Miles M.52
Encyclopedia
The Miles M.52 was a turbojet powered supersonic research aircraft
project designed in the United Kingdom in the mid 1940s. Design work was undertaken in secrecy between 1942 and 1945. In 1946 the Air Ministry
prudently but controversially changed the project to a series of unmanned rocket-powered scale aircraft, launched from a modified de Havilland Mosquito
. In a successful test flight Mach
1.38 was achieved by a scale model in normally controllable transonic
and supersonic
level flight, a unique achievement at that time which validated the aerodynamics of the M.52. At that point the ministry cancelled that project and issued a new requirement which was to result in the English Electric Lightning
. Work on the afterburning version of the Power Jets
W.B.2/700 turbojet was also cancelled and the Power Jets company was incorporated into the National Gas Turbine Establishment
.
company had its beginnings in the mid 1920s, making its name in the 1930s with affordable ranges of innovative light aircraft. They became best known perhaps for the Miles Magister
and Miles Master
trainers, large numbers of which were used by the RAF for fighter pilot training. Although the company's products were relatively low-technology trainers and light aircraft, and did not include any jets, Miles had a good relationship with the Air Ministry
and the Royal Aircraft Establishment
(RAE), and had submitted several proposals for advanced aircraft in response to ministry specifications. In order to resolve a dispute about a contract mishandled by the Ministry of Aircraft Production, the company was invited to undertake a top-secret project to Air Ministry Specification E.24/43 for a jet
-powered research plane to reach supersonic speeds. The contract, awarded in October 1943, called for an "aeroplane capable of flying over 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h) in level flight, over twice the existing speed record, and climb to 36,000 feet (11,000 m) in 1.5 minutes." The specification was intended only to match the supposed performance of a German aircraft: the 1,000 mph (supersonic
) requirement resulted from the mistranslation of an intercepted communication stating that the maximum speed was 1,000 km/h (subsonic
). This report dealt with the Me 163A
and/or the Me 262
.
Many early jet aircraft had round noses, thick wings and hinged elevators, giving them critical Mach number
s well below the speed of sound, and were less suitable for research into high subsonic speeds (in dives) than the Spitfire with its thinner wings. RAE tests with the Spitfire in 1943 had proved that drag was the main factor to be addressed in high speed aircraft.
A huge number of advanced features were incorporated into the resulting M.52 design, many of which hint at a detailed knowledge of supersonic
aerodynamics
. With no other sources of such information Miles had turned to design data for stabilising projectiles. In particular, the design featured a conical nose and sharp wing leading edges, as it was known that round-nosed projectiles could not be stabilised at supersonic speeds. The design used very thin wings of biconvex section proposed by Jakob Ackeret
for low drag
. These wings were so thin that they were known to test pilots as 'Gillette' wings, named after the famous razor. The wing tips were "clipped" to keep them clear of the conical
shock wave
generated by the nose of the aircraft. The fuselage had the minimum cross-section allowable around the centrifugal engine with fuel tanks in a saddle over the top.
Another critical addition was the use of a power operated stabilator
, also known as the all-moving tail or flying tail, a key to supersonic flight control which contrasted with traditional hinged tailplane
s (horizontal stabilizers) connected mechanically to the pilots control column. Conventional control surfaces became ineffective at the high subsonic speeds then being achieved by fighters in dives, due to the aerodynamic forces caused by the formation of shockwaves at the hinge and the rearward movement of the centre of pressure, which together could override the control forces that could be applied mechanically by the pilot, hindering recovery from the dive.
An initial version of the aircraft was to be test flown using Frank Whittle
's latest engine, the Power Jets
W.2/700, calculated to give transonic performance. Meanwhile it was planned to develop a supersonic version of the aircraft by incorporating a reheat jetpipe - also known as an afterburner
. Extra fuel was to be burned in the tailpipe to avoid overheating the turbine blades, making use of unused oxygen in the exhaust. To supply more air to the afterburner than could move through the fairly small engine, an augmentor fan powered by the engine was to be fitted behind the engine to draw air around the engine in ducts.
Finally the design included another critical element, the use of a shock cone
in the nose to slow the incoming air to the subsonic speeds needed by the engine.
The fuselage of the M.52 was cylindrical and, like the rest of the aircraft, was constructed of high tensile steel
with alloy covering.
The pilot would have sat in a small cockpit inside the shock cone in the nose of the aircraft, and in an emergency the entire area would be separated from the aircraft using explosive bolts. Air pressure would force the capsule off the fuselage and a parachute would slow its descent. The pilot would then exit the capsule at a lower height and parachute to safety. The chances of the pilot exiting the capsule were of serious concern, since it was not stable on its own at supersonic speeds, and likely would have tumbled, possibly breaking up.
