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Scimitar F Mk.1

2022-09-17T23:26:41Z

U53576248: /* Pros and cons */ changed to reflect the buccaneer being added

{{Specs-Card
|code=scimitar_f1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]]. The last aircraft ever produced by the famous Supermarine company, the Scimitar is a heavy but very powerful carrier-borne fighter. Its two immensely powerful engines make it just about the fastest subsonic aircraft in the game, however its interesting handling characteristics can make it an interesting challenge to fly. As well as being a powerful fighter, the Scimitar has excellent ground attack capability, and is the first British aircraft (second being the Buccaneer} capable of carrying air-to-ground missiles.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

[[File:Rudder Demonstration .png|thumb|''Full left yaw at 1,000 km/h'']]
The Scimitar F.1 is a relatively large and heavy aircraft, but it is still extremely capable because of its impressive engines. The Scimitar's two Rolls-Royce Avon 202 engines put out 4,650 kgf of thrust each, giving the Scimitar its fantastic climb rate of over 100 m/s. This outclasses similarly placed jets known for their climb rate (such as the [[MiG-15]]) by almost 2 times, and it's capable of gaining speed in a 45° climb. The impressive amount of power means that, assuming you aren't uptiered to 9.7, you will always be the first off the airfield and into combat. The Scimitar has a max speed of just over 1,160 km/h or mach 0.95 on the deck, enough to outrun anything at its BR, and even some missiles too.

The Scimitar turns surprisingly well for its size and weight, thanks to its all-flying tail, and large control surfaces. It will be able to hold its own in a turnfight with most, and can quickly accelerate out of trouble if needed. You should not be turning for too long, as the Scimitar still loses its energy quite quickly in a full turn.

However, we now come to the biggest con of the Scimitar: its rudder. The rudder will lock up gradually until about 700 km/h where it will lose 99% of its effect, making it unusable, and trying to turn or aim conventionally is impossible, often leading to the plane wobbling itself into an uncontrollable flatspin that you can't escape, because you have no rudder control. It is recommended because of this that you only engage low energy targets and use the element of surprise so they cannot evade. The Scimitar does get 4 x AIM-9B missiles, and these can be used on targets that use your lack of a rudder against you.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 1,156 || 1,152 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 31.4 || 32.2 || 84.3 || 78.3 || rowspan="2" | 1,000
|-
! Upgraded
| 1,170 || 1,163 || 29.4 || 30.0 || 122.4 || 102.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 603 || 532 || 447 || ~11 || ~3
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 620 || < 500 || < 620 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.202 || 2
| colspan="2" | 11,722 kg || colspan="2" | 349 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 6m fuel || 20m fuel || 22m fuel
|-
| 1,175 kg || colspan="2" | Axial-flow turbojet
| 12,817 kg || 15,341 kg || 15,702 kg || 19,731 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 6m fuel || 20m fuel || 22m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,652 kgf || N/A
| 0.73 || 0.61 || 0.59 || 0.47
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 4,855 kgf (1,100 km/h) || N/A
| 0.76 || 0.63 || 0.62 || 0.49
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The Scimitar has one glass 50 mm plate in front of the pilot, and one 12.7 mm steel plate behind the pilot. It has very low survivability because any wing damage will lead to a flatspin, due to its lack of rudder control.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

The poor rudder of the Scimitar makes getting two modifications a high priority. The New boosters modification provides a noticeable improvement to the rudder control of the Scimitar and is your absolute top priority, as any rudder improvement you can get will make getting guns on target, and flying the aircraft in general, more bearable. Even with the New boosters modification getting guns on target can still be rather hard; therefore the next priority is AIM-9B missiles as they give you another way to kill enemy aircraft, which is less reliant on rudder control. Even stock the Scimitar exhibits very impressive flight performance for its battle rating, this means flight performance upgrades (with the exception of New boosters) are not as important as on other jets. Starting at tier 1, you will want to unlock the rockets (to start progressing towards AIM-9Bs), then at tier 2 unlock the New boosters modification and then the bombs. At tier three do your choice of flight performance modification followed by the Bullpups (unless you want the Bullpups for Tank RB, in which case get them first); finally get the AIM-9Bs at tier 4. From here on you can unlock the remaining modifications according to user preference.

