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The Swift was a single-seat swept-wing fighter powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon axial-flow turbojet engine. On 10 July 1952 the prototype established an international point-to-point record between London and Brussels, covering 320km in 18 minutes 3.3 seconds, representing a speed of 1,071.7km/h. On 25 September 1953 a Swift F.4 raised the world speed record to 1,184km/h over a 3 km course.
The RAF received a total of about 60 Swift F.1s, F.2s and F.3s, with an Avon RA.7 turbojet engine and two 30mm Aden cannon; four Aden cannon and a new wing planform with compound leading-edge taper; and with an Avon RA.7R engine with afterburner and changes to the rear fuselage respectively. These versions were not used operationally. The Swift F.4 had an all-moving tail of increased area. Only the FR.5 was used for any length of time and was a fighter-reconnaissance aircraft with a longer nose to accommodate a camera. Deliveries began in 1956. Sixty were flown by the RAF; one further aircraft ordered crashed on delivery and several others were not completed.
| MODEL | Swift FR. Mk 5 |
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x Rolls-Royce Avon 114 turbojet, 42.04kN |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 9707 kg | 21400 lb |
| Empty weight | 6094 kg | 13435 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 9.86 m | 32 ft 4 in |
| Length | 12.88 m | 42 ft 3 in |
| Height | 4.11 m | 13 ft 6 in |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 1102 km/h | 685 mph |
| Ceiling | 13960 m | 45800 ft |
| Range | 1014 km | 630 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 2 x 30mm cannon |
 | A three-view drawing (1640 x 1127) |
| Crawshaw, philcrawshaw05(@)uwclub.net, 19.10.2009 The Swift Mk 5 had no problems above 25000ft. It was wonderfully stable at high speed/low level making it a superb photographic platform. Only problem range at low level without slipper tank | | paul scott, psmiddx(@)yahoo.com, 14.08.2009 A fine looking aircraft, shame that it had problems/dangerous flying conditions above 25,000 feet - ironic that the excellent Spitfire had never been bettered by the company and just faded into oblivion. |
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COMPANY
PROFILE
FACTS AND FIGURES© The F.4 and later models had
a variable-incidence tailplane
which finally cured the
Swift's pitch-up problems. © During development the engine was
changed from the Rolls-Royce Nene to the
slimmer Avon. It was too late to change the
fuselage, which was fatter than necessary. © Armament of the Swift F.1 and FR.5
was two 30mm cannon.
Most other models had four 30mm cannon, and eight
unguided rockets.
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