Folland Gnat: Ұңғыл шабуылдағы жеңіл ұшақ

The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept wing subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical combat aircraft, it was procured as a trainer aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as well as by export customers, who used the Gnat in both combat and training capacities. Designed by W. E. W. Petter, the Gnat has its origins in the preceding private venture Folland Midge. The issuing of Operational Requirement OR.303 by the British Air Ministry served to motivate the type's development; the Gnat was later submitted to meet this requirement. Its design allowed for its construction and maintenance tasks to be carried out without specialised tools, making it suitable for use in countries that had not yet become highly industrialised. The Gnat has been viewed as a major motivating factor towards the issuing of the NATO NBMR 1 requirement, which sought to make available a common strike/attack light fighter with which to equip the air forces of the various NATO members. Although never used as a fighter by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Gnat T.1 jet trainer variant was adopted and operated for some time. In the United Kingdom, the Gnat became well known due to its prominent use as the display aircraft of the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatic team. The Gnat F.1 was exported to Finland, Yugoslavia and India. The Indian Air Force became the largest operator and eventually manufactured the aircraft under licence. Impressed by its performance during combat, India proceeded to develop the improved HAL Ajeet, a modified variant of the Gnat. In British service, the Gnat was replaced by the Hawker Siddeley Hawk.

In October 1950, W. E. W. "Teddy" Petter, a British aircraft designer formerly of Westland Aircraft and English Electric, joined Folland Aircraft as its managing director and chief engineer. Almost immediately upon joining the firm, Petter conducted a study into the economics behind modern fighter manufacturing, and concluded that many combat aircraft entailed far too great a cost in terms of man hours and material to be readily mass produced during a major conflict. Development of the Gnat and the specifics of its design were heavily influenced by the issuing of Operational Requirement OR.303, which sought a capable lightweight fighter aircraft. Work to develop the Gnat went ahead, irrespective of any external orders or financing; there was no funding provided to support the type's early development from any British government department, such as the Ministry of Supply. Petter believed that a compact and simplified fighter would offer the advantages of low purchase and operational costs, and that the Gnat should be capable of being manufactured both cheaply and easily. Despite the low powered engine, the compact jet was able to break Mach 1 while in a dive and proved to be very agile during its flying trials. On 20 September 1955, the Midge was destroyed in a crash, which had possibly been due to human error by a pilot from a potential overseas purchaser. The Midge, partly due to its nature as a private venture, had only a short lifespan, however had served as a proof of concept demonstrator for the subsequent aircraft. It had failed to interest the RAF as a combat aircraft at that time, but officers did issue encouragement of the development of a similar aircraft for training purposes. The larger Gnat, which was being developed in parallel with the Midge, was an improved version of the original fighter design; it was differentiated by larger air intakes to suit the Orpheus engine, a slightly larger wing, and provision for the installation of a 30 mm ADEN cannon in each intake lip. The first prototype Gnat was built as a private venture by Folland. Subsequently, six further aircraft were ordered by the British Ministry of Supply for evaluation purposes. Although the evaluation by the British brought no orders for the lightweight fighter, orders were placed by Finland and Yugoslavia. India placed a large order for the type, which included a licence for production by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). However, the Gnat was evaluated in 1958 by the RAF as a replacement for the de Havilland Venom, as well as other light aircraft such as the BAC Jet Provost. The Hawker Hunter was selected as the eventual winner of the fly off competition.

Although RAF interest in the possibilities for using the Gnat as a fighter had waned, Folland identified a potential use for the type as a trainer aircraft. Accordingly, the aircraft was modified to conform with the requirements of Specification T.185D, which had called for an advanced two seat trainer aircraft that could transition pilots between the current de Havilland Vampire T 11 and operational fighters, such as the supersonic English Electric Lightning. On 31 August 1959, the prototype Gnat Trainer conducted its maiden flight from Chilbolton airfield, Hampshire. The Ministry did not at first place a production order as they were concerned about the size and ability of the company to take on a large order. Following the take over of Folland by Hawker Siddeley Aviation (becoming the Hamble division), further orders for 30, 20 and 41 trainers were placed between February 1960 and March 1962, receiving the designation Gnat T Mk. 1. The final Gnat T.1 for the RAF was delivered in May 1965.

