The Saunders-Roe SR.53 was a British prototype
interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are c ...
of mixed
jet and
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
propulsion developed for the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
(RAF) by
Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight.
History
The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe (see Avro) and John Lord took a c ...
in the early 1950s.
As envisaged, the SR.53 would have been used as an
interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are c ...
, using its rocket propulsion to rapidly climb and approach incoming hostile bombers at high speeds; following its attack run, the aircraft would then return to its base using jet propulsion.
Although the SR.53 proved to have promising performance during test flights, the requirement for such an aircraft had been overtaken by rapid advances in
surface-to-air missile technology, leading to reconsideration of the aircraft's purpose. In July 1960, the development programme was formally cancelled, by which time a total of 56 test flights had been performed.
A pair of prototype SR.53 aircraft had been completed and used during flight tests. The second prototype was destroyed during one such test flight in June 1958. The first prototype has been preserved to this day. It rests on public display at the
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, located in Cosford in Shropshire, is a free (currently, 2022) museum dedicated to the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a non-departme ...
.
Design and development
Background
The
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
had demonstrated the importance of
strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...
to modern warfare, and as the emerging
Cold War developed, the development of new and more effective air defences against large waves of hostile
bomber aircraft
A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an airc ...
armed with
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
s became a priority for many nations. During the war,
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
had extensively developed its own rocket-powered aircraft to augment its interception capabilities, in the final two years of the war, it had been able to deploy aircraft such as the
Messerschmitt Me 163
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft primarily designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It is the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft in history as well as ...
and
Bachem Ba 349
The Bachem Ba 349 Natter ( en, Colubrid, grass-snake) was a World War II German point-defence rocket-powered interceptor, which was to be used in a very similar way to a manned surface-to-air missile. After a vertical take-off, which eliminate ...
which, via rocket propulsion, had been capable of unparalleled rates-of-climb, enabling them to (at least in theory) rapidly sortie to intercept enemy bombers before they reached their targets. As the performance of these aircraft had become increasingly well known to the Allies, RAF experts were eager to explore and understand the underlying technology.
[Wood 1975, p. 53.]
In the aftermath of the war, German rocket technology was studied extensively by various members of the former Allied nations. Britain had quickly opted to commence a programme to develop
liquid-propellant rockets with the aim of boosting aircraft during the take-off phase, known within the RAF as
rocket-assisted take-off gear (RATOG), and during the climb-to-altitude phase of flight.
In 1946, work began on a pair of new British-built
rocket motor
A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellants as the reaction mass for forming a high-speed propulsive jet of fluid, usually high-temperature gas. Rocket engines are reaction engines, producing thrust by ejecting mass rearward, in accordan ...
s, the
de Havilland Sprite
The de Havilland Sprite is a British rocket engine that was built by de Havilland in the early-1950s for use in RATO (Rocket-assisted take off) applications. A developed engine with slightly less thrust but a longer burn time was known as the ...
with a maximum thrust of and the
Armstrong Siddeley Snarler
The Armstrong Siddeley Snarler was a small rocket engine used for mixed-power experiments with an early turbojet engine. and was the first British liquid-fuelled rocket engine to fly.
Design and development
Unlike other British rocket engin ...
with of thrust; these rocket motors made use of different propellants, the Sprite used a
high-test peroxide (HTP)
monopropellant
Monopropellants are propellants consisting of chemicals that release energy through exothermic chemical decomposition. The molecular bond energy of the monopropellant is released usually through use of a catalyst. This can be contrasted with bipro ...
while the Snarler harnessed a
methanol/water/
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an app ...
mix. During the early 1950s, both engines proceeded to the flight testing phase; however, some of the demand for their role to provide fighters with increased performance was soon being met by the increasing prevalence of conventional jet engines being equipped with
reheat
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat ...
instead.
In May 1951, faced with reports on the increasingly potential capability of, and thus the threat posed by, the growing
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
strategic bomber fleet and that nation's newly developed
atomic weapons
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
, the British
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...
proceeded to draft an
Operational Requirement
An Operational Requirement, commonly abbreviated OR, was a United Kingdom (UK) Air Ministry document setting out the required characteristics for a future (i.e., as-yet unbuilt) military aircraft or weapon system.
The numbered OR would describe ...
,
OR 301, which sought a rocket-powered interceptor that could attain an altitude of in just 2 minutes 30 seconds. Many of the performance requirement laid out by OR 301 was due to the anticipation of rapid increases in performance by the opposing Soviet aircraft; by the early 1960s, it was suspected that these bombers might well be capable of
supersonic speeds of up to
Mach 2 with a potential operational altitude as high as .
