Editing Gloster Meteor (section)

==Development==

===Origins===
{{see also|Frank Whittle}}
The development of the [[turbojet]]-powered Gloster Meteor was a collaboration between the [[Gloster Aircraft Company]] and Frank Whittle's firm, Power Jets Ltd. Whittle formed Power Jets Ltd in March 1936 to develop his ideas of jet propulsion, Whittle himself serving as the company's chief engineer.<ref>Pavelec 2007, pp. 45–46.</ref> For several years, attracting financial backers and aviation firms prepared to take on Whittle's radical ideas was difficult. In 1931, [[Armstrong-Siddeley]] had evaluated and rejected Whittle's proposal, finding it to be technically sound but at the limits of engineering capability.<ref>Pavelec 2007, pp. 43–44.</ref> Securing funding was a persistently worrying issue throughout the early development of the engine.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, pp. 92–94.</ref> The first Whittle prototype jet engine, the [[Power Jets WU]], began running trials in early 1937; shortly afterwards, both Sir [[Henry Tizard]], chairman of the [[Aeronautical Research Committee]], and the [[Air Ministry]] gave the project their support.<ref>Pavelec 2007, pp. 48–50.</ref>

On 28 April 1939, Whittle made a visit to the premises of the Gloster Aircraft Company, where he met several key figures, such as [[George Carter (engineer)|George Carter]], Gloster's chief designer.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, p. 139.</ref> Carter took a keen interest in Whittle's project, particularly when he saw the operational [[Power Jets W.1]] engine, and quickly used it as the basis for several rough proposals of various aircraft designs. Independently, Whittle had also been producing proposals for a high-altitude jet-powered bomber, although following the start of the [[World War II|Second World War]] and the [[Battle for France]], a greater national emphasis arose on fighter aircraft.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, pp. 156, 165.</ref> Power Jets and Gloster quickly formed a mutual understanding around mid-1939.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, p. 127.</ref>

[[File:Jet-Age-Museum-E28.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Gloster E.28/39]]. The yellow undersides were standard for RAF training and [[prototype]] aircraft of the period.]]
In spite of ongoing infighting between Power Jets and several of its [[Project stakeholder|stakeholders]], the Air Ministry contracted Gloster in late 1939 to manufacture a [[prototype]] aircraft powered by one of Whittle's new turbojet engines.<ref>Pavelec 2007, pp. 168–169.</ref> The single-engined [[proof-of-concept]] [[Gloster E28/39]], the first British jet-powered aircraft, conducted its maiden flight on 15 May 1941, flown by Gloster's chief test pilot, Flight Lieutenant [[Gerry Sayer|Philip "Gerry" Sayer]].<ref name="Mason p.339"/><ref>Boyne 2002, p. 261.</ref> The success of the E.28/39 proved the viability of jet propulsion, and Gloster pressed ahead with designs for a production fighter aircraft.<ref>Boyne 2002, pp. 261–262.</ref> Due to the limited thrust available from early jet engines, it was decided that subsequent production aircraft would be powered by a pair of turbojet engines.<ref>Spick 2002, pp. 169–170.</ref>

In 1940, for a "military load" of {{convert|1500|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, the [[Royal Aircraft Establishment]] (RAE) had advised that work on an aircraft of {{convert|8500|lb|kg|abbr=on}} all-up weight, with a total static thrust of {{convert|3200|lbf|kN|abbr=on}} should be started, with an {{convert|11000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} design for the expected, more powerful, [[Power Jets W.2|W.2]] and [[Metropolitan-Vickers F.2|axial engine designs]]. George Carter's calculations based on the RAE work and his own investigations were that a {{convert|8700|to|9000|lb|adj=on|abbr=off}} aircraft with two or four 20&nbsp;mm cannons and six 0.303 machine guns would have a top speed of {{cvt|400–431|mph|kn km/h}} at sea level and {{cvt|450–470|mph|kn km/h}} at {{convert|30000|ft}}. In January 1941 Gloster were told by [[Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook|Lord Beaverbrook]] that the twin jet fighter was of "unique importance", and that the company was to stop work on a [[Gloster F.9/37#F.18/40 and F.29/40|night-fighter development of their F.9/37]] to Specification F.18/40.<ref>Buttler 2004, p. 193.</ref>

