Bloodhound SAM
Encyclopedia
The Bristol Bloodhound is a British
surface-to-air missile
developed during the 1950s as the UK's main air defence weapon, and was in large-scale service with the Royal Air Force
(RAF) and the forces of four other countries. The Bloodhound Mk. I entered service in December 1958 and the last Mk. II missile squadron stood down in July 1991, although Swiss examples remained operational until 1999.
UK air defences were allowed to fall into disuse, the assumption being it would be a decade before another war started. However, the Soviet atomic bomb test of 1949 forced a re-evaluation of that policy, and UK defence planners started studying the problems of building a more integrated air defence network than the patchwork of WWII expediencies. The Cherry Report called for a reorganisation of existing radars under the ROTOR
project along with new control centres to better coordinate fighters and anti-aircraft guns. This was strictly a stop-gap measure however; over a longer term it would require deployments of new long-range radars in place of the Chain Home
systems from the war, command and control sites able to survive a nuclear attack, interceptor
s of ever-increasing performance, and anti-aircraft missiles and guns to provide a last-ditch defence.
The missile portion was the newest and least understood technology. In order to deploy quickly and gain experience with these systems, the "Stage Plan" was developed. "Stage 1" called for missiles with a range of only 20 miles with capabilities against subsonic or low-supersonic attacking aircraft, which were assumed to be at medium or high altitudes. The Stage 1 missile would be used to protect the V bomber
bases in the UK, as well as the British Army
in the field. The Stage 1 missile would be later replaced with a much higher-performance and longer-range "Stage 2" system in the 1960s, which would have capability against supersonic targets at longer ranges.
Two entries were accepted for the original Stage 1 proposal, an already-started project from English Electric
under the name "Red Shoes", and Bristol's proposal under "Red Duster". Bristol's efforts were fairly similar to EE's in most ways, although it was somewhat less mobile while offering somewhat better range. Ferranti
would develop the radar and guidance system for both. Bristol was awarded a development contract in 1949, referring to it as Project 1220.
for power. However, they had no experience with this engine design, and started a long series of tests to develop it. As the ramjet only operates effectively at high speeds over Mach 1
, Bristol built a series of testbed airframes to flight-test the engines. The first, JTV-1, resembled a flying torpedo
with the ramjets hung off the end from the cruciform rear fins. Early problems were ironed out and the JTV series was the first British ramjet powered aircraft to operate continually at supersonic
speeds.
Once the JTV testing started to proceed, Bristol studied a series of airframe designs. The first was a long tube with an intake at the front, and four delta-shaped fins
arranged near the front of the fuselage. The intake and wings give it some resemblance to the English Electric Lightning
, albeit with a long tube sticking out of the aft end. This arrangement left little internal room for fuel or guidance. A second design was similar, but used mid-mounted fins of reverse-delta shape (flat at the front) with small intakes at their root. The performance of these intakes was not well understood, and considered risky. The final design was essentially a small aircraft, with mid-set trapezoidal wing
s and four small swept wing
fins at the extreme rear. In this version two engines were mounted on the wing tips, similar to the JTV series mounting and better understood due to those flight tests.
One unique feature of the new design was the control system, which used two rotating wings mounted mid-point rather than using control surfaces at the rear, which is more common. The controls operated by rotating the wings in different directions in order to roll the airframe in-line with the desired turn, and then operating them both in unison to provide lift in that direction. Bristol felt this would greatly reduce the uncertainty in maneuvering due to couplings between the controls. The engines were mounted above and below these wings on short extensions. Directional stability was provided by four small cropped-delta fins at the extreme rear of the fuselage. A very large solid fuel booster launched the missile off its launcher and powered it to speeds where the ramjets could take over.
as the 1/4-scale XTV-1, powered by three 5-inch boosters strapped together. This demonstrated that the overall length with the booster attached would be a significant problem in the field. In response, the original booster was re-designed as a series of four smaller rockets designed to "wrap around" the missile fuselage. This layout was tested on the 1/3 scale XTV-2, the full-sized but unpowered XTV-3 that tested the new boosters, and finally the full-sized and powered XTV-4. The final modification, first tested on the XTV-3, was to replace the four rear fins with two larger ones, which allowed the four booster motors to be mounted on a common ring, ensuring they separated in different directions. This resulted in the definitive XTV-5.
As the design matured, the engine requirements were finalized. The resulting Bristol Thor
was originally designed in conjunction with Boeing
, who had extensive experience with the similar engines of the BOMARC missile. Testing of the prototype production versions, known as XRD (eXperimental Red Duster), moved to the Woomera range in South Australia in mid-1953. These proved very disappointing due to ramjet problems, which were traced to the use of a flare as an ignition source inside the engine. This was replaced with an igniter design from the National Gas Turbine Establishment
and the problems were quickly sorted out. Firings against Jindivik target aircraft started in 1956, and eventually 500 tests of all of the designs were completed before it entered service.
Guidance was semi-automatic, with the targets initially identified by existing early warning radar sites and then handed off to the Bloodhound sites for local detection and attack. This was handled by the truck-mounted Type 83 "Yellow River" pulse radar system that could be fairly easily jammed and was vulnerable to ground 'clutter', thus degrading low-level capability.
