This specialist vehicle was designed to be air-dropped in a canister for use by parachutists.
It was on display at RAF Cosford.
Category: raf cosford
Hunting H.126
The Hunting H.126 was an experimental aircraft designed and built by British aviation company Hunting Aircraft.
The aircraft was developed in order to test the performance of blown flaps, which were commonly known in Britain as “jet flaps”.
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF).
This Hawker Hurricane was on display at RAF Cosford.
It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire’s role during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 per cent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the engagement, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War.
MiG-21 Fishbed
This MiG-21 was from the Hungarian Air Force and is on display at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union.
There was also an Hungarian MiG-21PF at RAF Cosford.
Bristol Type 188
A Bristol Type 188 at RAF Cosford.
Built mainly of stainless steel, this aircraft was designed to investigate the effects of heat on aircraft structures at very high speeds. To protect the pilot against heat build-up a special cockpit refrigeration system was installed. Nicknamed ‘Flaming Pencil’, only two Bristol 188s ever flew, a third being used for ground tests.
Data collected during test-flying could be transmitted directly to a ground station for immediate evaluation. The data provided was essential for the development of the proposed Avro 730 high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The prototype 188, XF923, made its maiden flight on 14 April 1962 and its public debut at Farnborough in September of that year.
Both Bristol 188s were powered by de Havilland Gyron Junior engines; the first British engine designed for sustained running at supersonic speeds. Experience gained with this engine was later applied to the Olympus engines which power Concorde.
Although a maximum speed of Mach 1.88 was reached this fell short of the required Mach 2 performance. This, combined with fuel leaks, an endurance of only 25 minutes and the cancellation of the Avro 730, led to the cancellation of the Bristol 188 project in 1964.
Fairey Delta 2
The Fairey Delta 2 was a British supersonic research aircraft produced by the Fairey Aviation Company in response to a specification from the Ministry of Supply for a specialised aircraft for conducting investigations into flight and control at transonic and supersonic speeds. Features included a delta wing and a drooped nose. On 6 October 1954, the Delta 2 made its maiden flight, flown by Fairey test pilot Peter Twiss; two aircraft would be produced. The Delta 2 was the final aircraft to be produced by Fairey as an independent manufacturer.
The Fairey Delta 2 was the first jet aircraft to exceed 1000 mph in level flight. On 10 March 1956, it set a new world speed record of 1,132 mph. The Delta 2 held the absolute World Air Speed Record for over a year. It continued to be used for flight testing, and was allocated to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in 1958.
TSR-2
The TSR-2 was a cancelled Cold War strike and reconnaissance aircraft developed by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) for the Royal Air Force in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
This is one of the three prototypes, XR220, at RAF Cosford.
The TSR-2 was designed to penetrate a well-defended forward battle area at low altitudes and very high speeds, and then attack high-value targets in the rear with nuclear or conventional weapons.
Although never developed beyond the prototype stage, the British Aircraft Corporation TSR2 was one of the most exciting and controversial British combat aircraft designs of the 1960s.
The cancellation of the project is a subject of great debate to this day.
Short Belfast
The Short Belfast is a heavy lift turboprop freighter that was built by British manufacturer Short Brothers at Belfast. Only 10 aircraft were constructed, all of which entered service with the Royal Air Force.
There are two left, one in Cairns Australia and the other at RAF Cosford.
Upon its entry into service, the Belfast held the distinction of becoming the largest aircraft that the British military had ever operated up to that time.
Sikorsky MH-53J Pave Low III
This Sikorsky MH-53J Pave Low III was on display in the Cold War Exhibition at RAF Cosford.
The MH-53J Pave Low III helicopter was the largest, most powerful and technologically advanced transport helicopter in the US Air Force inventory. The terrain-following and terrain-avoidance radar, forward looking infrared sensor, inertial navigation system with Global Positioning System, along with a projected map display enable the crew to follow terrain contours and avoid obstacles, making low-level penetration possible.
The MH-53J’s main mission was to drop off, supply, and pick up special forces behind enemy lines. It also can engage in combat search and rescue missions. Low-level penetration was made possible by a state-of-the-art terrain following radar, as well as infrared sensors that allow the helicopter to operate in bad weather. It was equipped with armor plating.
Morris Minor, Trabant, Land Rover and then some…
At RAF Cosford as well as all the planes there are some vehicles as well.
There is a Trabant from East Germany in the Cold War Exhibition.
The Morris Minor Traveller was used by the RAF for driver training.
RAF Land Rover
RAF Tractor
