The Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident (originally the de Havilland DH.121 and briefly the Airco DH.121) is a British airliner produced by Hawker Siddeley.
In 1957, de Havilland proposed its DH.121 trijet design to a British European Airways (BEA) request.
By 1960, de Havilland had been acquired by Hawker Siddeley.
The Trident's maiden flight happened on 9 January 1962, and it was introduced on 1 April 1964, two months after its main competitor, the Boeing 727.
By the end of the programme in 1978, 117 Tridents had been produced, and the Trident was withdrawn from service in 1995.
The jetliner is powered by three rear-mounted Rolls-Royce Spey low-bypass turbofans, it has a low swept wing and a T-tail.
Advanced avionics allowed it to be the first airliner to make a blind landing in revenue service in 1965.
The initial Trident 1/2 could seat 101-115 passengers over up to 2,350 nmi (4,350 km).
The Trident 3 was stretched by 5 m (16 ft) to seat 180 over 1,940 nmi (3,590 km; 2,230 mi), and had an additional RB.162 booster engine in the tail.
1979Mar, 14
In China, a Hawker Siddeley Trident crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing 44 and injuring at least 200.
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Events on 1979
- 1Feb
Ruhollah Khomeini
Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile. - 11Feb
Ruhollah Khomeini
The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. - 16Mar
People's Liberation Army
Sino-Vietnamese War: The People's Liberation Army crosses the border back into China, ends the war. - 15Jul
Malaise speech
U.S. President Jimmy Carter gives his "malaise speech". - 16Dec
OPEC
Libya joins four other OPEC nations in raising crude oil prices, which has an immediate, dramatic effect on the United States.