===Prototypes===
[[File:Meteor DG202G at RAF Mueum London in November 2011.jpg|thumb|Prototype Meteor ''DG202/G'' on display at the [[Royal Air Force Museum London]] in 2011. The "/G" appended to the [[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|aircraft serial]] denoted that the aircraft was to have an [[Royal Air Force Police|armed guard]] at all times while it was on the ground.]]
In August 1940, Carter presented Gloster's initial proposals for a twin-engined jet fighter with a [[Tricycle landing gear|tricycle undercarriage]].{{#tag:ref|Carter has concluded earlier that year that, in order to produce an effective fighter aircraft with a satisfactory rate of climb and armament payload, the first jet fighter should have a twin-engine arrangement.<ref name = "shack 10">Shacklady 1962, p. 10.</ref>|group=Note}} On 7 February 1941, Gloster received an order for twelve prototypes (later reduced to eight) under [[List of Air Ministry Specifications|Specification F9/40]].<ref name="James 245-7">James 1971, pp. 245–248.</ref> A letter of intent for the production of 300 of the new fighter, initially to be named ''Thunderbolt,'' was issued on 21 June 1941; to avoid confusion with the USAAF [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]] which had been issued [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt#P-47 in Allied service|with the same name to the RAF]] in 1944, the aircraft's name was subsequently changed to ''Meteor.''<ref name="James 247">James 1971, p. 247.</ref><ref name="Intercep p144">Goulding 1986, p. 144.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Other names that were suggested for the aircraft included Scourge, Terrific, Terrifier, Terrifire, Tempest, Cyclone, Vortex, Wildfire, Avenger, Sky-rocket, Dauntless, Tyrant, Violent, Wrathful, Annihilator, Ace, and Reaper.<ref name = "shack 13"/>|group=Note}} During the aircraft's secretive development, employees and officials made use of the codename ''Rampage'' to refer to the Meteor, as similarly the [[de Havilland Vampire]] would initially be referred to as the ''Spider Crab''. Test locations and other key project information were also kept secret.<ref name = "shack 25">Shacklady 1962, p. 25.</ref>

Although [[taxiing]] trials were carried out in 1942, it was not until the following year that any flights took place due to production and approval holdups with the Power Jets W.2 engine powering the Meteor.<ref name= "Mason p.339"/><ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 11–12.</ref> On 26 November 1942 production of the Meteor was ordered to stop due to the delays at subcontractor [[Rover Company|Rover]], which was struggling to manufacture the W.2 engines on schedule;{{#tag:ref|Much of Rover's initial difficulty in producing the engine was due to a lack of time for experimentation, aviation author Edward Shacklady commented that the W2.B engine was "rushed into production long before it was ready for such a step".<ref name = "shack 40">Shacklady 1962, p. 40.</ref>|group=Note}} considerable interest was shown in Gloster's [[Gloster E.1/44|E.1/44 proposal]] for a single-engine fighter, unofficially named Ace.<ref>Shacklady 1962, pp. 17–19.</ref> Gloster continued development work on the Meteor and the production-stop order was overturned in favour of the construction of six (later increased to eight) F9/40 prototypes alongside three E.1/44 prototypes.<ref name = "shack 19">Shacklady 1962, p. 19.</ref> Due to the breakdown in the relationship between Rover and Powerjets and the availability of Rolls Royce's supercharger division, responsibilities for development and production of the W.2B engine were transferred to [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] that year.<ref name="auto">Shacklady 1962, p. 41.</ref>{{#tag:ref|The jet engine development team at Rover transferred to Rolls Royce along with the work they had done improving on Whittle's design.|group=Note}}

