Tell me about British aircraft /k/, specifically from the years 1950 - 1990. That's right, this is a cold war thread. It just occurred to me that I don't know about any British planes other than the Tornado and the Harrier jump jet. What did the RAF use for air superiority before the Typhoon? Did the RAF have any A-10/Su-25 equivalent for CAS? Were they capable of flying the F-4 Phantom? Was there a British Pierre Sprey arguing for lightweight single-role fighters? Was there a British LeMay arguing that all money should be spent on bombers? Did they ever have land-based ICBM's? If Britain and France went to war in 1984 who would win?
>>31650360
>If Britain and France went to war in 1984 who would win?
The USSR
>If Britain and France went to war in 1984 who would win?
France not being a NATO member at that time see Article 5.
TLDR glass car park.
>>31650360
>What did the RAF use for air superiority before the Typhoon?
The English Electric Lightning
>Did the RAF have any A-10/Su-25 equivalent for CAS?
No. Britain didn't have enough money to build such a single use aircraft.
>Were they capable of flying the F-4 Phantom?
They could and they did.
>Was there a British Pierre Sprey arguing for lightweight single-role fighters?
No, because the Lightning was essentially already Sprey's ideal aircraft
>Was there a British LeMay arguing that all money should be spent on bombers?
Arthur "Bomber" Harris is the closest equivalent, but he was not as prominent as LeMay was.
>Did they ever have land-based ICBM's?
No. They tried an failed with the Blue Streak.
>If Britain and France went to war in 1984 who would win?
No one "wins" a nuclear war.
>No one "wins" a nuclear war.
Yes we've got enough ICBMs between the two of us to make an awful mess of the place.
With Conventional France immediately has two fronts as the BFG force mobilises along with the UK ones.
Land assault between the UK and France obviously has a BFO moat to deal with which would leave France looking at a 1940 scenario but with Nukes and all NATO powers obliged to assist the UK.
That would really suck.
This is Widawake in '82
You start with two nuclear capable aircraft followed by three nuclear capable ASW assets then a sea of Victors and fuel.
Funtime was had by all.
What did the RAF use for air superiority before the Typhoon?
Tornado F-3
F4 Phantom
Lightning
Did the RAF have any A-10/Su-25 equivalent for CAS?
SEPECAT Jaguar
Did they ever have land-based ICBM's?
Yes, to cover the development period between IRBM's and ICBM's the RAF operated 60 Thor ballistic missiles in the late 50's-60's
This replaced the Gloster Meteor as a British fighter and served us until everyone got supersonic thingies. Some for a good time after.
>>31650876
>SEPECAT Jaguar
It's really more similar to the Mig-27 than either of those.
>>31650527
This whole post is wrong.
Before typhoon was Tornado F3
Harriers, Buccaneer and Jaguar were for CAS / strike
After WW2 before the defence mergers UK aerospace companies were designing single purpose aircraft, SR177, TSR2, etc.
The British government cancelled almost all these aircraft projects realising that missiles would replace most aircraft.
The Uk then invented Missile silos and the decided that they were pointless because they would just be the target of enemy ICBMS - so they cancelled their ICBM project and moved to SSBN's. The RAF did however operate the Thor IRBM.
>>31651053
We had Harrier for that kind of thing and OP has Harrier knowledge ;)
English Electric Canberra.
I'll just leave that hanging there.
Jammy Mc Jammy is probably leading something big and nasty :)
Why just the RAF, the Fleet Air Arm had some sweet stuff that no one ever talks about.
>>31651275
dH Sea Venom, Supermarine Scimitar and Skyraider AEW pictured on HMS victorious.
>>31651275
Venom, Vampire, Vixen.Phantom, Harrier :)
I really love pic.
>>31651275
>>31651311
Obligatory phantom.
RAF also operated some fearsome SAM systems.
AEW Nimrod is a Platypus
Wokkas.
BN is still doing her thing.
>>31651399
>>31651406
That helicopter has such a mad history.
>>31651416
Cold War was great for designs.Gerry Anderson had a good eye for getting that aesthetic right.
>>31651406
She'll be 38 this year.
Related videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_K2K-aO5MQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZslVItEJaxw
>>31651311
Where is the ski ramp ?
>>31651506
They're carrying F-4 Phantom IIs mate. It's a CT carrier.
>>31651506
This was before the UK retired / converted it's CATOBAR carriers.
Fastest rotary thing wether on skids or wheels.
>>31650527
Holy shit. Did you lern hostory by playing gaymes? Harris 'put the Kraut on the barbie' is even more notorious than Le May. The Brits built fucking THREE types of nuke V-bombers that did the same thing because they used to love the RAF. The Brits used Canberras for CAS against commies in Malaya. Canberras were so good that even Yanks bought it. Due to the relatively small size of the British isles, there was no point in having land based silos and so the Royal Navy eventually retook her historical place from the RAF as the defender of the UK.
>>31651506
Hadn't been invented yet.
>>31651584
>'put the Kraut on the barbie'
Is that the same as "They sowed the wind, and now, they are going to reap the whirlwind"
Harris made it so. :)
>>31651040
My granddad was actually on the design team and the development team for the Javelin, he hated the thing. By the time they got it working it was becoming obsolete. Still a cool plane though, like a giant Meteor.
>>31652329
Hey the F-16 on introduction was still not an all weather day/night fighter.
Viggen. Because all weatherness and because all of the British "assistance"
>>31651329
Without the nose wheel extended, what's the point?
>>31651524
Victorious never operated the Phantom.
BRIXMIS Chippy :)