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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1725.PDF
FLIGHT International, 30 August 1962 345 improve manoeuvrability at all heights. The completely new infra-red homing head which, it may now be revealed, is housed beneath a hemispherical nose—can lock-on to any part of a target on a collision course, instead of having to attack from astern. Red Top is now in an advanced state of development. Seaslug First major guided-weapon pro ject to be undertaken in Britain, Whitworth Gloster's ship-to-air missile is now in service with the Royal Navy after success fully completing exhaustive test and accept ance firings from shore bases and the trials ship HMS Girdle Ness. Between July 1959 and the autumn of 1961 the latter ship conducted a programme of firings in the Mediterranean to clear Seaslug 1 for ser vice, and demonstrated that the missile can destroy practically every target which comes within range. In one series of seven firings, four jet targets were demolished by impact, and subsequent missiles were programmed to miss by a set distance to conserve target drones. The Seaslug 1 missile is about 19ft Sin long and has four forward-mounted boost motors and a high- impulse solid sustainer. It is guided by riding up the centre of a coded pencil radar beam transmitted from the launching ship, which remains locked-on to the target once the latter has come within range. A Seaslug 1 installation, with automatic storage, checkout and handling, and a quarterdeck twin launcher, forms the main armament of four 5,000-ton ships—officially rated as destroyers—of the "County" class; and the first of these, HMS Devonshire, is now in commission. A year ago contracts were placed for two vessels designed to carry Seaslug 2, which will have "greater range and speed ... to deal with the types of aircraft likely to be encountered during the latter part of this decade." Chief Seaslug associates of Whitworth Gloster arc GLC (guidance) and Sperry (control). SHORT BROTHERS & % HARLAND LTD Belfast. See pagz 331 Launch of Seaslug Mk I from HMS "Devonshire' until a hit has been scored. Short's chose a control-loop containing this human link after research in this field had shown that, when Seacat is launched and aimed, the human being is more precise than any auto matic control for this application. New full- scale firing trials have confirmed earlier research results. Seacat has been exported more widely than any other British guided missile. Orders have been placed by a num ber of overseas countries including Sweden, Germany, Australia and New Zealand; and there are further enquiries which Short's are confident will lead to more contracts. Tigercat In addition to a number of advanced developments of Seacat, Short Brothers & Harland have, as a private venture, conducted extensive research into a land-based battlefield variant, capable of use against land targets or aircraft, known as Tigercat. The basic weapon system differs little from Seacat 1, except that the guidance system—which is being evolved in collaboration with Elliott Brothers (Lon don) Ltd—appears to involve a radar aerial, mounted on the front of the multiple laun cher or separately, and is probably of a radar command nature. Most Tigercat mountings have three or four rounds carried on small vehicles. Firestreaks on Sea Vixen W///. Seacat Acceptance trials of the Short Seacat have now been completed. The Royal Navy's close-range anti-aircraft missile is about to enter service after a development programme which has lasted less than five years. Over the past twelve months an intensive programme of firings at sea has been carried out by HMS Decoy, following a long series of firings from the Ministry of Aviation's guided-weapon range at Aberporth. The effectiveness of Scacat's control system has been demon strated by many direct hits against drone target aircraft making high- and low-level "attacks" on Decoy. The basic simplicity of the system has also been demonstrated by the speed with which seamen having had no previous experience of Seacat have become expert in aiming and guidance. The effectiveness of Seacat as a last-ditch defence is thus established. Simplicity and reliability have always been recognized as vital to its success. Seacat is intended to destroy hostile aircraft which have pene trated outer defences. The weapon is con trolled by an aimer who trains his binocu lars on it and, after launching, commands it fy means of a radio link which transmits instructions initiated by means of a joystick. In this way the aimer drives the round at an oncommg target and keeps it there Launch of Seacat from HMS "Decoy"
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