F-22 Raptor Demonstration At Nellis AFB 2007

I saw something the other day which kind of fits with the above comments.

Reading through Putnam's 'Gloster aircraft since 1917' I saw what is possibly the origins of TVC, though obviously far removed from todays interpretation.

It was a special 'Jet Deflection Meteor' which was adapted to divert the thrust of its modified engines downwards at the end of its take off run in order to allow shorter take off's or greater loads (which I believe is one function of the F-22's TVC system?). These trial began around 1950 and jet deflection was intended to be used on the Royal Navy's NA 39 attack bomber programme designs offered by Westland, Shorts and Hawker for a high speed bomber for deck operations.

In the event Blackburn won this competition anyway with the Buccaneer and that used blown flaps rather than jet deflection to get the same result so the idea never went into service but that must, in its crudest sense, make the Gloster Meteor the first plane to fly with thrust vectoring, eh?