By the time Bloodhound was ready for deployment, the solid-fueled Red Shoes, now known as the English Electric Thunderbird
, was proving successful and the British Army dropped their orders for the Bloodhound in favor of the Thunderbird. The Bloodhound Mk 1 entered British service in 1958, and was selected for the RAAF in November of that year. Deployment of the Bloodhound Mk. I began in 1958, initially to provide protection for the RAF's V-bomber bases. Australian deployments started in January 1961.
Although the Bloodhound was successful technically, Government auditors found that Ferranti had made far larger profits than projected from the Bloodhound I contract. Sir John Lang chaired an inquiry into the matter. Ferranti Chairman, Sebastian de Ferranti, agreed to pay back £4.25 million to the government in 1964.
to be able to enter service before the Thunderbird and Bloodhound would already be obsolete. Meanwhile the much improved continuous wave radar systems being developed for the same project, Green Sparkler, were progressing quite nicely. In order to address the timing problems, interim Stages were added. "Stage 1½" combined a slightly upgraded Thunderbird with Green Sparkler, while "Stage 1¾" would replace the Bloodhound outright with a new missile design known as "Blue Envoy" with 150 mile range.
In 1957 the entire Stage concept was abandoned as part of the 1957 Defence White Paper
. Bristol engineers sharing a taxi with their Ferranti counterparts hatched a new plan to adapt the Blue Envoy ramjets and radars to a lengthened Bloodhound, and submitted this for study. The proposal was accepted, producing the Bloodhound Mk. II.
The Mk. II featured a more powerful Thor engine based on changes investigated in Blue Envoy, along with a stretched fuselage that increased fuel storage. These changes dramatically extended range from about 35 km to 80 km, pushing the practical engagement distance out to about 50 km (although detected at a longer range, the missile takes time to travel to its target, during which it approaches the base).
The Mk. II was guided by either the Ferranti Type 86 Firelight radar for mobile use, or the larger fixed-emplacement Marconi
Type 87 "Scorpion". In addition to its own illumination and tracking antennas, the Scorpion also added one of the receiver antennas out of a missile body on the same frame. This antenna was used to determine what the missile's own receiver was seeing, which was used for jamming detection and assessment. The new radars eliminated problems with ground reflections, allowing the missile to be fired at any visible target, no matter how close to the ground. Combined with the new engines, the Mk. II had an extended altitude performance between 150 ft and 65,000 ft.
The use of a CW radar presented a problem for the semi-automatic guidance system. Continuous wave radars rely on the Doppler effect
to detect moving targets, comparing returned signals to the reference signal being broadcast. However in the Bloodhound's case the missile was moving away from the reference signal as fast, or faster than, the target would be approaching it. The missile would need to know the velocity of the target as well as its own airspeed in order to know what frequency to look for, but this information was known only to the radar station on the ground, the missile did not broadcast any signals of its own. To solve this problem the radar site also broadcast an omnidirectional reference signal that was shifted to the frequency that the missile's receiver should be looking for, taking into account both the target and missile speed. Thus the missile only had to compare the signal from its nose-mounted receiver with the signal from the launch site, greatly simplifying the electronics.
Many of the calculations in terms of lead, frequency shifting, and pointing angles for the radars were handled by the custom-built Ferranti Argus
computer. This machine would later go on to be a successful industrial control computer
which was sold all over Europe for a wide variety of roles.
The Mk. II started testing in 1963 and entered RAF service in 1964. Unlike the Mk. I that had limited performance advantages compared to the Thunderbird, the Mk. II was a much more formidable weapon with capabilities against Mach 2 aircraft at high altitudes. Several new Bloodhound bases were set up for the Mk. II, and some of the Mk. I bases were updated to host the Mk. II.
There was an export version planned, Bloodhound 21, that had less sophisticated electronic countermeasures
equipment. The planned Mk. III (also known as RO 166) was a nuclear warhead-equipped Mk. II with a longer range (around 75 miles) achieved with improved ramjet engine and larger boosters. The project, one of several adaptations of existing British missiles to carry tactical nuclear devices, was cancelled in 1960. The Mk. IV was a cancelled mobile version, based on Swedish Army field experience.
In 1956, Second World War Battle of Britain
ace, Wing Commander Frederick Higginson
DFC DFM was recruited and placed in charge of the new Guided Missile Defence group inside Bristol Aircraft, charged with sales and service of the new systems. Higginson was awarded an OBE in 1963 for the overseas sales that Bloodhound gained, and promoted to the board of Bristol Aircraft in the same year.
The initial Bloodhound Mk. I deployment consisted of eight missile sites; RAF Dunholme Lodge
, RAF Watton
, RAF Marham
, RAF Rattlesden
, RAF Woolfox Lodge
, RAF Carnaby
, RAF Warboys
, RAF Breighton and RAF Misson
with a trial site at RAF North Coates. The primary reason for these sites being chosen was the defence of the nearby V bomber
stations.
