BRITISH SECRET PROJECTS: HYPERSONICS, RAMJETS AND MISSILES

Whilst the post-Second World War era has often been characterised as a period when the United Kingdom was in inexorable decline as a world power, as the retreat from Empire accelerated and the country’s economy was overtaken by those of Germany and Japan, for much of that period Britain remained at the forefront of technological developments. Unwilling to be solely reliant upon imported technology, particularly from the United States, British engineers sought to ensure that Britain remained an independent and viable force in aviation. However, economic reality soon set in. The 1957 Defence White Paper produced by the Conservative government has long been viewed as the catalyst for the major cull of the UK aviation industry that soon came about. In truth, this was but a single event in an ongoing process that saw many promising projects foundering due to changes in threats, technology and economic realities. The fourth volume in the ‘British Secret Projects’ series shows how the hopes of the time failed to see fulfilment. Following a scene-setting introduction, chapters will deal with test vehicles and guided weapons. This includes those developed for air defence, ballistic missile defence, anti-tank weapons, anti-ship ordnance and stand-off weapons. Also dealt with is the so-called 'Super Bloodhound' surface-to-air guided weapon, a ramjet-powered development which was designated Blue Envoy. Also covered are ramjet-powered projects like the Hawker P1134 high-speed research aircraft, the English Electric/BAC P42 and HSA APD.1019 proposals and the HS.1034 swing-wing strike fighter. The book includes the origins of the British colour codes system used when Cold War deception was at its height, a listing of all the project names coined, a glossary and details of some of the more interesting and even bisarre projects which were considered at this time such as the Green Janet/Blue Bishop portable nuclear power station! This is a fascinating glimpse of some of the leading-edge technology which the British military research establishment was working on at this time and puts these hitherto little-known projects into their historical and political context.