English Electric Lightning – the ultimate Cold War interceptor A pair of mighty Rolls Royce Avon engines, in a striking vertical stack configuration, propelled the English Electric Lightning to speeds in excess of Mach 2 and in a vertical climb it could even break the sound barrier. It was designed to protect the country, and in particular the V-bomber bases where our nuclear deterrent was located at the time, from a pre-emptive Russian air attack. However, these incredible performances consumed vast quantities of fuel, restricting its range, making it difficult to find alternative roles for the Lightning as the original threats diminished. The last Lightning was retired in 1988. In homage, our Lightning desk sculpture is cast in solid aluminium and polished to a high sheen so the subtle curves and angles catch the light.