Australian deployments started with No. 30 Squadron RAAF
at RAAF Base Williamtown in January 1961. A detachment formed in Darwin in 1965. By 1968, the Bloodhound Mk. I missiles were obsolete, and both elements of the squadron had been disbanded by the end of November 1968.
Swiss deployments started in 1964, and by 1967 six sites were operational with a total of nine firing units. These remained operational until 1999 when they were removed from service, and the Gubel site was declared a national historical property.
After the RAF passed the nuclear deterrent role to the Royal Navy
in 1970, all Bloodhound systems within the UK were withdrawn and either stored or transferred to RAF Germany for airfield defence with No. 25 Squadron. The possibility of low-level sneak attack by bombers or cruise missiles led to a reappraisal of UK air defences, resulting in No. 85 Squadron
forming at West Raynham on 18 December 1975.
With deployment of the Rapier missile
to Germany, Bloodhounds were returned to England in 1983 and were in operation at three additional airfields, Barkston Heath, Wyton and Wattisham. These installations used the mobile Type 86 radars of their German deployments, but mounted them on a 30 foot tower to improve visibility and reduce ground reflections. In 1990 as the cold war wound down the remaining missiles were concentrated at West Raynham and Wattisham with plans to operate them until 1995, but these were later removed in 1991.
In South East Asia, the Bloodhound was deployed with the RAF No. 65 Squadron
based out of RAF Seletar, Singapore
as part of the RAF Far East Air Force
. With the withdrawal of British forces announced in 1968, Singapore bought the entire Bloodhound assets of the No. 65 Squadron
and established the Singapore Air Defence Command's 170 Squadron. The squadron was disbanded and the missile retired at a ceremony in 1994.
nose cone at the front and some boat-tailing at the rear. Small aluminium-covered wooden cropped-delta wings are mounted mid-point, providing pitch and roll control by pivoting in unison or independently. Two smaller rectangular fixed surfaces were mounted in-line with the main wings, almost at the rear of the missile.
The boost engines are held together as a single assembly by a metal ring at the rear of the missile. Each motor has a small hook on the ring as well as similar one at the front holding it to the missile body. After firing, when the thrust of the rockets falls below the thrust of the now-lit ramjets, the boosters slide rearward until the front hook disengages from the missile body. The boosters are then free to rotate around their attachment to the metal ring, and are designed to rotate outward, away from the fuselage. In action, they fold open like the petals on a flower, greatly increasing drag and pulling the entire four-booster assembly away from the missile body.
Small inlets on the roots of the stub wings holding the engines allow air into the missile body for two tasks. Two Ram air turbine
s driving turbopump
s generate hydraulic power for the wing control system, and a fuel pump that feeds the engines. Smaller inlet tubes provide ram air to pressurize the fuel tanks. Kerosene
fuel is held in two large rubber bag tanks in bays either side of the hydraulic bay where the wings are attached. Electrical power was provided by a thermal battery ignited at launch.
Although in tests the Bloodhound had executed direct hits on target bombers flying at 50,000 ft, Mark II production models had proximity fused warheads designed to fire a hoop of metal rods and so destroy attacking aircraft without needing this degree of accuracy.
The acceleration of the Mk. II can be gauged from the data on an information board at the Bristol Aeroplane Company
Museum at Kemble Airfield
, Kemble
, Gloucestershire
, where a complete Bloodhound can be seen. The Mark of Bloodhound this data refers to is not given but is presumably the Mark II since the top speed of the Mk. I is Mach 2.2:
"By the time the missile has just cleared the launcher it is doing 400 mph. By the time the missile is 25 feet from the launcher it has reached the speed of sound (around 720 mph). Three seconds after launch, as the four boost rockets fall away, it has reached Mach 2.5 which is roughly 1,800 mph"
- Swedish Air Force
- Swiss Air Force
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
developed during the 1950s as the UK's main air defence weapon, and was in large-scale service with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) and the forces of four other countries. The Bloodhound Mk. I entered service in December 1958 and the last Mk. II missile squadron stood down in July 1991, although Swiss examples remained operational until 1999.
The Stage Plan
After the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
UK air defences were allowed to fall into disuse, the assumption being it would be a decade before another war started. However, the Soviet atomic bomb test of 1949 forced a re-evaluation of that policy, and UK defence planners started studying the problems of building a more integrated air defence network than the patchwork of WWII expediencies. The Cherry Report called for a reorganisation of existing radars under the ROTOR
ROTOR
ROTOR was a huge and elaborate air defence radar system built by the British Government in the early 1950s to counter possible attack by Soviet bombers...
project along with new control centres to better coordinate fighters and anti-aircraft guns. This was strictly a stop-gap measure however; over a longer term it would require deployments of new long-range radars in place of the Chain Home
Chain Home
Chain Home was the codename for the ring of coastal Early Warning radar stations built by the British before and during the Second World War. The system otherwise known as AMES Type 1 consisted of radar fixed on top of a radio tower mast, called a 'station' to provide long-range detection of...
systems from the war, command and control sites able to survive a nuclear attack, interceptor
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
s of ever-increasing performance, and anti-aircraft missiles and guns to provide a last-ditch defence.
