Originally Posted by Brewster Buffalo
Any ex-Javelin crew/experts who can explain why it had such a short career.
Entering service in 1956 by 1960 there were 12 Squadrons (9 in the UK) but 5 years later there were only 3 left - all based abroad.
On paper it looks to have been a better aircraft for long range interception of wandering Bears, Bison etc.... than the Lightning.
There must be a reason..
Just going back to the original post, we must remember that the OR was laid out in 1947 when the known opposition was the Beagle and the Tu-4 Bull (B29ski). It's easy to look back and criticise using 20:20 hindsight. However, with 525kts and 40,000ft, 4@30mm Aden cannon with lots of rounds
plus 4 stonking great IR AAM's it would have ripped them to shreds. It has been said before that the old girl was like the Rock of Gibraltar as a weapons platform.
Given that the Soviets were in a state of total Stalinist, paranoid security where a loose word got you shot, and that was only between Russian design offices, we were not too clued up on the Bison, Badger, and Bear which only came out and into our ken by the mid 50's. By this time, cutting edge wise, our chaps were probably polishing a turd, sorry.
Anyway, the guys did their stuff, 50 years ago, as duty calls, so, time for some pics. Back to the time where aircrew wore collar and tie with the mask and bone dome, intakes were proper round things with no funny stuff, there were sgt pilots on front line jets and the chaps wore their bonnets for head protection and saluting the sirs as they taxied out
