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peter
Herewith an hour long professionally made documentary detailing the development and the scrapping of the British Aircraft Corporation’s TSR-2 (Tactical, Strike, Reconnaissance 2) aircraft. The cabinet papers of the Wilson Labour government relating to the cancellation of the aircraft in 1965 have been destroyed to avoid the truth from reaching the British People. However the British Gazette can reveal the main reason for the cancellation was pressure from the US politicians following fierce lobbying on Capitol Hill by General Dynamics who were developing the swing-wing F-111 – which proved to be more expensive and of inferior performance that the TSR-2. An example of this superiority (TSR-1) and inferiority (F-111) was demonstrated most graphically by one of the test pilots flying the TSR-2: Deciding to go supersonic for the first time, the pilot – for health and safety reasons – decided to activate the reheat (a device that increased the thrust) from the Bristol Siddeley Olympus B.Ol.22R (Mk. 320) turbojet (of which the TSR-2 had two) from a dry thrust of 22,000 lb to 30,610 lb, on only one engine. On this less than maximum output the TSR-2 was able to out accelerate the accompanying English Electric Lightening interceptor – one the fastest accelerating interceptors of all time! By comparison, the aircrews of the USAF’s F-111 suffered during the Vietnam War due to the aircraft’s poor acceleration. Despite is fighter designation, the F-111 was a bomber that had to rely on its advanced terrain following radar and ability to fly at very low level to get through to its target: it could not “mix it with fighter aircraft” – an ability so clearly possessed by the TSR-2 able to escape from one of the most capable interceptors of the day on less than full power! It was this ability to trounce absolutely the F-111 that cause the Americans to advocate so strongly for the TSR-2 cancellation. Whilst the accusation directed at the British Imperial General Staff that the British soldiers of the Great War were “Lions led by Donkeys”, there is little doubt that the RAF aircrews (along with their brothers-in-arms from the other services) have been Lions led by Traitors.
WARNING: This documentary contains material which those of a patriotic disposition may find upsetting.
