The Gloster Javelin is a twin-engined all-weather interceptor aircraft that served with Britain's Royal Air Force from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s. It was a T-tailed delta-wing aircraft designed for night and all-weather operations and was the last aircraft design to bear the Gloster name. Introduced in 1956 after a lengthy development period, the aircraft received several upgrades during production to its engines, radar, and weapons, including support for the De Havilland Firestreak air-to-air missile.
The Javelin was succeeded in the interceptor role by the English Electric Lightning, a supersonic aircraft capable of flying at more than double the Javelin's top speed, which was introduced into the RAF only a few years later. The Javelin served for much of its life alongside the Lightning; the last Javelins were withdrawn from operational service in 1968 following the introduction of successively more capable versions of the Lightning.
Gloster Aircraft developed and produced the only British jet aircraft operational during the war, the Gloster Meteor. Through the post-war period, they made a series of updated versions of the Meteor, including some with delta wing layouts for all or the outer portion of the wings. These were further developed by moving the engines to the fuselage and using a complete delta wing layout, leading to a second series of designs that continued in parallel.
P.228, drawn up in 1946, was essentially a two-seat Meteor with slightly swept wings. A similar design was also offered to the Royal Navy as the P.231. The later-issued P.234 and P.238 of early 1947 had adopted many of the features that would be distinctive of the Javelin, including the large delta wing and tailplane, and were based on the Rolls-Royce AJ65 engine (better known as Avon). The two differed primarily in role; P.234 was a single-seat day fighter with a V-tail, while P.238 was a two-seat night fighter with a mid-mounted delta tailplane.
Development of both concepts continued. P.240 of April 1947 was Meteor-like in form but moved the engines from the wings to the fuselage and added a slight sweep to the wing's leading edge, producing a somewhat delta wing shape. P.240 also replaced the Rolls-Royce Derwent engines with the Metrovick F.9, which would later move companies and become the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. The all-delta layout of P.238 was also updated as P.241, which used an all-delta horizontal stabilizer in a T-tail arrangement. P.241 bears a strong resemblance to the final Javelin design.
The Air Ministry released more detailed specifications on 17 Jun 1949, as F.4/48. Gloster responded with two further updated designs, P.300, a quick update to the Meteor with two seats and newer Derwent engines, and the P.316/P.317, another update to the delta layout mounting the Sapphire engines. The P.316 and 317 differed primarily in role; 316 was a single-seat design lacking radar and mounting up to four 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bombs in containers under the fuselage, while 317 was a two-seat design with radar and some form of heavy armament to be determined.
The RAF requirements were subject to some changes, mainly in regards to radar equipment and armaments; Gloster also initiated some changes as further research was conducted into the aerodynamic properties of the new swept and delta wings, as well as use of the new Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet engine.
Gloster Javelin General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 56 ft 9 in (17.30 m)
Wingspan: 52 ft (16 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Wing area: 927 sq ft (86.1 m2)
Airfoil: root: RAE 101 (10%); tip: RAE 101 (8.9%)[59]
Empty weight: 24,000 lb (10,886 kg)
Gross weight: 31,580 lb (14,324 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 43,165 lb (19,579 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 7R afterburning turbojet engines, 11,000 lbf (49 kN) thrust each dry, 12,300 lbf (55 kN) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 710 mph (1,140 km/h, 620 kn) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Maximum speed: Mach 0.93
Range: 954 mi (1,535 km, 829 nmi)
Service ceiling: 52,800 ft (16,100 m)
Rate of climb: 5,400 ft/min (27 m/s)
Wing loading: 34 lb/sq ft (170 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.79
Armament
Guns: 4 × 30 mm ADEN cannon
Missiles: Up to four de Havilland Firestreak air-to-air missiles
Avionics
Westinghouse AN/APQ-43 radar
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