 | TSR 2 Test Flight Some of the test flights of TSR 2, showing that even the best can get it right and wrong |
 | U.S. Killed Projects: British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 The Dismantellation of Bristish War Aircraft Industry. In 1955 the RAF began to consider a possible successor to the Canberra bomber. The Royal Navy was also taking the idea of a low-level bomber seriously. In 1955 Blackburn Aircraft won the NAST.39 contract, and began development of the NA.39 (later called the Buccaneer). The mission profile of the NA.39 was a toss-bombing attack with a kiloton-range nuclear weapon. On 1 January 1959 the Government announced the award of a contract to Vickers-Armstrong and English Electric for a new light bomber to be known as the TSR.2. In a marked departure from tradition, the new aircraft was not given a name. The Minister, Aubrey Jones, said that it was a "tactical support and reconnaissance" aircraft. The TSR.2 was based on English Electric's P.17A, but it was stretched and developed well beyond the original. Bristol Siddeley Engines was given the contract for the powerplant, a reheated version of the Olympus called the 22R. The first TSR.2 contract was placed on June 3rd 1959. It was not until October 7th 1960 that the full development contract was signed at a cost of £90 million. A Progress Review Committee, a Development Progress Committee, a Management Board and a Steering Committee were set up to supervise TSR.2 development. In June 1963 an order was placed for eleven pre-production TSR.2s, on top of the development batch of 9 aircraft. In the same month there was a visit by an Australian delegation, because the RAAF was looking for 24 strike aircraft and the TSR.2 was a contender. Confidence was now growing, and in October the MoA gave a press briefing on the TSR.2. In December 1963 the TSR.2 program was debated in the House of Commons. The London Times commented sarcastically that there were "rumours of cancellation", and official denials of this were "strenuous enough to spread panic through the arms industry". In October 1964, a Labour government was elected. The R&D costs were now estimated at £272 million, and the production costs for 158 aircraft at £469 million. This prompted yet another review of the TSR.2 program, and a number of foreign types were considered to replace it, including the TFX (F-111). An Air Staff team sent to Washington reported that "there is some reason to believe that there are difficulties about aerodynamics, weight growth and rising cost" (a gross understatement!). On January 15th 1965, the Secretary of State for Defence expressed for the view that the TSR.2 should be cancelled. The Prime Minister announced this decision in the House of Commons on February 2nd. Healey continued to say that Britain could no longer afford to go it alone in the development of combat aircraft. He went a step further when he announced the government's intention to reduce the number of strike aircraft that would be bought for the RAF. The final twists in the saga are that the F-111 was ordered for the RAF, and then cancelled, and the formerly scorned Buccaneer finally entered service with the RAF in 1969 replacing the Canberra. After the cancellation on April 6th 1965, the three TSR.2s built were immediately grounded (XR220 had been scheduled to make its maiden flight the same day). XR219 had flown 24 missions, totalling 13 hours and 9 minutes. 49 aicraft were in various stages of production. All production tooling was destroyed; on the line, as workers completed assembly of some airframes prior to their transport to the scrap yard, the tooling was being destroyed with cutting torches behind them. A wooden mockup of the aircraft was burned at Warton while the workers looked on. All technical publications were ordered to be destroyed; even photographs of the aircraft were destroyed. Boscombe Down's official records of test flights were 'lost'. A greater act of vandalism has never been perpetrated on the British aviation industry. Roland Beamont, who knew the TSR.2 better than anyone, believed that it was "one of the most remarkable designs in aviation history", and like so many others regarded its demise as a very great loss to the RAF. |
 | How NOT to Video a Lightning Fast Taxi Run Preparation for a fast taxi run by a vintage EE/BAC Lightning jet fighter, and the ensuing consequences at Bruntingthorpe Airfield. Comments disabled due too much spam! Video responses are still available. |
 | TSR2 Destruction of the Prototypes Lord Healey, who was minister for defense says he didn't order this, if not then who did? As minister he is in charge and is responsible for the actions of people under him. I find it hard to believe someone lower down the defence ministry would order this act of vandalism without autherisation. So the question open to debate is who dunnit? |
