AP 118 · No. 10 Section II · Aircraft 1948

Aircraft hub · 1948 · Early jet age

Supermarine Swift

Briefly held the world speed record; mostly held grudges. Supermarine’s hardest lesson in swept wings. The gazetteer currently lists it at 6 UK museums.

1948
First flight
197
Built
713 mph
Top speed
6
Museums

Last verified 2026-10-11 against the gazetteer Compendium. Airframes move — confirm on museum pages before travel.

On charge

Where to see the Supermarine Swift in the UK

The gazetteer records 7 Supermarine Swift airframes (including cockpit sections and replicas where noted) across 6 UK collections, in 4 regions: South East England, London & Around, South West England, Wales.

MuseumCityRegionAirframes recorded
Boscombe Down Aviation CollectionChecked 2026-10-08 Salisbury South West England Supermarine Swift F.7 nose section XF113 Cockpit or section
Brooklands MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 Weybridge London & Around Supermarine Swift F.4 prototype WK198
Fleet Air Arm MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 Yeovil South West England Supermarine 510 VV106
Solent SkyChecked 2026-10-08 Southampton South East England Supermarine Swift F.4 cockpit section (procedures trainer) Cockpit or section
Supermarine Swift F.7 XF114
South Wales Aviation MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 Barry Wales Supermarine Swift FR.5 WK277
Tangmere Military Aviation MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 Chichester South East England Supermarine Swift FR.5 WK281

3D model

The Swift FR.5 in 3D

A procedural model built in Blender from the type’s published dimensions, painted as WK281 ‘S’ of No. 79 Squadron, the Supermarine Swift FR.5 on loan from the RAF Museum to the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, a fighter-reconnaissance Swift with the extended camera nose and oblique camera windows, the clear-view hood, the saw-tooth outer wing and a reheated Rolls-Royce Avon 114, flown on low-level reconnaissance from RAF Germany in the late 1950s, painted in the scheme it is displayed in today: Dark Green and Dark Sea Grey camouflage over High Speed Silver undersides, Type D roundels flanked by No. 79 Squadron’s white bars with a red barbed arrow, a red, white and blue fin flash with a yellow ‘S’ above it, a black ‘WK281’ on the rear fuselage, a red ejection-seat triangle on the nose and the twin-ADEN gun pack under the nose. Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom · all 215 models · download .glb (1.0 MB) · Plate 148 in The Hangar

Computed from the survey

Collection context

Types you’ll see alongside

Harrier family, Hawker Hunter, BAe Sea Harrier FA.2, de Havilland Canada Chipmunk, de Havilland Sea Vixen.

Where the type is thickest

South East England has 2 collections recording the type.

Marks and variants recorded

Supermarine Swift F.4 cockpit section (procedures trainer); Supermarine Swift F.4 prototype; Supermarine Swift F.7; Supermarine Swift F.7 nose section; Supermarine Swift FR.5.

Type notes

The Supermarine Swift in brief

TypeSupermarine Swift
UK museums holding one6
Airframes recorded in this survey7

Serials are the gazetteer's survey snapshot of what each collection records on charge — restorations move between workshops and reserve hangars, so check the museum page for opening times and current display status before travelling. Every type across 119 museums is indexed in the Compendium.

Aircraft questions

Frequently asked

How many Supermarine Swift airframes are left in the UK?

The Aviation Gazetteer records 7 Supermarine Swift airframes in UK collections.

Which museum has the most Supermarine Swift airframes?

Solent Sky has the most in this survey, with 2 recorded airframes.