Gloster Meteor Ideas and Inspiration

[Weaver]

Something that's been on my to-do list since forever is a trio of 'advanced' Meteor prototypes as displayed at an air show where Gloster are desperately trying to flog them having lost the RAF night-fighter contract to the DH.110:

Gloster Reaper ground attack aircraft

Airfix Mk.8 with belly tank removed, tip tanks fitted, bomb pylons under fuselage, NF.11 outer wings (8 x guns!), non-British rocket pods on outer wing pylons, green/brown/gray 'European' cammo, but glossy with civilian registration G-REAP and company logos.


Gloster Raptor night fighter

Matchbox NF.14 with the incorrect very long nose, no guns, F-89-style rocket pods or 'very British' dummy missiles (square fins, conical noses) on wingtips. Gloss black with a red stripe, civilian reg. G-RAPT and company logos.


Gloster Ripper anti-tank aircraft

Special Hobby Trent Meteor wings and engines on F.8 fuselage and tail, tip tanks, no nose guns, no belly tank, big recoilless cannon in belly fairing. Sand and brown 'Middle Eastern' gloss cammo with civilian reg. G-RIPP and company logos.

[finsrin]

RAN Sea Meteors on HMAS Sydney in Singapore on the way to Korean War...

...in reality, this shows new RAAF Meteors aboard HMS Unicorn in Singapore on the way to Korea in 1951

Never seen a sentence or nuttin about Meteors in Korea.  They ever score an air-to-air kill be it prop or jet ?
Must have done their share of strafing.

[kitnut617]

RAN Sea Meteors on HMAS Sydney in Singapore on the way to Korean War...

...in reality, this shows new RAAF Meteors aboard HMS Unicorn in Singapore on the way to Korea in 1951

Never seen a sentence or nuttin about Meteors in Korea.  They ever score an air-to-air kill be it prop or jet ?
Must have done their share of strafing.

https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1297&bih=703&q=RAAF+Meteors+in+Korea&oq=RAAF+Meteors+in+Korea&gs_l=img.12...1733.9702.0.11365.21.9.0.12.12.0.185.1517.0j9.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..10.11.1515.zl_0B-_gml4

[GTX_Admin]

Never seen a sentence or nuttin about Meteors in Korea.  They ever score an air-to-air kill be it prop or jet ?
Must have done their share of strafing.

RAAF 77 SQN used Gloster Meteor Mk.8 jet fighters operationally in the Korean war from July 29th, 1951.  They were initially used in an air to air role, but following contacts with MiG-15s that went against the RAAF including the loss of at least one aircraft, they were switched to a close support and ground attack role.  The squadron became very effective in this new role. The Meteor had good low-level performance and its sturdy construction meant it could withstand a lot of damage. The armament of 4 x 20mm cannons along with under wing bombs or rockets packed a suitable punch for ground attack missions too. As a mark of respect for the squadron on November 1st, 1951, the South Korean government presented them with a Presidential Citation for “exceptionally meritorious service and heroism“. Amongst the many military awards given to the pilots of the squadron for their service the most prominent were the 47 Distinguished Flying Crosses for bravery.

The Gloster Meteor remained as the RAAF’s frontline aircraft for the remainder of the war and flew the bulk of the 18,872 sorties conducted by Number 77 Squadron throughout the Korean War (3,872 sorties were flown in Mustangs and 15,000 in the Meteor). During those missions they destroyed 3,700 structures, around 1,500 vehicles enemy vehicles, 20 train engines (along with numerous carriages) and 16 bridges.  Moreover, although the Meteor was switched to close support and ground attack roles, the RAAF pilots did manage to shoot down 3 MiG-15’s for a loss of 5 Meteors in air to air combat.  Perhaps the most famous aerial engagement involving RAAF Meteors was on March 27th, 1953 when 2 Gloster Meteor Mk.8’s flown by Sergeants George Hale and David Irlam were conducting a reconnaissance mission near Sinmak in North Korea. Hale spotted and engaged what he thought was a single MiG-15. It turned out to be 3 of them! He shot one down and then 2 more MiG-15’s joined the engagement. Irlam’s Meteor was damaged and he had to leave the battle. Hale managed to damage another MiG-15 and fought it out with them until he ran out of ammunition and then disengaged and made a low-level return to the base at Kimpo (he was credited with 1 victory and 1 damaged MiG).  His aircraft “Halestorm” is seen below and is often seen modelled.  George Hale is the last Australian pilot to date to engage in air to air combat.






