Editing Supermarine Swift (section)

===Into production===
Production of the Swift had been declared to be a "super-priority" item under a policy created by [[Winston Churchill|Sir Winston Churchill]], who had regained the position of Britain's [[prime minister]] in 1951, as a means of increasing projects considered to be of vital military importance. Volume manufacturing commenced in advance of the implementation of modifications based on the results of flight experiences with the prototypes: "too much had been asked for in too little time and production aircraft were coming the production line before a major redesign could be accomplished".<ref name = "wood 46"/>

The first production variant was a fighter designated the ''Swift F Mk 1'', of which 18 were eventually built. It was powered by a single 7,500&nbsp;[[pound-force|lbf]] (33.4&nbsp;[[kilonewton|kN]])-thrust Avon 109 engine and was armed with two 30&nbsp;mm ADEN cannons. On 25 August 1952, the first flight of a production standard Swift F 1 took place. [[Peter Thorne (RAF officer)|Peter Thorne]], who had been appointed as the senior RAF test pilot for the incoming Swift in 1954, came to doubt the aircraft's suitability. Thorne and several other pilots noted the Swift had unusual handling qualities, as well as a troublesome engine.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10974374/Air-Commodore-Peter-Thorne-obituary.html "Obituary: Air Commodore Peter Thorne."] ''The Telegraph'', 18 July 2014.</ref>

[[File:Supermarine Swift F.1 WK195 V-A BLA 13.9.53 edited-2.jpg|thumb|left|Swift.F.1 test aircraft operated by Vickers-Armstrong in 1953]]

The second variant was the ''Swift F Mk 2'', of which 16 were built. It was practically the same as the F 1, except for being fitted with two extra ADENs and the [[leading edge]] of the wing was altered from straight to a compound sweep.<ref name = "wood 46"/> However, the addition of the cannon caused problems, because the  modifications required to house the increased ammunition load led to dangerous handling characteristics, and it was also clear that more thrust was required from its engine. Numerous further modifications were required to resolve the problems.<ref name = "wood 46"/>

The third Swift variant was the ''F Mk 3'', of which 25 were built, powered by an Avon 114 engine with [[afterburner|reheat]]. It was never put into operational service with the Royal Air Force and was used as an instructional airframe. The next variant was the ''F Mk.4'', which included a variable incidence tailplane, intended to correct the handling problems that the Swift suffered from. It did fix the problem, but it was found that reheat could not be ignited at high altitude, adding to the Swift's list of problems.

The next in the line, the ''FR Mk 5'', had a longer nose to accommodate a number of cameras to allow a reconnaissance role, as well as other modifications to its structure. The FR 5 also reverted to the F 1's twin ADEN cannon armament. It first flew in [[1955 in aviation|1955]] and entered service the following year, performing reconnaissance mainly at low level, making the reheat problem at high altitude irrelevant.

Two further variants were designed. The ''PR Mk 6'' was an unarmed photo reconnaissance plane. However, its use was short-lived, due to the ever-present reheat problems. The last variant was the ''F Mk 7'', which was the first Swift model to be fitted with guided missiles, the [[Fairey Fireflash]] [[air-to-air missile]],  and was powered by a new model of the Avon. Only fourteen F 7 aircraft were built and none ever entered service with the RAF, being relegated – along with its prototype missiles – to conducting guided-missile trials.