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XS422, 1982

Evolution of the Lightning

It was initially designed in the late 1940s by an English Electric team at Warton, Lancashire, lead by the renowned aircraft designer W.E.W. “Teddy” Petter.

The first prototype aircraft (the P-1A) flew in 1954 and went supersonic on its third flight.

The production version (the F-1) first flew in 1959.

The first Trainer version (P11/T4) also flew in 1959.

The Lightning went into RAF service in 1960 and was retired twenty-eight years later.

Versions were sold to the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Kuwait Air Force.

Total number of aircraft built was 344:

• 292 Single-Seaters
• 52 Two-Seaters

XS422 History

• First flight: March 1965
• 226 OCU Coltishall: June 1965
• 29 Squadron: 1969
• 111 Squadron: 1970
• 56 Squadron: 1972
• Empire Test Pilots School: 1975
• Last flight: 1987

Want to learn more about the Lightning?

Read Lightning—The Operational History by Kev Darling (ISBD 1-85310-521-X). This book acted as our reference for this page. Available for purchase from Airlife Publishing and Amazon.com.

See the Thunder and Lightnings web site, which has an exhaustive collection of information and links in its Lightning section.