85,000 ft (25 900 m)

We're not talking about the Canberra, but the Lightning

Oops, lol.
The figure is right though, I just titled it incorrectly.

 

[Pocatello]

The Brits always had great ideas, such as the slanted deck on aircraft carriers, but always short on money. The V/STOL Harrier jets is another great example of British ingenuity.

 

[iamwiz82]

it's quite amazing the advancements in flight in such a short period of time. War really does kickstart that type of thing.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: So
Yeah, the English were way ahead of everyone but the Germans on jet tech during the war too.

the germans were so far ahead of everyone else it was ridiculous. this plane shows clear Me-262 design influence, just like every other jet fighter of the era (F-86 sabre and MiG-15).

The English had their jet fighters operational around the same time as the Germans. I'll grant you, the 262's swept wings and flaps were huge innovations but the British birds weren't that primitive.

the british birds weren't much more than piston engine planes with jets (much like the P-80). willy mescherschmitt had 45 degree sweeps on his test planes. had he started with the jumo they'd likely have seen more than just the end of the war

 

[Demon-Xanth]

900 mile range doesn't give much air time.

 

[Snapster]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
The Brits always had great ideas, such as the slanted deck on aircraft carriers, but always short on money. The V/STOL Harrier jets is another great example of British ingenuity.

Short on money because the wars ran us dry. We also had to give up allot of top secret tech to the US as part of them agreeing to help in the war.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: Snapster

Originally posted by: Pocatello
The Brits always had great ideas, such as the slanted deck on aircraft carriers, but always short on money. The V/STOL Harrier jets is another great example of British ingenuity.

Short on money because the wars ran us dry. We also had to give up allot of top secret tech to the US as part of them agreeing to help in the war.

Or simply the existing British industry couldn't manufacture it on the scale required to be the most effective in the war effort. Radar among others being an important example.

You are welcome for Lend Lease and incredibly low interest very long term loans by the way.