Fairey E.R.103 (F.155T)

History

To provide the Royal Air Force (RAF) with a new, Mach 2 capable, all-weather, high-altitude interceptor/fighter, many industry players have dubbed the "Operational Requirement F. 115T" (or OR F. 115T) . The F115T was formed from discussions by the authorities in the mid-1950s, and was officially designed on 15 January 1955 - a supersonic high-altitude threat bomber designed to counter Soviet nuclear weapons to counter would defeat the in-service Gloucester Meteor and Javelin Jet fighter jet design. The result was a series of designs adopted by the usual defense industry players such as Armstrong Whitworth (AW), de Havilland (DH), English Electric (EE), Hawker and Fairey during this period.

The requirement is to focus on strong performers, able to deal head-on with any incoming aerial threat. This means throwing multiple jet engines (or even rocket thrusters) into the mix to provide the required rate of climb (RoC) and top speed, while paying particular attention to the overall aerodynamic design aimed at achieving a Mach 2 flight envelope.

The advanced aircraft will also need to support an "airborne intercept" (A.I.) radar in its nose, and will likely require a crew of two to spread the workload. The radar will be combined with a complete weapon system that has yet to be developed and perfected, focused on delivering a powerful air-to-air missile (AAM).

All had to be operational by the 1962 deadline.

For Fairey engineers, a submission intended to fill this role was based on the existing 1954 "Delta 2" single-seat, single-engine experimental research aircraft - the single-engine product was completed and passed through two Example flight and important supersonic flight data collected. A decision was made to revise this design while retaining its relatively compact footprint and as many existing components as possible to expedite delivery of the new RAF Mach 2 interceptor.

For Fairey, the new design is called "E.R. 103."

The E.R. 103 features a single-seat cockpit, single-engine mount, and the unique ability of the nose to "tilt down" (aka "sag") along the aircraft hinge for over-walking, take-off or landing to improve the pilot's vision.

The engines would be buried in the rear of the fuselage, drawn in through rectangular air intakes on the sides of the fuselage and exhausted through a single circular port under the tail. The nose section will house the radar seats (this will become the Ferranti A.I. 23 series unit), with the cockpit located directly aft. The view should be partially obscured by the canopy frame and the raised fuselage spine behind that location.

The wing main aircraft will provide a delta type large area surface without the use of a horizontal stabilizer, and wingtip hardpoints can be used to carry one AAM per wing element. A single vertical fin will be placed above the tail.

Ground operation is achieved via a retractable tricycle unit with an extended nose cone that gives the aircraft a pronounced "nose-up" attitude on the ground.

At this point it is clear that the missile of choice will be the Blue Jay Mk. 4 Series AAM.

Power comes from a de Havilland "Gyron" afterburning turbojet of unknown thrust, which will be paired with 2 de Havilland "Ghost" rocket boosters to provide short bursts of power. Engineers estimate a top speed of about Mach 2.5 with all systems enabled at altitudes of 60,000 to 90,000 feet.

Therefore, cockpit pressurization and ejection seats as well as titanium alloy construction to handle the temperatures generated at such high speeds/altitudes are a must.

This early F.155 project was eventually approved by British authorities, prompting Fairey to develop plans for a larger interceptor using the same principles (again to expedite final delivery). The form features two engines arranged side-by-side, which in turn are complemented by rocket boost performance - a combination of 2 x Rolls-Royce RBs. 122 (enlarged version of earlier RB.106 series units) or DH Gyron afterburner turbojet with 2 x Spectre missiles. Like the earlier earlier E.R. 103 and Delta 2 research aircraft, this expanded F.155T proposal would use drooping nose capability for close-to-ground operations.

Rocket loading has now shifted from wingtips to underwing hardpoints, as this provides better and stronger support for heavier rockets.

Like the E.R. 103, the newer F. 155T product was rejected by the authorities before the end, and after the 1957 defense review ("Defense White Paper" of April 1957), all work on manned fighter jets ceased . The beginning of the "Rocket Age".

The scrutiny has done irreparable damage to the UK aviation industry, with many major brands being more or less forced to concentrate their capabilities.

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