| Fireflash | |
|---|---|
Fireflash missile |
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| Type | air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1955–1958 |
| Used by | United Kingdom |
| Wars | n/a |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1949 |
| Manufacturer | Fairey Aviation |
| Produced | ? |
| Number built | c. 300 |
| Variants | ? |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 150 kg (330 lb) |
| Length | 2.83 m (9 ft 4 in) |
| Diameter | ? |
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| Warhead | ? |
| Detonation mechanism |
? |
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| Engine | 2 solid fuel booster motors |
| Wingspan | ? |
| Operational range |
1.9 miles (3.1 km) |
| Flight ceiling | ? |
| Speed | Mach 2 (max) |
| Guidance system |
beam rider |
| Steering system |
control surfaces |
| Launch platform |
aircraft |
Fireflash was the first British air-to-air guided missile. Constructed by Fairey Aircraft, the missile utilised radar beam-riding guidance. Generally unsuccessful, it served only in small numbers.
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Produced in response to a Ministry of Supply requirement for a guided air-to-air missile. The project began in 1949 under the name Blue Sky. It was initially developed under the designation Pink Hawk. Blue Sky itself was a derated version of the Red Hawk missile.
About 300 missiles were produced by 1955, but the Royal Air Force (RAF) soon decided it was untenable. The missiles were used for testing purposes by 6 JSTU at RAF Valley and Woomera, South Australia from 1955–1957 using Meteor NF11 trials aircraft and subsequently by the Supermarine Swift fighters of No. 1 Guided Weapons Development Squadron at RAF Valley. The Fireflash was deployed on a very limited scale by the RAF in August 1957,[1] and "had a limited capability against piston-engine bombers."[1] The RAF deployed the later and more effective de Havilland Firestreak infra-red missile from August 1958.[1]
Fireflash was a beam-riding missile, relying on radar command guidance from the launch aircraft. It had a very unusual configuration: the missile was propelled by a pair of solid rocket boosters on the forward fuselage, which were jettisoned 1.5 seconds after launch, leaving the missile to coast into its target. This configuration was developed for fear that ionised particles from a rocket motor would interfere with the guidance radar signals. However, this configuration drastically limited both range and flight duration; further, continued domestic and international development showed that command guidance could function through a rocket exhaust plume (eg Rapier).
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