 | Concorde aborts crosswind landing Concorde aborts a landing at Leeds Bradford under a high crosswind - good view of the Bristol Olympus engines [originally designed for the TSR2] and the extraordinary power of the afterburners. |
 | The BAC TSR-2 The BAC TSR-2 was to be the RAF's foremost combat aircraft for the 1960's onwards, replacing the Canberra in the Tactical Strike/Reconnaissance role. The aircraft was to have supersonic capability at tree-top height and was the first aircraft in the World to be equipped with a Head-Up-Display (HUD). The TSR project was subsequently murdered in 1964 by a short-sighted Labour government, and all project material and prototypes ordered destroyed. A decision motivated mostly by pressure from the US to not compete with their F-111 Aardvark in the global market. Music: Gary Jules - Mad World. |
 | TSR2 OZ DOWNUNDER .....RAAF Demo ....PART 1 XR-219 FS2004 Miraculously reincarnated by forces unknown Makes good on its 40 year old dream of showing its stuff to the Ozzies. And creating a new market for its agility. XR219 is Airlifted in an RAAF C17 from RAF Warton to Alice Springs and then flies under its own steam to... Part 1 ULURU formerly known as Ayers Rock where accompanied by a lightning and canberra bomber it heads out to Sydney. Meanwhile an RAAF F111c also is despatched to join the flight and chk out the characteristics. A local Walrus Seaplane that has been renovated and restored from weather & World War 2 ravages Takes off for a spin . Formerly based in Tangmere UK . Todays TSR2 crew are Grp Cap Bowie Bomont and Flt Lt. Bob "Rockface" DoverCliff F111 crew are Wing Comm Bluey Tie-Me Kangadown Taylor and FL Lt. Jack " Dingo" Woomabillabong Zingo Its hot out there... blistering hot as they wait for their turn in the WombatWinger but looking forward to a couple o tubes of 4xxxx and a big BarB when they touch down again. Gday mate ,,,No worries yeah LEAVE ME A COMMENT IF YOU HAVE TIME |
 | Rocket Interceptor Saunders Roe SR53 & SR177 projects. Two of several projects designed to meet an Operational Requirement for a rocket interceptor, work on the SR53 started in 1952. However, due to development delays the first prototype did not fly until 16 May 1957. The aircraft designed by Maurice Joseph Brennan and was of orthodox construction with both wing and tail of delta plan form, there was provision for two Firestreak AAM's mounted on the wingtips. Unusually, the SR53 had an Armstrong Siddeley Viper jet engine mounted in the upper fuselage and a De Haviland Spectre variably-throttleable rocket engine using aviation kerosene and hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant mounted in the lower fuselage. In trials the SR53 reached Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) at high altitude. In June 1958 a setback occurred when the second prototype crashed and exploded at the end of RAF Boscombe Down's runway in mysterious circumstances, after failing to take-off. The test pilot, Squadron Leader John Booth Pictured here, was killed. It became clear before the SR53's first flight that the aircraft was too small to carry the radar and missiles required in modern interceptors and a more powerful derivative was designed, the SR177. In the SR177, the positions of the rocket and turbojet engines were reversed with the larger De Havilland PS.50 Gyron Junior DGJ 101 turbojet with a thrust of 14,000lb and De Havilland Spectre 5A rocket motor with 10,000lbs thrust selected for production models. The jet engine situated in the lower fuselage being fed air through a chin mounted intake with variable position shock cone. This project was developed for the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm but fell victim to the notorious 1957 Defence White Paper, which led to numerous aircraft projects being scrapped. Development continued for a possible German order with a Rolls Royce engine, but when this fell through the SR177 project was dropped and the surviving SR53 retired, marking the end of fixed-wing aircraft development at Saunders-Roe. Computer animation allows us a glimpse of how the SR177 would have looked in flight. The footage is taken from a Discovery Channel documentary and edited to the soundtrack of Don Spencer's Fireball XL5 theme in the first part of the film and an extract from the soundtrack of "The day the earth stood still" in the latter part showing the SR177. Link: http://www.spaceuk.org/sr53/sr53%20pics.htm |
 | Lightning T5 test flight with rocket-like take-off Lightning T5 test flight from Boscombe Down in 1980s. See the amazing near vertical take-off. |
 | TSR 2 Newsreel Newsreel footage of the maiden flight of TSR 2. |
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