How many English Electric Lightnings crashed?

How good was the EE Lightning?

The Lightning has exceptional rate of climb, ceiling, and speed; pilots have described flying it as “being saddled to a skyrocket”. This performance and the initially limited fuel supply meant that its missions are dictated to a high degree by its limited range….English Electric Lightning.

Did the Lightning have flares?

When it was retired it 1988, the Lightning still did not have the ability to carry chaff or flares (essential for survival) or a radar warning receiver (which alert the pilot to the presence of hostile radars). The Lightning was Britain’s first, and only, Mach 2 fighter.

Why is the Electric Lightning such a cult icon?

Whilst it had a limited range, the English Electric Lightning has also become a bit of a cult icon. It was famous for its twin engines, one on top of the other, and how at airshows pilots would launch the aircraft vertically from a low level. They were agile, incredibly fast, and perhaps one of the most striking looking jets of the cold war.

What is the range of the Electric Lightning?

The first operational English Electric Lightning variant, designated Lightning F.1, was designed as an interceptor and to best perform this mission, emphasis was placed on rate-of-climb, acceleration, and speed, rather than range and so a radius of operation of 150 miles (240 km) from the V bomber airfields was the initial requirement.

What happened to the British Electric Lightning?

Changes and deletions on the weapons front were also included and the English Electric Lightning F.3 was the highest performance variant at that point. However, additional performance resulted in higher fuel consumption which in turn reduced the range which proved an issue for some air forces around the world.

Which countries use the British Lightning Jet?

The Lightning was the only British Mach 2 fighter aircraft and was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). It was the RAF’s primary interceptor for more than two decades until replaced in 1988 by the Panavia Tornado ADV interceptor.