Lessons Learned from the British Aircraft Corporation TSR2 Project

This paper deals with aspects of the British Aircraft Corporation TSR2 programme designed to produce for the Royal Air Force a supersonic low-level nuclear strike and reconnaissance aircraft for service entry in 1964. A short background to the project is given, together with a brief history of the progression of the programme. Reference is made to mission requirements, selection of the powerplant, the development of the configuration, mission avionics, and the brief flight test programme. The paper concludes with a discussion of the main problems encountered over the life of the project and (hopefully) the lessons learned.