Exports - Egypt
Egypt was the first Middle Eastern country to acquire jet aircraft when they took delivery of their first F4 and a T7 trainer in October 1949. This was followed by a second F4 in January 1950 which had been ordered in January 1949. The delivery of the aircraft was delayed as a result of an arms embargo which would severly disrupt future deliveries of the Meteor to the EAF although they did receive nine more F4's, 2 T7's and four ex RAF F8's before the Suez Canal zone crisis caused the cancellation of orders in December 1952.
T7 & F4 Meteors at Tunisia on delivery to Egyptian Air Force (Norman Haywood)
This rare picture above was found by H vd Mortel of the Netherlands on RAF Days - Norman Haywood, best guess is that it was taken in Tunisia (Luqua?) in December 1949. It appears to capture the first two Meteors, a T7 (coded 1400) and F4 during their delivery flight although identity of the second Meteor is unconfirmed. The second aircraft is probably not a T7 because it lacks the thick tapered radio mast. Thanks to Robert Haywood for permission to use the picture and to Erwin for finding it.
In 1955 further deliveries took place with the arrival of eight former RAF F8's and six NF13's. This took the total delivery of Meteors to the EAF to 33 aircraft which were serialled 1400 to 1432 with the aircraft being serialled more or less in order of their arrival. The Meteors saw service in the Suez crisis of October - November 1956 with two being shot down by the IAF with many others destroyed on the ground by British and IAF attacks until the withdrawl of the EAF from combat operations to prevent any further loss of their newly trained pilots.
The surviving Meteors remained in service until 1958 although by that time they had mostly been replaced by more modern Russian designs. There is no indication that any airframes have survived service with the Egyptian Air Force, the photo above is the only photo discovered to date of a Meteor in EAF markings.