Gloster TT.20 Meteor
The Gloster TT.20 Meteor was a specialized target-towing variant of Britain’s first operational jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, adapted in the post-World War II period to support air-defense training. As jet aircraft became the dominant threat, the Royal Air Force needed fast, jet-powered targets that could realistically simulate enemy aircraft for gunnery and interception exercises. The TT.20 fulfilled this role by converting surplus fighter airframes into dedicated support aircraft, extending the Meteor’s usefulness well beyond its frontline combat career.
Technically, the TT.20 retained the Meteor’s straight-wing, twin-engine layout powered by Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojets, but incorporated a target-towing winch system housed in the rear fuselage. It typically towed banner or drogue targets for live-fire training by both fighter aircraft and ground-based air-defense units. To accommodate the new mission, armament was removed, and additional cockpit controls and instrumentation were added to manage towing operations. Despite the extra drag and workload, the TT.20 preserved the Meteor’s stable handling characteristics, making it well-suited to repetitive training sorties.
Operationally, the Gloster TT.20 served throughout the late 1940s and 1950s with the RAF and allied operators, playing a critical but often overlooked role in maintaining air-combat readiness during the early Cold War. While it never carried the prestige of frontline fighters, its contribution to weapons training, gunnery accuracy, and air-defense proficiency was substantial. The TT.20 stands today as an example of how early jet aircraft were pragmatically adapted to meet evolving training needs, bridging the gap between wartime fighters and more advanced jet trainers and target systems that followed.
In 1959, this particular N.F.-11 was converted to tow aerial targets and redesignated a T.T.20. After its service ended in 1969, it flew under civilian markings until it was flight delivered to the AFFT museum on 4 October 1993.
