Gloster’s groundbreaking Javelin – the RAF’s first all-weather fighter – is explored by Andrew Thomas
When the Gloster Aircraft Company came to name its latest and, as it transpired, last of a long line of fighters for the RAF, it was christened Javelin. However, its design was anything but how the Oxford English Dictionary defines a light throwing spear.
Very big and with triangular-shaped wings, the machine originated in a design blueprint by Gloster for Air Ministry specification F.4/48, which demanded a two-seat night-fighter. This had evolved from operational requirements OR.227 and OR.228 issued by the Air Staff in late 1947. The resulting Gloster proposal emerged as a large delta-winged design with a similar shaped tailplane atop a massive fin. With a loaded weight of 25,500lb (11,600kg) the twin-seat aircraft was to be powered by two engines with provision for a nose-mounted air intercept (AI) radar scanner of up to 42in (106cm) width, and wing-mounted cannon armament. Much of the data on delta wing design was based on the wartime research of Dr Alexander Lippisch in Germany, and further developed by aerodynamicists at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Farnborough, Hampshire.
In March 1948, the Air Ministry approved the project and four months later, Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engines were chosen for what had by then been given the Gloster designation GA.5. In April 1949, the firm received an order for four initial GA.5 airframes, but later that year two were cancelled as a cost-saving measure. However, when the folly of this was realised, a total of five fighter and one trainer prototypes were ordered, albeit too late for some of the important early testing. The prototype was required to have a speed of not less than 525kts, a maximum diving speed of Mach 0.95, an endurance of more than two hours and fuel for 15 minutes’ combat at 40,000ft. There was also a key requirement for fast engine starting to enable a rapid scramble.
Testing times
Despite its unconventional appearance for the period, the new Gloster aircraft was of conventional, largely alloy, construction with a glazed canopy for the pilot – but a metal cover for the rear cockpit. However, by the fifth prototype both cockpits were fully glazed. Constructed at Gloster’s experimental department, the first prototype (WD804) was towed to Moreton Valence, Gloucestershire, for final assembly, which included fitting a metal nose faring in place of the radome. After ground testing and taxiing trials, on November 26, 1951 Sqn Ldr Bill Waterton undertook the GA.5’s 34-minute maiden flight, which revealed several flaws, not least severe rudder buffeting. This and other ‘snags’ identified on subsequent flights were gradually rectified. On June 29, 1952 Waterton was in WD804 on its 99th fight when, during a high-speed dive test, he encountered a violent tail flutter that resulted in both elevators being torn away. With the aircraft barely flyable, Waterton gained some control in pitch by using the variable incidence tailplane and then conducting a series of low-speed handling tests prior to making an approach to the long runway at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. There the resulting heavy landing caused the undercarriage to collapse and a fire to brake out. Having extricated himself, Waterton then re-entered the cockpit to retrieve the vital test recordings. The subsequent citation for his award of the George Medal stated that his actions: “… were exemplary and beyond the call of duty and his courage was outstanding.”
Strategic priority
Despite the loss, just over a week later the increasing Soviet threat as part of the Cold War resulted in the Ministry of Supply designating the GA.5 as a ‘super-priority’ programme, and it was ordered into production. Fortunately, the second prototype of what was then named the Javelin was complete and Bill Waterton became airborne in WD808 for the first time on August 22. Two weeks later, Waterton gave the Javelin its public debut at the Society of British Aircraft Constructors show at Farnborough, with an impressive display despite limitations imposed pending the full investigation of the crash. Development flying continued, conducted by, among others, test pilot Jan Zurakowski and the RAF project liaison officer, Sqn Ldr Peter Scott. By then the additional prototypes were under construction with Waterton flying WT827, the first fitted with armament and AI radar on March 7, 1953. A plethora of radar system, heating and weapons trials followed to bring the Javelin to an operational production standard. The test programme also highlighted a need for modification of the outer wing shape to improve its high altitude performance, with WD808 being the first to demonstrate the change. Sadly, it was lost in an accident soon afterwards, killing test pilot Peter Lawrence. In early 1954, Richard ‘Dicky’ Martin had become chief test pilot and he made the first flight of the final prototype (WT836) on July 20 that year. It was the first to have the production standard canopy and was used for hood jettison trials and other assessment work.
