Hugh Trevor chronicles Lightning operations
in the Royal Saudi Air Force and spoke to a British
pilot and an engineer that served with this air arm.
Hugh Trevor chronicles Lightning operations chronicles Lightning operations
DESERT
LIGHTNINGS
THE ENGLISH ELECTRIC
FIGHTER IN SAUDI ARABIA
T
he English Electric/BAC (British
Aircraft Corporation) Lightning was
originally designed as a supersonic,
rapid climb, point-defence
interceptor to defend RAF V-bomber bases
from Soviet attack.
Despite the excellent potential shown
by its P.1A/B prototypes in the late 1950s,
no export orders were forthcoming as the
British Government promoted the proposed
Saunders-Roe SR.177 mixed-powerplant
ghter to West Germany and discouraged
interest in the Lightning – opening the door to
NATO sales of the Lockheed F-104 Star ghter.
Undeterred, BAC decided to realise the
Lightning’s export potential via a private
venture enterprise that introduced a ground
attack capability. The move reaped dividends
in December 1965 with the announcementthat Saudi Arabia would place a contract for
an air defence system, to include Lightnings
and Strikemasters.
The contracts became known as
Operation Magic Palm and would include
delivery of 40 Lightnings (34 F.53s and six
T.55 two-seat trainers).MAGIC CARPET
In 1962 Egypt’s President Nasser supported
a coup in neighbouring North Yemen, leading
to an eight-year civil war between its deposed
king and the revolutionaries.
By the mid-1960s Egyptian expeditionary
forces in Yemen were increasingly bombing
towns in southwest Saudi Arabia, prompting
the Saudi Government to sign additional
contracts for the urgent delivery of six
Lightnings (ahead of the original order), sixHawker Hunters, two AEI mobile radars and
37 Thunderbird surface-to-air missile (SAM)
batteries.
In an operation codenamed Magic
Carpet, four stored Lightning F.2s and
two RAF T.4 trainers were given minor
modi cations, dubbed F.52s/T.54s and
rushed to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF)
in June/July 1966. A fth F.52 attrition
replacement followed in May 1967.
In December 1966 Kuwait also signed up
for 14 Lightnings and 12 Strikemasters (see
the article in Aviation News, January 2016
issue).MULTI-ROLE LIGHTNINGS
Lightning F.3 XR722 was one of a batch at
BAC’s Warton, Lancashire, air eld awaiting
conversion to F.6 standard, which requiredhttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 33Main photo (left): Lightning F.53 s/n 1305 in a vertical climb. All photos
Hedley Molland unless stated
Above: Lightning F.53 s/n 53-687 in ground attack t with rocket pack
replacing the missile pack under the nose. This aircraft appeared on
the civil register as G-AWOO for display at the Farnborough Air Show
in 1968. Key Collection
Right: Three of the four Lightning T.55s used for Saudi pilot conversion
at Coltishall. Key Collection32-39_lightning_saudiDC.mfDC.mf.indd 33 06/02/2017 13:26