Gloster Meteor: The only Allied jet fighter of the Second World War

Liam Shaw: "During the summer of 1940, aircraft of the Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe were locked in combat above the skies of southern England during the Battle of Britain. But engineers back home here in Britain and in Germany were locked into another struggle, the struggle for the power that would bring forth the next generation of fighter aircraft.

Here in Britain, the Whittle Jet, the E28.39, first took to the skies in 1941, heralding in a new era of aircraft power. In both Britain and Germany, it was determined that these early jet engines were not powerful enough by themselves to power a combat aircraft. Both were determined to have twin engines to provide the required power. In 1942, the Germans first operational jet fighter, the Messerschmitt 262, took to the air. And just a few months later, on the 5th of March 1943, the British followed suit with the Gloster Meteor, interestingly, flying exactly seven years to the day after another famous British aircraft, the Spitfire."

Collections footage: "Armed with something keener and swifter and more deadly to its foes than anything the last war ever saw."

Liam Shaw: "The parallels between the Gloster Meteor and the Messerschmitt 262 are quite similar. The biggest difference really being that the Meteor was of a more conventional design with a far straighter wing compared to the Messerschmitt 262, which had its wings angled back in sweepback for better fighter performance.

In comparison to modern day jet engines, the aircraft themselves were relatively underpowered with this new technology. The Meteor requiring the two engines also required some time to spool the engines up and gain flying speed or a fighting speed. And this was quite similar in the Messerschmitt 262, as well. Both of them burnt fuel at a really high rate, so their performance and their endurance were restricted because of that. The speed difference was around 150 miles an hour with the ME 262 coming out on top and the Meteor attaining speeds of around about 450 miles an hour."

Geoffrey Amor: "So they were exciting days. We thought obviously we were the bee's knees. The aircraft was secret. No one had seen anything like it before. In fact, no one was allowed near the dispersal. So it was quite different, obviously, from the Spitfire. They were twin engine, no nose in front of them, no noise or vibration within the cockpit. Very underpowered, I think about 1600 pounds of thrust, but very high revs, something like 17,000. So they were very slow to accelerate. But on the other hand, they were very slow to decelerate. And so you had to anticipate your slowing down coming back into the circuit."

Liam Shaw: "When the Meteor first flew in Britain, it would have looked a lot different to a number of other aircraft that would have been flying in British skies at the time. One immediate noticeable difference, though, is with the engines. The engines, nice and long in the wing, don't have a propeller on the front. That meant that the ground clearance didn't need to be as great. It could be closer to the ground. One other noticeable thing with the jet engine would have been the sound and it would have made the public look up every time it had flown over. And while not exclusively new with the Meteor, it had been seen in some piston engined aircraft, it would become a trait of the jet aircraft to have a tricycle undercarriage. That lack of need for height meant that the aircraft could be level on the ground, and it gave the pilot much better visibility when taxiing around the airfield.

The original design for the Meteor looked at the possibility of having it armed with six 20mm cannons. For much the same reason that two engines were needed because of their general lack of power, the idea was also that six cannon would be too much. The first versions of the Meteor to fly had a very different cockpit to what we see on the F8 here. It would have had far more framework and actually would have been hinged, so it folded to the side. By the time we get to the Meteor F8, the cockpit is a blown canopy and can roll back on its runners. By the time of the Meteor F8 as well, we start seeing the use of ejection seats as standard. Those very early Meteors didn't have ejection seats and being able to get out of one of these in an emergency came down to the same techniques as you would have needed on a Spitfire or Hurricane.

The cockpit by this point also gained a level of pressurisation which gave better comfort for the pilots flying. With the increased need for greater range and as the engines themselves became thirstier, extra fuel was needed in the Meteor. It was helped in part by the addition of under wing tanks as we see here. The early versions were powered by the Welland engine, but by the time we get through the Mark three and eventually the Mark 8 versions, we start seeing them being equipped with the Rolls Royce, Derwent 8, providing the F8 with the necessary power. As the performance of the Meteor increased, so aircraft handling could become slightly more complicated for the pilot. Trying to keep it flying in a straight line, the need came about for tail design to be adapted. In this case, on the F8, we see an enlarged rudder which helps the pilot maintain his course. 

