"In the close race for the construction of a jet fighter, Great Britain took second place, following Germany. Nevertheless, its Gloster Meteor had the honor of going down in history as the only Allied aircraft of the new generation to go into service before the end of World War II. Despite its limited career during the final months of the war in Europe (in which it did not have the chance of measuring itself against its great rival, the Messerschmitt Me.262), the Meteor also marked the end of an era in the British Royal Air Force and the beginning of a phase that was to see rapid developments in the immediate postwar years. Production of these aircraft continued until 1954, almost 3,900 were completed, the last of which remained in frontline service until August 1951."
"The program was launched in August, 1940, while the Battle of Britain was in progress, on the basis of official specifications coded F.9/40. George Carter, the technicians charged with the project, chose a two-engine configuration. This was due to the fact that the earliest types of turbojets were at an experimental phase at the time and were not yet capable of providing the thrust necessary to guarantee the desired performance alone. In February 1941, 12 prototypes were ordered (although only eight were completed) and the first (equipped with W.2B engines with 205 lbs - 454 kg - thrust) began tests on the ground in July of the following year. Delays in tuning the engine led to the installation of different engines in the remaining experimental aircraft, and the first to take to the air was the fifth prototype, powered by a pair of Halfors H.1 turbojets with 2,302 lbs (1403 kg) thrust, on March 5, 1943. It was an historical date, although the first flight by a jet-propelled aircraft had taken place in Britain on May 15, 1941, carried out by an experimental model of the Gloster (designated E. 28/39) powered by a single Whittle W.1 engine with 860 lbs (390 kg) thrust."
"The initial production series Meteors (Mk.1) were in fact provided with turbojets derived from the Whittle W.1, the W.2B/23 model with 1,700 lbs (770 kg) thrust, which Rolls-Royce had prepared and constructed under the name of Welland. The launching of series production was marked by an order for 20 fighters and the first of these (which took to the air on January 12, 1944) was delivered to the United States in February, in exchange for a pre- series Bell YP-59A Airacomet, the first jet plane to be built on the other side of the Atlantic. Other Meteor Mk. Is were used for the development of the airframe and the engine unit, and the remaining aircraft were delivered to the RAF by June."
"The first unit to receive the new fighters was the 616th Squadron, which entered service in July. On the 27th, the first mission was carried out against the German flying bombs and on August 4, one of these was shot down. The missions against the V-1 s continued throughout the summer and, apart from their reasonable success, they served mainly to train pilots and ground staff in using the new aircraft, as well as to study particular tactics and combat techniques."
"In the meantime, a new variant of the Meteor had been prepared, the Mk.111, of which about 200 were to be produced, 15 with Welland engines and 195 with Rolls-Royce Derwent engines, with 1,997 lbs (905 kg) thrust. These aircraft formed part of the second and final version to enter service in World War II. They were also characterized by their greater fuel capacity and a sliding drop canopy, instead of the Meteor Mk. I's canopy which was hinged to the side. The first was delivered on December 18, 1944 to the 616th Squadron and in January 1945, these aircraft were sent to Belgium, thus becoming the first Allied jet fighter to serve on the Continent."
