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English Electric P1A

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1954-1982, In Storage, 1987/0014/A

The first flight of P1 WG760 was on 4 August 1954, just 10 years after the RAF’s first jet aircraft, the Meteor, entered squadron service. It was experimental and was the basis for the RAF’s front line fighter, the English Electric Lightning.

English Electric P1A on display at Cosford, RAF Museum/Iain Duncan

English Electric Lightning P1B/F.1

Aircraft & Exhibits, APR 1959-OCT 1983, Cosford, Hangar Four, 84/A/1167

The Lightning was the Royal Air Force’s first truly supersonic aircraft, serving as an air defence interceptor from 1960 until 1988. Its formidable top speed came at the cost of a very short range.

Silver-coloured aircraft with highly swept wings and large RAF roundels, carrying to white missiles, © RAF Museum/Iain Duncan / (c) RAF Museum/ Iain Duncan

Sepecat Jaguar ACT Demonstrator

Aircraft & Exhibits, JUN 1975-JUN 1996, Cosford, Hangar Two, 1996/0168/A

The Active Control Technology (ACT) Jaguar was an analogue airframe modified to be less stable and fitted with fly-by-wire computer technology for trials work. Lessons learned from these trials was used in later aircraft like the EAP and Eurofighter Typhoon. No modern fighter jet today could fly without the use of computers.

SEPECAT Jaguar ACT Demonstrator on display at Cosford, © RAF Museum/Iain Duncan