[Wood 1975, pp. 53–54.] Accordingly, a capable defence interceptor that could form part of the nation's measures to counter this threat would need to be capable of similar speeds and an exceptionally high rate of climb in order to reach high altitude bombers in time.
[Wood 1975, pp. 54–55.]
The development of the Sprite and the Snarler had led to the possibility of a more powerful rocket engine being developed as the planned powerplant for a viable "point defence" interceptor.
[London 2010, p. 29.] The requirements of O.R. 301 were considered onerous, including a ramp launch and landing on a skid, and with the compliance of the companies which had approached to tender, the amended
Specification
A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard.
There are different types of technical or engineering specificati ...
F124T allowed for a mixed powerplant configuration along with the adoption of a conventional undercarriage.
On 21 February 1951, the revised Specification F124T was circulated to half a dozen of Britain's various aircraft manufacturers to solicit their submissions.
[Wood 1975, p. 54.]
Submissions and selection
Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight.
History
The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe (see Avro) and John Lord took a c ...
had not been one of the companies who received the Specification; this is likely due to the
Ministry of Supply not considering them to be relevant, as the firm had typically been involved in the production of
flying boats.
However, Saunders-Roe was in fact interested in the new requirement, having been already independently conducting studies into high-altitude and high-speed flight.
Maurice Brennan
Maurice Joseph Brennan BSC, MIMechE, FRAes (April 1913 – 18 January 1986) was a British aerospace engineer. His career encompassed the design and development of flying boats before the Second World War to rocket powered fighters after. He ha ...
, the company's chief designer, had already directed members of the design team to study the prospects of rocket-propelled aircraft capable of flying at altitudes of up to and had published a report entitled 'Investigation of Problems of Pure Rocket Fighter Aircraft' at the same time that the Ministry had issued Specification F124T.
Saunders-Roe approached the Ministry on its failure to follow conventional policy in not dispatching the specification nor an invitation to tender to the firm; as a result, on 24 March 1951, the Ministry asked the company to submit its designs alongside the other competitors.
[Wood 1975, p. 55.]
By the end of April 1951, Saunders-Roe submitted their detailed proposal.
The proposed single-seat aircraft, designated as the ''SR.53'', was capable of very high speeds, being projected as being capable of a top speed of when at an altitude of , and a rate of climb of per minute around an altitude of .
An auxiliary disposable undercarriage could be used for takeoffs, along with
cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom since 1889 to replace black powder as a military propellant. Like modern gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burn ...
-based booster rockets. In the event of an emergency, the entire cabin would have originally been jettisoned as a means of providing the pilot with a means of escape; due to the work involved in developing this, it was instead replaced by a more standard
ejection seat
In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rock ...
arrangement.
The firm had quickly identified that that original unpowered 'glide home' approach to be dangerous and expensive; they approached the Air Ministry with their concept of a secondary jet engine for the purposes of powering the aircraft's journey home. The Ministry was enthusiastic on this concept; in May 1951, all interested companies were asked to examine this arrangement.
The SR.53 was a sleek aircraft with a sharply-pointed nose,
delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also ...
-like wing, and a
T-tail
A T-tail is an empennage configuration in which the tailplane is mounted to the top of the fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs from the standard configuration in which the tailplane ...
.
It was powered by a combination of a single
Armstrong Siddeley Viper
The Armstrong Siddeley Viper is a British turbojet engine developed and produced by Armstrong Siddeley and then by its successor companies Bristol Siddeley and Rolls-Royce Limited. It entered service in 1953 and remained in use with the Roya ...
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, an ...
engine and
de Havilland Spectre
The de Havilland Spectre is a rocket engine that was built by the de Havilland Engine Company in the 1950s. It was one element of the intended mixed power-plant for combination rocket-jet interceptor aircraft of the Royal Air Force, such as t ...
rocket engine, the exhausts of which were mounted one atop the other on the rear fuselage beneath the tail.
[Winchester 2005, p. 223.][Wood 1975, pp. 55–56.] Saunders-Roe had originally proposed to develop their own rocket motor to power the SR.53, having not been initially pleased with the performance of either the Spectre nor the Screamer; however, it was recognised that this would take substantial development work.
By October 1952, the basic outline of the aircraft had been finalised, replacing the combined
flap
Flap may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film
* Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis''
* Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland''
Biology and he ...
and
ailerons of earlier proposed with slotted flaps, the Viper engine was relocated upwards and was to be fitted with a straight jet pipe rather than a
bifurcated one, the tailplane was also moved to a higher position at the top of the fin.
On 30 October 1952, the company received an Instruction to Proceed from the Ministry for the completion of three prototypes.
On 12 December 1952, further refinement of the concept led to the release of the defined
Specification OR 337.