There is actually a Meteor in Australia painted to represent Hailstorm:




Here are some other images of RAAF Meteors in Korea:








There's also this oil painting by Ivor Hele which I have seen:


Return of the Meteor jets, Kimpo, Korea.

[CiTrus90]

I am seriously tempted to have a go at the side-by-side seating one.

...adding to the temptation

[GTX_Admin]

You're evil!!!

[finsrin]

Appreciate posting about Meteor action.  Thanks. :)
Reads like Meteor pilots did their fair share to make things unpleasant for the north.

[M.A.D]

I am seriously tempted to have a go at the side-by-side seating one.

...adding to the temptation

Very interesting and well done CiTrus90
I'm thinking the two-engine reliability of the Meteor would have been appreciated by naval aviators in the early days of jet/carrier ops. Although, I have no idea of the low-speed handling qualities of the Meteor 

M.A.D

[Weaver]

I'm thinking the two-engine reliability of the Meteor would have been appreciated by naval aviators in the early days of jet/carrier ops. Although, I have no idea of the low-speed handling qualities of the Meteor 

M.A.D

The low-speed handling of the Meteor with one engine out was so bad that it claimed the life of scores of RAF pilots. IIRC, this was one major reason why it was never adapted to the naval role.

[jcf]

Navalised Meteor, push the engines inboard right up against
the fuselage CF-100 style to improve single engine handling.

[Weaver]

Navalised Meteor, push the engines inboard right up against
the fuselage CF-100 style to improve single engine handling.

At least one of the test pilots (can't remember which one - Bill Waterton?) was of the opinion that all Meteors should have been like that.

[GTX_Admin]

Hmmm...I like that. Kind of give the Meteor a Me262 HGIII look/modification (see below).  One might even go the whole way and give it some swept wings as well:

[jcf]

Yeah, but without the squished inlets that most likely wouldn't have worked. 

[GTX_Admin]

Indeed

[kitnut617]

Navalised Meteor, push the engines inboard right up against
the fuselage CF-100 style to improve single engine handling.

There was something like that, the Gloster E.5/42 (pages 95/96 in the book British Experimental Combat Aircraft of WW.II-Tony Buttler)

[apophenia]

Navalised Meteor, push the engines inboard right up against
the fuselage CF-100 style to improve single engine handling.

"Halestorm" retouched with raised engines. I'm thinking that this might work better with the Metrovick axial-flow engine (maybe Armstrong Siddeley continues postwar with the Metropolitan-Vickers F.3/I as a smaller brother to the Sapphire?).

[Daryl J.]

CiTrus 90....yeah!  :)

[Daryl J.]

Scabbed-on cockpit armor, a belly gun, USAF SEA.   

[GTX_Admin]

[GTX_Admin]

[M.A.D]

Navalised Meteor, push the engines inboard right up against
the fuselage CF-100 style to improve single engine handling.

"Halestorm" retouched with raised engines. I'm thinking that this might work better with the Metrovick axial-flow engine (maybe Armstrong Siddeley continues postwar with the Metropolitan-Vickers F.3/I as a smaller brother to the Sapphire?).

Nice!

MAD

[The Rat]

Navalised Meteor, push the engines inboard right up against
the fuselage CF-100 style to improve single engine handling.

[GTX_Admin]

 

[GTX_Admin]

[elmayerle]

Gloster Raptor night fighter

Matchbox NF.14 with the incorrect very long nose, no guns, F-89-style rocket pods or 'very British' dummy missiles (square fins, conical noses) on wingtips. Gloss black with a red stripe, civilian reg. G-RAPT and company logos.

Take it one step further and modify the nose along the lines of the F-94C with both radar and unguided rockets/