Airfix A55305 1/72 English Electric Lightning F2A Starter Set

The English Electric Lightning was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter and was the first aircraft in the world capable of cruising at Mach+ speeds. It could also carry the awesome Firestreak missile.

Includes

• Paints
• Glues
• Brushes
• Decals

English Electric Lightning is a British twin-engine supersonic fighter plane. The flight of the F.1 version took place in 1960, and the F.2 four years later. Lightning is characterized by an unusual arrangement of engines - vertically one above the other. The very unusual wing contour and the lack of wing flaps are also unique. It was powered by two 7,260 daN Rolls-Royce Avon 302 engines with afterburning. The prototype of the serial Lightning was the machine marked as P.1B. From 1960, i.e. shortly after the final version was flown, the machine began to be delivered to RAF squadrons. In total, 338 machines of this type were created in six different versions (interceptor-F.1 and F.1A, fighter-bomber-F.53 and training-combat-T.4, T.5, T.55). The plane did not manage to interest any of the European recipients, but it was exported to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The RAF Lightning units were released in the 1980s. These planes were equipped with the Ferranti AI Mk 23 Aispass radar, and the main armament was Firestreak or Red Top air-to-air missiles with the IR system and two 30mm cannons.