The M.52's design underwent many changes during development due to the uncertain nature of the task. The overseeing committee was concerned that the biconvex wing would not give sufficient altitude for testing the aircraft in a dive. The thin wing could have been made thicker if required, or a section added to increase the wing span. As the project progressed an increase in total weight led to concerns that power would be insufficient and rocket assistance or extra fuel tanks were considered, as was high altitude air-launching from a bomber.
The calculated landing speed of 160 mph to 170 mph (comparable with modern fighters but very high for that time) combined with the small undercarriage track was a concern, but had to be accepted.
light aircraft that had been used for wing tests by the RAE, was provided to Miles in 1943. A full size wooden model of the M.52 wing, test instrumentation, and a different undercarriage were fitted. Owing to the wing's thinness and sharp leading and trailing edges somewhat resembling a razor blade
, the aircraft was nicknamed the "Gillette Falcon". It was first flown on 11 August 1944. Compared with a standard Falcon Six, wing area was reduced by about 12%, but landing speed was increased by over 50% from 40 mph to 61 mph.
For high speed testing, the flying tail was fitted to the fastest aircraft available, a Supermarine Spitfire
. RAE test pilot Eric Brown stated that he tested this successfully during October and November 1944, attaining Mach 0.86 in a dive from high altitude. The flying tail was also fitted to the "Gillette Falcon", low speed tests being flown at the RAE in April 1945.
to exchange high-speed research and data. Miles Chief Aerodynamicist Dennis Bancroft stated that the Bell Aircraft
company was given access to the drawings and research on the M.52, but the U.S. reneged on the agreement and no data was forthcoming in return. Unknown to Miles, Bell had already started construction of a rocket
-powered supersonic design of their own, but with a conventional tail were battling the problem of control. A variable-incidence tail appeared to be the most promising solution; the Miles and RAE tests supported this. Later, following conversion of the tail, pilot Chuck Yeager
verified it experimentally, and all subsequent supersonic aircraft would either have an all-moving tailplane or a delta wing
.
subsequently cancelled the project. Other factors contributing to the cancellation included doubts about pilot safety, as well as some German research that seemed to point to swept wings being desirable at supersonic speeds.
At cancellation, the first of the three M.52s was 82% completed, with test flights planned to begin in a few months. The test programme involved the progressive testing and development of the M.52 by the RAE, initially without reheat installed, with the aim of achieving Mach 1.07 by the end of 1946.
Miles Aircraft Ltd entered receivership in 1947 and the company was subsequently re-structured; its aircraft assets including the design data for the M.52 were acquired by Handley Page. Cancellation of the project considerably set back British progress in supersonic design technology.
at Vickers-Armstrongs, and the engine development took place at the RAE
. The result was a 30% scale radio-controlled model of the original M.52 design, powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Beta
rocket engine.
The first launch took place on 8 October 1947 at high altitude from a DH Mosquito, but the rocket exploded shortly after release. Only days later, the Bell X-1
broke the sound barrier. There was a flurry of denunciation of Labour's decision to cancel the project, with the Daily Express
taking up the cause for the restoration of the M.52 programme, to no effect. On 10 October 1948, a second rocket was launched, and the speed of Mach 1.38 was obtained in stable level flight, a unique achievement at that time. Instead of diving into the sea as planned, the model failed to respond to radio commands and was last observed (on radar
) heading out into the Atlantic. Following that successful supersonic test flight, further work on this project was cancelled, being followed up immediately by the issue of Ministry of Supply Experimental Requirement ER.103 (below).
Many important design principles incorporated in the M.52 did not reappear until the mid- to late 1950s, with the development of truly supersonic aircraft such as the Fairey Delta 2
, and the English Electric P.1 which became the highly regarded English Electric Lightning. Both of those aircraft were developed in response (initially) to requirement ER.103 of 1947, informed by the knowledge gained from the M.52 aircraft and missile research projects together with German experimental data.
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
project designed in the United Kingdom in the mid 1940s. Design work was undertaken in secrecy between 1942 and 1945. In 1946 the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
prudently but controversially changed the project to a series of unmanned rocket-powered scale aircraft, launched from a modified de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
. In a successful test flight Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
1.38 was achieved by a scale model in normally controllable transonic
Transonic
Transonic speed is an aeronautics term referring to the condition of flight in which a range of velocities of airflow exist surrounding and flowing past an air vehicle or an airfoil that are concurrently below, at, and above the speed of sound in the range of Mach 0.8 to 1.2, i.e. 600–900 mph...
and supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
level flight, a unique achievement at that time which validated the aerodynamics of the M.52. At that point the ministry cancelled that project and issued a new requirement which was to result in the English Electric Lightning
English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
. Work on the afterburning version of the Power Jets
Power Jets
Power Jets Ltd was a United Kingdom company set up by Frank Whittle for the purpose of designing and manufacturing jet engines.-History:Founded on January 27, 1936, the company consisted of Whittle, Rolf Dudley-Williams, James Collingwood Tinling, and Lancelot Law Whyte of investment bankers O T...
