The British military then elected to order the American General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark through a 50-strong order. However, this was also cancelled amidst rising procurement costs. The need was then fulfilled through a combination fielding of the American McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the Blackburn Buccaneer. The Panavia Tornado eventually superseded the latter in the strike role.
BAC was made defunct on April 29th, 1977. Only two airframes of the TSR-2 project survived the subsequent scrapping initiative posed after the program's cancellation. One prototype can be found at the RAF Museum at Cosford and the other at the Imperial War Museum of Duxford.
As completed, the TSR-2 presented a running length of 89 feet with a wingspan of 37 feet and height of 23.7 feet. Empty weight was approximately 55,000lbs with a maximum take-off weight of 103,500lbs. The Bristol Siddeley Olympus engines outputted at 22,000lbs dry thrust each (44,000 combined) with 30,610lbs of thrust (60,000lbs combined) when use afterburner. Maximum speed was Mach 2.35 with a range (ferry) out to 2,880 miles and combat radius of 860 miles operating at altitudes up to 40,000 feet (estimated). Rate of climb was in the vicinity of 15,000 feet per minute, giving the airframe an excellent response time.
The TSR-2 was designed to carry ordnance across an internal and external weapons arrangement. Up to 6,000lbs of stores were housed in an internal bomb bay with up to 4,000lbs held externally for a total of 10,000lbs of possible weaponry. The airframe would have supported the carrying and release of the "Red Beard" 15 kiloton nuclear weapon or 6 x 1,000lbs of conventional drop bombs. There was noted support for the WE.177 nuclear bomb across four hardpoints. The TSR-2 could also make use of 37" rocket pods for the strike role.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.