7 Jun 1946
On 15 May 1941, the experimental Gloster E.28/39 made the first flight by a British jet-propelled aircraft. The Gloster Meteor became the Royal Air Force's (RAF) first operational jet aircraft with the delivery of the first aircraft to No 616 Squadron RAF on 12 July 1944.
In May 1946 ex-RAF Meteor F.3 EE427 arrived at RAAF Laverton from the UK. It was assembled and flown as A77-1, the first jet fighter officially brought on charge by the RAAF in June 1946.
The Meteor Mk.8 was the first RAAF jet to go to war. Ninety-three Meteor Mk.8s and four Mk.7s were delivered to the RAAF for service in Korea. They were flown by No 77 Squadron.
The Meteor was armed with four 20mm cannons in nose; eight 27 kg rockets or two 454 kg bombs under wings.
To learn more, download this extract from Aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force by David Richardson and Peter Wood.
Related aircraft
- Meteor