Folland sought to develop more capable versions of the Gnat; one of the more substantial of these proposals was tentatively designated as the Gnat Mk.5. This model was to be capable of supersonic speeds and was intended to be made available in both single seat and twin seat configurations, enabling its use in the trainer and interceptor role. The Gnat 5 was to be powered by either a pair of Rolls Royce RB153R engines or two Viper 20 engines; in the interceptor role, it would be also equipped with a Ferranti AI.23 Airpass radar and armed with a pair of de Havilland Firestreak air to air missiles. Under his direction, a variable geometry wing was applied to the basic Gnat 5 design to produce two different configurations – one tailless and one with a conventional tail – for a multipurpose fighter/strike/trainer, designated the Fo.147. The design used a unique mechanism to sweep the wings; this mechanism used a combination of tracks positioned on the fuselage sides, the centerline, and on the underside of the wings, and was actuated by hydraulically driven ball screws positioned at the inner ends of the wings. The Fo.147 was to have been capable of speeds in excess of Mach 2, with the speed limit set by the temperature of the structure as a result of kinetic heating. It had a maximum all up weight of , comparing well with the Gnat 5's more restrictive maximum. According to aviation author Derek Wood, the Fo.147: "would have provided a first class flying test bed for variable geometry theories even a VG conversion of the standard Gnat Mk 2 fighter would have been an invaluable research tool". The cockpit offered many features expected in standard fighter aircraft: full pressurisation, climate control, and an ejection seat. Its tricycle landing gear let it operate from austere grass airstrips, thanks to the aircraft's low weight. although, in the end, none were built. On 31 July 1958, Finnish Air Force Major Lauri Pekuri, a fighter ace of the Second World War, became the first Finnish pilot to break the sound barrier while flying a Gnat at Lake Luonetjärvi. Gnat F.1 proved initially problematic in the harsh Finnish conditions. Finland was the first operational user of Gnat F.1, and the plane still had many issues yet to be resolved. All Gnats were grounded for half a year on 26 August 1958 after the destruction of GN 102 due to a technical design error in its hydraulic system, and the aircraft soon became the subject of severe criticism. Three other aircraft were also destroyed in other accidents, with two pilots ejecting and one being killed. Once the initial problems were ironed out, the plane proved to be extremely manouevreable and had good performance in the air, but also to be very maintenance intensive. The availability of spare parts was always an issue, and its maintenance a challenge to the conscript mechanics. The Gnats were removed from active service in 1972 when the Häme Wing moved to Rovaniemi, and when the new Saab 35 Drakens were brought into use. The first 13 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) were assembled at Hamble le Rice, they were followed by partly completed aircraft and then sub assemblies as Hindustan Aircraft slowly took over first assembly, and then production of the aircraft. The first flight of an Indian Air Force Gnat was in the United Kingdom on 11 January 1958, it was delivered to India in the hold of a C 119, and accepted by the Air Force on 30 January 1958. The first Gnat squadron was the No. 23 (Cheetah), which converted from Vampire FB.52 on 18 March 1960 using six Folland built Gnats. The first aircraft built from Indian built parts first flew in May 1962. The last Indian built Gnat F.1 was delivered on 31 January 1974. The Gnat was an extremely difficult aircraft to handle in the early stages of training. Unlike the RAF, the IAF did not buy a trainer version. Inductees were brought in from Hunter aircraft squadrons, having gained experience on powered controls. They then flew dual checks on the Hunter trainer. The pilot would do a brief full throttle run on the runway before flying solo. The Gnat had a tendency to pitch up sharply on raising the undercarriage; almost all new pilots would find it difficult to control the anticipated pitch up. During the initial phase of the 1965 war, an IAF Gnat, piloted by Squadron Leader Brij Pal Singh Sikand, landed at an abandoned Pakistani airstrip at Pasrur and was captured by the PAF. Two Lockheed F 104 Starfighters claimed to have forced the Gnat down. Sikand — who had a complete electrical failure on his Gnat while he got separated from the IAF flight to fight a Sabre — had to make an emergency landing at the PAF field at Pasrur. This Gnat is displayed as a war trophy in the Pakistan Air Force Museum, Karachi. After the ceasefire, one Pakistani Cessna O 1 was shot down on 16 December 1965 by a Gnat. The most notable action was the Battle of Boyra where the first dogfights over East Pakistan (Bangladesh) took place. The Indian Air Force (IAF) Gnats shot down two PAF Canadair Sabres and badly damaged one. Another notable dogfight involving a Gnat was over Srinagar airfield where a lone Indian pilot held out against six Sabres, shooting two Sabres in the process, before being shot down. Gnat pilot Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was posthumously honoured with the Param Vir Chakra (India's highest gallantry award), becoming the only member of the IAF to be given the award. By the end of 1971, the Gnat proved to be a frustrating opponent for the larger, heavier and older Sabre. The Gnat was referred to as a "Sabre Slayer" by the IAF since most of its combat "kills" during the two wars were against Sabres despite the Canadair Sabre Mk 6 being widely regarded as the best dogfighter of its era. Tactics called for Gnats taking on the Sabres in the vertical arena, where the Sabres were at a disadvantage. As the Gnat was lightweight and compact in shape, it was hard to see, especially at the low levels where most dogfights took place. and an unreliable control system. To address these failings, the IAF issued a requirement for an improved "Gnat II" in 1972, at first specifying that the new version was to be optimised as an interceptor but then expanding the specification to include ground attack. Over 175 of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited built licensed version, the Ajeet ("Unconquerable"), were produced in Bangalore. Several Gnats remain in use in private hands. Some IAF Gnats, one of which had participated in the 1971 war in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), were presented to the Bangladesh Air Force.

