Gloster Javelin The Gloster Javelin was an all - weather interceptor aircraft that served with Britain ' s Royal Air Force in the late 1950s and most of the 1960s . It was a T - tail ed delta - wing aircraft designed for night and all - weather operations and was the last aircraft to bear the Gloster name . It was succeeded in the interceptor role by the supersonic English Electric Lightning . Development . Origins . In the aftermath of the Second World War , Britain identified the threat posed by the jet - powered strategic bomber and atomic weaponry , and thus placed a great emphasis on developing aerial supremacy through continuing to advance its fighter technology even following the end of conflict . Gloster Aircraft , having developed and produced the only Allied jet aircraft to be operational during the war , the Gloster Meteor , sought to take advantage of its expertise , and responded to a 1947 Air Ministry requirement for a high - performance night fighter under Air Ministry specification F . 44 / 46 . F . 44 / 46 called for a two - seat night fighter that would intercept enemy aircraft at heights up to at least 40 , 000 feet , it would also have to reach a maximum speed of no less that 525 kts at this height and able to perform rapid ascents , it was expected to attain an altitude of 45 , 000 feet within ten minutes of engine ignition . Additional criteria given in the requirement included a minimum flight endurance of two hours , a take off distance of 1 , 500 yards , structural strength to support up to 4g manoeuvers at high speed , and for the aircraft to incorporate airborne interception radar , multi - channel VHF radio and various navigational aids . the aircraft would also be required to be economical to be produced at a rate of ten per month for an estimated total of 150 aircraft . Gloster would produce several design proposals in hope of satisfying the requirement ; one proposal drawn up in 1946 , P . 228 , bore a striking similarity to the earlier Meteor , while 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 . 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 then - new swept and delta wings , as well as solidifying around the new Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet engine . Prototypes . On 13 April 1949 , the Ministry of Supply issued instructions to two aircraft manufacturers , Gloster and de Havilland , to each construct four flight - worthy prototypes of their competing designs to meet the requirement , as well as one airframe for structural testing each . These prototype aircraft were the " Gloster GA . 5 " and the de Havilland DH . 110 , the latter of which held the advantage of also being under consideration for the Royal Navy . Development was considerably delayed through political cost - cutting measures , the number of prototypes being trimmed down to an unworkable level of two each before the decision was entirely reversed ; this led to the unusual situation where the first production Javelin was actually completed prior to the prototype order being fulfilled . The first prototype was structurally completed in 1951 ; one unusual feature of the prototypes was the non - transparent canopies over the two - man cockpits , it had been believed that visibility was unnecessary and a hindrance to the observer ' s role , the only external view available was via small ' porthole s ' . Following a month of ground testing , on 26 November 1951 , the first prototype conducted its first flight at Moreton Valence airfield . Bill Waterton , Gloster ' s Chief Test Pilot , would later describe the Javelin as being " as easy to fly as an Anson " . Disaster had nearly struck during one test flight when the elevator surfaces had detached during mid - flight ; despite the lack of control surfaces , Bill Waterton was able to land the aircraft . He would be awarded the George Medal for his actions to retrieve flight data from the burning aircraft . The second prototype ( WD808 ) received a modified wing in 1953 . After initial testing by Waterton , it was passed to another Gloster test pilot Peter Lawrence for his opinion . On 11 June 1953 , the aircraft crashed . Lawrence had ejected , but too late ( at about ) , and was killed . The Javelin had experienced a " deep stall " , the wing acting like an airbrake had killed forward motion and at the same time stopped airflow over the elevators , leaving them useless . Without elevator control , Lawrence would not have been able to regain control and the aircraft dropped from the sky . A stall warning device was consequently specifically developed and implemented for the Javelin . The third prototype ( " WT827 " ) , and the first to be fitted with operational equipment , including radar , first flew on 7 March 1953 . The fourth " WT827 " was passed to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment ( A & AEE ) for trials and the fifth prototype , " WT836 " , made its first flight in July 1954 . On 4 July 1954 , a prototype Javelin accidentally achieved supersonic speed during a test flight , the pilot having been distracted by an oxygen supply failure . Production and further development . The official production order for the Javelin was issued in mid - 1953 ; as the Gloster Meteor was still being actively produced by Gloster , considerable elements of the Javelin were subcontracted out to other aviation companies owned by the Hawker Siddeley Group , such as Armstrong Whitworth . While some delays were incurred , the Javelin ' s status as a " super priority " for production helped to minimise the time involved in producing each aircraft . On 22 July 1954 , XA544 , the first production aircraft , took flight at Hucclecote . Production would be assisted by a large order placed by the United States Air Force , purchasing a number of aircraft for the RAF as part of the Mutual Defense Aid Program at a price of £36 . 