English Electric Lightning F53 ZF583
History & Specifications
| Engine | 2 Rolls Royce Avon 301 |
| Thrust | 16,360 lbs / 72.8 kN with afterburner |
| Max Speed | 1,522 mph / 2450 km/h |
| Max Range | 849 miles / 1,367 km |
| Length | 55 ft 3 ins / 16.84 m |
| Wing Span | 34 ft 10 ins / 10.62 m |
The English Electric Lightning was the first supersonic aircraft to enter service with the RAF.
It was developed in the 1950s as an all weather interceptor and was the mainstay of Britain’s Air Defence from 1960 to 1988.
The Lightning was due to retire in 1974 but was kept on by the RAF and upgraded to fly alongside the Phantom until the capability gaps left by the 1960s cuts were filled by aircraft such as the Tornado, Jaguar and Harrier.
It was capable of travelling at twice the speed of sound and few aircraft could match its rate of climb of 50,000ft/min. Although very fast it had limited range.
The aircraft we have on display is an export variant of an F6, which was operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force. The last flight in Saudi Air Force service was on 7th January 1986.
She was acquired by the Museum from BAE and transported by road to the museum on the 8th January 1989.
