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Scramble 468

English Electric (EE) originally developed and manufactured

the Lightning mach-2+ all-weather jet fighter. The company,

later absorbed into the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC),

promoted the Lightning under their flag to foreign custom-

ers. The marketing of the aircraft was not a great success, just

two countries showed their interest. Saudi Arabia and neigh-

boring Kuwait eventually became the only countries outside

the UK that integrated the mighty Lightning in their air order

of battle. Firstly, on 21 December 1965, Saudi-Arabia ordered

34 multi-role F53s and 6 two-seat T55 trainers. The Middle

East country purchased an additional nine Lightnings (all

former RAF aircraft) in the following years. One year later,

in December 1966, BAC received the second export order.

The Kuwaiti government ordered fourteen Lightnings for

their al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya or Kuwait Air Force

(KAF), consisting out of twelve single seaters and two dual

seat trainers.

Unofficially, the Kuwaiti Lightnings were designated F53K

and T55K. The export multi-mission F53K was based on the

Royal Air Force F6 interceptor with a difference that the air-

frame could be quickly interchanging between interception,

reconnaissance and ground-attack tasks. One unique venture

of the F53K was that the Lightning characteristic overwing

fuel tanks could be replaced by Matra JL-100 combined

rocket- and fuel pods, each containing 18 SNEB 68mm rockets

and 227 litres of fuel. SNEB is the French abbreviation for:

Societé Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt, a French

manufacturer of unguided rockets. All fourteen aircraft were

built and test flown at the BAC Samlesbury plant. The first

trainer for the KAF made its first flight on 24 May 1968 and

subsequently, deliveries of the fourteen aircraft started from

December 1968.

The KAF already operated two types of British fighters, the

BAC/Hunting Jet Provost and the Hawker Hunter. With the

arrival of the Lightning, the UK fighter type tradition within

the KAF continued. The Lightning was proudly based on

Kuwait International Airport with the Lightning Squadron

(during the delivery period of the Lightnings, both Ahmed al

Jaber and Ali al Salem airbases were built, but most probably

they were never used for permanent Lightning operations).

From 1969, the type became fully operational within the air

force. At that time, the KAF Jet Provost and the Hunter were

easy aircraft to fly and maintain but the advanced Lightning

needed much more care then expected by the KAF leader-

ship. They overestimated the complex support the aircraft

needed. Although offered by the UK and BAC in the original

1966 sales contract, the KAF refused to include the BAC and

AirWork Services to keep their fourteen aircraft operational,

so the serviceability of these aircraft rapidly decreased.

The Lightnings did not achieve that many flying hours during

their seven and half years operational life within the KAF. At

the end of 1976, the fleet logged a total of 3,133 flying hours,

with three aircraft being lost in accidents. Already during

1973, the KAF Lightnings were offered for sale but no buyer

was found. All residual Lightning aircraft were eventually

placed in storage during 1976 and 1977 at Al Mubarak/Nawaf

Ahmad airbase, a part of Kuwait International Airport. The

tradition of using UK built jet aircraft within the KAF came to

an abrupt end when Kuwait decided in 1974 to purchase 34

French built Dassault Mirage F1s for air defence tasks and 36

McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks from the United States who

fulfilled the ground-strike role. The Mirages and Skyhawks

were eventually replaced by 40 US built McDonnell Douglas

F/A-18C/D Hornets. Luckily for the UK industry, trust was

retrieved in their jets; in 1983 twelve BAe Hawk trainers were

ordered and just recently, in 2016 an order was placed for 28

BAe Typhoons. The Typhoons will operate alongside a fresh

order of 28 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

The survivors

Nowadays, the remaining eleven true unique al-Quwwat al-

Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya Lightnings are still preserved in Kuwait.

Ten are in a pretty good shape, while one example, T55K

55-410 (being damaged during the 1991 coalition bombing

campaign, whilst Iraq occupied Kuwait) can only be found

as a wreck at Ali Al Salem airbase. The survivors throughout

the little country cannot be found easily. Several are placed

inside the well-secured KAF airbases and the Ministry of

Defence headquarters. They are preserved at these locations

near entrances or main buildings. But with a little research,

several can (easily) be found and viewed, like the ones in the

Kuwait Air Force museum (inside the fences of Al Mubarak/

Nawaf Ahmad airbase), a technical school and a university

in Kuwait City. Of special note are the gate guards at Ali al

Salem airbase, home base of the KAF's F/A-18C Hornet fleet.

An extraordinary triplet memorial display has been set up

with three Lightning F53s. A trio of bare metal Lightnings are

preserved on poles in close formation.

Impressive display of a three-ship formation at Ahmed Al Jaber air base. Nowadays, one is no longer on its pole alas. (all photos, Scramble files)

Whatever happened to...

...the Kuwaiti Lightnings?