- Yes, as a tech tree vehicle
- Yes, as a premium vehicle
- Yes, as an event vehicle
- Yes, as a squadron vehicle
- No, I would not like to see the Meteor F Mk.II in game.
The sole Gloster Meteor F Mk.II, DG207/G, resting at an airfield in 1948.
History
Most British air players are familiar with the Meteor F Mk.III, and a fair few of them have most likely heard of the Meteor F Mk.I. But what of the F Mk.II? Was it skipped? The answer is no, but it might as well have been with the way the Royal Air Force ended up treating it. The Meteor F Mk.II was a provisionary designation for a group of Meteor jet fighters powered by Halford H.1 jet engines. The contract for Meteor F Mk.IIs was made after teething issues with the Power Jets W.2B raised concerns over the availability of engines for the planned Meteor F Mk.Is. Work began on a new-build Meteor prototype to test the new engines and refinements added since the Meteor F Mk.I.
However, Rolls-Royce had developed the Derwent engine as a more powerful derivative of the W.2, and so these new engines were quickly ready for production to be used in the Meteor F Mk.III. Meanwhile, de Havilland’s upcoming Vampire jet fighter was taking Halford’s engine production capability to its limits as they focused all efforts toward the H.1b, now known as the Goblin. With a more capable Meteor and de Havilland’s new fighter both on the horizon, the Meteor F Mk.II lost all priority and work on the sole airframe, serial number DG207/G, was very slow. It finally took to the skies on July 24, 1945, after the war in Europe had already ended.
As such, there was pretty much nothing to do with the aircraft and it was altogether uninteresting by most regards. It was decided to use it to gather data for the further development of the Goblin, but the Meteor F Mk.II’s extremely poor endurance made it impossible to gather data for the necessary lengths of time. Consequently, it was flown very little and fell into disuse rather quickly. In the end, while the F Mk.II was shunted by circumstance, it would be a very interesting Meteor variant for the tech tree and a decent contemporary to the F Mk.III.
Specifications
Wingspan: 44ft 3in (13.49m)
Length: 41ft 5in (12.62m)
Height: 13ft 0in (3.96m)
Wing Area: 374 sq.ft (34.8 sq.m)
Gross Weight: 13,750 lb (6,237 kg)
Powerplant: 2 x 3,000 lbf (1,360 kgf) Halford H.1b (Goblin) turbojet engines
Maximum Speed: 500+ mph (805+ km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,192 m) (estimated)
Operational Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,850 m) (estimated)
Armament: 4 x Hispano 20mm cannon
Pictures
Diecast model rendition of DG207/G, showing its unique nacelle shape and revised canopy compared to the F.9/40H.
I have a lot of personal interest in this particular aircraft, as my great-grandfather recorded flying it in his flight log.
Sources
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BAE Systems: https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/gloster-meteor
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Gloster Meteor: Britain’s Celebrated First-Generation Jet by Paul Butler and Tony Buttler, 2006