The missile portion was the newest and least understood technology. In order to deploy quickly and gain experience with these systems, the "Stage Plan" was developed. "Stage 1" called for missiles with a range of only 20 miles with capabilities against subsonic or low-supersonic attacking aircraft, which were assumed to be at medium or high altitudes. The Stage 1 missile would be used to protect the V bomber
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
bases in the UK, as well as the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in the field. The Stage 1 missile would be later replaced with a much higher-performance and longer-range "Stage 2" system in the 1960s, which would have capability against supersonic targets at longer ranges.
Two entries were accepted for the original Stage 1 proposal, an already-started project from English Electric
English Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
under the name "Red Shoes", and Bristol's proposal under "Red Duster". Bristol's efforts were fairly similar to EE's in most ways, although it was somewhat less mobile while offering somewhat better range. Ferranti
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. Known primarily for defence electronics, the Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.The...
would develop the radar and guidance system for both. Bristol was awarded a development contract in 1949, referring to it as Project 1220.
Design
As the 1220 required long range, Bristol made the decision early on to use a ramjetRamjet
A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, or an athodyd, is a form of airbreathing jet engine using the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air, without a rotary compressor. Ramjets cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed and thus cannot move an aircraft from a standstill...
for power. However, they had no experience with this engine design, and started a long series of tests to develop it. As the ramjet only operates effectively at high speeds over Mach 1
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
, Bristol built a series of testbed airframes to flight-test the engines. The first, JTV-1, resembled a flying torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
with the ramjets hung off the end from the cruciform rear fins. Early problems were ironed out and the JTV series was the first British ramjet powered aircraft to operate continually at supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
speeds.
Once the JTV testing started to proceed, Bristol studied a series of airframe designs. The first was a long tube with an intake at the front, and four delta-shaped fins
Delta wing
The delta wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta .-Delta-shaped stabilizers:...
arranged near the front of the fuselage. The intake and wings give it some resemblance to the English Electric Lightning
English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
, albeit with a long tube sticking out of the aft end. This arrangement left little internal room for fuel or guidance. A second design was similar, but used mid-mounted fins of reverse-delta shape (flat at the front) with small intakes at their root. The performance of these intakes was not well understood, and considered risky. The final design was essentially a small aircraft, with mid-set trapezoidal wing
Trapezoidal wing
The trapezoidal or diamond wing is a high-performance wing configuration. It is a short tapered wing having little or no overall sweep, such that the leading edge sweeps back and the trailing edge sweeps forwards. The trapezoidal design allows for a thin wing with low drag at high speeds, while...
s and four small swept wing
Swept wing
A swept wing is a wing planform favored for high subsonic jet speeds first investigated by Germany during the Second World War. Since the introduction of the MiG-15 and North American F-86 which demonstrated a decisive superiority over the slower first generation of straight-wing jet fighters...
fins at the extreme rear. In this version two engines were mounted on the wing tips, similar to the JTV series mounting and better understood due to those flight tests.
One unique feature of the new design was the control system, which used two rotating wings mounted mid-point rather than using control surfaces at the rear, which is more common. The controls operated by rotating the wings in different directions in order to roll the airframe in-line with the desired turn, and then operating them both in unison to provide lift in that direction. Bristol felt this would greatly reduce the uncertainty in maneuvering due to couplings between the controls. The engines were mounted above and below these wings on short extensions. Directional stability was provided by four small cropped-delta fins at the extreme rear of the fuselage. A very large solid fuel booster launched the missile off its launcher and powered it to speeds where the ramjets could take over.
Flight testing
In 1952 the design was accepted by the Combined United Kingdom/Australia Committee for Trials. A prototype of the new layout was built and flown in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
as the 1/4-scale XTV-1, powered by three 5-inch boosters strapped together. This demonstrated that the overall length with the booster attached would be a significant problem in the field. In response, the original booster was re-designed as a series of four smaller rockets designed to "wrap around" the missile fuselage. This layout was tested on the 1/3 scale XTV-2, the full-sized but unpowered XTV-3 that tested the new boosters, and finally the full-sized and powered XTV-4. The final modification, first tested on the XTV-3, was to replace the four rear fins with two larger ones, which allowed the four booster motors to be mounted on a common ring, ensuring they separated in different directions. This resulted in the definitive XTV-5.
As the design matured, the engine requirements were finalized. The resulting Bristol Thor
Bristol Thor
The Bristol Thor was a 16" diameter ramjet engine developed by Bristol Aero Engines for the Bristol Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile....
was originally designed in conjunction with Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, who had extensive experience with the similar engines of the BOMARC missile. Testing of the prototype production versions, known as XRD (eXperimental Red Duster), moved to the Woomera range in South Australia in mid-1953. These proved very disappointing due to ramjet problems, which were traced to the use of a flare as an ignition source inside the engine. This was replaced with an igniter design from the National Gas Turbine Establishment
National Gas Turbine Establishment
The National Gas Turbine Establishment in Fleet, part of the Royal Aircraft Establishment , UK was the prime site in the UK for design and development of gas turbine and jet engines. It was created by merging the design teams of Frank Whittle's Power Jets and the RAE turbine development team run...
and the problems were quickly sorted out. Firings against Jindivik target aircraft started in 1956, and eventually 500 tests of all of the designs were completed before it entered service.
