The Javelin was an all-weather interceptor aircraft and the last to bear the name Gloster before its absorbtion into Hawker Siddeley, along with Armstrong Witworth and AVRO. The Javelin was introduced in 1959 and retired in 1968 where the English Electric Lightning took over its role. Only ten of the 436 aircraft are preserved across three countries, the main bulk of them in the UK, whilst two are in Italy and South Africa (one each).