Britain possesses a proud aviation heritage, a rich legacy of aeroplane production which created some of the finest aircraft ever conceived. From the inter-war years manufacturers such as A.V.Roe and Company, the Bristol Aeroplane Company, the de Havilland Aircraft Company, English Electric Aviation Ltd, Hawker Aircraft Ltd, Supermarine Aviation Works Ltd and Vickers-Armstrong Ltd designed and produced aeroplanes bearing some of the most evocative names ever.
Military aircraft such as the Avro Lancaster, the English Electric Lightning, the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire; and commerical aircraft such as the Bristol Britannia, the de Havilland Comet and the Vickers VC-10 represent some of the foremost aircaft of their type.
In the post-war world the British aviation industry had to meet very different goals, producing civilian airliners for Britain's burgeoning airline companies and military jets and bombers to serve as Britain's Cold War nuclear deterrent. In response, the aviation industry proved its ingenuity and creativity again and again, produced some notable designs. Projects were routinely culled, but some significant projects were curtailed, on the cusp of success. More often than not the cost involved was deemed too high by the British Government, irrespective of the project's potential, or the impact of the cancellation on the British aviation industry. Aircraft such as the Bristol Type 167 Brabazon, the Saunders-Roe SR.177 and the Vickers V1000 were initially encouraged by the British Government, and then ruthlessly cancelled.
In 1960, in response to an RAF operational requirement, designs for a Tactical Strike and Reconnaissance aircraft were submitted by a number of leading British aviation companies. The British Government department, the Ministry of Supply, deemed a partnership between English Electric Aviation Ltd and Vickers-Armstrong (Aircraft) Ltd the most appropriate means of delivering a successful design. The jointly designed aircraft - designated the TSR-2 - was envisaged to serve the British Royal Air Force in a multi-purpose role, able to act as a bomber, strike fighter and reconnaissance aircraft. Yet like the Brabazon, the SR.177 and the V1000, the TSR-2 was cancelled, a decision which had severe implications for the British aviation industry. However, it was the manner of the cancellation - the swiftness and the viciousness - which ensured that the cancellation of the TSR-2 remains a controversy to this day.
This website tells the story of the TSR-2 from her development, through to her first flight, and her untimely cancellation. Irrespective of the ignominious circumstances of her cancellation, these pages are a record of a magnificent aeroplane and an outstanding technical achievement for the British aviation industry.