Guidance was semi-automatic, with the targets initially identified by existing early warning radar sites and then handed off to the Bloodhound sites for local detection and attack. This was handled by the truck-mounted Type 83 "Yellow River" pulse radar system that could be fairly easily jammed and was vulnerable to ground 'clutter', thus degrading low-level capability.
By the time Bloodhound was ready for deployment, the solid-fueled Red Shoes, now known as the English Electric Thunderbird
English Electric Thunderbird
The English Electric Thunderbird was a British surface to air missile produced for the British Army. The Thunderbird was primarily intended to attack higher altitude targets at ranges of up to thirty miles or so. AA guns were still used for lower altitude threats...
, was proving successful and the British Army dropped their orders for the Bloodhound in favor of the Thunderbird. The Bloodhound Mk 1 entered British service in 1958, and was selected for the RAAF in November of that year. Deployment of the Bloodhound Mk. I began in 1958, initially to provide protection for the RAF's V-bomber bases. Australian deployments started in January 1961.
Although the Bloodhound was successful technically, Government auditors found that Ferranti had made far larger profits than projected from the Bloodhound I contract. Sir John Lang chaired an inquiry into the matter. Ferranti Chairman, Sebastian de Ferranti, agreed to pay back £4.25 million to the government in 1964.
Further developments
By 1955 it appeared that the Stage 2 missiles were too far beyond the state of the artState of the art
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...
to be able to enter service before the Thunderbird and Bloodhound would already be obsolete. Meanwhile the much improved continuous wave radar systems being developed for the same project, Green Sparkler, were progressing quite nicely. In order to address the timing problems, interim Stages were added. "Stage 1½" combined a slightly upgraded Thunderbird with Green Sparkler, while "Stage 1¾" would replace the Bloodhound outright with a new missile design known as "Blue Envoy" with 150 mile range.
In 1957 the entire Stage concept was abandoned as part of the 1957 Defence White Paper
1957 Defence White Paper
The 1957 White Paper on Defence was a British white paper setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected was the British aircraft industry...
. Bristol engineers sharing a taxi with their Ferranti counterparts hatched a new plan to adapt the Blue Envoy ramjets and radars to a lengthened Bloodhound, and submitted this for study. The proposal was accepted, producing the Bloodhound Mk. II.
The Mk. II featured a more powerful Thor engine based on changes investigated in Blue Envoy, along with a stretched fuselage that increased fuel storage. These changes dramatically extended range from about 35 km to 80 km, pushing the practical engagement distance out to about 50 km (although detected at a longer range, the missile takes time to travel to its target, during which it approaches the base).
The Mk. II was guided by either the Ferranti Type 86 Firelight radar for mobile use, or the larger fixed-emplacement Marconi
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
Type 87 "Scorpion". In addition to its own illumination and tracking antennas, the Scorpion also added one of the receiver antennas out of a missile body on the same frame. This antenna was used to determine what the missile's own receiver was seeing, which was used for jamming detection and assessment. The new radars eliminated problems with ground reflections, allowing the missile to be fired at any visible target, no matter how close to the ground. Combined with the new engines, the Mk. II had an extended altitude performance between 150 ft and 65,000 ft.
The use of a CW radar presented a problem for the semi-automatic guidance system. Continuous wave radars rely on the Doppler effect
Doppler effect
The Doppler effect , named after Austrian physicist Christian Doppler who proposed it in 1842 in Prague, is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. It is commonly heard when a vehicle sounding a siren or horn approaches, passes, and recedes from...
to detect moving targets, comparing returned signals to the reference signal being broadcast. However in the Bloodhound's case the missile was moving away from the reference signal as fast, or faster than, the target would be approaching it. The missile would need to know the velocity of the target as well as its own airspeed in order to know what frequency to look for, but this information was known only to the radar station on the ground, the missile did not broadcast any signals of its own. To solve this problem the radar site also broadcast an omnidirectional reference signal that was shifted to the frequency that the missile's receiver should be looking for, taking into account both the target and missile speed. Thus the missile only had to compare the signal from its nose-mounted receiver with the signal from the launch site, greatly simplifying the electronics.
Many of the calculations in terms of lead, frequency shifting, and pointing angles for the radars were handled by the custom-built Ferranti Argus
Ferranti Argus
Ferranti's Argus computers were a line of industrial control computers offered from the 1960s into the 1980s. They were widely used in a variety of roles in Europe, particularly in the UK where they continue to serve as monitoring and control systems for nuclear reactors.-Original series:The...
computer. This machine would later go on to be a successful industrial control computer
Real-time computing
In computer science, real-time computing , or reactive computing, is the study of hardware and software systems that are subject to a "real-time constraint"— e.g. operational deadlines from event to system response. Real-time programs must guarantee response within strict time constraints...
which was sold all over Europe for a wide variety of roles.
