Gloster Meteor F Mk.I

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 3

Speed: 7

Maneuverability: 6

Firepower: 8

Climb Rate: 4

Ground Attack: 2

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	372	407	446	461	472@ 31168'	250 mph	1:34	3:36	7:23
kph	598	655	717	741	760@ 9500m	403 kph

Historical Statistics

Service Date: July 1944

Primary Guns: 2x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons with 150 rpg in nose

Secondary Guns: 2x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons with 150 rpg in nose

Ordnance: none

Engine(s): 2x Rolls-Royce W.2B/23C Welland turbojets rated at 1700 lbs (771 kg) thrust each

Int Fuel Capacity: 2,614 lbs (1,186 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: none

Maximum Speeds: 385 mph (619 kph) at sea level, 415 mph (668 kph) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)

Initial Climb Rate: 2,155 ft/min (657 m/min)

Ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,190 m)

Empty Weight: 8,140 lbs (3,692 kg)

Loaded Weight: 13,795 lbs (6,258 kg)

Wing Area: 374 sq ft (34.75 sq m)

Wing Loading: 36.88 lbs/sq ft (180.1 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Firepower: The four 20 mm cannons in the nose give the Meteor a heavy concentration of firepower that is effective against anything it might encounter in the skies.

Weaknesses

Top Speed: The top speed of 415 mph is lower than that of many contemporary piston-engined fighters and is among the slowest of first and second generation jet fighters.

Ground Attack: Lacking any ordnance carrying capability the Meteor must rely on its 20 mm cannons for all ground attack needs.

History

During the height of the Battle Of Britain, the Air Ministry issued Specification F.9/40 for a jet-powered fighter. Gloster assigned W. George Carter to the project and, based on the low power output of expected engines, he created a twin-engine design with the engines in nacelles on the wings. This design allowed for more flexibility in engine mounting than could be offered by installing the engines in the fuselage.

On 7 February 1941 the Ministry of Aircraft Production ordered twelve prototypes of the new jet fighters and sufficient jigs and production tools to produce 80 machines per month. The prototypes were issued tracking numbers DG202 thru DG213. After further design work had been completed an order was placed for 20 production machines under the designation Thunderbolt. However, with the advent of the American Republic Thunderbolt fighter, the name was changed in March 1942 to Meteor.

In the end, only 8 of the 12 intended prototypes were completed, the first of which (DG202/G) began taxiing trials on 3 July 1942 with a pair of Rover W.2B turbojets, each rated for 452 lbs thrust. After completing the ground trials, the prototype was returned to Gloster to await the availability of the Power Jets W.2/500 turbojets, which had been desginated for use on the new plane. However, these engines had numerous problems and the DG202/G prototype was eventually fitted with a pair of Rover B.23 turbojets rated for 1526 lbst each and with these engines installed it flew for the first time on 24 July 1943.

However, this wasn't the first flight of the Meteor. The fifth prototype (DG206/G) was fitted with a pair of Halford H.1 turbojets rated for 1500 lbst each and flew for the first time on 5 March 1943. The sixth prototype (DG207/G) was also fitted with Halford H.1s and a pressurized cabin. Meanwhile a variety of turbojet engines were fitted on the various Meteor prototypes. DG203 was eventually tested with the Power Jets W.2/500 turbojets of 1640 lbst each, DG204 was used to test the Metrovick F.3/1 turbojets rated for 2000 lbst each, DG205 used the Rolls-Royce W.2B/23 turbojets of 1600 lbst each, DG208 was fitted with the Rolls-Royce W.R.1 turbojets of 2000 lbst each, and DG209 used the Rolls-Royce W.2B/37 turbojets rated for 2000 lbst each.

Eventually it was decided to use the Rolls-Royce W.2B/24c Welland I turbojets, rated for 1700 lbst (771 kgf) on the 20 production machines under the designation Gloster Meteor F Mk.I. The first production Meteor to be completed (EE210) was flown on 12 January 1944 and then was promptly crated up and shipped off the US in exchange for a Bell YP-59A Airacomet. The rest of the first batch were delivered to No. 616 Squadron at Culmhead, with the first arriving on 12 July 1944. The squadron was transferred to Manston on 24 July 1944 and the new plane was immediately put into service chasing down the German V-1 flying bombs with the first sortie taking place on 27 July 1944. The first V-1 "kill" took place on 4 August 1944 when Pilot Officer Dean, whose guns had jammed, slipped his wingtip under the wing of the V-1 and tipped it over, causing it to crash into the countryside below. That same day Pilot Officer Roger claimed the first guns kill of a V-1. No. 616 Squadron's Meteors eventually killed a total of 13 V-1s.

