New imagery from my collection

[mfg495]

Just obtained the following images of the Supermarine Swift FR.5.

Some background of the aircraft -

"The first flight of the Swift (Supermarine Type 510) was in December 1948, it was the first British jet aircraft with swept wings and tail plane. Trials were undertaken on aircraft carriers and as such, the Swift became the first swept-wing jet to land and take-off from an aircraft carrier; the US would carry this out a number of years later. Sad to say, the Royal Navy lost interest in the Swift."

[No.1]

Swift Not much seen airplane, nor in images as well scale kits

[mfg495]

Here are two more images I have just added to my collection of the Supermarine Swift FR.5's. Both aircraft are from 79 Sqn RAF.

[No.1]

Excellent images mate and subject is interesting, Swift is almost forgotten airplane

[Nico Braas]

Swift was an alternative for the Hawker Hunter and both types were developed in parallel.
The Swift was also planned with the 4 x 30 mm Aden gun; same as for the Hunter.
While the Hunter proved to be a great success, the Swift was over its operational career plagued by structural problems. This is the main reason why it was soon phased out (and forgotten!).
During the early fifties the Swift was top-secret with only very few images released.
Two Dutch aviation illustrators, the brothers Rudy and Rudolf Das became famous when the magazine INTERAVIA published a very detailed cutaway drawing of the 'classified' Swift made by the two brothers!

[mfg495]

The FR.5 was the last of the Swift variants to enter operational service with the RAF until it was replaced with the Hunter PR.10 in the early 1960's. The fighter variants were quickly replaced in service by Hunters.

Type 510
    Prototype
Type 517
    Prototype fitted with a variable incidence tailplane.
Type 535
    Prototype fitted with a tricycle landing gear.
Swift F 1
    Single-seat fighter aircraft, fitted with a fixed variable-incidence tailplane, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon RA-7/109 turbojet engine without an afterburner, armed with two 30-mm Aden cannons.
Swift F 2
    Single-seat fighter aircraft, armed with four 30-mm Aden cannons.
Swift F 3
    Single-seat fighter aircraft, powered by an aftherburning Rolls-Royce Avon RA-7A/114 turbojet engine, armed with two 30-mm aden cannons.
Swift F 4
    Single-seat fighter aircraft, fitted with a variable-incidence tailplane.
Swift FR 5
    Single-seat tactical-reconnaissance aircraft, fitted with a lengthened nose to accommodate three cameras, equipped with a frameless cockpit canopy, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon 114 turbojet engine, armed with two 30-mm Aden cannons.
Swift F 7
    Single-seat fighter aircraft, fitted with a lengthened nose to accommodate a radar, armed with four 30-mm Aden cannons and four Fairey Fireflash air-to-air missiles.

There were plans to have an unarmed PR version but this did not go into production.
 
The FR variant equipped 2, 4 & 79 Sqns. 79 Sqn passed their aircraft to 4 Sqn and these aircraft carried the markings for both squardons.

[mfg495]

I think it is the fact that this aircraft had such a short service like unlike later RAF aircraft that I'm drawn to it.
An excellent book about the raise and fall of the Swift is "Swift Justice, the full story of the Supermarine Swift." Pen and Sword Books Ltd. 2004. ISBN 1-84415-070-4. I got a copy a couple of weeks ago and I could not put it down.