A very light jet fighter whose combat career was most significant with the Indian Air Force.
Development
Folland Gnat was developed by Folland Aircraft in United Kingdom as a fighter. The family first flew in 1955 and entered service in 1958. Its recorded airframe configuration is fixed wing, with the family classified in the archive as core combat-aircraft scope.
Operational History
Operationally, Folland Gnat is represented primarily in the fighter role. The sourced variant records include service with Indian Air Force. Its documented combat-history coverage includes Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Role tags attached to the family include air superiority.
Variants and Lineage
Major variants represented in the structured record include Gnat F.1 and HAL Gnat.
Variants
| Designation | Type | Role | Recorded operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gnat F.1 | Production | Fighter | Indian Air Force |
| HAL Gnat | Production | Fighter | Indian Air Force |
Representative specifications
Configuration-specific profiles are shown separately so values from different variants are not blended into one false “standard” aircraft.
Gnat F.1 — C014 baseline technical profile
- Crew
- 1
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Orpheus turbojet
Armament: Twin 30 mm cannon and limited external stores on fighter versions.
Sources and further reading
Structured references supporting this aircraft family, variants, specifications, and narrative sections.
- The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown — Salamander · Tier 3