By the time the last prototype flew, the first production Javelin FAW.1s were already being built and Martin flew the first of these on July 22, 1954. Fitted with Sapphire Sa.6 turbojets producing 8,000lb (35.8kN) thrust, 40 were built and 29 entered RAF service; the remainder were used by Gloster and various Air Ministry establishments for trials. These included spinning, testing various radar installations, engine reheat and underwing missile carriage, while XA552 joined de Havilland where it became the test bed for the Gyron Junior engine. Trials continued through 1955 when the US and several NATO countries evaluated the Javelin, though no export orders emerged. Operational evaluation was conducted by RAF crews from the Central Fighter Establishment (CFE) at Coltishall, Norfolk, and in September two Javelin FAW.1s – XA554 and XA559 – participated in the annual air defence exercise named Beware. Three crews participated, headed by successful wartime night-fighter pilot Wg Cdr Edward Crew, and his navigator Sqn Ldr J Walton, and included Gloster’s Dicky Martin. The Air Ministry was delighted with the Javelin’s results, which included intercepting high-flying English Electric Canberras 100 miles (160km) out over the North Sea, as well as USAF F-100 Super Sabres. Shortly afterwards, the big delta received its release to service and airframes were issued to 23 Maintenance Unit at Aldergrove, Northern Ireland, where the AI.17 radar was fitted.
Finally, on February 29, 1956 the Javelin entered operational service with the delivery of XA570 to 46 Squadron at Odiham, Hampshire, to start replacing its Meteor NF.14s. Some personnel had already undergone conversion training by Gloster and at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down. So, 46 Squadron was the first in the world to be equipped with a delta-winged aircraft. Also, by carrying devices such as an Instrument Landing System to enable poor weather approaches, it became the RAF’s first true all-weather fighter. As more aircraft were delivered, further crews converted, though tragically, the CO Wg Cdr Frank Birchfield and his navigator, Fg Off Brian Chambers, were killed on June 12 when XA570 crashed on approach to the airfield. Wg Cdr Harry White, a night-fighter ace with 12 victories, took over and under him the squadron completed an intensive period of 1,000 hours’ flying, exploring the full range of operational interception procedures. The target was achieved with two Javelins taking off every 30 minutes between 0830hrs and 0230hrs daily. Sorties were often controlled by the GCI radar site at Sopley, Hampshire, callsign ‘Starlight’, which was also the School of Fighter Control. Besides validating operating procedures, the squadron also hosted a regular stream of visitors to view the RAF’s latest fighter.
Gloster, meanwhile, had continued incremental improvements to the Javelin and, to guard against radar supply difficulties, in parallel had produced the FAW.2 that first flew on October 30, 1955.
It was equipped with the US-designed APQ-43 radar (known as AI.22 by the RAF) fitted in a redesigned, shortened and hinged nose, but was otherwise similar to the FAW.1. This was replicated in later marks with the FAW.5 and FAW.6 being ‘paired’; 30 were built, with the first delivery to 46 Squadron being in July 1957.
Expanding force
In September 1954, test pilot Peter Varley had flown the Javelin FAW.4 that featured several airframe improvements, including an ‘all-flying’ tailplane, and introduced an audible stall warning; 50 were built by Gloster and Armstrong Whitworth. The FAW.4 began replacing the de Havilland Venom NF.3s of 141 Squadron, temporarily based at Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, in January 1957. With 141’s flight commanders selected from 46, they supervised crews in conversion, which was achieved with little difficulty. As production increased, so did the delivery of Javelins, giving Fighter Command a significant boost in its air defence capability. To assist the process, the Javelin Mobile Conversion Unit (JMCU), comprising a small team of experienced Javelin pilots and navigators using an AI-equipped Vickers Valetta, visited each squadron as they began training.
Three-view colours
Next to convert was 23 Squadron which, alongside 141, was temporarily based at Horsham St Faith and which began converting from Venoms in March with its first FAW.4, XA732, arriving on April 5. Once these squadrons were operational, they assumed the Operation Fabulous immediate readiness task (now known as quick reaction alert, or simply QRA), fielding a pair of aircraft with crew strapped in ready for scramble.