On 5 March 1943, the fifth prototype, [[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|serial]] ''DG206'', powered by two substituted [[de Havilland Goblin|de Havilland Halford H.1]] engines owing to problems with the intended W.2 engines, became the first Meteor to become airborne at [[RAF Cranwell]], piloted by [[Michael Daunt]].<ref name= "Mason p.339">Mason 1992, p. 339.</ref> On the initial flight, an uncontrollable [[Yaw (rotation)|yawing]] motion was discovered, which led to a redesigned larger rudder; however, no difficulties had been attributed to the groundbreaking turbojet propulsion.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 15.</ref><ref name = "shack 21">Shacklady 1962, p. 21.</ref> Only two prototypes flew with de Havilland engines because of their low flight endurance.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 12.</ref> Before the first prototype aircraft had even undertaken its first flight, an extended order for 100 production-standard aircraft had been placed by the RAF.<ref name ='boyne 262'>Boyne 2002, p. 262.</ref>

The first Whittle-engined aircraft, ''DG205/G'',{{#tag:ref|Following the maiden flight of ''DG205/G'', Daunt commented that "As the result of this flight, it is felt that there are distinct possibilities for the F9/50 as an operational low level fighter".<ref name = "shack 23">Shacklady 1962, p. 23.</ref>|group=Note}} flew on 12 June 1943 (later crashing during takeoff on 27 April 1944) and was followed by ''DG202/G'' on 24 July. ''DG202/G'' was later used for deck handling tests aboard [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Pretoria Castle|F61|6}}.<ref name="James p249">James 1971, p. 249.</ref><ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 16.</ref> ''DG203/G'' made its first flight on 9 November 1943, later becoming a ground instructional airframe. ''DG204/G'', powered by [[Metrovick F.2]] engines, first flew on 13 November 1943; ''DG204/G'' was lost in an accident on 4 January 1944, the cause believed to have been an [[Jet engine compressors|engine compressor]] failure due to overspeed.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 16–17.</ref> ''DG208/G'' made its début on 20 January 1944, by which time the majority of design problems had been overcome and a production design had been approved. ''DG209/G'' was used as an engine testbed by Rolls-Royce, first flying on 18 April 1944. ''DG207/G'' was intended to be the basis for the Meteor F.2 with [[de Havilland]] engines, but it did not fly until 24 July 1945, at which time the Meteor 3 was in full production and de Havilland's attention was being redirected to the upcoming de Havilland Vampire; consequently the F.2 was cancelled.<ref name="Intercep p148-9">Goulding 1986, pp. 148–149.</ref><ref name="James p358">James 1971, p. 358.</ref><ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 20–21.</ref><ref>Shacklady 1962, pp. 27–28.</ref>

===Into production===
[[File:Gloster Meteor F.3 - Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. CL2934.jpg|thumb|Meteor being deployed in March 1945]]
On 12 January 1944, the first Meteor F.1, serial ''EE210/G'', took to the air from [[RAF Moreton Valence|Moreton Valence]] in Gloucestershire. It was essentially identical to the F9/40 prototypes except for the addition of four nose-mounted 20&nbsp;mm (.79&nbsp;in) [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404|Hispano Mk V]] cannon and some changes to the [[Aircraft canopy|canopy]] to improve all-round visibility.<ref name="James 304-5">James 1971, pp. 304–305.</ref> Due to the F.1's similarity to the prototypes, they were frequently operated in the test program to progress British understanding of jet propulsion, and it took until July 1944 for the aircraft to enter squadron service.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 23–24.</ref> ''EE210/G'' was later sent to the U.S. for evaluation in exchange for a pre-production [[Bell P-59 Airacomet|Bell YP-59A Airacomet]], the Meteor being flown first by [[John Grierson (pilot)|John Grierson]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base|Muroc Army Airfield]] on 15 April 1944.<ref>Berry, Peter. [http://www.enginehistory.org/r-r_w2b.htm "The Whittle/Rover W2B and Rolls-Royce W2B/23 Welland Turbo-Jets."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131015440/http://www.enginehistory.org/r-r_w2b.htm |date=2010-01-31 }} ''enginehistory.org''. Retrieved: 30 January 2010.</ref>

