Vickers V-1000
| V-1000 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Airliner and cargo aircraft prototype |
| Manufacturer | Vickers-Armstrongs |
| First flight | Not flown |
| Status | Project cancelled |
| Number built | 1 |
The Vickers-Armstrongs V-1000 was an intended jet-powered cargo aircraft that was designed to meet a requirement issued by the British Ministry of Supply which sought a strategic transport for the Royal Air Force (RAF) to support its strategic bomber fleet, particularly the V-bombers. The design bears many similarities to the Vickers Valiant, one of the V-bombers, but also featured substantial changes. In addition to its military application, both the Ministry and Vickers also intended to use the same basic design as the VC7, a six-abreast trans-Atlantic jet airliner for British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).
In 1955, by which point the prototype was already largely complete, the Ministry of Supply decided to terminate the V-1000 project in mid-development. By this time, the design had garnered interest from the airlines, and had led to re-designs being conducted by competing US manufacturers, impacting the design of the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. The V-1000 is one of the great "what-ifs" of British aviation, and its cancellation was the topic of considerable debate in the House of Commons.
We have handed to the Americans, without a struggle, the entire world market for big jet airliners.
During the early 1950s, Britain's civil aircraft industry was releasing and manufacturing multiple competitive and innovative aircraft designs. These include the de Havilland Comet, the world's first jet-powered commercial transport aircraft, the Vickers Viscount, the world's first turboprop-powered commercial airliner, and the Bristol Britannia, a turboprop-powered aircraft capable of conducting routine transatlantic flights; all of these designs had their origins in the specifications laid out by the wartime Brabazon Committee. With these aircraft, Britain appeared to be on track to capturing a large slide of the global demand for civil aircraft for the foreseeable future.
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Wikipedia