Killer Gnat - The Folland Gnat, Britain's latest light jet fighter with a speed near that of sound.The plane, powered by the new Bristol Orpheus turbo jet, made its first last Monday afternoon. Dimensionally, it closely resembles its forerunner, the Midge, which is a low power version of the Gnat. The Midge, with the lower power engine, has a level flight speed of over 600 miles per hour and has several times reached supersonic speed in a dive. July 19, 1955. (Photo by Reuterphoto).