[London 2010, p. 31.] The changes of the defined specification mainly revolved around armament changes, adopting the
Blue Jay infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
-guided
air-to-air missile, which replaced the originally-envisaged retractable battery of rockets.
[Wood 1975, p. 56.] During the first four months of 1953, Saunders-Roe had to perform a structural redesign of the SR.53's fuselage, wing, and undercarriage due to a determination by the
Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) that the wing required a greater
anhedral angle than had originally been designed for.
On 5 May 1953, an advisory design conference was hosted at the Ministry of Supply focusing on the SR.53; three days later, a formal contract for the production of the three prototypes was received.
Due to doubts within the RAF and the Ministry over the correct fuel/motor to select for the aircraft in order to meet the Specification, it was decided to issue a modified specification, and later a development contract, to
A.V. Roe, who commenced work on their own rocket-powered interceptor, designated as the
Avro 720
The Avro 720 was an in-development British single-seat interceptor of the 1950s. It was designed and being developed by Avro in competition with the Saunders-Roe-built SR.53. While at least one prototype was partially-constructed, the order fo ...
. Of the six companies that tendered proposals, two were selected for development contracts: A.V. Roe with their Avro 720 and Saunders-Roe with the SR.53.
[Wood 1975, pp. 56–57.]
Issues and proposals
Saunders-Roe, recognising that it would need to outdo the competing Avro 720 if the SR.53 was to be likely to survive, upon having been issued with the contract to build the three prototypes, set a schedule that called for a first flight to be conducted in July 1954, along with a projected service introduction date of 1957.
[London 2010, p. 30.][Wood 1975, p. 57.] However, Wood observes that this was far too ambitious as it did not leave time to address the complexity of the aircraft, nor did it accommodate room for delays in the supply of the separately-produced Spectre engine.
Unresolved issues with elements of the design caused a series of setbacks, including one notable incident in the form of an explosion occurring during ground tests of the Spectre rocket engine. Construction of the first SR.53 prototype took longer than anticipated, in part due to
de Havilland having problems delivering the Spectre engine on time, installing auxiliary equipment was also time-consuming.
[Wood 1975, pp. 60–62.] Accordingly, the
maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alw ...
of the SR.53 began to fall further and further behind schedule.
The date of the first flight was first set back to March 1955, and then into 1957.
Unique challenges were posed by the HTP fuel, including the development of suitable storage bags and the fuel flow proportioner.
[Wood 1975, p. 60.] In January 1954, the Ministry reduced its order from three SR.53 prototypes to two, which were constructed side by side at Saunders-Roe's
Cowes facility.
Development with the competing Avro 720 proceeded more smoothly; by 1956, its prototype was virtually complete and was viewed as being capable of flying up to a year ahead of the lagging SR.53.
[Wood 1975, pp. 60–61.]
By September 1953, the programme to develop these aircraft came under scrutiny due to a need to implement cost cuts; as a result, the contract for the Avro 720 was eventually cancelled. One of the reasons for preferring the SR.53 was although the aircraft was developmentally behind, its use of
hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3%â ...
as an
oxidiser
An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ). In other words, an oxid ...
was viewed as less problematic than the Avro 720's use of
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an app ...
, which posed a fire hazard.
According to Wood, there was a preference for the HTP approach, as used by the SR.53, alongside an unwillingness to continue to support the operation of two different fuel programmes.
[Wood 1975, p. 61.] However, the validity of this reason is undermined somewhat by the fact that Avro had been proposing to switch to using HTP and the Spectre, the same engine that was used by the SR.53.
[Wood 1975, p. 59.] Another factor that had influenced the cancellation was the hesitancy of the RAF to back either project, the service had apparently wanted to wait until after flight evaluations had been conducted before it was to make any determination on its preference.
During late 1953, Saunders-Roe commenced work upon a derivative design, which was designated the ''
SR.177''. Brennan considered the lack of an onboard
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
on the SR.53 and the Avro 720 to have been a vital flaw despite it not being a requirement of the specification, leaving the pilot dependent on his own vision and direction being provided by ground-based radar control.
Brennan had also been dissatisfied with the use of the turbojet engine; he believed that a larger jet engine should match the steady supersonic cruising speed of the aircraft, and that the rocket motor should be mainly used for high performance climbs, turns, and rapid acceleration instead. Accordingly, the SR.177 was a much larger and sophisticated aircraft that would provide for more range and overall superior performance to the SR.53.
[Wood 1975, pp. 57–58.] It was sized to be able to carry a useful airborne radar, which Brennan had deemed to be essential for interception at the high altitudes at which the new fighter was meant to operate. The new, larger aircraft was also to be developed into separate versions for maritime use by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
and for West Germany as well as for the RAF.
