BAe Kingston P.1214 (X-Wing Fighter)

Advertisements

Even before the "Kestrel" and the subsequent "Harrier" jump jet forms emerged from British aerospace development, the country's engineering minds at Bae Kingston were hard at work on the technology. Several designs were being pursued of which many entered the paper stages and others graduated to become subscale models. One of the most intriguing concepts of the period became the P.1214 project which would have given the British Royal Air Force (RAF) a true "X-Wing Fighter", named after the Star Wars universe space fighter (indeed it was known as the "Star Wars Fighter" for a time). The aircraft was named as such due to the crossing nature of the mainplanes through the middle-/aft-end of the fuselage - producing a distinct "X" arrangement when viewed from the top-down profile.

The P.1214 of the late 1970s was developed along the lines of an Advanced Short Take-Off / Vertical Landing(ASTO/VL) fighter design - the aircraft intended to operate from runways, ships, and open fields with equal success. This required a thrusting component to achieve the necessary vertical lift and thus the aircraft would have been powered in such fashion by a PCM ("Plenum Chamber Burning") component fitted under the vehicle - the component utilizing at least three flexible, swiveling vector-thrusters to achieve the desired result.

The core form of the fighter was conventional with a sharp nose assembly featured forward and a tapering middle / aft section towards the empennage. The single-seat, pressurized cockpit would come equipped with an ejection seat and sport a simple two-piece canopy for excellent vision. Under the aircraft would reside the structure housing for the PCM, the forward face showcasing a large, rounded-rectangle intake for aspiration with exhaust jettisoned through the three thrusters.

However, the main physical quality of the fighter were the mainplanes which were swept forward in the design. Engineers were hoping to find performance gains through such an unconventional approach. The wings were well-blended into the roots and joined to the structure were the rearward-swept horizontal tailplanes completing the "X" appearance of the wing arrangement. Booms ran out of the planes to further extend the design aft to which each boom seated an outward-canted vertical plane (rudder). The result was one of the most futuristic fighter concepts of the period that may have worked if put into physical form.

P.1214 marked a series of studies related to some of the same concepts. The aircraft progressed into the P.1214-3 and its finalized form, the P.1214-4 - this offering did away with the X-Wing planform altogether and instead relied on conventional tail booms. By 1984, the novelty of the proposal had worn off and it was further found that forward-swept mainplanes offered little improvement over swept-back approaches. Beyond ending up in some publications of the day, nothing more on the project was had.

Had it achieved operational service, the P.1214 (in its more interesting P.1214-3 form) would have carried advanced short-ranged and medium-ranged Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) as well as had provision for missiles and bombs, the latter most likely carried at the forward section of the booms. Wingtip missile mounts were also planned for AAMs.

The subsequent P.1216 proposal borrowed the design lines of the P.1216-4 with its tail booms but equally fell to naught.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1980

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

Production

0
UNITS

BAe (Kingston) - UK

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United Kingdom (abandoned)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

✓ Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

VERTICAL TAKE-OFF / LANDING (VTOL)

Series has a tactical capability to take-off and / or land vertically, a quality commonly associated with helicopters.

RADAR-CAPABLE

Houses, or can house (through specialized variants), radar equipment for searching, tracking, and engagement of enemy elements.

COUNTERMEASURES

Survivability enhanced by way of onboard electronic or physical countermeasures enacted by the aircraft or pilot/crew.

DIRECTIONAL THRUST

Engine outlet(s) designed to direct thrust to certain angles, achieving enhanced agility.

HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE

Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

MARITIME OPERATION

Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

PILOT / CREW EJECTION SYSTEM

Assisted process of allowing its pilot and / or crew to eject in the event of an airborne emergency.

CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION

Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)

Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE

Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.

Length

49.2 ft
(15.00 m)

Width/Span

33.2 ft
(10.11 m)

Empty Wgt

22,046 lb
(10,000 kg)

MTOW

36,376 lb
(16,500 kg)

Wgt Diff

+14,330 lb
(+6,500 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the BAe Kingston P.1214-3 production variant)

monoplane / mid-mounted / swept-forward

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.

Mid-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted along the midway point of the sides of the fuselage.

Swept-Forward (Forward Cranked)
The mainplanes showcase a forward sweep of the leading and trailing edges.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the BAe Kingston P.1214-3 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Rolls-Royce RB.422.48 turbofan engine with 3 x Thurst-vectoring nozzles developing 25,500 lb of thrust.

Max Speed

771 mph
(1,240 kph | 670 kts)

Cruise Speed

590 mph
(950 kph | 513 kts)

Max. Speed Diff

+180 mph
(+290 kph | 157 kts)

Ceiling

40,190 ft
(12,250 m | 8 mi)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the BAe Kingston P.1214-3 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

Not Finalized; Most likely to have supported short-ranged and medium-ranged air-to-air missiles as well as air-to-surface missiles, precision-guided bombs, and conventional drop bombs. Possible internal automatic cannon.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of a short-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of a medium-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of an aircraft air-to-surface missile

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an aircraft guided bomb munition

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 2

Mounting Points

HARDPOINT(S) KEY:

COLOR KEY:

Fuselage Centerline

Fuselage Port/Wingroot

Fuselage Starboard/Wingroot

Wing/Underwing

Wingtip Mount(s)

Internal Bay(s)

Not Used

Note: Diagram above does not take into account inline hardpoints (mounting positions seated one-behind-the-other).

P.1214 - Base Project Designation.

P.1214-3 - X-Wing planform with tail booms.

R.1214-4 - Conventional swept-back wings with tail booms.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image of the BAe Kingston P.1214 (X-Wing Fighter)

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing all American military medals and ribbons.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)

BAe Kingston P.1214 (X-Wing Fighter)

Fighter-Interceptor Concept [ 1980 ]

BAe Kingston drew up plans for the P.1214 X-Wing Fighter as an advanced STOVL aircraft.

Specifications

Images Gallery