If you find unlocking modifications difficult due to the lack of rudder control then the stock ADEN belts are capable of killing light pillboxes/light tanks (and medium tanks with some more difficulty), allowing you to get a decent amount of RP per game through ground attack. The suspended armaments can also be used for ground attack or base bombing.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|ADEN (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 4 x 30 mm ADEN cannons, chin-mounted (160 rpg = 640 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I (1,000 lb)|AGM-12B Bullpup|AIM-9B Sidewinder|AP Mk II}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x 1,000 lb M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I bombs (4,000 lb total)
* 24 x AP Mk II rockets
* 2 x 1,000 lb M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I bombs + 12 x AP Mk II rockets (2,000 lb total)
* 4 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
* 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles + 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x 1,000 lb M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I bombs + 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles (2,000 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==


Thanks to its very powerful engines (it has a higher total thrust output than many supersonic aircraft), the Scimitar possesses an exception rate of climb and top speed for its BR, being easily one of, if not the fastest subsonic aircraft in the game. You should use this to your advantage when playing the Scimitar. At the start of the game you can choose to either go high or go low.

If you choose to go high then you should use your rate of climb to get above the enemy and either pick off bombers (your missiles can help greatly with this) or position yourself ready to dive down on enemy players, many of whom will still be climbing. Going low is the riskier option and relies on the Scimitar's immense speed for your survival. You should stick below 2,000 m altitude and work your way towards the edge of the battle, then turn into the fight and choose targets to attack, making a single pass before using your speed to escape. You should keep your speed up at all times and regularly check your tail for aircraft and missiles. While you can easily out run just about all subsonic aircraft, supersonic aircraft can cause you problems. Likewise you can outrun missiles launched at longer ranges, but not those launched close to you.

Whichever playstyle you choose, the Scimitar will offer you a powerful armament of 4 ADEN cannons, with a plentiful supply of ammunition. You also have access to 4 [[AIM-9B]] missiles. While the AIM-9B is nothing special compared to other missiles (being about average for this BR range) it can be very useful once you learn how to use them. In particular, they make taking out bombers much easier. The Scimitar is also a very capable CAS platform with powerful cannons (can kill light pillboxes and medium tanks in Air RB, and penetrate the tops of some tanks in ground RB), and an assortment of ground attack load-outs. Notably it is the first British aircraft to get access to air-to-ground missiles, in the form of the [[AGM-12B Bullpup]].

Despite these advantages the Scimitar does have some major drawbacks, mainly related to manoeuvrability. While it can turn better than you would expect for an aircraft of its weight, it is by no means a nimble aircraft and should not be treated like one; prolonged turning engagements should be a last resort. The key drawback of the Scimitar is its poor rudder response at high speed, this can make getting guns on target difficult, and leaves you relying more on your decidedly average [[AIM-9B]] missiles for kills. The Scimitar also does not pull negative Gs particularly well at high speed.

===Radars===

The Scimitar F Mk.1 is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft.
It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="4" | AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar
|-
! {{Annotation|Maximum Tracking Range|The maximum range at which a target can be tracked}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum Tracking Range|The range below which targets cannot be tracked by the radar}}
! {{Annotation|Azimuth Tracking Angle|How far to each side the radar can track a target}}
! {{Annotation|Elevation Tracking Angle|How far up and down the radar can track a target}}
|-
| 2,750 m || 300 m || ±9° || ±9°
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Possibly the fastest subsonic jet currently in the game at its battle rating, reaching 1,161 km/h (Mach 0.95) in level flight at sea level
* Has very good acceleration
* Has four ADEN cannons, which are some of the best guns in the game
* Lots of cannon ammo
* Has good ground attack capability and is currently one of the two British jets with air-to-ground missiles
* Can utilise four air-to-air missiles ([[AIM-9B]])
* It is extremely difficult to break the wings by pulling positive Gs, generally wing breakage in the Scimitar only occurs when pulling negative Gs
* Capable of landing on carriers

'''Cons:'''

* Cannot make good use of its speed in turns as the rudder severely locks up at even moderately high speeds
* Combination of poor rudder control and gun placement can make getting guns on target extremely hard
* Does not turn very well
* Asymmetric wing damage is liable to cause a non-recoverable flat spin

== History ==

'''Development and Operation'''