W.B.2/700 turbojet was also cancelled and the Power Jets company was incorporated into the National Gas Turbine Establishment
National Gas Turbine Establishment
The National Gas Turbine Establishment in Fleet, part of the Royal Aircraft Establishment , UK was the prime site in the UK for design and development of gas turbine and jet engines. It was created by merging the design teams of Frank Whittle's Power Jets and the RAE turbine development team run...
.
Design and development
The British Miles AircraftMiles Aircraft
Miles was the name used to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who designed numerous light civil and military aircraft and a range of curious prototypes...
company had its beginnings in the mid 1920s, making its name in the 1930s with affordable ranges of innovative light aircraft. They became best known perhaps for the Miles Magister
Miles Magister
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Amos, Peter. Miles Aircraft = The early years. Tonbridge: Air-Britain, 2009. ISBN 978 0 85130 410 6...
and Miles Master
Miles Master
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Amos, Peter and Don Lambert Brown. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0....
trainers, large numbers of which were used by the RAF for fighter pilot training. Although the company's products were relatively low-technology trainers and light aircraft, and did not include any jets, Miles had a good relationship with the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
and the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
(RAE), and had submitted several proposals for advanced aircraft in response to ministry specifications. In order to resolve a dispute about a contract mishandled by the Ministry of Aircraft Production, the company was invited to undertake a top-secret project to Air Ministry Specification E.24/43 for a jet
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
-powered research plane to reach supersonic speeds. The contract, awarded in October 1943, called for an "aeroplane capable of flying over 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h) in level flight, over twice the existing speed record, and climb to 36,000 feet (11,000 m) in 1.5 minutes." The specification was intended only to match the supposed performance of a German aircraft: the 1,000 mph (supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
) requirement resulted from the mistranslation of an intercepted communication stating that the maximum speed was 1,000 km/h (subsonic
Speed of sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled during a unit of time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at , the speed of sound is . This is , or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds....
). This report dealt with the Me 163A
Messerschmitt Me 163
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt...
and/or the Me 262
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
.
Many early jet aircraft had round noses, thick wings and hinged elevators, giving them critical Mach number
Critical Mach number
In aerodynamics, the critical Mach number of an aircraft is the lowest Mach number at which the airflow over any part of the aircraft reaches the speed of sound....
s well below the speed of sound, and were less suitable for research into high subsonic speeds (in dives) than the Spitfire with its thinner wings. RAE tests with the Spitfire in 1943 had proved that drag was the main factor to be addressed in high speed aircraft.
A huge number of advanced features were incorporated into the resulting M.52 design, many of which hint at a detailed knowledge of supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
aerodynamics
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
. With no other sources of such information Miles had turned to design data for stabilising projectiles. In particular, the design featured a conical nose and sharp wing leading edges, as it was known that round-nosed projectiles could not be stabilised at supersonic speeds. The design used very thin wings of biconvex section proposed by Jakob Ackeret
Jakob Ackeret
Jakob Ackeret was a Swiss aeronautical engineer. He is widely viewed as one of the foremost aeronautics experts of 20th century.- Birth and education :...
for low drag
Wave drag
In aeronautics, wave drag is a component of the drag on aircraft, blade tips and projectiles moving at transonic and supersonic speeds, due to the presence of shock waves. Wave drag is independent of viscous effects.- Overview :...
. These wings were so thin that they were known to test pilots as 'Gillette' wings, named after the famous razor. The wing tips were "clipped" to keep them clear of the conical
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
shock wave
Shock wave
A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance. Like an ordinary wave, it carries energy and can propagate through a medium or in some cases in the absence of a material medium, through a field such as the electromagnetic field...
generated by the nose of the aircraft. The fuselage had the minimum cross-section allowable around the centrifugal engine with fuel tanks in a saddle over the top.
Another critical addition was the use of a power operated stabilator
Stabilator
A stabilator is an aircraft control surface that combines the functions of an elevator and a horizontal stabilizer...
