I know that the Brits still get their knickers in a twist over the cancellation of the TSR-2 project, but I never realised that it was because of the French President, well according to this article… from The Press (Christchurch, NZ) 9th of January 1965…
De Gaulle Wins; R.A.F. To Have U.S. Aircraft
(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, January 8.
The British Government intends to forsake the low-level TSR2 supersonic bomber in favour of the Concord passenger airliner, says the “Daily Express.” The Government has been reviewing both projects in the face of Britain’s present economic problems.
The new plan is to concentrate effort for the next four years in building two prototypes—one in each country—instead of the “full speed ahead” programme originally scheduled, the newspaper says. The reprieve of the Concord is a big success for President de Gaulle and the French aircraft industry.
Two factors influenced the Cabinet’s decision:— President de Gaulle was prepared to go to the International Court at The Hague and say that the original “contract” on the Concord had been broken, and that there should be a monetary penalty. This could have amounted to £200 million.
The Americans are lagging so far behind in their own supersonic airliner project that the Concord could break even, and might make a lot of money. The TSR2 programme was expected to cost more than £700 million, although research and development costing £200 million had already been carried out Britain will almost certainly order the American TFX (F111) instead of the TSR2, the “Daily Telegraph” says.
Australia last year ordered 24 F111 folding-wing planes in preference to TSR2 low-level bombers. After development each TSR2 would cost £2,300,000. Britain could buy the F111 for £1,750,000.
At Fort Worth, Texas, the F111 performed for the first time on Wednesday the aeronautical trick that makes it potentially the most versatile plane ever built: it folded back its wing in flight. For take-off, the wings were outstretched. The leading edges had a backward angle only 16 degrees from a line perpendicular to the fuselage.
This provided high lift, enabling the plane to get in the air after a run of less than 3000 feet At 10,000 feet altitude, the pilot Mr R. L. Johnson, using a push-pull device, swept back the wings in stages to the maximum position—72 degrees back from straight out Backward sweep win make possible top speeds of about 1665 miles an hour (about three times the speed of sound) at high altitude, and more than 700 miles an hour at the treetops.
Officials of General Dynamics, the builders, termed the flight a success.
The F111’s 24-minute maiden test flight on December 21 was cut short when its wing flaps would not retreat.
The irony of the situation is that the moving-wing idea came from the fertile brain of Dr. Barnes Wallis, the Briton who conceived the Dambusters’ bomb. The idea found no support in his homeland, but was received enthusiastically in the United States. The fighter was the object of a Senate inquiry last year. The investigation centred on contentions by some Congressmen that the Boeing Airplane Company could have built the plane at a lower cost and with a superior design than General Dynamics.
By: J Boyle - 12th May 2024 at 05:38
One has to feel a bit sorry for the decision makers and aircraft companies in that period.
Technology was moving rapidly, and the Cold War was demanding new weapons systems quickly, cheaply and with amazing skills to predict the future.
Many of the aircraft cancelled then were very good, but doomed as much by changing requirements as costs or even politics.
The UK famously lost the TSR-2. But one has to ask the question of whether it was adaptable enough to have had a long service career. It would never be another Canberra.
The US lost the B-70, simply, with SAMS, the days of high altitude bombers were over. And again, it would not have been as adaptable as the B-52 has proven to be. Other advanced types, the B-58 and Navy Vigilante, had short production runs and careers.
Canada lost the CF-105. A few months back, FlyPast published a Peter from a Canadian who repeated the old conspiracy theory that it was scuttled by the US who was afraid of competition. Anyone with an once of sense knows that by the late ’50s, most people thought (per the Sandy’s report), missiles were the next big thing. More to the point, by that time the USAF was cutting back its interceptor programs. Example: the F-106, the “Ultimate Interceptor” being developed throughout the ’50s was bought in very small numbers, much less than the “interim” F-102.
In short, by the time the CF-105 was cancelled, the USAF was turing away from single mission fighter types, so the American contractors had nothing to fear from a competitor in a dead market.
Think about it, aside from the MiG-25, I can’t think of a dedicated interceptor built after the Arrow cancellation.
Also, American companies were set to make money on the Arrow. Hughes was doing the avionics, an expensive part of the aircraft. Also, note the Americans supported CF-105 development by giving Canada a B-47 as an engine test bed. Hardly the sign of a worried competitor.
The B-47 was so altered for testing that when it was returned, it was immediately retired and scrapped. Pretty generous, and again not something a country would do if it were afraid of the end product.
So, instead of fostering conspiracy theories, Arrow fans should admit that it was scrapped for the stated reasons, it was a technologically advanced, very expensive airplane for a small (population, not size) country.
Instead, the Canadians got free F-101s, which were replaced after a decade by free upgraded VooDoos. The Americans didn’t make any money on the deal.
So, in aircraft, you can have a great product but offered at the wrong time.
Witness the Concorde, it would have dine better but it came out around the time of the Arab oil embargo and “fuel crisis”.
Also emerging at the same time was the environmental ” green” lobby which killed.public funding for the U.S. SST, and protested against sonic booms over the American mainland, killing U.S. sales for the Concorde.
By: dhfan - 9th May 2024 at 13:56
I’m not sure about that. It had already been realised that Duncan Sandys was talking through his… hat, otherwise TSR2 would never have been authorised.
According to Sandys plans, the Lightning was supposed to have been the RAF’s last manned fighter or bomber aircraft and even that was only because the prototypes had already flown.
By: NewQldSpitty - 9th May 2024 at 10:22
The Uk Governments push towards Missiles was a greater cut for the TSR2 than anything what the other countries were doing.
By: avion ancien - 9th May 2024 at 10:20
So Britain was hoist by its own petard!
By: dhfan - 9th May 2024 at 09:39
Nice theory but the Concorde agreement was so watertight that neither country could get out of it.
I think I read that that was initially because we didn’t trust the French to not pull out halfway through but then when we wanted to stop it ourselves we couldn’t.
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May 9, 2024 at 2:14 am