The Supermarine Scimitar was a naval strike aircraft with a limited production run for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The Navy's specifications required the aircraft to be effective in a strike-fighter/attacker role which consisted of proficient manoeuvrability at low altitudes and plenty of ordnance options for ground attack operations. Issues with the desired handling became apparent quickly as it was the heaviest aircraft to see service for the Fleet Air Arm; weighing 34,200 lb even before being equipped with four 1000 lb bombs or AGM-34 bullpup missile configurations. Nuclear capability was also planned for the aircraft through the use of a Red Beard nuclear bomb was uncertain and never fully realised.<ref name=":0">https://www.tangmere-museum.org.uk/aircraft-month/supermarine-scimitar</ref>

With aircraft carriers modernising, and the Royal Navy requiring an upgraded capability to strike at sea, the experimental aircraft took its maiden flight on the 31st of August 1951. The first prototype emerged, powered by significant thrust generating Rolls Royce Avon jet engines. 11,250 lb of thrust combined with flaps and a system to redirect the thrust downward with the use of small vent ports just in front of the flaps, pushed the stall speed back allowing for theoretically safer carrier landings and generally more dextrous low-speed manoeuvres. This was a necessary innovation as most British carrier decks were short and snug due to the budget constraints. Scimitars remained on land at RAF bases whilst undergoing thorough testing for their safety and competency. The potency of the thrust from the Avon engines was proved when a pilot successfully managed to perform a take-off with the parking brake on. The third prototype design was the first to feature swept wings which would remain for the rest of the aircraft's short life.

By January 1957, testing began on the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Ark Royal; and around the same time, the first operational model would leave production. The aircraft already plagued with several incidents in testing would see 803 Naval Air Squadron's wing commander lose his life in the Persian Sea after a brake failure caused the aircraft to fall overboard during a landing. Further adjustments were made to the delicate aircraft such as the method of launching it at an upward angle with the use of a 'bumper' on the back. It would hold the aircraft in place as it was hoisted skyward until the nose gear was suspended off the ground. This position allowed the noticeably weak catapults to launch the heavyweight of the aircraft.<ref name=":1">https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/scimitar/history.php</ref>

The Scimitar never saw any combat though served operationally with the Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf to deter tensions developing from Iraq at the time. Some sorties were undertaken to test the capability of the aircraft's missile and rocket payloads, but live bombs were never sortied because of fears the risks were too great, and the training was too dangerous; therefore practice bombs were often used instead.<ref name=":1" />

'''Fate'''

The 100 orders for Supermarine Scimitars would ultimately never be fulfilled. Only 76 units were delivered, of which 39 were lost to non-combat accidents; therefore 51% of all Scimitars produced were lost. Moving forward the carrier-borne strike fighting role was undertaken by the de Havilland Sea Vampire. The Supermarine Scimitar would ultimately become a prize piece of engineering, spending the last of its years stunning in air show performances where it did succeed. The Scimitar had a short and constantly troubled history which looked doomed to failure from the beginning; the Royal Navy was subsequently deemed unable to operate such an intensive aircraft which required enormous cost, time, expertise and top-spec equipment to allow its success in operations, none of which the Royal Navy had enough of at the time. On 19 October 1966, the Scimitar was retired from the Naval Air Squadron and in December of 1970 the last Scimitars flew, with pilots still avowing that the aircraft was 'a delight to fly'.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

=== [[wt:en/news/6730-development-scimitar-f-1-the-twin-engine-beast-en|Devblog]] ===
Development of what would eventually turn out to be the Supermarine Scimitar began as early as the late 1940's, with the Supermarine company starting work on developing an undercarriage-less naval jet fighter, following a specification issued previously by the Admiralty.

During development, several prototypes were built and tested while at the same time the design of the machine continued to change and evolve. Eventually, however, the undercarriage-less concept was dropped and the machine was even reclassified to a low altitude strike aircraft, with the Royal Navy ordering 100 units of the latest prototype design - the Type 544 - into production in 1954. The Type 544 prototype first flew in January 1956, while the first production version of the Scimitar ran off the assembly line a year later in 1957.

The Scimitar entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in 1957. However, the carriers of the Royal Navy at the time were rather small while the Scimitar was a relatively large aircraft resulting in high accident rates which would plague the Scimitar's service career. Furthermore, the Scimitar was a highly demanding aircraft from a maintenance standpoint, making it even less popular with its crews.

