History of the Meteor
The Meteor was Britain’s first operational
jet fighter, designed by George Carter and
the team at Glosters. On the 7th February
1941 an order was placed for 12 prototypes,
the first of which were fitted with a Rover
W.2B jet engine. Engine delays meant
that the 5th aircraft was fitted with the
deHavilland developed Halford H.1 engine
and this aircraft was the first to fly from
Cranwell on the 5th March 1943.
Meteor F.Mk1s joined RAF service with No 616
Squadron at Culmhead, Somerset in July 1944.
Only days later the Squadron moved to RAF
Manston in Kent to be in front line action against
the incoming V.1 flying bomb threat. The first V.1 to be destroyed occurred near Tonbridge on
August the 4th 1944 when a Meteor, piloted by Flying Officer Dean ‘flipped over’ a V.1 using the
Meteors wing tip, thus disabling the V.1’s gyroscope, forcing it to crash and explode well short
of it’s target (London).
In January 1945 one flight of 616 squadrons Meteors joined No 84 group in Belgium and in
March, No.504 Squadron equipped with Meteor F.Mk.III became the second all jet unit to serve
on the other side of the English Channel. However, during this time, no reports of contact with
the Me262 (the German Jet Fighter/Bomber) were ever recorded. At the end of the Second
World War the Meteor was regarded as the best fighter in the world.
The Rolls Royce powered F.Mk4 had outstanding performance and few military strategist could
doubt that jet power was the way of future fighter/interceptor development.
Pending the introduction into RAF service of a purpose-built all weather, jet night fighter the
RAF developed the Meteor in this role. Gloster had already been developing a night fighter
when specification F.44/46 was issued by the MOD. The Gloster design work was handed
over to Armstrong Whitworth, a sister company in the Hawker Siddeley Group to develop and
manufacture the NF11 Night Fighter. Distinguished from its predecessor by a longer nose, the
NF11 also included the Mk.10 outer wing panels to accommodate four Hispano Mark V cannon
and the more streamlined tail unit from the Meteor F.Mk 8.
Meteor NF11 (VW413) flew for the first time from Bagington, Coventry in October 1949 and it’s
success led to an order of 200 aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
After a series of trials with Meteor Mk.8’s for Target Towing, the NF11 was adapted to the role
and designated TT20. All armament was removed to save weight and a wind driven winch was
fitted to a pylon above the starboard inner wing root with a 1860m.(6.100ft.) cable for towing a
target. The target itself could be detached from the winch assemble with an explosive charge.