Supermarine
Spectre F.1 WA331 ‘R’, 234 Sqn RAF, Geilenkirchen 1954
The
Spectre represented several firsts.
It
was the first aircraft to be developed and built by an international
partnership, and was the first of many Anglo-French co-operative designs
to emerge following World War Two. It
was also the first swept-wing fighter to enter service with the RAF and
the Armée
de l’Air. Following the
introduction into RAF service of the Hawker Hunter, it was also the first
(and only) swept wing fighter to be used by the RAuxAF.
Based
upon the earlier Supermarine Attacker, and drawing upon captured German
wartime swept-wing research, the Spectre was also the first fighter
designed from the outset not to carry integral armament.
Instead, various armament ‘packages’ could be fitted to suit
specific roles, and in current terms would probably be considered to be
the first ‘swing role’ fighter. Two
fuselage 30 mm cannon packs were usually carried as standard in the air
defence o ground attack roles, with additional 20 mm underwing cannon pods
being an option for either role. A
variety of bombs or rockets could also be carried in the ground attack
role.
Despite
its relatively advance features, the Spectre was soon eclipsed by more
refined types such as the hunter, Thunderstreak and radar-equipped marks
of the Sabre. That said, the
last examples remained in service with the RAuxAF until 1957.
(Donor
kits: Novo Attacker, Matchbox Mystere IV, Airfix Hurricane IV and Meteor
III, Modeldecal sheet 14)
David
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