As a result, the Supermarine Scimitar only had a relatively short service career with the FAA, which withdrew the Scimitar from active service in 1966. From that point, the Scimitar was relegated to training units and continued being used as a training aircraft until 1970 before being ultimately decommissioned from active service. In total, 76 Scimitars were built during their limited production run, of which 39 were lost on account of various accidents.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=jet_fighter&vehicle=scimitar_f1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 07.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|MPdcryL47sk|'''The Shooting Range #205''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the Scimitar F Mk.1.|Re9b5M2QFeE|'''The Shaky MONSTER! Scimitar F.1 - Great Britain - Review!''' - ''Jengar''}}

== See also ==


* [[Hunter (Family)]]
* [[Swift F.7]]
* [[F3H-2]]
* [[F9F-8]]
* [[FJ-4B]]/[[FJ-4B VMF-232]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6730-development-scimitar-f-1-the-twin-engine-beast-en|[Devblog] Scimitar F.1: The Twin Engine Beast]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/488374-scimitar-f1/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

=== References ===
<references />

{{AirManufacturer Supermarine}}
{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Red Top

2021-12-05T15:40:26Z

U53576248: minor spelling corrections/capitalisation on Red Top

[[File:RedTop Fired.jpg|thumb|x250px|A Red Top fired from a [[Lightning F.6]]]]
== Description ==

[[File:WeaponImage Red Top.png|thumb|left|420px|The Red Top missile (scale is approximate)]]
{{Break}}
The '''Red Top''' is a British [[Air-to-air_missiles#Infrared_homing_.28heat-seeking.29_missiles|Infrared homing air-to-air missile]], it was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]], along with the [[Lightning F.6]] (the first aircraft to carry it). The Red Top is one of the largest air-to-air missiles in the game, it is longer than any other air-to-air missile, while being second only to the [[Matra R530E]] in terms of weight, and having largest explosive mass (31 kg) of any air-to-air missile.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|lightning_f6}}
* {{Specs-Link|dh_110_sea_vixen}}

== General info ==

The Red Top is a development of the earlier [[Firestreak]] missile. Designed to intercept Soviet bombers it has a very large warhead and was optimised for use a high altitude, however it can still be a very potent weapon in a low altitude dogfight if used correctly. The Red Top has poor range at low altitude, but this can be mitigated by firing the missile from the side of the target.

=== Effective damage ===

The Red Top's warhead has the largest explosive mass of any air-to-air missile in the game, with 31 kg of TNT. This makes the Warhead very powerful and coupled with a wide proximity fuse range gives it a very large blast radius. On account of the massive warhead Red Top detonations tend to be immediately fatal to aircraft within the blast radius. However there are times (usually when the enemy aircraft is only just within the proximity fuse range and moving away from the missile) where enemy vehicles can survive, albeit usually with (often critical) damage.

=== Comparison with analogues ===

The missile most comparable to the Red Top is it's direct predecessor, the [[Firestreak]]. Both are British missiles were designed to be used in the interception of Soviet bombers, and feature large warheads with reasonable overloads and uncaged seekers which support radar slaving. The Firestreak has better initial acceleration than the Red Top, and possibly better range in some circumstances, however the Red Top has a much better seeker, being able to follow targets better, and perform attacks from the side of targets much better. Compared to most other missiles the Red Top has fairly poor range, particularly when fired from directly behind targets, however this can be compensated for by shooting at targets from the side. The 16 G overload is the same as that of the [[AIM-9D]], and is better than most early missiles, however it is inferior to later missiles such as the [[AIM-9J]], [[R-60]] and [[Matra R550]].

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:Red_Top_Kill_1.mp4|thumb|400px|right|Launching a Red Top at a target from the side.]]
[[File:Red_Top_Kill_2.mp4|thumb|400px|right|Launching a Red Top at a target from the side.]]
Like most early missiles, Red Top is not highly agile and most aircraft can avoid them by turning sharply. However, this can be mitigated to a degree by firing from the side of the target rather than the rear, when a lock-on can be achieved. To get the most out of the Red Top you should approach perpendicular to the target, once you get a lock you should then make use of the uncaged seeker to lead the missile as much as possible and fire from around 2.5 km. Radar slaving the Red Top can help you get and maintain a lock on the target, as well as displaying useful information (range & closing speed). The exact firing conditions will depend on the situation, but generally if approaching from the side a closing speed of 200 to 300 m/s and a range of 2 to 3 km at the moment of firing will lead to the best results. If you need to attack a target from behind then you should try to get as close as possible with a s higher closing speed as possible, with but not any closer than 1.0 to 1.3 km or so as the missile may not have time to begin guiding; again the best firing range will depend on the exact conditions (speed and altitude etc.). Examples of killing targets from the side with Red Tops can be seen in the videos to the right.

