Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.14 WS843

The Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.14 was the ultimate variant of the Meteor night fighter family, combining the most technically advanced avionics suite with a new clear-vision canopy.

The order for a night fighter was first placed in 1947, but it wasn't until 1951 that the first production aircraft equipped frontline squadrons. Revisions to the designs followed until the NF.14 model was introduced, resulting in an aircraft that had progressed from a cobbled-together stop-gap to a successful and liked aircraft, which, not only protected the UK and Western Germany from Soviet aggression, but was also a moderate export success serving with the Danish, Belgian, French, Israeli, Egyptian and Syrian air forces. Just 100 NF.14s were built; they first entered service in February 1954 beginning with No. 25 Squadron and were being replaced as early as 1956 by the Gloster Javelin. Overseas, they remained in service a little longer, serving with No. 60 Squadron at Tengah, Singapore until 1961. This aircraft was the penultimate Meteor to be built.