1950's Bloodhound Mk.II Ground-to-Air Missile, RAF Air Defence Radar Museum, RAF Neatishead.

RAF Defence Radar Museum information board - flic.kr/p/2iYmjad

 

In the Air Defence environment, if the fighters failed to shoot down the enemy, the last line of protection against air-attack is the ground-to-air missiles. Developed in the late 1950's to protect key airfields against high-level attack by Soviet bombers, the Bloodhound Mk.I missile entered service in 1958. The upgraded Bloodhound Mk.II, like the one here at the museum entered service in 1964.

 

Originally operated just in the U.K, 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 and RAF Breighton with a trial site at RAF Nort Coates. The Bloodhound was also deployed by the RAF in countries such as Germany, Cyprus, Singapore and Malaysia. Switzerland also bought the Bloodhound.

 

At the time, the British Nuclear Deterrent was carried by the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant long-range bombers. The primary reason for the particular sites in the U.K being chosen was the defence of the ''V-bomber'' bases in East Anglia and Lincolnshire. After the Nuclear Deterrent role passed to the Royal Navy Polaris submarines in 1970, all Bloodhound missiles within the U.K were withdrawn and stored or transferred to Germany for airfield defence.

 

As time went on, the possibility of low-level attack by the Soviet bombers or cruise missiles led to a reappraisal of U.K air defences. This new threat resulted in the Bloodhound's arriving back in the U.K at RAF West Raynham in Norfolk in late 1975. With deployment of the new British Rapier ground-to-air missile system to Germany, all the Bloodhound's were returned to the U.K by 1983 and were placed in operation at four more sites in East Anglia - RAF Bawdsey, RAF Barkston Heath, RAF Wyton and RAF Wattisham.

 

By now, the Bloodhound force was directly under the Operational control of the RAF Neatishead ''Cold War'' Operations Room, now part of the RAF Radar Defence Museum ! Each missile flight could also act independently if needed. The Bloodhound system used both the ''fixed'' Type 87 and the ''mobile'' Type 86 radars for target detection and for semi-active guidance to the target. In 1990, as the Cold War wound down, the remaining missiles were relocated to RAF West Raynham and RAF Wattisham with plans to operate them until 1995 but they were retired from service in 1991.

 

The missiles could engage targets flying at 65,000 feet out to a range of over 50 miles. It was extremely fast, exceeding the speed of sound (760 mph) almost soon as it left the launcher, and at height, reach in more than twice that speed.

 

General characteristics -

 

▪︎Type: Surface-to-Air Missile

▪︎Place of origin: United Kingdom

▪︎In Service: 1958 (Mk.I) / 1964 (Mk.II) to 1991

▪︎Designed: 1950's

▪︎Manufacturer: Bristol Aeroplane Company

▪︎Number Built: 783

▪︎Variants: Mk.I / Mk.II / Mk.III / Mk.IV

▪︎Mass Overall: 5,000lb

▪︎Length Overall: 27ft 9in

▪︎Diameter: Main Body 1ft 9.5in

▪︎Warhead: Continuous-Rod Warhead

▪︎Detonation Mechanism: Proximity Fuze

▪︎Engine: 2 x Ramjets / 4 x Solid Fuel Boosters

▪︎Wingspan Overall: (9ft 3in

▪︎Operational Range: Mk.I 32 miles / Mk.II 118 miles

▪︎Maximum Speed: Mach 2.7 (2,072mph)

▪︎Guidance System: Semi-Active Radar Homing

▪︎Steering System: Control Surfaces

▪︎Launch Platform: Fixed Installation.

 

 

Sourced from - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodhound_(missile)

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