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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0629.PDF
FLIGHT International, 25 April 1963 and around it Hawker Aircraft were able toplantheP.1127. It has always been apparent that the P. 1127 is not merely a flying test bed for an entirely new and revolutionary form of jet lift but is also an aircraft potentially capable of fulfilling operational military missions. Nevertheless, Hawker Aircraft wisely decided in the first instance to pro duce an aircraft which they knew would perform satisfactorily in the critical phases of jet-supported flight and transition. When the design of the aircraft was being prepared in 1958-59 the need for the highest possible performance in military missions was seen as a secondary consideration. Six prototypes were ordered by the Ministry of Aviation, and flight development with these aircraft has been extremely satisfactory. Trials began on October 21, 1960, with an aircraft from which almost everything removable had been removed; but, as the thrust of the Pegasus has risen from some 11,0001b towards 18,0001b, the P. 1127 has carried progressively more. It has exceeded the performance levels of the Hunter; it has a greater range, very much higher rate of climb and ceiling, greater manoeuvrability and equal capa city to carry external loads. P. 1127s have on many occasions sustained level super sonic flight at altitude. Bringing in Other Nations From the earliest days of the programme the Ministry of Aviation have sought to find overseas customers for the aircraft. Eventually, while Hawker Siddeley Avia tion held discussions with overseas aircraft manufacturers, talks at Government level resulted in the excellent decision being taken to form a tripartite UK/US/West German "squadron" to conduct the fullest possible evaluation of the aircraft under simulated operational conditions. For this purpose nine new aircraft are being pur chased, and the three nations have together contributed approximately £37m to cover the development cost of the aircraft and engine and the whole cost of the evaluation. In view of the fact that this unit is not due to form until late next year. Hawker Aircraft are taking the opportunity of incorporating into the nine new machines a number of significant improvements. The six MoA machines represented a steady step-by-step process of development and no two have been quite alike. The nine tripartite machines are intended to be thoroughly developed and proven aircraft in all respects before the squadron is formed. As the lower drawing on this page shows, they will incorporate a new wing with reduced span and thickness/chord ratio but with increased chord and sweep angle. The tailplane has anhedral and greater span, the height of the fin has been increased, the outrigger wheel pods at the tips of the wings have been cleaned up and provision is made for carrying a variety of external mission loads. There will probably be three or five locations for such loads; only a pair of tanks are seen in the drawing. Limited production applications for the P. 1127 can be seen in many countries, not excluding the United Kingdom. One poten tial customer is West Germany, but the Bonn Government is doing everything it The Bristol Siddeley Pegasus and Hawker P.I 127 were developed together to produce the neatest and simplest V/STOL aeroplane in the world. The six examples of the P.I 127 constructed for the Ministry of Aviation all differ in detail, but the drawing above is typical of this batch can to increase not only the manufacturing but also the design strength of their own industry and has been supporting two V/STOL fighter projects. The VJ-101C (see page 590) appears unlikely to lead to an operational design, but the Focke-Wulf 1262 may be the subject of a recent agree ment with Fiat in Italy which is intended to produce an operational machine by 1968. West Germany appears unlikely to order the P.l 127 or the much larger and faster P. 1154 unless her own efforts run into serious difficulty (but the Germans are known to be interested in purchasing a P. 1127 damaged in an emergency landing at Tangmere in order to modify it by instal ling an RB.162 lift unit at front and rear. An even larger potential customer is the US Army. This Service is not at present allowed to have strike aircraft, but a re quirement exists for several hundred V/STOL reconnaissance aircraft; and it may well be that the Department of Defense will allow these aircraft to carry out offen sive missions by the time they are delivered. The P. 1127 appears to be the outstanding candidate to fulfil this requirement and Northrop hold a licence to manufacture the aircraft. The US Government already hold the rights to the Pegasus engine, since 75 per cent of the cost of its development was financed by MWDP. Below is a general-arrangement drawing of the P.l 127 of the type which will equip the tripartite evaluation squadron late in 1964. It differs in many significant respects from the original batch of P.l 127s, as discussed in the accompanying text
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