Three Falcon Interceptors on escort duty.

The five White Falcons of the Angel Squadron comprise the main force of Skybase's air power.

The White Falcon is Spectrum ATF or Advanced Tactical Fighter, piloted by the Angels. An ultimate all-around attack aircraft, the Falcon is a high-speed fighter plane powered by two of the very latest Halo pulsejets, with multi-step afterburners. State-of-the art designed wing-tip geometry and variable multi-plane flaps make the Falcon a supersonic strike fighter with uncanny speed and agility, that can outmanoeuvre any other known fighter plane.

Escape pod.

Because of the incredible forces generated by the supersonic speeds and turning ability of the Falcon, the Angel pilots need to wear specifically designed and fitted G-suits for their protection against G-forces in flight.

Each pilot has a designated craft, assigned to her, with her codename marking the fuselage. The same codename also appears on the front of each Angel pilot's helmet.

Armament comes in the form of twin 30mm Tempest cannons, front and rear, firing titanium-tipped ammunition. Stowed within the main fuselage of the Falcon,  a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles can be fired through internal tubes at any target.

In case of an emergency, the front portion of the plane, including the front canard wings, can disengage from the main body and become a self-powered escape pod. In the unlikely event of this pod failing or being damaged, there is still an ejector seat.

First row. Left: Falcon Interceptor firing missiles. Right: Rear guns set underneath Falcon's fuselage. Second row. Left: Falcon's pilot about to fire. Right: The cockpit view of the targeting screen.

Destiny Angel, inside her Falcon Interceptor. Each pilot has her designated craft, with her codename marking the fuselage. The same codename also appears on the front of each Angel's helmet.

Take off and landing procedures

The White Falcons are stored into the hangar, directly underneath Flight Deck, and which is running the full length and breadth of Skybase.

At Colonel White's order of 'Launch Angels', the Angel pilots will rush to their craft, and once into position, each of the Falcons is brought up to the Flight Deck runway by a circular lift, turning at a 180 degrees rotation as it does so.

The Angel pilots will then follow the usual take-off instructions as given by the robotic on-deck air-traffic controllers which relay the flight signals of their human counterparts from the Flight Control Tower.  Each craft is assigned its own robot. Although the Angel Interceptor is equipped with powerful boosters, the Magna-strip runway will also be used to accelerate it to launch velocity, in order to perform an faster and almost immediate take off.

The rotating circular lifts at each end of Skybase runways can swiftly transport aircraft to and from the Hangar.  When a Falcon Interceptor comes to land onto Skybase, its shoes engage with the magnetic rails of the Magna-strip runway.  The craft is then brought to a halt on the circular lift at the end of the strip and then brought down into the Hangar, again turning at a 180 degrees rotation.  Once into the Hangar, robotic servicing arms will automatically clamp to the craft fuselage.

As it moves along a magnetic rail to the other end of the Hangar, a fully automated system of robotic arms will clean the craft engines and canopy, and refuel and rearm it fully.  Once at the other end of the Hangar, the robotic clamps will finally disengage the Falcon.  It is not ready to proceed to take-off once again.

First row. Left: Destiny rushing to take her place in her Interceptor. Right: A Falcon on its lift, taken from the runway above. Second row. Left: Falcon on magnetic rail. Right: Refueling.

(Sources: Materials from Granada Ventures Limited, Anderson Entertainment Ltd./GAP PLC©, Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet Funfax, Spectrum Agents' Handbook, New Captain Scarlet's Magazine, New Captain Scarlet DVD set and other materials. Special thanks to Dominic Lavery for providing blueprints, sketches, artworks, and other exclusive materials.)