[Jones 1994, pp. 35, 38.] Saunders-Roe worked on both the SR.53 and SR.177, the latter being worked on by a newly formed High Speed Development Section.
[Wood 1975, p. 58.]
Operational history
![Saro SR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Saro_SR.53.png)
In October 1951, Saunders-Roe obtained facilities at
RAF Hurn
Royal Air Force Hurn or more simply RAF Hurn is a former Royal Air Force station located approximately north west of Christchurch, Dorset, England
Opened in 1941, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. D ...
,
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
, to support the site's use as a base for test flights of the SR.53.
[Wood 1975, p. 62.] This measure had been necessitated by a lack of suitable airfields on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
, where the company was based and typically conducted development from. To this end, the firm constructed a HTP storage faculty at the Hurn site; specialised radio aids were also installed and initially tested using a specially-modified
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
which had been lent by the Ministry of Supply.
[Wood 1975, pp. 62–63.] This setup would ultimately remain unused as flying trials were centered at
RAF Boscombe Down
MoD Boscombe Down ' is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the southeastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Def ...
instead.
On 28 June 1956, the completed first prototype, XD145, was dispatched for assembly by the
Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its wo ...
at RAF Boscombe Down.
[Wood 1975, p. 63.] On 16 January 1957, the first installed ground run of its Spectre engine was performed; on 16 April 1957, this was followed by the first installed ground run of its Viper engine. On 9 May 1957, XD145 conducted the type's first ground taxiing trial.
On 16 May 1957,
Squadron Leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
John Booth DFC was at the controls of XD145 for the first test flight, following up with the maiden flight of the second prototype XD151, on 6 December 1957.
Test results indicated "...an extremely docile and exceedingly pleasant aircraft to fly, with very well harmonized controls".
Both prototypes flew a total of 56 test flights, with Mach 1.33 speeds being obtained.
[London 2010, p. 34.]
While testing at RAE
Boscombe Down
MoD Boscombe Down ' is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the southeastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Def ...
, XD151 crashed on 5 June 1958 during an aborted takeoff on its 12th flight. Running off the runway, the aircraft struck a concrete approach light, exploding on impact and killing its pilot, Squadron Leader Booth.
The remaining prototype continued to fly with Lt Cdr Peter Lamb taking over the flight test programme.
Cancellation
It was 1957 before the first SR.53 took to the air,
just over a month after the infamous
1957 Defence White Paper
The 1957 White Paper on Defence (Cmnd. 124) was a British white paper issued in March 1957 setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected w ...
had been published outlining the British government's policy to largely abandon piloted aircraft in favour of concentrating on missile development. At the same time, jet engine development had progressed a long way in the six years since the SR.53's initial design. Combined with the fact that improvements in
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
had meant that any incoming bomber threat could be detected much earlier, the need for an aircraft like the SR.53 had disappeared, and the project was cancelled on 29 July 1960, with the third prototype (XD153) never built.
Aircraft on display
The first SR.53 prototype, ''XD145'', is preserved at the
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, located in Cosford in Shropshire, is a free (currently, 2022) museum dedicated to the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a non-departme ...
near
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
.
"Saunders-Roe SR53 ."
''rafmuseum.org.'' Retrieved: 8 August 2010.
Operators
;
* Ministry of Supply
Specifications
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
*Buttler, Tony and Jean-Louis Delezenne. ''X-Planes of Europe: Secret Research Aircraft from the Golden Age 1946-1974''. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2012.
* Jones, Barry. "Saro's Mixed Power Saga". ''Aeroplane Monthly'', November 1994, Vol 22 No 11 Issue 259. pp. 32–39. London:IPC. ISSN 0143-7240.
* London, Pete. "Saunders-Roe's Rocket Fighters." ''Aircraft'', Vol. 43, no. 7, July 2010.
* Mason, Francis K. ''The British Fighter since 1912.'' London: Putnam, 1992. .
* Winchester, Jim. "TSR.2." ''Concept Aircraft: Prototypes, X-Planes and Experimental Aircraft''. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc., 2005. .
* Wood, Derek. ''Project Cancelled: The Disaster of Britain's Abandoned Aircraft Projects''. London, UK: Jane's
Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane.
History
Jane's Informat ...
, 2nd edition, 1986. .
*
* Buttler, Tony. ''British Secret Projects: Jet Fighters Since 1950.'' Midland Publishing, 2000. .
* Wood, Derek. ''Project Cancelled''. Macdonald and Jane's Publishers, 1975. .
External links
*
Rocket interceptors and S177
British Aircraft Directory
Unreal Aircraft
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders-Roe Sr.53
1950s British fighter aircraft
Mixed-power aircraft
Rocket-powered aircraft
SR.053
Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United Kingdom
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1957