Test Flights For New T.S.R.-2 (1964)

[@donk1822]

Traitors in the Labour party killed this, and with it Britain's lead in aviation. Heads should have rolled.

[@mookie2637]

As the cliche goes, "it's a little more complicated than that...."

[@donk1822]

@@mookie2637 Much more complicated, especially when you consider that those who killed it, were bribed by our allies, not by our adversaries.

[@timhancock6626]

And the Lightning chase plane ? Did you know the Conservatives tried to cancel that in 1957 ?

[@donk1822]

@@timhancock6626 Yes, but thankfully the traitors within the Tory party didn't wield enough influence. I think the left was just easier, and cheaper to bribe :).

[@magna4100]

@@timhancock6626 That's nothing to all the aircraft projects they DID cancel in 1957.

[@folksinger2100]

You have to review any aircraft (military) developed or during this time period with reference to the report by Tory Minister Duncan Sands MP in 1957, in the opinion of many that report screwed uk aviation for years.

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

Such an epic failure and a humiliating chapter in British history... the TSR2 was a proper bodge job and BAC was a dumpster fire of a company... it never produced a single successful aircraft on its own. Britian was lagging decades behind and now buys its jet fighters from Lockheed!

[@paulward4268]

The TSR - suffered developmental difficulties like any other airframe. The difference here was that the combined role concept was a massive jump ahead of anything projected at that time in the early '60s. Had it not been for trans Atlantic back door dealing to kill the project, it would have matured into the most capable bomber in the arena for decades. And the US KNEW THAT. And for your information, the UK did not "Lag behind" - we led the pan European consortium that built the Tornado MRCA - a Superior strike platform & interceptor. And the F-35 of today is a JOINT project....we are not procuring aircraft designed EXCLUSIVELY by Lockheed! Epic failure? how stupid. More like epic murder.

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

@@paulward4268 TSR2 was doomed to failure right from the start, britian was years behind in aircraft technology and simply couldn't afford to build TSR2 without foriegn customers to share the development costs and lower the per unit cost... the U.K. was plagued by lack of foreign investment due to its bad credit, the country was running a massive deficit and defaulting on its mortgage to America. The TSR2 was a disappointing failure because it was already an obsolete design when it first flew, it's operational roles rendered obsolete by missiles and recconiasance satellite technology.

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

@@paulward4268 The F-35 is designed and manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin. The only British aircraft left in RAF service is the 1970s Hawker Hawk trainer.

[@steveashforth5097]

@@sandervanderkammen9230 "Hawker Hawk trainer"? What's that then? I thought 'Hawker' as a company name disappeared in the early 1960s.

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

@@steveashforth5097 You are correct sir, there are no longer any British owned companies designing and manufacturing new jet aircraft in the UK.