Editing Supermarine Swift (section)

===Background===
During 1945, the [[World War II|Second World War]] ended and a new [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government, headed by [[Clement Attlee]], came to power in Britain.<ref name = "wood 40">Wood 1975, p. 40.</ref> The incoming government's initial stance on defence was that no major conflict would occur for at least a decade, and so there would be no need to develop or to procure any new aircraft until 1957. In accordance with that policy, aside from a small number of exceptions such as what would become the [[Hawker Sea Hawk]] for the [[Royal Navy]], the majority of [[List of Air Ministry specifications#1940.E2.80.931949|Specifications]] issued by the [[Air Ministry]] for fighter-sized aircraft during the late 1940s were restricted to research purposes.<ref name = "wood 40 43">Wood 1975, pp. 40–43.</ref> 

In part, the Swift had its origins in the experimental fighter prototypes that had been developed. Specifically, a number of Supermarine-built prototypes had been ordered under [[List of Air Ministry specifications#1940.E2.80.931949|Specification E.41/46]], which had sought the production of an experimental fighter aircraft  with a [[swept wing]]. The first of these was the ''Type 510'', which was substantially based on the straight-wing [[Supermarine Attacker]], which was procured for the [[Fleet Air Arm]]. The principal difference from the Attacker was that it had a swept wing.<ref name = "wood 46">Wood 1975, p. 46.</ref> During 1948 the Type 510 made its [[maiden flight]], a year after the first navalised prototype Attacker had flown, making it the first British aircraft to fly with both [[swept wing]]s and a swept [[tailplane]]. In trials for the Fleet Air Arm, the Type 510 was also the first swept-wing aircraft to take off from and land on an [[aircraft carrier]].

During the late 1940s, in the face of the emerging [[Cold War]], the RAF came to recognise that it would urgently require the development and procurement of fighters equipped with features such as [[swept wing]]s. That need was felt to be so pressing that it was willing to accept interim fighter aircraft while more capable fighters were being developed.<ref name = "wood 43 45">Wood 1975, pp. 43–45.</ref> In 1950, with the outbreak of the [[Korean War]], Britain's  involvement in that conflict led to a flurry of orders being placed. In particular, the RAF felt that a pair of proposed fighter aircraft from [[Hawker Aircraft]] and [[Supermarine]] were of great importance and, in the same year, ordered the proposed fighters "off the drawing board".<ref name = "wood 45 46"/> The Supermarine design was designated as the ''Type 541'', and was essentially an advanced development of the earlier Type 510 experimental aircraft.<ref name = "wood 46"/>

The initial order placed in 1950 for 100 aircraft was intended to serve as an insurance policy in the event that Hawker failed to produce a viable aircraft. .<ref name = "wood 45 46">Wood 1975, pp. 45–46.</ref> In early 1946, the Type 541 order was increased to 150 aircraft, the Air Ministry hoping that it would  enter service before the rival Hunter. However, the development of both types was protracted. 

[[File:Supermarine Swift FR.5 XD905 V-A Farnborough 10.09.55 edited-2.jpg|thumb|Swift FR.5 landing at the [[Farnborough air show]] in 1955]]

The Type 541 replaced its predecessors' [[Rolls-Royce Nene]] [[centrifugal compressor|centrifugal flow]] [[turbojet engine]] with the [[axial compressor|axial-flow]] Rolls-Royce AJ.65 turbojet, which became the [[Rolls-Royce Avon|Avon]] series. The fuselage, which had been given a cross section suitable for the Nene engine, was not redesigned for the narrower AJ.65 and Avon engines, and retained a somewhat portly appearance. The aircraft also had with a [[tricycle landing gear|tricycle undercarriage]]. Two of Type 541 prototypes were built. The first made its maiden flight on 01 August 1951<ref name="BAE_541_page">{{cite web |title=Vickers Supermarine Type 541 Swift |url=https://www.baesystems.com/en-uk/heritage/vickers-supermarine-type-541-swift |website=BAE Systems Web Site |access-date=4 December 2023}}</ref> and the second during the following year.