In the 1950s, the Cold War confrontation between the two camps was getting better, and the Iron Curtain that blocked the Eastern and Western worlds was becoming increasingly stable with the service of a large number of air defense missile systems. Major countries have adjusted their military institutions one after another, intending to take the lead in a new confrontational environment. Among them, there is , which has a very tight budget, and the Royal Air Force . They placed almost all their expectations for the future on the ambitious TSR-2 bomber .
postcard of the TRS-2 bomber
, but the twists and turns of strategy and backfire technical mistakes made the plan eventually die. The Royal Air Force, which was originally a pioneer in the industry, will also fall from the altar due to the difficult delivery of TSR-2.
The 3V bomber in the early Cold War was the benchmark product of the British aviation industry
As early as the late 1940s, the British aviation industry made great efforts for the advent of the jet power era. has not only developed excellent fighter such as meteors, vampires, seahawks, javelins and lightning, but has also made great achievements in the more important bomber field. First, it launched Canberra, which was sold to many countries, and then used heavy-duty Vulcan, Warriors and Winners to form a 3V machine group. Although it cannot be compared with the United States, which has a great career, it is enough to suppress potential competitors such as France and Italy in Europe. Even the Soviet Air Force, as its opponent, relied on excellent engines produced by Rolls-Royce to complete the cross-age MiG-15 fighter layout.
Air defense missile system led by SA-2 makes traditional heavy bombers out of place
However, the air defense missile system represented by SA-2 has made many traditional air force tactics very place
However, the air defense missile system represented by SA-2 has emerged, making many traditional air force tactics very place . , especially units such as the 3V family that perform medium and high-altitude bombing missions, have almost deprived of most of the battlefield survivability. At the same time, the RAF must continue to maintain its long-range nuclear deterrence capabilities, so it cannot be satisfied with using only tactical attack aircraft at the Jaguar, Hunter and Scimitar level. So I hope to have some kind of brand new strategic/tactical bomber to solve all foreseeable problems at once.
, designed for 40 years, is the direct replacement object of the TSR-2 project
However, the ready-made manufacturers started the design work and were severely damaged by the joint efforts of the Ministry of Defense and some experts. According to the devastating "1957 White Paper" instructions, the United Kingdom of is ready to abandon its expensive pursuit of bomber forces and turn its attention to rocket development so that it can have the medium-range ballistic missile that can penetrate the iron curtain as soon as possible. This forced the Air Force to directly lower its cost scale and performance vision, and allow unformed plans to directly reduce their value. What's even more annoying is that Royal Navy was in danger in this round of budget cutting, and even recommended the Pirate Heavy Attack Plane he chose. The result was naturally rejected by the arrogant Air Force.
Blue striped medium-range ballistic missile in the test
Fortunately, there is no way out. After the war, Britain's long-term economic weakness has almost made the investment of almost all industrial departments a little stingy. Because of this, the blue striped medium-range ballistic missile, which was originally highly anticipated, was very unsuccessful, and was directly cancelled under the criticism of many departments. The RAF was forced to return to the right track and prepare to replace the old ministers, including the Canberra and the 3V family, with new tactical bombers.
The Royal Navy's Pirate Attack Machine is an early competitor to the TSR-2 project
At the same time, the British Electric Appliance Company, which has long been commissioned by the military, has initially completed the prototype concept machine code name P.17A. , a light bomber operated by two people, has the very fashionable delta wing layout at the time, thus having a high-altitude sprint speed of Mach 2.Even if it is loaded with 4 450 kilogram bombs, it can fly continuously for 3,700 kilometers and implement low-altitude penetration at supersonic speed of Mach 1.2. Such data is undoubtedly very attractive, and similar competitors such as the US B-58 and the French Phantom 4 are not at all inferior. In addition, due to the eternal difficulties such as the airport being destroyed, the prototype also has a special version with duckbill wings. This way, short-range takeoffs can be carried out at temporary airports at World War II level, without relying on regular bases like the 3V series.
