A letter of intent for the production of 300 of the new fighter, initially to be named Thunderbolt, was issued on 21 June 1941; to avoid confusion with the USAAF Republic P-47 Thunderbolt which had been issued with the same name to the RAF in 1944, the aircraft's name was subsequently changed to Meteor.
En hensigtserklæring for produktionen af 300 de nye jagere, som oprindelig blev kaldt Thunderbolt, blev udstedt den 21. juni 1941; for at undgå forveksling med USAAFs Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, som i 1944 fik det samme navn, blev flyets navn ændret til Meteor.