It was in July 1944 that the RAF accepted their first operational Meteors into squadron service with number 616 Squadron. The technology was so guarded at the time that the aircraft and their pilots were not allowed to fly over enemy lines for risk of the technology falling into enemy hands. As such, they were retained for home defense and their first actions were against V-1 flying bombs, flying towards London. In fact, the Meteor’s very first kill was against the V1. And interestingly, it wasn't through the use of its armament on the nose as the guns were jammed. The aircraft flew up alongside this particular V-1 and tipped the wing, toppling the gyro. This was in August 1944, just over a month after it entered service. Due to the Meteor secrets being so closely guarded, the aircraft never really made its way to the front lines.

Britain was not under direct aerial attack from conventional aircraft at the time, so it never actually saw combat in a conventional dogfight. It never also met the Messerschmitt 262 as they were heavily occupied in the defense of their homeland. It can only ever be speculated which would have come out on top if they had ever met in a dogfight. 

By the end of the Second World War, the operational examples of the Meteor were themselves actually beginning to feel somewhat tied and by the end of the Second World War, examples like the F3 and the F4 were in need of replacement. As the Meteor was developed from its earlier versions capable of just over 400 miles an hour, speed was pushed upwards closer to 600, and in fact, it was a Gloster Meteor that achieved the world air speed record in 1946, flying at just over 606 miles an hour.

Technology was moving fast, as were the aircraft. It was a modified example of the Meteor, which looking particularly crazy with an elongated nose, explored the idea of having the aircraft flown by a pilot in a prone or lying down position. In the early versions of that, the pilot would actually start taking the aircraft off in the conventional position, but then would move into his position lying down in the front of the nose. Aircraft development, including cockpit pressurisation, has led to that being an unnecessary use. 

Despite the Meteor not playing a hugely significant role in air combat during the Second World War, immediately after the war, it finds great sales in the export market. Six years after the end of the Second World War, it would be tried and tested in combat again, this time in 1951, during the Korean War and in the hands of the Royal Australian Air Force. They actually acquired their Meteors as a bit of a stopgap. Their interest was with the North American Saber, but unfortunately the availability was such that they had to purchase the Meteor.

The Royal Australian Air Force’s first involvement during the Korean War was flying Second World War vintage P-51 Mustangs, but they would be replaced as the war progressed through into 1951 by the Meteor F8. And they were very well suited to ground attack carrying up to eight rockets under the wing. Lower down, the Meteor's performance was still able to keep up with other aircraft that they may have encountered, but as they climbed higher, they became slower and less maneuverable compared to the Russian jets that they would have been facing in the hands of the North Koreans.

The aircraft that the Meteor would have been meeting was the Russian Mig 15, an aircraft in appearance, very similar to the Saber that the Royal Australian Air Force would have liked to have acquired. But with the sweep back on the Mig’s wings, they were able to be far more maneuverable in air combat than the Gloster Meteor. 77 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force would meet the MiG 15 in combat on a number of occasions, most notably during the Battle of Sunchon in December 1951. Following heavy combat losses at the hands of the North Korean Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force Meteors were relegated to ground attack roles."

Imre Schwaiger: "We then reported to the Australian Air Force headquarters for conversion course into firing rockets, because this is the role of 77 Squadron. We then were put on operations and carried out a number of air strikes on North Korea with high explosive rockets or napalm rockets, which essentially gilified petroleum in about five gallon canisters. We used to fly 16 aircraft, attack one target. Targets, generally speaking, were described as troop concentrations via the American intelligence. And we would utterly and completely destroy a village with 16 aeroplanes firing these napalm rockets."

Liam Shaw: "With the end of the Korean War in 1953, the Meteor F8 would be the last of the day-fighter single seat variants to be developed, although Gloster themselves would go on to make a number of other versions, including a two-seat trainer, the T7 and a number of variants of night fighter aircraft, which involved a larger cockpit and an elongated nose to hold radar and other equipment. Despite the Meteor no longer being in operational service with any air force around the world, it still does have a useful role to play in the hands of Martin Baker as a test aircraft.

Martin Baker have adapted a number of Meteors over the years for their own purposes, taking the best of two versions, the F8 from the rear section and the front section of T7 incorporating two cockpits. 

The Imperial War Museum's Meteor WK991 was finished in 1953. It didn't see any frontline service, mostly moving around the number of RAF communications flights before finally its service life came to an end as a target aircraft. The aircraft was then handed over just ten years after its first flight and became part of the Imperial War Museum's collection in 1963. 

The Meteor remains on display here at Imperial War Museum Duxford and currently wears the markings of an aircraft of 56 Squadron. Interestingly, 56 Squadron flying Meteor F3s was one of the first squadrons to arrive at Duxford, bringing Duxford into the jet age."