Lightning help

I would assume so from an ‘in-service’ point of view, but, whether BAC ever successfully trial fired a ‘pair’ per pylon, I don’t know.

Anyone?

Thanks Firebird.

Someone on ACIG told me that the Lightning never had any TER/MER type pylons so should we assume that only two rocket pods could be carried (one under each wing)?

You’ve been a huge help. I appreciate it.

Phantom,

It appears that NO over wing mounted weapons were ever carried in service by Lightnings, these photos are mock-ups by BAC as to what COULD have been carried had finances been granted to develop the aeroplane further. The hope was to attract further overseas orders for the aircraft, which never materialised.

So, in service, overwing pylons were for the ferry tanks only, and for the F.53’s the single underwing pylons carried either a 1000lb GP bomb or a single or possibly a pair of SNEB pods. See my previous post above.

Sorry Damien. I was just doing a usual Google search for photos to help me get my facts straight. Didn’t mean to take your photo or anything.

So, from the info above now I should amend my earlier guesses to six rocket pods (two UNDER each wing, one OVER each wing) or two bombs (one UNDER each wing).? Anyone?

Damien – that was a wild guess- from memory there were two Saudi F.53’s that carried British civil id’s from the Saudi batch. The article in FlyPast by Hugh is quite interesting .The description of the Lightnings being in good condition that returned to the U.K doesn’t tie up with other stories I have heard- certainly not from the degree of servicability!

Slight correction with the identities. I’m guessing it was 1966 SBAC show, and XR770 was used for the flying display, in RSAF markings, and the ground display ‘mock-up’, complete with DUMMY PYLONS, as in the photo was in fact BAC’s own XP693, (now on rebuild to fly in Cape Town of course).

Looking at an offical BAC photo of a ‘real’ F.53 with weapon load options, it states:-
2 x Firestreak or Red Top AAM’s, plus 2 x 30mm Aden cannon with 130 rounds each, and 2 x 1,000lb bombs on underwing pylons.
Option of 44 x 2″ spin stabilized rockets in forward fuselage weapon bay in place of AAM missle pack, and either single or double pod of Matra Type 155, with 18 x SNEB (6lb) rockets per pod mounted on underwing pylons in place of 1,000 lb GP bombs.

Over wing mounted aux. fuel tanks carried 2,160 lbs of fuel each.

I am wondering if it’s F.53 53-686 which also flew with the UK reg of G-AWON and ‘trade plates’ of G-27-56 ?

Thanks for the help guys. Sorry about the mis-ID there. I just assumed it was an Mk.53 because of all the air-to-ground weapons.

Here’s what I can gather. Perhaps you guys can help me correct my list.

The F.6 and F.53 were both fitted with a pair of 30-mm ADEN cannons with 120 rounds per gun. They had a hardpoint on either side of the fuselage to carry up to two Firestreak or later Red Top IR-guided AAM’s. In addition, there was a hardpoint on top of each wing for a fuel tank (I saw a quoted figure of each external tank holding 2,000-lbs……I think that’s about 290 gallons.). In addition the Mk.53 could carry a pair of SNEB rocket pods on those overwing hardpoints in place of the fuel tanks.

Also, the Mk.53 had a pair of underwing hardpoints for two 1,000-lb. bombs or two more SNEB rocket pods.

The funny thing is I’ve seen a maximum number of 1,000-lb. bombs as six and the max number of 68-mm SNEB rockets as 144. I’m assuming the bombs can’t be carried on the overwing hardpoints…lol. So that would mean three 1,000-lb. bombs on each underwing hardpoint or six SNEB rocket pods on each underwing hardpoint. And then of course the two rocket pods on the overwing hardpoints for a grand total of 144 rockets in eight pods.

Can anyone help me and make sense of all of this?

Looks like Red Top missiles on the port side of the aircraft, and firstreaks on the other, in the background. There’s a gun or two towards the front of the aircraft these have to be 30mm ADEN’s. The rocket pods are probably 68mm MATRA SNEB’s. I’ve never seen the =m mounted overwing like that… are they combined rocket/fuel pods?? I originally thought the trays infront of the aircraft were holding 30mm shells… but it looks more like they’re the 68mm rockets!! I reckon the bombs are 1000lb UK GP weapons, and there’s some fuel tanks around too… not sure how much they hold though!

Hmmnnn….
At work at the moment so have not got access to my reference material, but me thinks this may in fact not be a F.53, but a ‘mocked-up’ borrowed RAF machine for one of the SBAC (or Paris..?) displays (XR770 seems to ring at distant bell).
The RSAF F.53’s did have a A/G capability, I think using a modified gun sight and Mk1 Eyeball system, and they did use this configuration in action a few times, carrying a single GP bomb on a single underwing pylon, mounted towards the outside of the wing. This pylon could also be used for the SNEB pods, and of course the gun pack could be substituted for a mutiple rocket pack as well.
I don’t think the overwing aux. tank pylon with the SNEB pods shown in the photo was ever used….I think this as one of the many ‘if only’s’ of the Lightnings history.