Supermarine 525
| Supermarine 525 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The Type 525 demonstrating at the 1954 Farnborough air show | |
| Role | Prototype naval fighter |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Supermarine |
| First flight | 27 April 1954 |
| Status | Crashed 5 July 1955 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Supermarine 508 |
| Developed into | Supermarine Scimitar |
The Supermarine Type 525 was a British prototype naval jet fighter aircraft of the 1950s.
The Type 525 was a late development of the Type 508 of which three examples had been ordered from Supermarine in November 1947 to Air Ministry specification N.9/47. The Type 508s were to be development aircraft for a carrier-borne interceptor, reconnaissance and low-level nuclear strike aircraft to be built later by Supermarine to specification N.113D and which became the Type 544 which entered service as the Scimitar.
The first Type 508, serial VX129, was a straight-winged jet aircraft fitted with a V-tail ("butterfly") tail intended for use with rubber deck landing techniques, the choice of wide, flattish fuselage and V-tail being designed to provide adequate stability and clearance when landing without a normal undercarriage. It first flew on 31 August 1951. The second Type 508 VX136 was fairly similar to the first aircraft but was redesignated as the Type 529 and first flew on 29 August 1952.
The third Type 508 VX138, built like the others at Supermarine's Hursley Park experimental department, was modified on the production line to closer to Scimitar standards and was redesignated the Type 525. This aircraft was delivered by road to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, on 25 April 1954. It made its first flight on 27 April 1954 at the hands of Supermarine's test pilot M J Lithgow.
The Type 525 was powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets and fitted with a taller tricycle undercarriage positioned further out on the wings than on the Type 508. It had a conventional tail and rudder surfaces and swept wings. It made its first public appearance at the September 1954 Farnborough Airshow.
The aircraft made further test flights during late 1954 from its base at Chilbolton airfield, Hampshire. In early 1955 it was taken by road to the Hursley Park factory for the installation of a flap blowing system. This was designed to reduce the safe landing approach speed, an obvious advantage for safe operation from aircraft carriers. It also lowered the speed at which catapult launches would be carried out.
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