Teddy Petter CBE. the man who designed the supersonic missile armed British Lightning fighter thought something simpler still had a place and his last design proved it’s worth in India. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
The printing on this stamp is not the best but the subject matter is great. A plane virtually synonymous with India rises in the sky. This was a bulk postage stamp, so young Indian philatelists and plane fans would have been excited to get a frequent letter decorated with this stamp.
Todays stamp is issue A203, a 20 Paise stamp issued by India in 1967. The stamp features the Folland Gnat aircraft that was manufactured in India. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used. The mint version is up at $8 so most of this stamp must have been mailed.
The Folland Gnat was conceived as a simple to manufacture and maintain day fighter that would be useful to small countries and it was hoped by Britain in smaller wars. Britain in the 50s still operated large numbers of Vampire and Vemon fighters and there was also a NATO requirement for a light ground attack fighter. The RAF at the time was emphasizing quality over quantity and ended up buying the larger Hawker Hunter fighter. The NATO competition was won by an Italian development of the American F86 Sabre jet called the Fiat G91. The RAF did end up buying a 2 seat unarmed training version of the Gnat which most famously was used it in it’s “Red Arrow” acrobatic display team.
The simple design and ability to manufacture it locally appealed much to India. The Indian air force was dividing it’s purchases between Britain and the Soviet Union but aircraft from both sources required much foreign exchange and expertise. Over time India desired to be more self sufficient and the Gnat was a great way to build expertise.
In the 1965 and the 1971 wars with Pakistan, Indian Gnat fighters faced off against Pakistani F86 Sabres. The F86 had proved a formidable dogfighter over Korea in the 50s with a 10 to 1 kill ratio verses the Russian made Mig 15. The Pakistanis flew a later Canadian improved version of this aircraft. The Gnat however was smaller, more maneuverable, and better flown and achieved a better than 3 to 1 kill ratio against the Sabre, earning the nickname the Sabre slayer.
The program of the Gnat had such momentum after the combat success that a new locally developed version called the Ajeet, (invincible), was built. It was more aimed at ground attack and was less successful as the changes added weight. Without outside assistense, the government owned HAL was not able to give the Ajeet the stability it needed in low altitude combat. By now India was building the twin engine supersonic British Jaguar fighter/bomber and also importing/assembling the similar Soviet MIG 27 so the service life of both the Gnat and Ajeet were at an end. Pakistan had retired the Sabres in favor of French supersonic Mirage III and Chinese copies of the slightly supersonic Russian MIG 19.
The British Folland company was later absorbed by Hawker which made the Hawk trainer and light fighter that is used by both Britain, including the Red Arrow team, and India today. Teddy Petter was not able to help with the later Indian development of his Gnat design. In 1959 he retired from Folland. His wife had come down with Parkinson’s disease and hoping for a cure they moved to a commune in Switzerland run by a defrocked former French clergyman now going by the name Father Forget. Strange but true. His wife was not cured but ended up still outliving her husband who died of ulsers.
India tried to do an indigenous light fighter recently but the program failed due to delays and the constant pull to add complexity.
Well my drink is empty so I will pour another to toast Nimal Jit Singh Sekhon who took on 6 Pakistani F86 planes solo in his Gnat. He achieved 3 hits before being shot down. He was awarded the Piram Vir Chakra medal for gallantry posthumously. Come again for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2018.