Saunders-Roe SR.A/1
Description
Role	Flying-boat fighter
Crew	one, pilot
First Flight	July 15, 1947
Manufacturer	Saunders-Roe
Dimensions
Length	50 ft	14.24 m
Wingspan	46 ft	14.02 m
Height	16 ft 9 in	5.11 m
Wing area	415 ft²	38.6 m²
Weights
Empty	11,262 lb	5,108 kg
Loaded	16,225 lb	7,360 kg
Maximum takeoff	19,033 lb	8,633 kg
Powerplant
Engines	2x Metropolitan-Vickers Beryl MVB.1 turbojets
Thrust	6,460 lb	28.8 kN
Performance
Maximum speed	512 mph	824 km/h
Range	1,200 miles	1,920 km
Service ceiling
Rate of climb	5,800 ft/min	1,768m/min
Wing loading	39 lb/ft²	190kg/m²
Thrust/Weight	1:2.5
Avionics
Armament (intended) prototypes unarmed
Guns	4x 20 mm Hispano Mk 5 cannon
Stores	2x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or 16x 120 lb (55 kg) rockets

The Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 was a prototype fighter aircraft tested by the Royal Air Force shortly after World War II. It is unique in being the only jet-powered flying boat fighter ever flown.

The SR.A/1 was directly inspired by the (modest) successes experienced by the Imperial Japanese Navy with seaplane fighters such as the Nakajima A6M2-N (an adaptation of the Mitsubishi Zero) and the Kawanishi N1K . In theory, seaplanes were ideally suited to conditions in the Pacific theatre, and could turn any relatively calm area of coast into an airbase. Their main disadvantage came from the way in which the bulk of their floatation gear penalised their performance compared to other fighters. Saunders-Roe realised that the new turbojet engine presented an opportunity to overcome this drawback. Not requiring clearance for a propeller, the fuselage could sit lower in the water and utilise a flying boat-type hull. The company approached the Air Ministry with the idea, which led to specification E.6/44 and an accompanying development contract for three prototypes in May 1944.

The first prototype flew on July 15 1947, and while it and its two sisters proved to have good performance and handling, the need for such aircraft had completely evaporated with the end of the war. Furthermore, the success of the US Navy's carriers in the Pacific had demonstrated a far more effective way to project airpower over the oceans. The project was finally abandoned in May 1951.

The first prototype has been preserved, and is on display at the Southampton Hall of Aviation . Both other aircraft were lost in accidents during the flight test programme.