The Gloster Meteor was a fighter aircraft manufactured by the British Gloster Aircraft Company for the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was the United Kingdom 's first jet aircraft and the first aircraft introduced into active service with the Allies .

The development of the Meteor relied heavily on its innovative turbojet engines , which were developed by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft began in 1940, but work had already begun on the engines in 1936. The Meteor made its first flight in 1943 and began operating on 27 July 1944 with the 616th Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). ).

Various variants of the Meteor were developed to incorporate technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of examples were manufactured for service with the RAF and other air forces, and the model remained in service for several decades. In the Second World War the Meteor saw action on a limited basis, while the Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) contributed significantly in the Korean War and other users such as Argentina , Egypt and Israel also used their Meteors in regional conflicts. In 2011, two Meteors, registrations WL419 and WA638 , remained in active service at the Martin-Baker company as test beds for ejection seats .