31 July 1956 the prototype G 39 2 crashed at Stockbridge and was destroyed after structural failure caused by tailplane flutter.7
26 August 1958 Finnish Air Force GN 102 was destroyed near Tampere due to a technical design error in its hydraulic system. The pilot ejected. 15 October 1958 a development F.1 XK767 fatally crashed at Stapleford, Wiltshire following presumed control failure. 13 April 1966 RAF Gnat T.1 XP507 of 4FTS flew into the sea on approach to RAF Valley. 23 August 1967 RAF Gnat T.1 XP512 abandoned overhead RAF Valley at 3000 feet (914 m) following seizure of Hobson Unit in tailplane during previous roller landing. Instructor seriously injured; student pilot uninjured. Aircraft flew on for about five minutes in large circle before crashing on Rhosneigr beach amongst bathers but inflicted no injuries on the public. 26 March 1969 RAF Gnat T.1 XR573 of the Red Arrows crashed into tree during formation display practice. 20 January 1971 RAF Gnat T.1s XR545 and XR986 of the Red Arrows collided and both crashed during practice display flying at RAF Kemble. 3 September 1975 RAF Gnat T.1 XS103 of the CFS collided with an Italian Air Force Lockheed F 104 Starfighter near Leck in Germany; both aircraft landed safely but due to damage the Gnat was written off. 28 October 1975 RAF Gnat T.1 XR571 of the 4 FTS RAF had a hard landing and declared a write off at RAF Valley, Anglesey. 30 April 1976 two RAF Gnat T.1s XP536 and XR983 of 4FTS collided and both crashed over North Wales. 30 June 1976 RAF Gnat T.1 XM707 of the Red Arrows was abandoned near RAF Kemble following loss of control of tailplane. 8 October 1976 RAF Gnat T.1 'XR996' of 4FTS crashed on approach at RAF Shawbury. Both crew killed. 10 January 1991 Shreveport, LA N3XR crashed, attributed to fuel starvation. 2 fatalities. NTSB Id: FTW91FA028
29 July 2013 Gnat T.1 XS105 (N18GT) crashed near Georgetown, SC, USA. The aircraft was destroyed. 1 August 2015, Gnat T.1 XP504 (though labelled XS111) of a Gnat display team crashed at the 'CarFest North' motoring festival at Oulton Park in Cheshire, during a display at the event; no ground injuries. Pilot Kevin Whyman died in the incident.

Several Gnats survive including some airworthy examples (particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom) and others on public display.

Four privately owned Gnat T.1s together with an Ajeet portrayed the fictional carrier based "Oscar EW 5894 Phallus" tactical fighter bombers flown by US Navy pilots in the 1991 comedy Hot Shots!.