Meteor NF14

The Meteor NF14 was a night‑fighter variant of the legendary Gloster Meteor, produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft under licence after the war. First flown in early 1949, the NF14 entered RAF service in 1950, replacing earlier Meteor F.8s on front‑line squadrons such as No. 72 and No. 93. Its most distinctive feature was the extensive radar installation – the AI Mk. 10 centimetric set housed in a bulbous nose cone – which gave the aircraft true all‑weather interception capability. Powered by two Rolls‑Royce Derwent V turbo‑jets delivering 3,600 lb of thrust, the NF14 could reach 580 mph at 30 000 ft and carried a mixed armament of four 20 mm Hispano cannons plus provisions for rockets or early air‑to‑air missiles. Armstrong Whitworth refined the airframe with a strengthened under‑carriage, enlarged fuel tanks and upgraded cockpit instrumentation for night operations. Although its service life was brief, the NF14 bridged the gap between piston‑engine night fighters and the first generation of swept‑wing jets, proving the viability of radar‑guided jet interception and influencing later designs such as the Hawker Hunter and English Electric Lightning. Its legacy endures as a pivotal step in the evolution of British air‑defence during the early Cold War.