The flying boat had certainly proved its worth during combat service in World War 2 (1939-1945). Prior to the conflict, it was a passenger-hauling attention-getter with many top carriers showcasing all sorts of breeds under catchy names to help generate interest. These typically large platforms held inherent boat-like qualities that allowed for landing on open water, never requiring the services of a prepared runway. Their military counterparts were similar in form but wholly different in function - capable of loitering over contested areas for hours on end and hunting down enemy warships and submarines. The designs were sound handlers over the sometimes tumultuous seas and showcased the long endurance required for operational service over thousands of miles of vast ocean space - particularly in the Pacific Theater against the Empire of Japan. Despite the obvious benefits, militaries placed little emphasis on development of a "flying boat fighter" during the war - relying instead on carrier-based fighter types and land-based fighters where territorial gains allowed.



Additional challenges lay in converting these large - sometimes massive - prop-driven aircraft into more useful, compact fighter design forms. Performance would always be a key limitation for water-based aircraft as would the assault of the salty sea - easily damaging mechanical components and metal skin being exposed to the air.



The British concern of Saunders-Roe ("SARO") held extensive experience in the design, development , and manufacture of flying boats. The Isle of Wight-based company was founded in 1929 and managed an active existence up until 1964 during which the firm produced flying boats of all sizes with several being used in the maritime role by the British during World War 2. SARO became one of the few flying boat providers that eventually took up the charge of developing a "flying boat fighter" despite the technological challenges that lay ahead.



Turbojet technology was still in its infancy during the middle-to-late war years but it offered performance that would eventually outmatch that of propeller-driven engines in time. It was decided that any chance at making a flying boat fighter concept work would revolved around use of a paired turbojet configuration. Preliminary work was undertaken in 1943 and begat Air Ministry Specification E.6/44 in 1944 which requested three working airframes for active testing.



SARO's original design had been designated the "SR.44" but this evolved with the evolving specifications in turn to become "SR.A/1". Engineers forged a classic flying boat shape in their SR.A/1 by providing the requisite, well-contoured, boat-like hull set under a deep fuselage. All lines were smooth in the design, a typically British approach to their jets of the period, which sat the cockpit along the high fuselage dorsal spine. The single-seat cockpit was set ahead of midships to provide for the best possible viewing out-of-the-cockpit with little framing was used on the canopy. The nose section of the aircraft was cut off to allow for the aspiration needed of the twin turbojets buried within the fuselage. The turbojets were installed deep within the design in a side-by-side arrangement. The nacelles emanated from the sides of the aircraft to form the needed jetpipes for exhausting. The tail unit featured an elegantly-shaped vertical tail fin with a clipped tip and a mid-mounted pair of horizontal planes to either fin side. The main wing assemblies were fitted at amidships and high-mounted to supply the needed lift over water. These units also held four large internal fuel tanks for the thirsty turbojet installations. Retractable pontoon floats were added under the wings to protect the aircraft from tipping. When on the water, the aircraft assumed a notable "nose-up" attitude as this aided in keeping the intake opening clear of water ingestion. The engine jetpipes were also raised from the water line to keep their exhaust streams away from the surface.



As a fighter design, the SARO SR.A/1 was to feature a battery of 4 x 20mm Hispano Mk 5 series cannons mounted over the ductwork in the nose. However, these weapons were never fitted to the three prototypes completed though the cutouts for their barrels were still a part of the finalized design. There was to be an additional capability of carrying 2 x 1,000lbs bombs which was never tested as well as rocket-launching support. The SR.A/1 never entered into its weapons testing phase.