The Mk. II started testing in 1963 and entered RAF service in 1964. Unlike the Mk. I that had limited performance advantages compared to the Thunderbird, the Mk. II was a much more formidable weapon with capabilities against Mach 2 aircraft at high altitudes. Several new Bloodhound bases were set up for the Mk. II, and some of the Mk. I bases were updated to host the Mk. II.
There was an export version planned, Bloodhound 21, that had less sophisticated electronic countermeasures
Electronic countermeasures
An electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...
equipment. The planned Mk. III (also known as RO 166) was a nuclear warhead-equipped Mk. II with a longer range (around 75 miles) achieved with improved ramjet engine and larger boosters. The project, one of several adaptations of existing British missiles to carry tactical nuclear devices, was cancelled in 1960. The Mk. IV was a cancelled mobile version, based on Swedish Army field experience.
Operational deployments
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
ace, Wing Commander Frederick Higginson
Frederick Higginson
Wing Commander Frederick "Taffy" Higginson OBE DFC DFM , was a fighter ace of the Royal Air Force during World War II....
DFC DFM was recruited and placed in charge of the new Guided Missile Defence group inside Bristol Aircraft, charged with sales and service of the new systems. Higginson was awarded an OBE in 1963 for the overseas sales that Bloodhound gained, and promoted to the board of Bristol Aircraft in the same year.
The initial Bloodhound Mk. I deployment consisted of eight missile sites; RAF Dunholme Lodge
RAF Dunholme Lodge
RAF Dunholme Lodge was a Royal Air Force station during the Second World War. Located between the parishes of Welton and Dunholme in Lincolnshire, England.-History:...
, RAF Watton
RAF Watton
Royal Air Force Station Watton is a former military airfield in Norfolk, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of East Dereham....
, RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
, RAF Rattlesden
RAF Rattlesden
RAF Rattlesden is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 9 miles SE of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.-USAAF use:Rattlesden airfield was built in 1942 as a Class A bomber airfield. The airfield had three intersecting concrete runways, perimeter track and, for USAAF use,...
, RAF Woolfox Lodge
RAF Woolfox Lodge
Royal Air Force Station Woolfox Lodge is a former RAF aerodrome next to the A1 road in Rutland, UK. The airfield is split between the parishes of Empingham and Greetham. It was open from 1940 until 1965....
, RAF Carnaby
RAF Carnaby
RAF Carnaby was an emergency landing strip that enabled crippled bombers a safe place to land near the English coast during World War II. It was situated two miles southwest of Bridlington.RAF Carnaby opened in March 1944...
, RAF Warboys
RAF Warboys
RAF Warboys was a World War II Royal Air Force heavy bomber station, situated just outside the village of Warboys in Huntingdonshire ....
, RAF Breighton and RAF Misson
RAF Misson
The site of the former RAF Station Misson, Nottinghamshire, is located 7½ miles south east of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and approximately south east of the former RAF Station Finningley airfield.-Operational units:...
with a trial site at RAF North Coates. The primary reason for these sites being chosen was the defence of the nearby V bomber
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
stations.
Australian deployments started with No. 30 Squadron RAAF
No. 30 Squadron RAAF
No. 30 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force . Raised in 1942 as a fighter unit, the Squadron saw action in the Second World War and later served in the target towing and surface-to-air missile roles. After a long period of disbandment lasting from the late 1960s, No...
at RAAF Base Williamtown in January 1961. A detachment formed in Darwin in 1965. By 1968, the Bloodhound Mk. I missiles were obsolete, and both elements of the squadron had been disbanded by the end of November 1968.
Swiss deployments started in 1964, and by 1967 six sites were operational with a total of nine firing units. These remained operational until 1999 when they were removed from service, and the Gubel site was declared a national historical property.
After the RAF passed the nuclear deterrent role to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1970, all Bloodhound systems within the UK were withdrawn and either stored or transferred to RAF Germany for airfield defence with No. 25 Squadron. The possibility of low-level sneak attack by bombers or cruise missiles led to a reappraisal of UK air defences, resulting in No. 85 Squadron
No. 85 Squadron RAF
No. 85 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently served as No. 85 Squadron based at RAF Church Fenton.-In World War I:...
forming at West Raynham on 18 December 1975.
With deployment of the Rapier missile
Rapier missile
Rapier is a British surface-to-air missile developed for the British Army and Royal Air Force. Entering service in 1971, it eventually replaced all other anti-aircraft weapons in Army service; guns for low-altitude targets, and the English Electric Thunderbird, used against longer-range and...
to Germany, Bloodhounds were returned to England in 1983 and were in operation at three additional airfields, Barkston Heath, Wyton and Wattisham. These installations used the mobile Type 86 radars of their German deployments, but mounted them on a 30 foot tower to improve visibility and reduce ground reflections. In 1990 as the cold war wound down the remaining missiles were concentrated at West Raynham and Wattisham with plans to operate them until 1995, but these were later removed in 1991.
