The Llanbedr Meteors
Meteor U16 Elegance at Llanbedr
Returning to our theme of aviation history in ‘off the beaten track’ locations, we recently rediscovered some official pictures taken at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Llanbedr during the 1950s and 60s. Post War, Llanbedr was the UK’s home to unmanned target aircraft, initially the Fairey Firefly and later the Meteor U15 and 16 and other rare target systems such as the Jindivik and Stiletto. With the current news focus on the operational use of Unmanned Aerial Systems, it is perhaps worth reflecting on Llanbedr’s long period as an operator of such machines. Finest Hour has good reason to have a soft spot for Llanbedr and we intend to visit with some elements of our fleet before too long, more of which to follow. In the meantime, the least we can do is share some old black and white photographs…
1958 Meteor 15 accident
'Johnnie Johnson's prang...'
Meteors at Llanbedr
Llanbedr Meteor 16 Missile Damage
Unmanned Meteor 15 over Cardigan Bay
Meteor 16 Technicalities
Llanbedr Meteor 16 Mission Survivor
Unmanned Meteor 16 returns to Llanbedr