Days of thunder

摘要

In this issue we pay tribute to one of the true greats of British Cold War design and engineering, the English Electric Lightning. Although there are no Lightnings currently flying in the UK, the type remains a source of great fascination, and is usually regarded as being Britain's greatest fighter of its era. The entire project would have been cancelled if former Minister of Defence Duncan Sandys had had his way, and yet the unorthodox fighter - renowned for its phenomenal speed and noise - went on to serve the RAF and other nations with distinction. With a series of features and rarely seen images we look back at the supersonic jet's origins and history.