I second that. Even today if you go by looks alone, like the Saab Draken, EE Lightning, the Hunter still looks the part. Might be a little old lady, but she still looks like she can fire a double barrel shot gun from the hip.

I always thought the Saab Viggen was quite nice too.

If you had an airforce today with a couple of squadrons of active Hunters, you would still think your AF was the dogs Balls. It never goes out of fashion, they looked great being used in Canada recently as target fac aircraft.

Viggen is a fantastic aircraft, if onlt the RAF had purchased instead of F3… sigh…

The F-35 isn´t quite F-22 standard either since it can´t supercruise. I read somewhere that Lockheed Martin defined supercruise as necessary for a 5th generation fighter. Does that make the F-35 a 4,5 gen or let´s say a 4,9 gen fighter? :confused:

For the amount of weaponry the F35B carries more like a 1 Gen fighter…. :p

I thought the Hunter was a done deal here?

Asthetically its perfect, even with wings full of stores; clean it looks like its leaping out of a copy of a 50s Scifi comic. And that sweet Avon song as it flies by…. just knicker wetting gorgeous.

Technically Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen belong in a 4.5 Gen category, better than 4 Gen, not quite 5 Gen F22 standard. Its just nit picking.

Post war, single aircraft, greatest leap/advance… has to be the Canberra.

Lincolns and washingtons to the Canberra is a sea change in capability. Four engines multi-crew prop bombers to a two seat jet. There are not many types with an operational record like the Canberra either.

When we talk about other types its all evolution not dramatic step… spit-meteor-sabre-hunter-Javalin-Lightning. The Lightning is perhaps the most dramatic step in that list, but its not the first jet or all weather or missile armed in that line up. While I am very tempted by the Herc, it is still not revolutionary compared to previous transports, the elements are all there in previous types.

The Helicopters would be in for a shout, certainly the Wessex is the first really useful utility/SAR bird and Sea King is a quantum leap over that, but again its slow evolution and the impact of helicopters is slowly felt over several decades. Chinook would probably be the winner in a helicopter only list.

With Canberra the effect is dramatic and sudden. The RAF played a tiny role in Korea because it was universally obsolete, Canberra put the RAF at the top table again.

Tandem seat Typhoon.
A-6
Harrier GR.3

Tandem Typhoon agreed, should have called it the “Camel II”

A6, I actually like, beautiful wing.

Harrier GR3? Come on you can see that Sidney Camm Hunter lineage running right through it, looks so much better than the AV8B/GR5-9

Which leads me to my nomination- Harrier T10. The Hunchback of Wittering. Especially when it was painted green. just didn’t look right at all, like one of those c**p toy planes you buy in a pound shop, “yeah it sort of looks like a harrier I suppose…..”

Two thoughts occur

1)….would F111K still be in service? The RAAF has managed to keep a smaller fleet operational until now.

2)…..would F111K (Merlin??) Have been of any use in Operation Black Buck?

The invicibles had a multitude of stated missions in the 80s. Convoy protection was first and it was hoped this would take place in a period of tension before full scale war broke out. After that (it was never a WW2 continous convoy plan) ASW patrols in GIUK gap, North sea oild fields and incase they weren’t overstretched enough one was supposed to come over all commando and support the RM on the Northern Flank!

The hunter killer groups of the RN were made up of an RFA carrying 4-5 Sks or wessex supported by 4-5 FF with a T42 for air cover. The plan for the 1990s was for hunt groups of Fort Victoria Class AOR (originally 6 planned) supported by a basic frigate (eventually became T23) that had VL seawolf and Towed array.

As far as Air Defence from the UK goes initailly 43 sqn at leuchars was maritime declared with Phantoms and by the end of the decade it was 11sqn at leeming, which is why 11sqn had no HAS at Leeming and operated from the flight line, in event of crisis they were off to Benbecula to help cover the gap.