The Meteor Mk.II designation was used for a proposed variant to be powered by the de Havilland Goblin I turbojets, rated at 2700 lbst each, but they type was never produced. Instead, the Mk.III became the first major production variant, the first 15 (EE230 thru EE244) of which were virtually identical to the Meteor I. The primary differences between the Mk.I and the new Mk.III variants was that the side-hinged canopy had been replaced with a sliding canopy, the airframe had been strengthed, and the Mk.III had increased internal fuel capacity. However, the remainder of the Mk.III production run of 195 machines were powered by a pair Rolls-Royce W.2B/37 Derwent I engines rated at 1997 lbst (905 kgf) each.

The Welland-powered Meteor IIIs were issued to one flight of No. 616 Squadron on 18 December 1944 and the squadron was assigned to the 2nd Tactical Air Force based at Nijmegan in January 1945. They were soon joined by Derwent powered Meteor IIIs of No. 504 Squadron in March 1945. Meteor IIIs made their first combat sorties on 16 April 1945, but a lack of German air opposition meant that the Meteor was used only in the ground support role.

The final 15 Meteor IIIs were fitted with longer engine nacelles, which were adopted as standard for the Mk.IV variant. With the end of the war and the rapid advances in engine power, the majority of the Mk.IIIs never saw service. One of the Mk.IIIs (EE360) was fitted with the new Derwent V turbojets rated for 3500 lbst each and this machine served as the prototype for the Mk.IV variant. The Mk.IV utilized a pressurized cabin, had the wingspan reduced to 37 ft 2 in to improve the roll rate, and was equipped with fittings for rockets and bombs.

On 7 November 1945 a Meteor IV was used to set a new world speed record of 606 mph (969.6 kph) over a 3 km speed course at Herne Bay, Kent. The plane was a standard Meteor IV, except that the guns and all unnecessary equipment had been removed to save weight. Additionally, the radio mast was removed, the gun ports were faired over, and a high polish finish was applied to reduce drag. The record setting flight was performed by Group Captain H.J. Wilson, while Gloster test pilot Mr. Eric Greenwood put in a slightly slower run of 603 mph (964.8 kph).

The next Meteor variant to be produced was the T.7 two-seat trainer, which was essentially a Mk.4 with the forward fuselage lengthened by 30 inches (0.76 m) to accomodate tandem cockpits under a single continous canopy. The T.7 was first flown on 19 March 1948 and was soon followed by the definitive fighter variant, the F.8, which first flew on 12 October 1948. The F.8 was also used to set new international point-to-point speed records in 1950 between London and Copenhagen. In 1951 a new closed-circuit speed record of 510.9 mph (822.2 kph) was set over a 1000 km course. Flown by RAAF pilots, the F.8 was the only British-built jet fighter to be used operationally during the Korean War. The F.8 was modified into the FR.9 fighter-reconnaissance version and into the unarmed PR.10 high-altitude recon variant.

A two-seat night-fighter variant was produced by Armstrong-Whitworth and first flew in May 1950 under the designations NF.11, NF.12, NF.13 and NF.14. A total of 547 night-fighters were produced and total Meteor production was about 3550 machines, about 1100 of which were F.8s. Production was terminated in 1954, but existing machines were subsequently modified into the TT.20 high-speed target-towing aircraft and the U.15, U.16 and U.21 radio-controlled drones. Meteors were exported in considerable numbers and saw service with the air forces of Argentine, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Israel, the Netherlands, and Syria.

Sources

Angelucci, Enzo; The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft 1914 to the Present; Crescent Books, New York; 1980.

Angelucci, Enzo and Matricardi, Paolo and Pinto, Pierluigi; Complete Book of World War II Combat Aircraft; Barnes and Nobles Books, New York; 2001.

Bowyer, Chaz; The Encyclopedia of British Military Aircraft; Crescent Books, New York; 1982.

Green, William; War Planes of the Second World War Fighters Volume Two; Macdonald & Co., (Publishers) Ltd., London; 1961.

Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon; The Complete Book of Fighters; Smithmark Publishers, Inc., New York; 1994.

Gunston, Bill; The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II; Salamander Books Ltd., London; 1988.

Sharpe, Michael and Scuts, Jerry and Marsh, Dan; Aircraft of World War II: A Visual Encyclopedia; PRC Publishing Ltd., London; 1999.

Taylor, Michael J.H.; Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation; Crescent Books, New York; 1993.

Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II; Crescent Books, New York; 1992. (originally published 1945/1946)

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Gloster Aircraft Co., Ltd.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II