Gloster
Meteor F Mk.8
Gloster's Meteor holds the honor
of being the first jet fighter to see service with the Allies in World
War Two. Continued development kept the twin jet fighter competitive until
the arrival of the first representatives of the second generation swept
wing fighters such as the F-86 Sabre and the Soviet MiG-15. The most common
variant to see service was the F Mk.8, which entered service late in 1949.
Meteors gave good service in Korea, being operated as fighter-bombers.
Like the American straight wing fighters, the Meteor was generally out-classed
by the MiG-15 and was not the aircraft of choice for mixing it up with
the high performance Soviet fighters. Nonetheless, the Meteor held its
own through superior pilot training and tactics. Losses were largely the
result of anti-aircraft fire. The RAAF 77 Squadron traded its tired F-51
Mustangs for Meteor F Mk.8s in 1951, and lost 52 out of the 93 ex-RAF Meteors eventually deployed.
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