Did Duncan Sandys really say that? And if he did how serious was he?it needs to be remembered that the only reason the Lightning survived past 1957 was that it was "too far along to cancel"
Lightning orders from the Putnams on English Electric:
01/04/50 - 2 P.1A and one Static Test Airframe - first flight 04/08/54 and 18/07/55
05/08/53 - 3 P.1B - first flights 04/04/57, 03/09/57 and 03/01/58
26/02/54 - 20 P.1B pre-production aircraft - first flights 03/04/58 to 26/09/59
15/05/56 - 2 P.11 trainer prototypes - first flights 06/05/59 and 29/09/59
Nov. 1956 - 50 Lightning F.1 (one STA, 19 F.1 and 30 F.1A) only 48 completed - these flew 29/10/59 to 28/07/61 - the 29th and 30th F.1As were stored for spares (not assembled)
Jul. 1958 - 30 T.4 trainers - reduced to 20 - these flew 15/07/60 to 22/05/62
Dec. 1959 - 50 F.2 - reduced to 44 - these flew 11/07/61 to 05/09/63 - 30 were brought up to F.2A standard 1966-70
Jun. 1960 - 47 F.3 - these flew 16/06/62 to 26/09/64
Jan. 1962 - 45 F.3 - amended to 16 F.3, 16 F.6 (Interim) and 13 F.6 - these flew 06/10/64 to 28/02/66 - the interim aircraft were brought up to full F.6 standard 1967-69
Aug. 1962 - 20 T.5 - these flew 17/07/64 to 02/02/66
Jan. 1964 - 33 F.6 - these few 15/03/66 to 30/06/67 so the 33rd aircraft was the last Lightning built for the RAF.
Oct. 1964 - 8 T.5 (5 initially and 3 added later) - cancelled - 2 partially complete aircraft transferred to early 1966 contract and 3 other to the Saudi contract
late 1964 - 12 F.6 - cancelled - but 7 partially complete aircraft transferred to Saudi contract
early 1966 - 2 T.5 - probably replacements for the 2 T4s sold to Saudi Arabia - these flew 12/12/66 and 30/12/66
05/08/53 - 3 P.1B - first flights 04/04/57, 03/09/57 and 03/01/58
26/02/54 - 20 P.1B pre-production aircraft - first flights 03/04/58 to 26/09/59
15/05/56 - 2 P.11 trainer prototypes - first flights 06/05/59 and 29/09/59
Nov. 1956 - 50 Lightning F.1 (one STA, 19 F.1 and 30 F.1A) only 48 completed - these flew 29/10/59 to 28/07/61 - the 29th and 30th F.1As were stored for spares (not assembled)
Jul. 1958 - 30 T.4 trainers - reduced to 20 - these flew 15/07/60 to 22/05/62
Dec. 1959 - 50 F.2 - reduced to 44 - these flew 11/07/61 to 05/09/63 - 30 were brought up to F.2A standard 1966-70
Jun. 1960 - 47 F.3 - these flew 16/06/62 to 26/09/64
Jan. 1962 - 45 F.3 - amended to 16 F.3, 16 F.6 (Interim) and 13 F.6 - these flew 06/10/64 to 28/02/66 - the interim aircraft were brought up to full F.6 standard 1967-69
Aug. 1962 - 20 T.5 - these flew 17/07/64 to 02/02/66
Jan. 1964 - 33 F.6 - these few 15/03/66 to 30/06/67 so the 33rd aircraft was the last Lightning built for the RAF.
Oct. 1964 - 8 T.5 (5 initially and 3 added later) - cancelled - 2 partially complete aircraft transferred to early 1966 contract and 3 other to the Saudi contract
late 1964 - 12 F.6 - cancelled - but 7 partially complete aircraft transferred to Saudi contract
early 1966 - 2 T.5 - probably replacements for the 2 T4s sold to Saudi Arabia - these flew 12/12/66 and 30/12/66
Total Ordered for RAF 325 including static test frames, prototypes and pre-production aircraft.
Total Built for RAF 287
Total Built for RAF 287
March 1966 - 2 RAF T.4s to Saudi Arabia as T.54s - delivered June 1966
April 1966 - 4 RAF F.2s to Saudi Arabia as F.52 - a fifth aircraft added later - all delivered May 1967
May 1966 - 40 aircraft (34 F.53 and 6 T.55) to Saudi Arabia - Delivered July 1967 to December 1968. Also one F.3 and one T.5 were supplied ex-RAF.
Dec. 1966 - 14 aircraft (12 F.53K and 2 T.55K) to Kuwait - Delivered December 1968 to December 1969
The Kuwait order was for £20 million. Total Lightning exports were worth £85 million. The SAADC contract was worth £125 million. The UK portion was £100 million including £65 million for the 40 Lightings and 25 Strikemasters. The US portion was for Hawk SAMs.
Total Built for Export 54
Grand Total Built 341
April 1966 - 4 RAF F.2s to Saudi Arabia as F.52 - a fifth aircraft added later - all delivered May 1967
May 1966 - 40 aircraft (34 F.53 and 6 T.55) to Saudi Arabia - Delivered July 1967 to December 1968. Also one F.3 and one T.5 were supplied ex-RAF.
Dec. 1966 - 14 aircraft (12 F.53K and 2 T.55K) to Kuwait - Delivered December 1968 to December 1969
The Kuwait order was for £20 million. Total Lightning exports were worth £85 million. The SAADC contract was worth £125 million. The UK portion was £100 million including £65 million for the 40 Lightings and 25 Strikemasters. The US portion was for Hawk SAMs.
Total Built for Export 54
Grand Total Built 341
The Lightning entered RAF service at the Central Fighter Establishment at RAF Colitshall in December 1959 and the first operational unit to receive the aircraft was No. 74 Squadron (also at RAF Coltishall) on 29th June 1960. (Source for this paragraph Thetford, Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918, which gives the first flight date of the F.1 as 03/11/59, which is not the same as the Putnams English Electric aircraft).
IIRC many years ago I read in one of Bill Gunston's books that English Electric proposed the improvements that led to the F.3 and F.6 years before the Air Ministry allowed their incorporation and that the upgrading of the F.2 to F.2A standard was done at great expense.
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