Supermarine Type 508 (RAF)

Jet-Powered Day Fighter / Interceptor Proposal [ 1951 ]

The Supermarine Type 508 was revised from its navalized form to become a Day Fighter proposal for the British Royal Air Force.

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Supermarine was the third aero-concern to offer its proposal - the Type 508 - to the British Air Ministry's F.43/46 (Operational Requirement 228) seeking to satisfy a Day Fighter requirement for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Type 508 followed the Gloster P.234 and the Hawker P.1054 / P.1061 proposals (both detailed elsewhere on the Military Factory) of which none were formally selected outright. The Hawker designs, however, went down an evolutionary road to begat the "P.1067" which, in turn, became the classic swept-wing, jet-powered Hawker Hunter jet-powered fighter of the early Cold War period for Britain and led a healthy and long operational service life from there.

For Supermarine's part in the project, the company simply worked off of its naval-minded Type 508 which flew for the first time, in prototype form, on August 8th, 1951. The original, relatively oversized fighter aircraft had side-mounted intakes, straight mainplanes, and "V-type" tail unit with outward-canted planes. Planned armament was 4 x 30mm Aden automatic cannons and power would come from a pair of Rolls-Royce Avon RA.3 turbojet engines of 6,500lb thrust each.

At any rate, the Type 508 in its navalized form never materialized beyond prototypes but was resurrected for the RAF requirement. One of the primary requirements of the new fighter would be carrying a massive, still in-development, 4.5" automatic cannon in the fuselage with seven proximity-based rounds afforded to it. The Rolls-Royce AJ.65 or the competing Metrovick F.9 turbojets were the preliminary powerplant and this would appear in paired form for maximum power and performance at the expense of fuel burn. Maximum speed of the resulting aircraft would be in the 580 miles-per-hour range with an operating ceiling of around 45,000 feet.

Unlike the original straight-wing-only Type 508 aircraft, the revised version being offered was displayed in both a straight-wing and swept-wing forms to satisfy the Air Ministry on both fronts. The straight-winged model would be a fail-safe design against the more advanced, though still untested, swept-wing model. As such, the straight-wing design could, at some future time, be converted to swept-wing form as technology and research allowed. Similarly, the intended 4.5" autocannon could someday be revised to a 4 x 30mm cannon battery as needed by the service.

Like its navalized Type 508, the revised Type 508 was not furthered.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Supermarine - UK
Manufacturer(s)

United Kingdom (cancelled)
Operators

1951
Service Year

United Kingdom
National Origin

Cancelled
Project Status

1
Crew

0
Units

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
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.

X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

MULTI-ENGINE
Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.

WING SWEEPBACK
Mainplanes, or leading edges, features swept-back lines for enhanced high-speed performance and handling.

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.

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.

46.4 ft
(14.15 meters)
Length

40.0 ft
(12.20 meters)
Width/Span

17,251 lb
(7,825 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

monoplane / mid-mounted / straight
Mainplane Arrangement

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

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

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

2 x Rolls-Royce AJ.65 OR Metrovick F.9 turbojet engine developing 6,500lb of thrust each unit.
Propulsion

662 mph
(1,065 kph | 575 knots)
Max Speed

429 mph
(690 kph | 373 knots)
Cruise Speed

+233 mph
(+375 kph | 202 knots)
Speed Difference

44,997 ft
(13,715 m | 9 miles)
Ceiling

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

PROPOSED:
1 x 4.5" internal automatic cannon (initial) OR 4 x 30mm Aden automatic cannons (perhaps to come later).

0
Hardpoints

Type 508 (RAF) - Revised air force form drawn up in straight-wing and swept-wing proposals (neither selected).

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