Originally 300 F.1s were ordered, but the total produced was reduced to 20 aircraft as the follow-on orders had been converted to the more advanced models.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 23.</ref> Some of the last major refinements to the Meteor's early design were trialled using this first production batch, and what was to become the long-term design of the engine nacelles was introduced upon ''EE211''.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 24.</ref> The original nacelles had been discovered by the RAE to suffer from [[compressibility]] buffeting at higher speeds, causing increased drag; the re-designed longer nacelles eliminated this and provided an increase in the Meteor's maximum speed. The lengthened nacelles were introduced on the final fifteen Meteor IIIs.<ref name="fi27555 p727"/> ''EE215'' was the first Meteor to be fitted with guns; ''EE215'' was also used in [[afterburner|engine reheat]] trials,<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201873.html|title=Gas Turbine Development – Further Abstracts from Hayne Constant's Sir Henry Royce Memorial Lecture|magazine=Flight|date=20 December 1957|pages=961–962|archive-date=8 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208111920/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201873.html}}</ref> the addition of reheat increasing top speed from 420&nbsp;mph to 460&nbsp;mph.<ref name="fi27555 p727"/> It was later converted into the first two-seat Meteor.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 24–25.</ref> Due to the radical differences between jet-powered aircraft and those that it replaced, a special ''Tactical Flight'' or ''T-Flight'' unit was established to prepare the Meteor for squadron service, led by [[Group Captain]] [[Hugh Wilson (RAF officer)|Hugh Joseph Wilson]].<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 25.</ref> The Tactical Flight was formed at [[Farnborough Airport|Farnborough]] in May 1944, the first Meteors arriving the following month, upon which both tactical applications and limitations were extensively explored.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 25–26.</ref>

On 17 July 1944, the Meteor F.1 was cleared for service use. Shortly afterwards, elements of the Tactical Flight and their aircraft were transferred to operational RAF squadrons.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 26.</ref> The first deliveries to No. 616 Squadron RAF, the first operational squadron to receive the Meteor, began in July 1944.<ref name ='boyne 262'/> When the F.2 was cancelled, the Meteor F.3 became the immediate successor to the F.1 and alleviated some of the shortcomings of the F.1.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 26–27.</ref> In August 1944, the first F.3 prototype flew; early F.3 production aircraft were still fitted with the Welland engine as the [[Rolls-Royce Derwent|Derwent]] engine's production was just starting at this point. A total of 210 F.3 aircraft were produced before they were in turn superseded by production of the Meteor F.4 in 1945.<ref name = "shack 45">Shacklady 1962, p. 45.</ref>

Several Meteor F.3s were converted into navalised aircraft. The adaptations included a strengthened undercarriage and arrester hook. Operational trials of the type took place aboard {{HMS|Implacable|R86|6}}. The trials included carrier landings and takeoffs.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 28.</ref> Performance of these naval prototype Meteors proved to be favourable, including takeoff performance, leading to further trials with a modified Meteor F.4 fitted with folding wings; a "clipped wing" was also adopted.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 28–29.</ref> The Meteor later entered service with the [[Royal Navy]], but only as a land-based trainer, the Meteor T.7, to prepare pilots of the [[Fleet Air Arm]] for flying other jet aircraft such as the de Havilland Sea Vampire.<ref>Sturtivant 1990, p. 164.</ref>

While various marks of Meteor had been introduced by 1948, they had remained very similar to the prototypes of the Meteor; consequently, the performance of the Meteor F.4 was beginning to be eclipsed by new jet designs. Gloster therefore embarked on a redesign programme to produce a new version of the Meteor with better performance.<ref>Andrews 1965, p. 4.</ref> Designated ''Meteor F.8'', this upgraded variant was a potent fighter aircraft, forming the bulk of RAF Fighter Command between 1950 and 1955. The Meteor continued to be operated in a military capacity by several nations into the 1960s.<ref>Andrews 1965, pp. 3–4.</ref>

