Meteor NF11

The Meteor NF11 was a British night‑fighter version of the pioneering jet fighter Gloster Meteor, produced under licence by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft in the early 1950s. Developed from the earlier NF9, the NF11 entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1953 and remained operational until the late 1950s. The aircraft retained the Meteor’s twin‑engine, straight‑wing layout but incorporated a longer, more tapered fuselage to accommodate a larger nose radome housing AI 18 radar. Powered by two Rolls‑Royce Derwent V turbojets delivering 3,500 lb thrust each, the NF11 could reach 580 mph at sea level and climb to 30,000 ft in under ten minutes. Its armament consisted of four 20 mm Hispano Mk V cannons, while later retrofits added unguided rockets for ground‑attack trials. The combination of jet speed, radar‑guided interception capability, and relatively simple maintenance made the NF11 an important step in the transition from piston‑engine night fighters to all‑jet air‑defence units. Though quickly superseded by more advanced designs such as the de Havilland Vampire NF.10 and the Gloster Javelin, the Meteor NF11 demonstrated the viability of jet‑powered night interception and laid groundwork for subsequent RAF radar fighters.

Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft

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