The History of English Electric's Supersonic Interceptor:

The English Electric Lightning was the only all-British supersonic interceptor aircraft to successfully graduate from the drawing board to the production line and embed itself into service with military air forces around the world.

This comprehensive volume begins with an analysis of how the Lightning came into being, the post-war political sentiment, the military developments and the desired requirement for an aircraft that set the bar in terms of military aviation evolution. From early prototypes to revolutionary developmental interceptor that took to the skies in 1954, the Lightning was a trailblazer that caught the public’s imagination with its dynamic and sensational take off and through its superlative formation aerobatic team.

Expert author Hugh Trevor details every stage of its development through production testing, aircraft trials including in tropical regions, and pilot training on simulators through to launch of the single-seat version and every nuance, tweak and development that occurred in its lifespan.

Bringing its history to life are stories from test pilots, squadron pilots, aerobatics pilots, groundcrew, mechanics and maintenance experts, and latterly from enthusiasts who have kept the Lightning’s legacy and spirit alive, and, for all of whom, working in the aircraft’s orbit proved deeply profound.

Alongside are details of operations around the world where it served in war or peacekeeping missions.

Despite being long withdrawn from service, this ground-breaking aircraft continues to live on through the Lightning Preservation Group.

Historic Military Aviation Series Vol 39

Five Star Review by Ian Black

A testament to the affection enthusiast have for Britain’s finest Jet fighter is the amount of material that has been and continues to be published on this iconic aircraft. Books come and go and then once in a blue moon a book comes out that raises the bar. Hugh Trevor has produced a superb work for Key publishing based on his original book he released many years ago. First off don’t assume its just a rework of the original - its not. Produced in landscape format the book weighs at least 1.5 Kgs and nearly 400 pages mostly colour and on high quality paper. With its stunning cover artwork there are chapters on every aspect of the Lightnings life including export versions. With stories from pilots, ground crew and preservationist there is something for everyone, its a superb read. I’ve known the author Hugh Trevor several decades and he is perhaps one of the most knowledgeable people on this subject and it shows throughout the book with is meticulous eye for detail and his extensive library of rare and previously unseen images. Packed full of technical information the book was originally produced for the Lightning Preservation group but has now been expanded and brought up to date in a modern way. I rarely give out full marks but this is a 5 star production that fits into the “ must have” category of any Lightning fan.

ISBN: 9781836321644

Author: Hugh Trevor

Number of Pages: 386

Format: hardcover

Publication Date: July 25, 2026

Expected Delivery: 25th July 2026