Gnat T.1 XM693 Development Aircraft

Gnat T.1 XM693 stands on Kings Avenue in Hamble-le-Rice as a permanent outdoor landmark marking the village’s aircraft manufacturing past. It is one of the early development aircraft for the two-seat Gnat trainer, built by Folland Aircraft on this site and first flown on 8 March 1960.

The airframe carries the short nose that distinguishes the initial development machines from later production examples. After trials with the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment it was withdrawn in 1965, allocated the maintenance serial 7891M, and used for recruitment displays.

While with the RAF Exhibition Flight it received the red-and-white Red Arrows scheme it still wears. British Aerospace later returned the aircraft to Hamble, where it remains on public view beside the former factory grounds now used by Folland Sports.

A plaque at the base records that the Gnat T.Mk.1 was manufactured by Folland Aircraft on this site in 1960.

The display sits close to the industrial and sports facilities on the old works, so the aircraft is easily seen from the road and when approaching the sports club. The canopy is covered in silver vinyl and the paintwork has been maintained in recent years.

Hamble’s aviation story runs deeper than a single airframe. Folland (later part of Hawker Siddeley and British Aerospace) produced Spitfire components in large numbers during the war and went on to design and build the Gnat itself. The trainer version became the aircraft used by the RAF’s Red Arrows from the mid-1960s until 1979. Seeing one of the original development machines still standing where it was built gives a direct link to that local history.

For visitors exploring the Hamble peninsula or Southampton Water, the aircraft offers a short stop that needs no ticket or timed entry. Combined with a walk through the village or time by the water, it provides a tangible reminder of the aircraft industry that once defined this part of Hampshire.