Meteor NF12

The Meteor NF 12 was the final night‑fighter version of the world’s first operational jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, built under licence by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft in the early 1950s. First flying in 1951, the NF 12 entered service with Royal Air Force squadrons such as No. 141 and No. 239, replacing the earlier Meteor NF 11. Powered by two Rolls‑Royce Derwent 5 turbo‑jets, each delivering 3,600 lb thrust, the aircraft could reach 585 mph at altitude and had a service ceiling of 43 000 ft, giving it the speed needed to counter high‑altitude Soviet bombers. Its defining feature was the AI‑10 airborne interception radar housed in a bulged nose, coupled with four 20 mm Hispano Mk V cannons mounted in the wing roots. Later NF 12s received an upgraded AI‑21 radar and a revised electronic suite, improving target detection in darkness and poor weather. The Meteor NF 12 demonstrated the feasibility of jet‑powered night interception, laying the groundwork for more advanced jet fighters such as the Gloster Javelin and English Electric Lightning. Its operational record, though brief, proved crucial during the early Cold War, marking a transition from piston‑engine night fighters to the jet age and cementing Armstrong Whitworth’s reputation as a key contributor to British jet aviation.