, also known as the all-moving tail or flying tail, a key to supersonic flight control which contrasted with traditional hinged tailplane
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
s (horizontal stabilizers) connected mechanically to the pilots control column. Conventional control surfaces became ineffective at the high subsonic speeds then being achieved by fighters in dives, due to the aerodynamic forces caused by the formation of shockwaves at the hinge and the rearward movement of the centre of pressure, which together could override the control forces that could be applied mechanically by the pilot, hindering recovery from the dive.
An initial version of the aircraft was to be test flown using Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
's latest engine, the Power Jets
Power Jets
Power Jets Ltd was a United Kingdom company set up by Frank Whittle for the purpose of designing and manufacturing jet engines.-History:Founded on January 27, 1936, the company consisted of Whittle, Rolf Dudley-Williams, James Collingwood Tinling, and Lancelot Law Whyte of investment bankers O T...
W.2/700, calculated to give transonic performance. Meanwhile it was planned to develop a supersonic version of the aircraft by incorporating a reheat jetpipe - also known as an afterburner
Afterburner (engine)
An afterburner is an additional component added to some jet engines, primarily those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to provide a temporary increase in thrust, both for supersonic flight and for takeoff...
. Extra fuel was to be burned in the tailpipe to avoid overheating the turbine blades, making use of unused oxygen in the exhaust. To supply more air to the afterburner than could move through the fairly small engine, an augmentor fan powered by the engine was to be fitted behind the engine to draw air around the engine in ducts.
Finally the design included another critical element, the use of a shock cone
Inlet cone
Inlet cones are a component of some supersonic aircraft. They are primarily used on ramjets, such as the turboramjets of the SR-71 or the pure ramjets of the D-21 Tagboard and Lockheed X-7...
in the nose to slow the incoming air to the subsonic speeds needed by the engine.
The fuselage of the M.52 was cylindrical and, like the rest of the aircraft, was constructed of high tensile steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
with alloy covering.
The pilot would have sat in a small cockpit inside the shock cone in the nose of the aircraft, and in an emergency the entire area would be separated from the aircraft using explosive bolts. Air pressure would force the capsule off the fuselage and a parachute would slow its descent. The pilot would then exit the capsule at a lower height and parachute to safety. The chances of the pilot exiting the capsule were of serious concern, since it was not stable on its own at supersonic speeds, and likely would have tumbled, possibly breaking up.
The M.52's design underwent many changes during development due to the uncertain nature of the task. The overseeing committee was concerned that the biconvex wing would not give sufficient altitude for testing the aircraft in a dive. The thin wing could have been made thicker if required, or a section added to increase the wing span. As the project progressed an increase in total weight led to concerns that power would be insufficient and rocket assistance or extra fuel tanks were considered, as was high altitude air-launching from a bomber.
The calculated landing speed of 160 mph to 170 mph (comparable with modern fighters but very high for that time) combined with the small undercarriage track was a concern, but had to be accepted.
Testing
A Miles M.3B Falcon SixMiles Falcon
-See also:-Bibliography:*Amos, Peter Miles Aircraft - The Early Years - The Story of F G Miles and his Aeroplanes, 1925-1939. Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain Ltd, 2009. ISBN 978-0-85130-410-6....
light aircraft that had been used for wing tests by the RAE, was provided to Miles in 1943. A full size wooden model of the M.52 wing, test instrumentation, and a different undercarriage were fitted. Owing to the wing's thinness and sharp leading and trailing edges somewhat resembling a razor blade
Safety razor
A safety razor is a razor that protects the skin from all but the very edge of the blade. These razors reduce the possibility of serious injury, which makes them more forgiving than a straight razor.-Cartridges introduced:...
, the aircraft was nicknamed the "Gillette Falcon". It was first flown on 11 August 1944. Compared with a standard Falcon Six, wing area was reduced by about 12%, but landing speed was increased by over 50% from 40 mph to 61 mph.
For high speed testing, the flying tail was fitted to the fastest aircraft available, a Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. RAE test pilot Eric Brown stated that he tested this successfully during October and November 1944, attaining Mach 0.86 in a dive from high altitude. The flying tail was also fitted to the "Gillette Falcon", low speed tests being flown at the RAE in April 1945.
Prototypes
In 1944, design work was considered 90% complete and Miles was told to go ahead with the construction of three prototype M.52s. Later that year, the Air Ministry signed an agreement with the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to exchange high-speed research and data. Miles Chief Aerodynamicist Dennis Bancroft stated that the Bell Aircraft
Bell Aircraft
The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the United States, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many important civilian and military helicopters...
company was given access to the drawings and research on the M.52, but the U.S. reneged on the agreement and no data was forthcoming in return. Unknown to Miles, Bell had already started construction of a rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
-powered supersonic design of their own, but with a conventional tail were battling the problem of control. A variable-incidence tail appeared to be the most promising solution; the Miles and RAE tests supported this. Later, following conversion of the tail, pilot Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...
verified it experimentally, and all subsequent supersonic aircraft would either have an all-moving tailplane or a delta wing
Delta wing
The delta wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta .-Delta-shaped stabilizers:...
