English Electric Lightning in RAF air defence role
E605862
The English Electric Lightning in RAF air defence role was a Cold War-era British supersonic interceptor fighter renowned for its exceptional climb rate and speed, serving as the Royal Air Force’s primary high-speed air defence aircraft before being superseded by more modern designs.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Cold War air defence role
ⓘ
air defence role ⓘ military aviation role ⓘ |
| aircraftConfiguration |
stacked engine arrangement
ⓘ
twin-engine jet ⓘ |
| aircraftManufacturer |
British Aircraft Corporation
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
English Electric NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| armamentType |
air-to-air missiles
ⓘ
cannon ⓘ |
| baseType | RAF air defence stations ⓘ |
| conflictPeriod | Cold War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| doctrine | point defence interceptor ⓘ |
| geographicFocus |
NATO northern flank
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
North Sea approaches NERFINISHED ⓘ United Kingdom airspace NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| groundSupport | ground-controlled interception guidance ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
iconic British Cold War interceptor role
ⓘ
served as RAF’s primary high-speed air defence aircraft before newer designs ⓘ |
| limitation |
limited endurance
ⓘ
short range ⓘ |
| missionProfile |
Soviet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft interception
ⓘ
high-altitude interceptions ⓘ quick reaction alert interceptions ⓘ |
| notableCharacteristic |
exceptional climb rate
ⓘ
rapid reaction alert capability ⓘ very high speed ⓘ |
| notablePerformance | very high rate of climb compared to contemporaries ⓘ |
| operatedBy | Royal Air Force ⓘ |
| primaryOperatorBranch |
RAF Fighter Command
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
RAF Strike Command NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryPurpose |
air defence of the United Kingdom
ⓘ
high-speed interception ⓘ |
| radarUse | airborne interception radar guided interceptions ⓘ |
| roleType | supersonic interceptor fighter ⓘ |
| serviceEntry | early 1960s ⓘ |
| servicePeak |
1960s
ⓘ
1970s ⓘ |
| speedClass | Mach 2-class interceptor ⓘ |
| status | retired from RAF service ⓘ |
| supersededBy |
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in RAF service
ⓘ
Panavia Tornado F3 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| typicalMissile |
Firestreak air-to-air missile
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Red Top air-to-air missile NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedAircraft | English Electric Lightning NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.