Since 1945, the Royal Navy has been involved in over 60 operations in which carrier borne aircraft were involved. But unlike the RAF, the Navy did not get its first jets for a number of years after the war and soldiered on with piston engined aircraft such as the Sea Hornet, Sea Fury and Blackburn Firebrand. The Royal Navy officially joined the 'Jet Age' in 1951 when the Supermarine Attacker entered service with the Fleet Air Arm. Since then, only nine major types of jet aircraft have served with the Royal Navy. This unique new programme profiles all these nine jet types using rare and previously unseen archival material as well as newly shot film footage. Featured are the Supermarine Attacker and Scimitar; the de Havilland Sea Venom, Sea Hawk and Sea Vixen; the Blackburn Buccaneer; the McDonnell Douglas Phantom and, of course, the Sea Harrier - Britain's last fighter, which brought VSTOL capability to the decks of the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers. Also included is the Fairey Gannct, the Navy's jet trainers such as the Jet Provost and the Hunter GA11. The story is told through the memories of the men who flew these aircraft during the last 50 years; from the first jets through operations at Suez, the introduction of new carrier technology, the Falklands War and much more.
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