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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 2236.PDF
FLIGHT, 11 September 1959 Missiles Avro Blue Steel Permission has notbeen granted for Avro's Weapons Research Division to exhibit the stand-off bomb nowbeing developed for the R.A.F., but several references to it can be discerned in thestatic show. D.H. Engines, who supply the Double Spectre rocket engine for the firstversion of this weapon, are exhibiting a small model of the device, painted in thered and white geometrical pattern re- quired for camera tracking. Elliott Bros,have a wall display featuring the inertial navigation of a stand-off bomb. Bearinga strong superficial resemblance to Blue Steel and obviously launched by a Vulcan,the weapon and its parent aircraft stand- by on the ground with their inertial navi-gation system already set up and checked by ground equipment. During captiveflight to the target the inertia navigator, monitored by other airborne equipment,improves aircraft navigation; upon release final position information is fed from theaircraft to the ir.ertia navigator, which thereafter guides the weapon in all threedimensions until impact. Avro Exhibit Hawker Siddeley Avia-tion are making a strong bid for increased missile and space business. A verticallydeveloped exhibit by Avro's Weapons Research Division starts off with existinghardware—transistor computing unit; mag- netic-core digital integrator; high-fre-quency delay line; optical encoder; photo- graphic coded discs; an autopilot; and apowerful hydraulic actuator (which could well power the foreplane of Blue Steel),and goes on to depict in model form a wide range of supersonic and hypersonic wingedvehicles, including flat-bottom and Eggers- shape orbital craft. Surmounting the dis-play is a ballistic space vehicle. A.W.A. Seaslug Owing to a substan-tial relaxation in security, the three com- panies chiefly responsible for the RoyalNavy's ship-to-air weapon system (Arm- strong Whitworth, G.E.C. and Sperry) areable to show the following items in the outdoor park: a boosted round in its opera-tional-type launcher; an unboosted round (the closest view the public have yet hadof the actual weapon); various guidance receivers; the complete control unit andfins; airborne roll gyro; accelerometer; time and programme units; computer; thei.p.n. gas generator for accessory power; and an eight-channel airborne tape re-corder recovered after a firing at Woomera. During recent firing trials six kills were re-corded, out of six rounds fired. Bristol Bloodhound On Bristol's standmay be seen an awe-inspiring cine film of strikes achieved by Bloodhounds againsta variety of targets (chiefly Meteors). In the outdoor park is displayed a cutawayBloodhound and the launch-operator's console, which, assisted by a tape record-ing, can be put through simulated firing sequences. D.H. Blue Streak The prime contractorfor Britain's long-range ballistic missile, de Havilland Propellers Ltd. are exhibitinga 15ft scale model on their indoor stand. Described as being "more than 70ft longand 10ft in diameter," the airframe is stabi- lized by axial corrugations and internalpressurization. The nose-cone on the model is not quite representative. English Electric Thunderbird A Thun-derbird Mk 1 is exhibited on a Mk 6 mobile launcher, surrounded by trackingand illuminating radar A.A. No. 3 Mk 8, and the launch control post. The exhibitis manned by men of 36 GW Regiment (AA), R.A. 211 Jindivik Powered by a Bristol SiddeleyViper ASV.8, the Mk 2B version of this excellent target drone is exhibited by theEuropean agents, Fairey Aviation. A dis- play panel outlines the major elements ofthe complete Jindivik system; control radius is given as 100 miles and figuresrecently cleared for the Mk 2B and Mk 3, the latter in brackets, are: operationalceiling, 55,OOOft (60,000ft); maximum speed, M 0.9 (M 0.9); endurance, 70 min(60 min). Malkara Never before seen publicly inBritain, this anti-tank guided weapon is displayed on the stand of the Ministry ofSupply. Designed and developed by the Australian Department of Supply, Malkarawas last month adopted as a standard weapon by the British Army; the exhibitincludes a complete round, together with illustrations of the display transducer, theperiscope sight and control stick; the con- troller's panel; and the ground control unit. Pye Anti-Tank Missile An outdoorexhibit demonstrates the high mobility of this medium-sized missile system, sixrounds being carried by a Land-Rover, controlled either from the cab or from aremote box via up to 100 yd of cable. On the indoor stand may be seen all elementsof the system, including an aerodynamic test vehicle. Short Seacat First exhibited at therecent Paris Salon, this neat ship-to-air missile has not previously been seen inBritain. In the outdoor park may be seen a full-scale model of a shipborne quadruplelauncher, complete with four missiles. An illustration below it depicts four of theland-based version—Tigercat, developed in collaboration with Elliott Bros. (London)Ltd.—mounted on an armoured vehicle, around what appears to be a radome forsemi-active radar or infra-red guidance. Vickers Vigilant Displayed in the mis-sile park in a fully dismantled condition, this diminutive missile is now in a veryadvanced state of development. It has not previously been permissible to state thatthe weight of the bare missile is 25/27 lb. Accessories Important Fire-control Radar First pub-lic view of the Ferranti Airpass fire-control for the Lightning shows it to be a very neatpackage, capable of fitting many other types besides the Lightning. It is well withinthe nose diameter of a Gnat, F-104, Mirage or equivalent types. Its capabilities are W D.H. Propellers Blue Streak model considerable and provision is made in thesighting equipment for either radar- or pilot-controlled delivery of missiles,rockets or bullets. The adaptation of Air- pass as a dual purpose air-to-air and air-to-ground fire-control is a most intriguing possibility which would greatly appeal toother European air forces contemplating dual-purpose aircraft. It seems likely thatthis adaptation might indeed be achieved when one considers that Ferranti are alsoproducing a radar for the NA.39 for use in weapon delivery, terrain mapping andobstacle avoidance. The Airpass pilot attack sight has twoglass reflector plates, either of which can be lowered manually, one serving theradar display and the other a conventional optical aiming system. Beside these is theradar scope. The radar itself is controlled entirely from a single grip and arm restpositioned in the cockpit for the left hand. The whole grip moves like a joy-stick,presumably to control the scanning sector of the radar dish. Mounted on the gripare distinctively knurled wheels operated by the thumb which might serve bright-ness controls. A three-position switch, Short Seacats on quadruple launcher
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