Early P.17 prototype scheme The appearance is closer to the US military's B-58 bomber
On the other hand, the old military-industrial enterprise Vix Armstrong also tried to get involved in the project. Because of the launch of the very successful Victor Heavy Bomber and having multiple cooperations in other fields, it was instructed to jointly manufacture with British Electric Appliances. In fact, it may be just a matter of funding, allowing more capable contractors to preserve the production line. But anyway, the renamed TSR-2 program was approved by parliament in 1959, which seemed to be just one step away from success.
Another version of P.17 prototype uses duckbill wings to improve short-range takeoff capabilities
Unfortunately, the previously promulgated "1957 Defense White Paper" has caused permanent damage to the fragile British aviation industry. Due to the rapid reduction of the share of cake visible to the naked eye, many companies that originally had military aircraft R&D capabilities were forced to reduce their related production capacity. In that era when US and Soviet weapons were sold globally, British military products could no longer obtain large overseas orders and could only rely on bidding for domestic projects to make a living. However, the policy-level turnaround and shortage of bidders will make the remaining technical team a little overwhelmed. As for the "charity practice" , which combines the two prototypes into one, it has greatly extended the construction period of TSR-2. Just the issue of other subsystems such as nuclear bomb specifications and reconnaissance vehicles is enough for the military and manufacturers to spend years of disputes.
TSR-2 bomber three-sided design drawings
By 1964, this new bomber revealed its true face under the harsh criticism of the Labor government and began a series of test flights in September of that year. Because the two Bristol-Sidley Olympus engines are very powerful, the TSR-2 can easily achieve supersonic cruise flight of Mach 1-1.12. But if you continue to increase your horsepower, you will immediately encounter the problem of violent vibration of fuel pump . In addition, the planned WE .177A nuclear bomb aviation has defects, and the shell will cause an overheating risk due to long-term air friction, and the forced pilot can only keep the aircraft supersonic propulsion for 5 minutes at a time. In addition, the seemingly simple landing gear is often unable to be closed, and basically exposed signs of technological degradation in the British aviation industry at that time.
The TSR-2 is undergoing test flights and the internal cockpit
In order to compete with the rising costs, the British are looking for potential buyers for TSR-2 early, with Australia having the strongest interest. Unfortunately, the latter is no longer the autonomous gang under the imperial system, and has completely evolved into an ordinary state protected by the US military. so in 1963, he chose to buy F111 fighter bomber instead of still busy adjusting various defective test items.
Double the R&D cost to make the TSR-2 project directly cancelled
But American weapons fans are far more than Oceania , and they also have taken root and sprouted within the United Kingdom. Given that the R&D cost of TSR-2 has successfully doubled within 10 years, the Labor government was preparing to announce it was abandoned in 1964. The plan was temporarily put on hold only due to the marching of employees of the two defense contractors. waited until the cabinet meeting discussed next year before the entire project was completely shot as expected. At this time, the number of prototypes produced was only 3 for huge amounts of money.
TSR-2 bomber retained in the Aviation Museum
Due to the TSR-2 project being cut, the Royal Air Force had to continue to use the old 3V series bomber until the end of the Cold War. During , the Labor government promised to purchase 50-110 F-111Ks from the United States for replacement in order to calm its emotions and suppress the Navy's heavy aircraft carrier plan. The result was also left unresolved due to rising costs, forcing the Air Force to receive F-4K and pirates from the Navy to act as the successor to the light bomber. As for more tactical tasks, they were evenly distributed to Jaguars and the Fierce Wind Fighter Bombers that served in the 1980s.
Labour Party once agreed to invest in the purchase of the F-111K fighter bomber
Canberra's successor is actually the pirate attack aircraft that was rejected by the Air Force at the time
More importantly, the collapse of the middle road of the TSR-2 project indicates that the UK has lost its ability to independently develop high-performance fighter jets. Even though , the engine of Rolls-Royce is still far ahead, the BAE Group, which was reorganized later, is strong, and cannot withstand the soaring costs caused by inflation and technology replacement. Only follow the multi-country cooperation model and participate in major joint projects such as typhoons and F-35. After the
TSR-2 project, the British could only participate in the Typhoon and F35 plan
. Affected by this, the Royal Air Force's global presence ability has also rapidly declined. completely retreated from the independent third-level altar that was different from the United States and the Soviet Union, and was reduced to an ordinary main force under the framework of NATO collective defense.
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