Test
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
The Red Top, originally known as the de Havilland Firestreak IV, entered service in 1964 as a complement to and partial replacement for the earlier marks of Firestreak. Unlike it's predecessor, the new missile could engage targets from any direction, and both the launch aircraft and its target may be travelling at speeds up to Mach 2. The Red Top, which carries a larger warhead than the Firestreak and uses semiconductors in place of valves, was designed for use against low-level manoeuvring targets rather than high level bombers, and may be fired without having to aim at the launch aircraft in the exact direction of its objective. The position of the target to be engaged may be supplied by the interceptor's fire-control system (Ferranti Airpass on the BAC Lightning) or by the pilot...
evangilder said:Where is YOUR source for the vacuum tube story then? If you are going to ask for sources, you better be ready to cough up yours as well.
So what if they used vacuum tubes? Did you know that alot of early Russian jets used vacuum tubes, and not for the reason that most people think. Vacuum tubes are far less succeptable to the EMP from a nuclear explosion than solid state electronics.
Well built tubes would not affect the functioning of the missile.
Red Top was evolved from the earlier Firestreak AAM, with improved Violet Banner seeker, Green Garland IR fuse and Linnet booster rocket. Originally called Firestreak Mk IV, De Havillands, kept the Ministry of supply code name for marketing. Deployed on Lightning and Sea Vixen, Red Top remained in service until retired along with the Lightning in 1988
Proposed variants included Blue Dolphin, which was also called Blue Jay MkV. This was to have an active continuous wave radar seeker and was intended for Sea Vixen and TSR.2. Blue Jay MkV was similar in capability to the US AIM-7 Sparrow.
www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/redtop.htm
Walter Loos was one of the last German Experten. He came as a newly-trained pilot to the III./JG 3 in January 1944, and was one of the few new pilots of 1944 who survived the war. He claimed his first aerial victory during a fierce aerial battle when the 8. US Air Force attacked Berlin on March 6, 1944.
While with the "Sturmgruppe" IV./JG 3, he downed several four-engine bombers and was hand-picked by Walther Dahl for Geschwaderstab/JG 300. Loos made a great success as a Sturmflieger, but was himself shot down nine times in only a few months.
Stab/JG 301 was equipped with the Ta 152, the most modern propeller-fighter, in order to protect the bases of the jet-fighters from Spring 1945. It was natural to include Loos in this unit.
On April 24, 1945, Loos encountered a formation of Soviet fighters over Berlin and managed to down two of them. In spite of flying only 66 missions, he was credited with 38 confirmed victories (including 22 four-engine Americans and 8 Soviets) plus 8 unconfirmed victories.
It should be noted that the werknummer (serial-number) of this, the only surviving Ta 152, could not be confirmed. Some sources quote it W.Nr. 150010, which is quite possibly correct.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/markltuc/ta152h-o.htm