8 million . On 21 October 1954 , a pilot attached to Gloster from RAE Farnborough was killed while flying Javelin " XA546 " after having entered what appeared to be an intentional spin . On 8 December 1955 , a service test pilot S / L Dick was testing " XA561 " for the A & AEE when the aircraft entered a flat spin during maneuvers , which the anti - spin parachute could not stop , and he ejected . Following this , a stall - warning device was developed for the Javelin . By the end of 1956 , the Javelin was up to a FAW 7 variant , which was the first to actually meet the specifications of the original Air Ministry requirement , and which was to become the definitive version of the aircraft ( most of which were later altered to the FAW 9 standard ) . Indeed , the Javelin was evolving so quickly that deliveries of the FAW 8 began before FAW 7 production had ended . As a result , the final 80 FAW 7 aircraft went straight from the factory into storage , eventually flying after being re - manufactured as FAW 9s . A total of 427 Javelins were produced in all variants , plus seven prototypes . While there had been considerable interest from several NATO air forces , there would ultimately be no export orders for the Javelin . Design . The Javelin was the RAF ' s first purpose - built interceptor aircraft , major aerodynamic features of the type include its adoption of the then - new delta wing and a large tailplane . Both the aircraft ' s fuel and armaments were housed in the delta wing while the engines and crew were contained within the fuselage , The delta wing and tailplane combination had been deemed necessary by Gloster for effective maneuverability at high speed and for the aircraft to maintain controllability at low landing speeds . In one instance during testing , when both elevators had been torn off by elevator flutter , the Javelin remained controllable in part due to the aerodynamic qualities of the large tailplane used . Changes from the prototypes included alterations to the rear fuselage and lengthened engine jet exhausts to eliminate buffeting of the rudder by the jet efflux , and increased sweepback of the wing ' s leading edge to improve high speed handling . The Javelin was reportedly an easy aircraft to fly , it could fly without apparent hindrance in the event of a single engine failure . The flight controls were fully power assisted , production aircraft adopted a hydraulic ' feel ' system for the pilot . The Javelin featured an infinitely - variable airbrake ; the airbrake proved to be extremely responsive and effective , allowing pilots to conduct rapid descents and heavy braking manoeuvres , enabling equally - rapid landings to be performed . The turnaround time between sorties was significantly shorter than with the preceding Gloster Meteor due to improved ground accessibility and engine ignition sequence . Also unlike the Meteor , the Javelin was fitted with ejector seats at the introduction to service of the type . In spite of the aircraft ' s unorthodox aerodynamic features , the Javelin had a fairly conventional structure and materials used ; being mainly composed of an aluminium alloy with limited use of steel edging . The fuselage was composed of four sections , the nose ( containing the radar radome ) , the front fuselage , centre fuselage , and rear fuselage ; the nose and rear fuselage were removable for servicing and easy replacement . The engines were located either side of the centre fuselage section , the internal space in the centre containing the service bay that housed much of the aircraft ' s electrical , hydraulic , and avionics subsystems . The engine air intakes were placed on the forward fuselage , running directly from beneath the cockpit rearwards into the delta wing . Electricity was provided by a pair of 6000 watt , 24 volt generators driven by the auxiliary gearbox ; inverters provided AC power for equipment such as some flight instruments and the radar . Operational history . The Javelin entered service with the RAF in 1956 with 46 Squadron based at RAF Odiham , England . The Javelins were immediately put to use in an intensive flying programme in order to build rapid familiarity with the type . The introduction of the Javelin was eased by the establishment of a partial Operational Conversion Unit , a specialised team to assist the members of other squadrons in successfully converting to the type . During RAF trials , the type proved readily capable of intercepting jet bombers such as the English Electric Canberra and modern jet fighters over a hundred miles out to sea . A second squadron , 141 , would be equipped with the Javelin in 1957 , replacing the squadron ' s de Havilland Venom aircraft . The introduction of the Javelin allowed the RAF to expand its night fighter activity considerably , taking over night stand - by duty from American forces . By the end of July 1959 , all remaining Meteor squadrons had been converted , many having been assigned to operate various models of the Javelin , including the newest FAW . 7 variant . The closest that the RAF ' s Javelins came to combat was during the Malaysian Confrontation with Indonesia from September 1963 until August 1966 . Javelins of 60 Squadron , later joined by 64 Squadron operated out of RAF Tengah , Singapore flying combat patrols over the jungles of Malaysia . In 1964 , an Indonesian Air Force Lockheed C - 130 Hercules crashed while trying to evade interception by a Javelin FAW . 9 of 60 Squadron . During June 1967 , following the disbandment of 64 Squadron , 60 Squadron were deployed to RAF Kai Tak , Hong Kong because of unrest in the colony during China ' s Cultural Revolution . Javelins were also deployed to Zambia during the early stages of Rhodesia ' s Unilateral Declaration of Independence , to protect Zambia from any action by the Rhodesian Air Force . The last of the type was withdrawn from service in 1968 with the disbandment of 60 Squadron at RAF Tengah at the end of April 1968 . One aircraft remained flying with the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down until 24 January 1975 . Variants . A total of 435 airframes were built by Gloster and Armstrong - Whitworth ; both companies at that time were part of the Hawker Siddeley group . Several were converted to different marks ( sometimes repeatedly ) . Several variants were proposed and investigated but not produced , including reconnaissance versions , a fighter bomber version with underwing panniers for bombs , and a supersonic variant with area - ruled fuselage , thinner wings , and a new tail . The " thin wing Javelin " would have been capable of about Mach 1 . 6 and with a higher ceiling than contemporary US designs . Initial work started with fitting a thinner section wing to a Javelin fuselage but as the project developed the changes became so great that it would effectively have been a different aircraft albeit having an outward resemblance to the Javelin . The final incarnation of the thin wing Javelin just before cancellation was a large aircraft carrying two Red Dean all aspect missiles as a possible contender for Operational Requirement F . 155 .