Britain's 300 MPH Most Successful Mistake

The Fairey Delta 2 was a speed demon born almost by accident. What began as a stopgap transonic fighter—a silver dart that looked more like a spacecraft than a warplane—shattered expectations by breaking the sound barrier on its early flights without even engaging afterburners.

On March 10, 1956, test pilot Peter Twiss unleashed the Delta 2's full potential. Streaking over France's Châteauroux airbase, he obliterated the world airspeed record, clocking 1,132 miles per hour, a staggering 300 miles per hour faster than the American F-100 Super Sabre's previous mark.

The Royal Air Force seemed destined to adopt this revolutionary breakneck interceptor until Britain's 1957 Defense White Paper changed everything. Combat aircraft were out; guided missiles were in. The Delta 2 was grounded before it could even take off.

But this wasn't the end. The team behind Britain's fastest fighter found new life for their creation across the Channel...

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[DavyRo]

Yet again British politicians lack of foresight & ambition. Held back our fantastic aviation engineers. It's absolutely criminal the amount of times they've done this over the years. Never ever did it enter their heads, how much profit could be made from selling such a great platform. On many occasions I've wondered to myself, who do British politicians actually represent. It's obvious they never ever believe in investing in British creations & British citizens. Sorry for the political talk but I'm nearly 60 now & the amount of times I've witnessed these people destroy my once proud country. Makes me wonder what they do for the British public that is positive.

[ingramdw]

Sadly Britain has a history of shooting itself in the foot when it comes to aviation. So many "if only ..." moments. Britain could be on top of the aviation world now.

[johnchristmas]

It seems a common comment amongst everyone here, that overall, Westminster has been the Acheilles heel for British Industry and Aviation in particular. The very strange story of TRS2 comes to mind.

[plunder]

The bitter truth is that ALL British Governments (regardless of party) regularly abandon world beating Engineering, Innovation and achievement in almost all sectors - unless it serves their short-term political needs. As a result, the best scientists, engineers, designers and creatives end up leaving Britian to obtain the funding and recognition they need. Post war British Aviation was almost killed off by this political failure. But most high technology sectors have suffered the same fate.

[juliamiller]

Canada made a similar delta wing interceptor, named the Avro Arrow CF105. It was cancelled by the government in 1959 for the same reasons the British cancelled their Delta 2. They were looking to save money by using a missle defence. But the Canadian government destroyed all the airframes and blueprints fearing the information would be leaked to the Soviets.

[truetoffee]

We didn't lose our edge we bloody gave it away, gifting the Soviets the engine's to power those same Migs

[pantzOU]

one day over Korea.
"why does that Mig say "Rolls-Royce" on the engine cowling??"
oh, yeh, about that ...

[richarderickson]

The biggest disasters in post war British Aviation was not the Aircraft but the stuffy British Politicians. Many brilliant designs died at the hands of the houses of Parliament.

[thesnazzycomet]

my great grandfather worked on this plane and was good friends with the test pilot Peter Twiss

[andypughtube]

I think this is the prettiest plane ever. I didn't know it existed until seeing it at Cosford, and was struck by how pretty it is. And how very, very, pointy.

[frostyfrost]

Fairey Delta 2 is now on display at the RAF Museum at Cosford

[tomshiba]

What a stunningly eye-catching design.

[androidemulator]

So that's where the Concorde's "droop snoot" came from ?? - although the Delta2's whole cockpit hinges forward, wheres only the Concorde's nose forward of the cockpit windows tilts. 1952 !!- what a time to be alive in aviation! :)

[percyprune]

The Sandys Paper, and then later in 1964 Harold 'Treason' Wilson with Denis Healey, did to British aviation what Goerring only dreamed of doing in 1940.

[cryptotharg]

The UK made some amazing aircraft for its military during the 1950s and 60s. Strangely, they all got shitcanned before going into full-scale production (except for the Vulcan.) Same with missiles.

[VidarLund-kq]

I remember that Delta 2 fighter well, I built an Airfix plastic model of this one in my younger days. I still have it!

[IronCurtainTwitcher]

Rolls-Royce were given permission in September 1946 to sell 10 Nene engines to the USSR, and in March 1947 to sell a further 15. The price was fixed under a commercial contract. A total of 55 jet engines were sold to the Soviets in 1947. Seventeen Soviet engineers trained at the Rolls-Royce factory in Derby in 1947 to maintain and repair the engine. The Soviets reneged on the promise to not use it for military purposes, and reverse engineered the Nene to develop the Klimov RD-45, and a larger version, the Klimov VK-1, which soon appeared in various Soviet fighters including Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15.

[robert-wrmd]

Wings "swept back at 90 degrees" interesting design.

[tobymaltby]

Britain hadn't *actually* lost it's edge when outclassed by the MiG15 ... it's just that Britain's State Of The Art aviation technology had - thanks to Government Intervention - ended up in the hands of the enemy....

...in the form of the MiG15.

[lancerevell]

Narrator keeps calling it a "warplane", which it never was. Strictly a test plane.