One area of concern voiced about the Javelin was its relative lack of range and, to partially rectify this deficiency, a pair of long ventral fuel tanks were almost permanently fitted from the FAW.2 onwards. Gloster developed the Javelin FAW.5 to mitigate the problem, this subtype having additional fuel tanks built into each wing, increasing capacity by 250 gal (1,130 lit) and the first of 64 was flown by Dicky Martin on July 26, 1956. Again, production was by both Gloster and Armstrong Whitworth. Deliveries began to 151 Squadron at Leuchars, Fife, during early May 1957 and the unit was fully equipped by the next month.
Further south at Stradishall, Suffolk, 89 Squadron under Wg Cdr David Simmonds received its first Javelins in September, replacing Venoms. It was issued with a mix of both the FAW.2 and later FAW.6, the latter being an AI.22-equipped version of the FAW.5. Thereafter it became common for units to simultaneously operate different marks, though using aircraft with significantly different endurance was less than ideal; 31 Javelin FAW.6s were built. The initial surge of Fighter Command squadrons was completed when, in mid-November, 29 Squadron began making the leap to the Javelin FAW.6 from the Meteor NF.11. As this was fitted with the older AI.10, the use of an AI.22-equipped Valetta with the JMCU greatly aided the navigators. To formalise crew training during June, 228 Operational
Conversion Unit (OCU) formed at Leeming, North Yorkshire, with the Javelin FAW.5 and, later, the dual-control T.3. Based on the FAW.6, the trainer had the radar equipment removed, a 44in (112cm) ‘plug’ added to the fuselage and a larger canopy to allow the instructor forward vision. The first of the 23 built flew in January 1958 and mainly served with 228 OCU, though each squadron also had one. The first crews completed the OCU course in October 1957 and thereafter all Javelin aircrew were trained at Leeming.
The start of 87 Squadron's re-equipment at Brüggen heralded the Javelin’s introduction to the RAF in West Germany. Commanded by Wg Cdr L W G ‘Bill’ Gill, another experienced wartime night-fighter exponent, it duly received Javelin FAW.1s, as he recalled: “We were given ex-Fighter Command aircraft that had been quite well used, but were able to convert quite readily, assisted by Sqn Ldr Street and a small group of aircrew experienced on the Javelin. We also had demonstrations on the new ejection seat and [were] given experience in an altitude chamber.
“The first crews completed the OCU course in October 1957 and thereafter all aircrew were trained at Leeming ”
“We had six aircraft by the end of October, but no sooner had the squadron become operational than I was promoted and sent to Leeming as the station commander, so retaining my association with the Javelin. For its time it was very good and in Germany we particularly appreciated its rapid start capability – the East German border being only about ten minutes’ flying away.” The Javelin was always intended to carry guided weapons and the FAW.7 was developed to bear the Firestreak missile, though it also retained the cannon. The missiles were carried on underwing pylons, which could also carry long-range fuel tanks. To counter the increased weight, it was fitted with Sapphire Sa.7 engines of 11,000lb (48.9kN) and an extensively modified flying control system; the so-called second-generation Javelin first flew in November 1956.
Strength in numbers
The FAW.7 was also the most numerous variant, with 142 being constructed. As previously, an AI.22-equipped version was developed in parallel and designated FAW.8; this was also fitted with a limited engine reheat system to improve performance at high altitude – 47 were built.
First to receive the second-generation aircraft was 33 Squadron, which moved to Middleton St George, County Durham, in September 1958, part way through its re-equipment. Next was 64 Squadron at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, when FAW.7s began arriving in August the same year. Carrying the RAF’s first air-to-air missiles, both squadrons validated procedures developed by the CFE, and the intercept profiles required to bring the aircraft into a launch position around two miles (3.2km) astern of the target… no easy task if it was evading. Fighter Command’s Javelin force was completed with 25 Squadron at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, and it started receiving the FAW.7 from late November, and finally, 72 Squadron – based at Leconfield in the East Riding of Yorkshire – replaced its Meteors from the spring of 1959 with the older Javelin FAW.4.
Further squadrons in Germany also began re-equipping, the next being Geilenkirchen-based 96 Squadron, when its first two FAW.4s, XA750/A and XA762/B arrived on September 15, 1958. One flight remained operational on Meteors while the other converted. However, 96 was to be the shortest-lived Javelin user as in late January 1959, in keeping with the Air Ministry policy of retaining older units in existence, it was re-numbered as 3 Squadron. In Fighter Command this policy meant 141 Squadron became 41, and 89 turned into 85. RAF Germany’s Javelin Force was completed with the re-equipment by early 1960 of 11 Squadron at Geilenkirchen, and Laarbruch-based 5 Squadron.
