--- title: "Gloster Meteor — OnlyPlanes" description: "Gloster Meteor was the first jet aircraft in Royal Air Force service." canonical_url: "https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/gloster-meteor" locale: en meta: keywords: "aviation, aircraft, airlines, airports, flight" "og:description": "Gloster Meteor was the first jet aircraft in Royal Air Force service." "og:image": "https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/gloster-meteor.webp" "og:title": "Gloster Meteor — OnlyPlanes" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://onlyplanes.ru/llms.txt) Fighter aircraft / Meteor # Gloster Meteor Gloster Meteor was the first jet aircraft in Royal Air Force service. ![Gloster Meteor aircraft photograph](https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/gloster-meteor.webp) Development ## History The Gloster Meteor became the first jet aircraft to enter Royal Air Force service. Its initial prototype flew on 5 March 1943, when jet engines were still a new and imperfectly understood technology. Aircraft began operating with No. 616 Squadron in the summer of 1944. Meteor was the only Allied jet fighter used in an operational combat role during the Second World War. Early service was cautious, however, and its wartime story should not be reduced to imagined duels with German jet fighters. Designers placed two engines in the wings on either side of the fuselage. The aircraft retained straight wings and a more familiar overall shape than later swept-wing jets. The main challenge of the early programme was to obtain dependable propulsion and an aircraft fit for squadron use. Jet thrust opened new possibilities, but the engines demanded careful maintenance. Pilots also had to learn different handling and fuel-management practices from those associated with piston fighters. During the war, Meteors were used against German V-1 flying bombs among other duties. Their importance extends beyond a few combat episodes. The RAF gained practical experience with jet operations, including airfield preparation, flight procedures, and technical support. Production versions changed as improved engines and other equipment became available. Postwar F.4 and F.8 aircraft differed from the original F.1 in performance and capability, so it is inaccurate to describe them as one fixed model. Large numbers of Meteors were built, and the type served outside Britain. The Royal Australian Air Force acquired members of the family and flew the F.8 during the Korean War. Encounters with newer jet opponents revealed the limits of a straight-wing design, while other roles remained useful. Training, reconnaissance, and night-fighter variants followed. Individual aircraft later supported trials and target-towing work. Each version had its own equipment, crew arrangements, and service history, which should be checked separately when quoting specifications. Meteor matters as a bridge from experimental jet flight to routine squadron operations. Its history shows that adopting a new engine changes far more than an aircraft's speed: training, supply, repair, and tactics must also adapt. Later fighters soon exceeded the first Meteors in performance, but the family helped establish the working practices of the jet age. It is most fairly judged in the setting of its own period and specific variant, rather than against aircraft designed for a later generation. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website","@type":"WebSite","description":"News, stories and rare images from the world of aviation","inLanguage":"en-GB","name":"OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en","publisher":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"},"translationOfWork":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/gloster-meteor#webpage","@type":"WebPage","description":"Gloster Meteor was the first jet aircraft in Royal Air Force service.","name":"Gloster Meteor | OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/gloster-meteor","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/gloster-meteor"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity","@type":"Organization","name":"OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en","logo":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo"},"sameAs":["https://t.me/legkoenebo"]},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/gloster-meteor#article","@type":"Article","description":"Gloster Meteor was the first jet aircraft in Royal Air Force service.","headline":"Gloster Meteor","inLanguage":"en-GB","thumbnailUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/gloster-meteor.webp","author":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"},"image":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#/schema/image/1"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/gloster-meteor#webpage"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/gloster-meteor#webpage"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#logo","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"OnlyPlanes","contentUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/search-logo.png","inLanguage":"en-GB","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/search-logo.png"},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#/schema/image/1","@type":"ImageObject","contentUrl":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/gloster-meteor.webp","inLanguage":"en-GB","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/gloster-meteor.webp"}]} ``` ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://onlyplanes.ru/sitemap.md) for all pages.