In South East Asia, the Bloodhound was deployed with the RAF No. 65 Squadron
No. 65 Squadron RAF
No. 65 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.-World War I:The squadron was first formed at Wyton on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps with a core provided from the training ground at Norwich. By the end of World War I, it had claimed over 200 victories...
based out of RAF Seletar, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
as part of the RAF Far East Air Force
RAF Far East Air Force
The former Royal Air Force Far East Air Force, more simply known as RAF Far East Air Force, was the Command organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force assets in the east of Asia . It was originally formed as Air Command, South East Asia in 1943...
. With the withdrawal of British forces announced in 1968, Singapore bought the entire Bloodhound assets of the No. 65 Squadron
No. 65 Squadron RAF
No. 65 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.-World War I:The squadron was first formed at Wyton on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps with a core provided from the training ground at Norwich. By the end of World War I, it had claimed over 200 victories...
and established the Singapore Air Defence Command's 170 Squadron. The squadron was disbanded and the missile retired at a ceremony in 1994.
Basic description
The main missile is a long cylinder of magnesium frames and aluminium alloy skin with a prominent ogiveOgive
An ogive is the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object.-Applied physical science and engineering:In ballistics or aerodynamics, an ogive is a pointed, curved surface mainly used to form the approximately streamlined nose of a bullet or other projectile.The traditional...
nose cone at the front and some boat-tailing at the rear. Small aluminium-covered wooden cropped-delta wings are mounted mid-point, providing pitch and roll control by pivoting in unison or independently. Two smaller rectangular fixed surfaces were mounted in-line with the main wings, almost at the rear of the missile.
The boost engines are held together as a single assembly by a metal ring at the rear of the missile. Each motor has a small hook on the ring as well as similar one at the front holding it to the missile body. After firing, when the thrust of the rockets falls below the thrust of the now-lit ramjets, the boosters slide rearward until the front hook disengages from the missile body. The boosters are then free to rotate around their attachment to the metal ring, and are designed to rotate outward, away from the fuselage. In action, they fold open like the petals on a flower, greatly increasing drag and pulling the entire four-booster assembly away from the missile body.
Small inlets on the roots of the stub wings holding the engines allow air into the missile body for two tasks. Two Ram air turbine
Ram air turbine
A ram air turbine is a small turbine that is connected to a hydraulic pump, or electrical generator, installed in an aircraft and used as a power source...
s driving turbopump
Turbopump
A turbopump is a gas turbine that comprises basically two main components: a rotodynamic pump and a driving turbine, usually both mounted on the same shaft, or sometimes geared together...
s generate hydraulic power for the wing control system, and a fuel pump that feeds the engines. Smaller inlet tubes provide ram air to pressurize the fuel tanks. Kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
fuel is held in two large rubber bag tanks in bays either side of the hydraulic bay where the wings are attached. Electrical power was provided by a thermal battery ignited at launch.
Although in tests the Bloodhound had executed direct hits on target bombers flying at 50,000 ft, Mark II production models had proximity fused warheads designed to fire a hoop of metal rods and so destroy attacking aircraft without needing this degree of accuracy.
Mk I
- Length : 7.7 m
- Launch Weight : 2,000 kg
- Range : 30 km
- Max. Speed : Mach 2.2
- Propulsion
- Main : 2× Bristol ThorBristol ThorThe Bristol Thor was a 16" diameter ramjet engine developed by Bristol Aero Engines for the Bristol Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile....
ramjet engines - Booster : 4× Gosling booster rockets
- Main : 2× Bristol Thor
Mk II
- Length : 8.45 m
- Launch Weight :
- Range : 85 km
- Max. Speed : Mach 2.7
- Propulsion
- Main : 2× ThorBristol ThorThe Bristol Thor was a 16" diameter ramjet engine developed by Bristol Aero Engines for the Bristol Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile....
ramjet engines (Improved) - Booster : 4× Gosling booster rockets
- Main : 2× Thor
The acceleration of the Mk. II can be gauged from the data on an information board at the Bristol Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...
Museum at Kemble Airfield
Kemble Airfield
Cotswold Airport is a private general aviation airport, near the village of Kemble in Gloucestershire, England. Located southwest of Cirencester, it was built as an RAF base . The Red Arrows aerobatics team was based there until 1983...
, Kemble
Kemble, Gloucestershire
Kemble is a village in Gloucestershire, England.It lies four miles from Cirencester and is the settlement closest to Thames Head, the source of the River Thames. Kemble Church is part of the Thameshead benefice, comprising the communities of Kemble, Ewen, Poole Keynes, Somerford Keynes, and...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, where a complete Bloodhound can be seen. The Mark of Bloodhound this data refers to is not given but is presumably the Mark II since the top speed of the Mk. I is Mach 2.2:
"By the time the missile has just cleared the launcher it is doing 400 mph. By the time the missile is 25 feet from the launcher it has reached the speed of sound (around 720 mph). Three seconds after launch, as the four boost rockets fall away, it has reached Mach 2.5 which is roughly 1,800 mph"
Mk III
The planned Mk III (also known as RO 166) was a nuclear warhead equipped Mark II with a longer range (around 75 mile) achieved with improved Ramjet engine and bigger boosters. The project, one of several adaptations of existing British missiles to carry tactical nuclear devices, was cancelled in 1960. There is evidence that the intention was to "poison" the warheads of nuclear weapons carried by an attacking force via the neutron flux emitted by the warhead.Operators
- Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air ForceThe Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
- No. 30 Squadron RAAFNo. 30 Squadron RAAFNo. 30 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force . Raised in 1942 as a fighter unit, the Squadron saw action in the Second World War and later served in the target towing and surface-to-air missile roles. After a long period of disbandment lasting from the late 1960s, No...