The Javelin had reached its zenith in the RAF with 14 squadrons plus the OCU flying them, but defence cuts and the introduction of the supersonic English Electric Lightning soon chipped away at this peak.
To replicate the improved high-altitude performance of the reheated FAW.8, it was decided to modify large numbers of FAW.7s to a similar standard. And so was born the ultimate Javelin, the FAW.9, which first flew in January 1960. In addition, as available staging posts worldwide were reducing, the FAW.9 underwent air-to-air refuelling trials and eventually several were fitted with a long, lance-like probe and re-designated FAW.9R. The rundown of the number of Fighter Command Javelin squadrons was swift, though, and by the end of 1963 just 23 and 64 Squadrons remained, while in Germany 5 and 11 Squadrons continued, all with the FAW.9. By January 1966, this imposing delta had passed from frontline service in Europe. However, the Javelin continued to play a valuable role in the RAF further afield. In mid-1961, 60 Squadron of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) based at Tengah, Singapore, began replacing its Meteor NF.14s with the Javelin FAW.9. Then in late 1963, 29 Squadron also with FAW.9s moved to Cyprus as part of the Near East Air Force (NEAF) and both were operationally busy.
From late 1962, the tensions with the expansionist Sukarno regime in Indonesia, over the amalgamation of the British territories of Sarawak and North Borneo with Malaya to form the new state of Malaysia, resulted in an undeclared war, known as the Confrontation. Re-equipment of the Indonesian Air Force with modern Soviet aircraft occurred around that time, so in May 1962, 60 Squadron was ordered to hold 15-minute readiness when Indonesian Tupolev Tu 16 Badgers moved to northern Sumatra. On May 29, the CO Wg Cdr Peter Smith and Sqn Ldr Jolliffe, in XH841/D, intercepted three Badgers off the Malay coast with Fg Offs Haywood and Andrews in XH839/M catching two more. Following Indonesian aircraft ‘buzzing’ towns in Sarawak, in early 1963 an Air Defence Identification Zone was established and to police it, Javelins were detached to both Labuan and Kuching in Borneo while alert was also maintained at Singapore. From Tengah on the morning of April 17, 1964 Flt Sgt Faulkner and Flt Lt Cleverley in a Javelin FAW.9 were scrambled and, over international waters, they rolled in behind an Indonesian Tu-16, which then turned away.
Then on September 3, three Indonesian C-130s set out at low level up the Malay coast to drop a unit of paratroopers, approximately 100 miles (160km) north of Singapore. Commanding officer of 60 Squadron, Wg Cdr Mike Miller, recalled: “A crew was launched one night from QRA and found a contact at low level over the Malacca Strait, but was unable to close with it before it flew over land. They didn’t follow it because it was too dangerous, but waited on the east coast, picking up the contact as it emerged on that side of the Malayan peninsula. As they closed to intercept and identify, the contact disappeared from the scope and it is thought that it simply flew into the sea.” The Hercules had indeed crashed before the fighter could intervene.
To bolster air defences, in April 1965, 64 Squadron Javelins moved to Tengah and they too flew patrols to counter Indonesian intrusions. When detached to Borneo in September, a 64 Squadron Javelin patrolling over Borneo unexpectedly met an Indonesian Hercules head-on, but before it could attack, the transport turned rapidly and re-crossed the border.
In response to the Rhodesian independence crisis, 29 Squadron Javelins were detached to N’dola in the Zambian Copperbelt Province. It was a bizarre situation as the RAF had been exercising in Cyprus with the Royal Rhodesian Air Force just a year earlier, and air traffic control (ATC) clearances had to be requested from the ATC centre at Salisbury, the Rhodesian capital! This seemingly pointless detachment was withdrawn in July 1966.
Confrontation in the Far East ended the next month and forces withdrew from Borneo, resulting in 64 Squadron being disbanded at Tengah in June 1967. Lasting a little longer was 60 Squadron, but that unit was disbanded on April 30, 1960 – so ending the the Javelin's RAF career.
