Hot Metal - TSR.2 by Ivan Berryman. (B)

Without doubt the most advanced and forward-thinking design for an attack and reconnaissance aircraft in its day, the BAC TSR.2 was to fall victim to the shortsightedness of a misguided Labour government whose entrenched position in the mid 1960s dealt a terrible blow to the British aircraft industry - a blow from which it never fully recovered. Whilst the few TSR.2 airframes that had been constructed languished in outside storage or on gunnery ranges, its intended American replacement, the General Dynamics F.111, was ready for RAF service fully ten years late and at a cost of nearly three times that of a production TSR.2, with the order being cancelled at the last minute. Here, XR219 streaks into the air having ridden the 'hump' in the Boscombe Down runway.

Large Size Limited edition of 10 giclee prints.

Image size 26 inches x 19.5 inches (66cm x 50cm)