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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. English Electric Lightning F6, UK - Air Force AN2260192: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation· GFDL 1.2
- 2. EE Lightning F.53 418 G-AXEE Kuw LEB 07.06.69 edited-5: RuthAS· CC BY 3.0
- 3. EE Lightning F6 XS904 BQ (7173122840): Alan Wilson· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 4. EE Lightning T.55 55-714 RSAF COLT 14.09.68 edited-3: RuthAS· CC BY 3.0
- 5. Ee lightning t4 xm974 arp: Adrian Pingstone ( Arpingstone )· Public domain
- 6. Electric Lightning & Jaguar (Cape Town, South Africa, 2002): Godot13· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 7. English Electric Lightning F.6, Warner-Robbins Air Museum, Georgia: Greg Goebel· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 8. English Electric Lightning F1A, UK - Air Force AN0675731: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation· GFDL 1.2
- 9. English Electric Lightning F3, UK - Air Force AN1127832: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation· GFDL 1.2
- 10. English Electric Lightning F3, UK - Air Force AN2056574: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation· GFDL 1.2
what is it?
The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor from 1960 to 1988. It is capable of a top speed above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric.
How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 10.6 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 69 years ago, in 1957.
- Wingspan of 10.6 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1957-04-04
- introduced
- 1959
- retired
- 2009
- status
- retired
- number built
- 334
- role
- interceptor (primary); fighter
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- British Aircraft Corporation, English Electric
- engines
- 2× Avon
- crew
- 1
- length
- 16.8 m
- wingspan
- 10.6 m
- height
- 6 m
- top speed
- —
- range
- —
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q19381, Wikipedia: English Electric Lightning (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.