.
Cancellation
By February 1946, the new Labour government introduced dramatic budget cuts. The Director of Scientific Research, Sir Ben LockspeiserBen Lockspeiser
Sir Benjamin Lockspeiser KCB, FRS, MIMechE, FRAeS, was a British scientific administrator and the first President of CERN....
subsequently cancelled the project. Other factors contributing to the cancellation included doubts about pilot safety, as well as some German research that seemed to point to swept wings being desirable at supersonic speeds.
At cancellation, the first of the three M.52s was 82% completed, with test flights planned to begin in a few months. The test programme involved the progressive testing and development of the M.52 by the RAE, initially without reheat installed, with the aim of achieving Mach 1.07 by the end of 1946.
Miles Aircraft Ltd entered receivership in 1947 and the company was subsequently re-structured; its aircraft assets including the design data for the M.52 were acquired by Handley Page. Cancellation of the project considerably set back British progress in supersonic design technology.
Subsequent work
Several thousand pounds would have been required to complete the first M.52. Instead, the government instituted a new programme involving expendable, pilotless, rocket-propelled missiles. The design was passed to Barnes WallisBarnes Wallis
Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE FRS, RDI, FRAeS , was an English scientist, engineer and inventor. He is best known for inventing the bouncing bomb used by the RAF in Operation Chastise to attack the dams of the Ruhr Valley during World War II...
at Vickers-Armstrongs, and the engine development took place at the RAE
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
. The result was a 30% scale radio-controlled model of the original M.52 design, powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Beta
Armstrong Siddeley Beta
Armstrong Siddeley Beta was an early rocket engine, intended for use in supersonic aircraft.The Miles M.52, the intended British contender for supersonic flight, had been cancelled in 1946 due to uncertainty concerning its turbojet engine's thrust potential and the risks of manned supersonic flight...
rocket engine.
The first launch took place on 8 October 1947 at high altitude from a DH Mosquito, but the rocket exploded shortly after release. Only days later, the Bell X-1
Bell X-1
The Bell X-1, originally designated XS-1, was a joint NACA-U.S. Army/US Air Force supersonic research project built by Bell Aircraft. Conceived in 1944 and designed and built over 1945, it eventually reached nearly 1,000 mph in 1948...
broke the sound barrier. There was a flurry of denunciation of Labour's decision to cancel the project, with the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
taking up the cause for the restoration of the M.52 programme, to no effect. On 10 October 1948, a second rocket was launched, and the speed of Mach 1.38 was obtained in stable level flight, a unique achievement at that time. Instead of diving into the sea as planned, the model failed to respond to radio commands and was last observed (on radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
) heading out into the Atlantic. Following that successful supersonic test flight, further work on this project was cancelled, being followed up immediately by the issue of Ministry of Supply Experimental Requirement ER.103 (below).
Many important design principles incorporated in the M.52 did not reappear until the mid- to late 1950s, with the development of truly supersonic aircraft such as the Fairey Delta 2
Fairey Delta 2
The Fairey Delta 2 or FD2 was a British supersonic research aircraft produced by the Fairey Aviation Company in response to a specification from the Ministry of Supply for investigation into flight and control at transonic and supersonic speeds.The aircraft was the first to exceed 1000mph, and...
, and the English Electric P.1 which became the highly regarded English Electric Lightning. Both of those aircraft were developed in response (initially) to requirement ER.103 of 1947, informed by the knowledge gained from the M.52 aircraft and missile research projects together with German experimental data.
Specifications (M.52)
See also
External links
- Faster than Sound - Nova documentary
- transcript of the Nova programme
- Jets45 Histories
- A video of a modern radio controlled model replica of the M.52 flying
- Eric "Winkle" Brown talks about the M.52 in 2008
- Museum of Berkshire Aviation: "The M.52 Story"
- "High Speed Research" (pdf download). The Aeroplane Spotter, 19 October 1946.
- "The 1,000-m.p.h. M.52." Flight, September 12th 1946.
- "Miles on supersonic flight." Flight, October 1946, p. 355.
- Supersonic Approach by H. F. King, M.B.E.Flight April 3rd 1947
- "Britain Goes Supersonic", January 1946, Popular Science
- Ministry of Supply report "Flight Trials of a Rocket-propelled Transonic Research Model : The R.A.E.-Vickers Rocket Model"