Supermarine Scimitar

otheruses4|the aircraft|other uses|Scimitar (disambiguation)

Infobox Aircraft
name = Scimitar F.1
type = Naval strike fighter
manufacturer = Supermarine



caption = Supermarine Scimitar on board USS "Intrepid"
designer =
first flight = 19 January 1956
introduced = 1957
retired =
status = No longer in service
primary user = Fleet Air Arm
more users =
produced =
number built = 76
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = The Supermarine Scimitar was a British naval fighter aircraft operated by the Fleet Air Arm. The prototype for the eventual production version flew in January 1956 and production aircraft were delivered in 1957. It saw service with the Royal Navy from 1958 until 1969. However, it was beset by design faults and was a poor aircraft compared to many of its contemporaries.

Design and development

The Scimitar started out as one of a number of designs from Supermarine for a naval jet aircraft. The Type 525 first flew on 27 April 1954. It later crashed but the design as the N113 was used for an order of 100. More work on the 525 gave the new Type 544 by which point the Navy had changed the specification and wanted a low level strike aircraft with nuclear capability. The first of the N113 flew on 19 January 1956; but the aircraft evolved more and the 3rd N113 was different with aerodynamic changes and a stronger airframe. The first true Scimitar flew in January 1957.

At the time of introduction the Royal Navy only had a couple of large carriers, most were still quite small and the Scimitar was a comparatively large and powerful aircraft. Landing accidents were common. The Scimitar suffered from a high loss rate; over all types of accidents 39 were lost. The aircraft was perceived by many as too innovative mechanically. It pioneered fuel flow proportioning and integral mainplane tanks. Together with other design ideas its maintenance became almost impractical. At one time it held the notorious record of 1000 maintenance hours per flying hour !!Although the Scimitar could be equipped as a fighter the interceptor role was covered by the de Havilland Sea Vixen. In the attack role it was replaced by the Blackburn Buccaneer. The Scimitar was retained initially as a tanker to compensate for the early Buccaneer's low engine power. A Buccaneer would take off with minimum fuel then top up from a Scimitar.

Variants

;Type 508:Straight-wing prototype.;Type 529:Straight-wing prototype.;Type 525:Swept-wing prototype.;Type 544:Prototype for the F.1 Scimitar. 3 built;Scimitar F.1:Single-seat multi-role fighter aircraft. 76 built

Operators

;UK
* Fleet Air Arm
** No. 700X Flight
** 736 Naval Air Squadron
** 800 Naval Air Squadron
** 803 Naval Air Squadron
** 804 Naval Air Squadron
** 807 Naval Air Squadron

urvivors

*Scimitar F1 "XD220" at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York, United States.
*Scimitar F1 "XD317" at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, England.
*Scimitar F1 "XD332" at the Solent Sky Museum, Southampton, England.

Popular culture

The Supermarine Scimitar features in Alistair Maclean's "Night Without End". Fact|date=November 2007

pecifications (Scimitar F.1)

Aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet

ref= [ [http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/scimitar/survivors.html Leading particulars Thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk] accessed 7th January 2008] [ [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=29 Britishaircraft.co.uk] Accessed 7th January 2008]

crew=1
length main=55 ft 4 in
length alt=16.87 m
span main=37 ft 2 in
span alt=11.33 m
height main=15 ft 3 in
height alt=4.65 m
area main=485 ft²
area alt=45.06 m²
empty weight main=21,000 lb
empty weight alt=9,525 kg
loaded weight main=34,200 lb
loaded weight alt=15,515 kg
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=

more general=
engine (jet)=Rolls-Royce Avon 202
type of jet=turbojets
number of jets=2
thrust main=11,250 lbf
thrust alt=50.0 kN
max speed main=710 mph
max speed alt=1,145 km/h
max speed more=at sea level
range main=600 mi
range alt=965 km
ceiling main=50,000 ft
ceiling alt=15,200 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
more performance=
more performance=
avionics=

guns=4 x 30 mm ADEN cannons
bombs=
rockets=
missiles=
hardpoints=4
hardpoint capacity=

**4 x 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs "or"
**4 x AGM-12 Bullpup "or" AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles "or"
** Pods with 8, 16, or 24 3 in (76 mm) Semi Armour-Piercing (SAP) or HE unguided rockets

Aircontent
related =
similar aircraft =
see also =
lists =

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Birtles, Philip. "Supermarine Attacker, Swift and Scimitar (Postwar Military Aircraft 7)". London: Ian Allan, 1992. ISBN 0-7110-2034-5.
* Gibbings, David and Gorman, J.A. "Scimitar". Society of Friends of the Fleet Air Arm Museum, 1988. ISBN 0-948251-39-5.
* Morgan, Eric and Stevens, John. "The Scimitar File". Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain, 2002. ISBN 0-7110-2034-5.

External links

* [http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/scimitar/index.html Scimitar at Thunder and Lightnings]