===Night fighter===
To replace the increasingly obsolete [[de Havilland Mosquito]] as a [[night fighter]], the Meteor was adapted to serve in the role as an interim aircraft. Gloster had initially proposed a night fighter design to meet the Air Ministry specification for the Mosquito replacement, based on the two seater trainer variant of the Meteor, with the pilot in the front seat and the navigator in the rear.<ref name="Williams aero 1 p6-7">Williams ''[[Aeroplane Monthly]]'' April 1995, p. 6–7.</ref> Once accepted however, work on the project was swiftly transferred to Armstrong Whitworth to perform both the detailed design process and production of the type; the first prototype flew on 31 May 1950. Although based on the T.7 twin seater, it used the fuselage and tail of the F.8, and the longer wings of the F.3. An extended nose contained the AI Mk 10 (the 1940s Westinghouse SCR-720) Air Intercept radar. As a consequence the 20&nbsp;mm cannons were moved into the wings, outboard of the engines. A ventral fuel tank and wing mounted drop tanks completed the Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.11.<ref name="Williams AE p45-6">Williams 1984, pp. 45–46.</ref><ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 40–42.</ref>

[[File:Gloster Meteor NF.14 WS841 264.HMT BLA 6.9.55 edited-2.jpg|thumb|left|Operational Meteor NF.14 of [[No. 264 Squadron RAF]] in 1955]]

As [[radar]] technology developed, a new Meteor night fighter was developed to use the improved US-built [[Radar configurations and types#Detection and search radars|APS-21]] system. The ''NF.12'' first flew on 21 April 1953. It was similar to the NF.11 but had a nose section {{convert|17|in|cm}} longer;<ref name="Williams AE p50-1">Williams 1984, pp. 50–51.</ref> the fin was enlarged to compensate for the greater keel area of the enlarged nose and to counter the airframe reaction to the sideways oscillating motion of the radar scanner which caused difficulty aiming the guns, an anti-tramp motor operating on the rudder was fitted midway up the front leading edge of the fin. The NF.12 also had the new Rolls-Royce Derwent 9 engines and the wings were reinforced to handle the new engine.<ref name="James p297">James 1971, p. 297.</ref><ref name ="bb 44">Butler and Buttler 2006, p. 44.</ref> Deliveries of the NF.12 started in 1953, with the type entering squadron service in early 1954,<ref name="Williams aero p3 p14">Williams ''Aeroplane Monthly'' June 1995, p. 14.</ref> equipping seven squadrons (Nos [[No. 85 Squadron RAF|85]], [[No. 25 Squadron RAF|25]], [[No. 152 Squadron RAF|152]], [[No. 46 Squadron RAF|46]], [[No. 72 Squadron RAF|72]], [[No. 153 Squadron RAF|153]] and [[No. 64 Squadron RAF|64]]);<ref name="James p366">James 1971, p. 366.</ref> the aircraft was replaced over 1958–1959.

The final Meteor night fighter was the ''NF.14''. First flown on 23 October 1953, the NF.14 was based on the NF.12 but had an even longer nose, extended by a further {{Convert | 17 | in}} to accommodate new equipment, increasing the total length to {{convert|51|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}} and a larger bubble canopy to replace the framed T.7 version.<ref name="Williams AE p51-3">Williams 1984, pp. 51–53.</ref> Just 100 NF.14s were built; they first entered service in February 1954 beginning with No. 25 Squadron and were being replaced as early as 1956 by the [[Gloster Javelin]]. Overseas, they remained in service a little longer, serving with No. 60 Squadron at [[Tengah]], Singapore until 1961. As the NF.14 was replaced, some 14 were converted to training aircraft as the ''NF(T).14'' and given to No. 2 Air Navigation School on [[RAF Thorney Island]] until transferring to No. 1 Air Navigation School at RAF Stradishall where they served until 1965.<ref>Butler and Buttler 2006, pp. 44–46.</ref>