THE 1960S AIRCRAFT THAT COULD STILL SERVE TODAY

Mythical Plane

The Electric Canberra is an aircraft that would turn out to be the RAF’s longest-serving machine. Although highly efficient, everything changed when the Soviets brought brand new surface-to-air missiles making the Canberra vulnerable to attacks.

By this time, the British needed a brand-new aircraft that could fly under the radar. That’s when the BAC TSR-2 came into the picture.

It had an incredibly advanced design – a key part of that being the terrain following radar, letting the plane operate at incredibly low altitudes at high speed with accuracy.

However, it was never really meant to be. The flight crew had adjourned to a local pub for lunch when they heard the cancellation of the project. The TSR-2 was an advanced aircraft – probably too advanced for the economic climate in Britain at the time.

If it had been in service, it would have a considerably longer fuel range than the Panavia Tornado, done the Tornado’s tactical work with terrain following radar, and would have a 2.5 Mach capability at altitude that’s faster than the Tornado and that’s 30 years later.

What do you think about this mythical plane?