Model Airplane News February, 1954 ![]() Supermarine Swift Model Airplane News Cover Art for February, 1954 by Jo Kotula Click to Enlarge The Supermarine Swift was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF), built by Supermarine during the 1950s. After a protracted development period, the Swift entered service as an interceptor. Due to a spate of accidents, its service life was short. ![]() ![]() Photos of the Supermarine Swift Click to Enlarge The Swift evolved from a number of prototypes, particularly the Type 510. The Type 510 became the first British aircraft to have both swept wings and a swept tailplane and the first swept-wing aircraft to take off and land from an aircraft carrie The Swift had been ordered into "super-priority" production, a policy created by Sir Winston Churchill who had become Prime Minister in 1951 at a time of particular tension between NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War; the Korean War had begun in 1950. The first production variant was a fighter designated the Swift F Mk 1, of which 18 were eventually built. The first flight occurred in 1953 and the F.1 entered service with No. 56 Squadron RAF in February 1954, becoming the RAF's first swept-wing aircraft. It was powered by a 7,500 lb-thrust engine and carried an armament of two 30 mm cannon. Tragedy began to strike early in the career of the Swift with a number of accidents. The F 1 was grounded in the August of the same year it had entered service All fighter variants of the Swift were withdrawn from service by the RAF, after a short time in service, to be replaced by the more capable Hawker Hunter. The Swift never saw combat action with the RAF. It did break a number of speed records in its time; in Libya, in 1953, an F.4 (WK198) piloted by Commander Mike Lithgow broke the world absolute speed record, reaching a speed of 737.7 mph. The Swift has the distinction of being the last British production aircraft to hold this record . Under two hundred Swifts were built from an order of 497. A number of Swift airframes went to Australia for Operation Buffalo in 1956, being placed at various distances from a detonating atomic bomb. Here is a video of the Supermarine Swift: In addition to the cover of Model Airplane News, this airplane was also featured in the WINGS "Friend or Foe" trading card series of the early 1950s ![]() Trading card representation of the Supermarine Swift Click Here to see all 200 cards in the series Click to Enlarge Click Here for more information about the Supermarine Swift. ![]() Click to go back and select another cover. | |||||||
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