- No. 30 Squadron RAAF
- Republic of Singapore Air ForceRepublic of Singapore Air ForceThe Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command...
- 170 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force (Mk II)
- Swedish Air Force
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded...
- RB-65 :Swedish military designation of Mk I
- RB-68 :Swedish military designation of Mk II
- Swiss Air Force
Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
- BL-64 : Swiss military designation
- Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
- No. 25 Squadron RAF (Mk II)
- No. 33 Squadron RAFNo. 33 Squadron RAFNo. 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Puma HC.1 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire.-Current role:The squadron is part of the RAF Support Helicopter force, which reports into the Joint Helicopter Command....
(Mk II) - No. 41 Squadron RAFNo. 41 Squadron RAFNo. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron , based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The Squadron celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2011, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War, 1916–1919:No...
(Mk II) - No. 62 Squadron RAFNo. 62 Squadron RAF-World War I:No. 62 Squadron RAF was formed on 8 August 1916, at Filton from No. 7 Training Squadron. In May 1917 it equipped with the Bristol F2B, before being posted to France in January 1918. The squadron operated as fighter-reconnaissance unit until disbanding on 31 July 1919. Its wartime...
(Mk I) - No. 65 Squadron RAFNo. 65 Squadron RAFNo. 65 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.-World War I:The squadron was first formed at Wyton on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps with a core provided from the training ground at Norwich. By the end of World War I, it had claimed over 200 victories...
(Mk II) - No. 85 Squadron RAFNo. 85 Squadron RAFNo. 85 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently served as No. 85 Squadron based at RAF Church Fenton.-In World War I:...
(Mk II) - No. 94 Squadron RAFNo. 94 Squadron RAFNo. 94 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force that served during World War I & World War II. The squadron has been formed a total of four times.The squadron was formed at RAF Harling Road on 1 August 1917, as a training unit for the Sopwith Camel...
(Mk I) - No. 112 Squadron RAFNo. 112 Squadron RAFNo. 112 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served in both the First World War and Second World War and was active for three periods during the Cold War. It is nicknamed "The Shark Squadron", an allusion to the fact that it was the first unit from any air force to use the famous...
(Mk I) and (Mk II) - No. 141 Squadron RAFNo. 141 Squadron RAFNo. 141 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 January 1918 at Rochford, for home defence in the London Area. The Squadron moved to RAF Biggin Hill in February and giving up its mixed collection of types in favour of Bristol F.2 Fighters during March...
(Mk I) - No. 222 Squadron RAFNo. 222 Squadron RAF-In World War I:The Squadron was formally formed at Thasos on 1 April 1918 from A squadron of the former No. 2 Wing, RNAS when the Royal Air Force was formed. Later, 6 April 1918 former Z Squadron of No. 2 Wing, RNAS was added to the strength. Renumbered No. 62 Wing and consisting of Nos...
(Mk I) - No. 242 Squadron RAFNo. 242 Squadron RAFNo. 242 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron. It flew in many roles during its active service and it is also known for being the first squadron Douglas Bader commanded.-In World War I:No...
(Mk I) - No. 247 Squadron RAFNo. 247 Squadron RAFNo. 247 Squadron was formerly a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was also known as No.247 Squadron in recognition of the donations made by the British colonies, which at the outbreak of the Second World War, were established on the Chinese coast...
(Mk I) - No. 257 Squadron RAFNo. 257 Squadron RAF-In World War I:No. 257 Squadron was formed at Dundee on 18 August 1918 from Nos. 318 and 319 Flights. It flew both seaplanes and flying boats on anti-submarine patrols from Dundee until the end of the First World War and disbanded there on 30 June 1919....
(Mk I) - No. 263 Squadron RAFNo. 263 Squadron RAFNo 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of World War I. After being disbanded in 1919 it reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron in 1958.-First World War:...
(Mk I) - No. 264 Squadron RAFNo. 264 Squadron RAFNo. 264 Squadron RAF also known as No 264 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force formed from two former Royal Naval Air Service flights, No. 439 and No. 440, on 27 September 1918 at Souda Bay, Crete to perform anti-submarine patrols. It operated the Short 184 floatplanes on patrols in the...
(Mk I) - No. 266 Squadron RAFNo. 266 Squadron RAF-World War I:The squadron was formed from No's 437 and 438 Flights at Mudros, Greece on 27 September 1918 to carry out anti-submarine patrols in that area, flying Short 184s and 320s along with Felixtowe F.3s. In February 1919 it was transferred to the Caucasus on HMS Engadine. It operated from...
(Mk I)