The Red Top is extremely effective against bombers, both due to the huge warhead as well as the ability to be fired from the side and thus keep the fighter out of line of any defensive guns. As the missile seeks infrared radiation (IR), be aware of locking onto other sources of heat which can throw the missile off course such as other teammates, flares and of course, the sun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has an uncaged seeker with wide gimbal limits
* Can lock on to targets from the side aspect very well
* Can be extremely hard to dodge when fired from side aspect
* Massive warhead with large blast radius
* Supports radar slaving

'''Cons:'''

* Performs poorly when fired from directly behind an opponent (unless you have a speed advantage)
* Loses speed very quickly after the motor burns out
* Overall poor range at low altitude (can be mitigated by firing while approaching the target from the side)

== History ==


Red Top originally started as a relatively simple upgrade to the [[Firestreak]], then still known as "Blue Jay". The proposed Blue Jay Mark IV version added an improved seeker and motor, but was otherwise similar to Firestreak.

When the F.155 interceptor program was started in 1956, the design underwent a much more significant upgrade and was given the new name "Blue Vesta". In order to deal with the higher speeds, and thus temperatures, that would be encountered during extended supersonic flight, the control surfaces were made of steel and modified to a clipped-delta shape to keep the surfaces clear of the shock cones. A new all-aspect seeker was also developed, allowing head-on attacks against Soviet bombers. Considering such interceptions, the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) noted that two aircraft approaching head-on at Mach 2+ would leave only seconds in which the seeker could lock the bomber and be launched, a situation they felt would make the system too difficult to use. Blue Vesta was cancelled in favour of a huge radar-seeking missile, Red Hebe.

When F.155 was cancelled in 1957, the RAF was initially told that the anti-aircraft role would move to the Bristol Bloodhound missile. The RAF managed to convince the Air Ministry that the Tu-22 "Blinder" represented a credible near-term threat that would arrive before Bloodhound. Existing interceptors like the [[Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9|Javelin]] could not catch the Tu-22 in a tail chase, which is all their Firestreak weapons could manage. This led to the acceptance of the [[Lightning F.6|EE Lightning]] for the interceptor role as an interim system.

Even on the Lightning, the Firestreak would be only marginally effective, requiring careful timing on the part of the fighter to get behind the bomber without running out of fuel during the approach. If faster Mach 2 bombers were introduced, even the Lightning would be largely useless. The argument for a new missile to arm the Lightning won the day, but as it was only needed in the case of a supersonic bomber, the specification was relaxed to use a less-sensitive seeker than Blue Vesta, offering all-aspect performance against a supersonic target, but not a subsonic one. This would allow the Lightning to attack any future bomber by approaching head-on, and existing subsonic models from the tail where it could easily chase them down. The new concept was given the name "Red Top".

By this time the transistor had matured as a militarily useful item, which allowed the seeker electronics to be made much smaller and lighter, and removed the need for in-flight cooling and heating required by Firestreak's valves. This opened up considerable internal room, which was used to greatly increase the size of the motor and warhead, and reposition the proximity fuses for a better view of the target. It also eliminated the need for the complex plumbing and bottles of air and ammonia formerly stored in the Firestreak's mounting pylon.

While best known on the Lightning, the missile also equipped the [[Sea Vixen F.A.W. Mk.2|Sea Vixen]]; when launched from the subsonic Vixen, the larger motor allowed it to reach much higher speeds than the Firestreak and greatly improved its range and effectiveness. The new seeker also offered much wider engagement angles, up to 30 degrees on either side of the aircraft centerline, allowing it to be fired under a wider variety of approaches. Against its intended target, the Blinder flying at Mach 1.5, it could be used in a head-on approach at up to 22 km range. Against a subsonic target, which required a shot from the rear at up to 90 degrees to the side, it could be fired at around 5 to 7 km.

Red Top entered service in 1964 on both the Sea Vixen and Lightning. There was some discussion of using Red Top on the UK's [[Phantom FG.1|Phantom]] fleet as a secondary weapon beside the [[AIM-7C Sparrow|Sparrow]], but it offered little advantage while costing much more, and was ultimately rejected. It was not used on any other platform, although it was considered for interceptor versions of the Harrier and Buccaneer. It armed the Sea Vixen until its retirement in 1972, and the Lightning until its retirement in 1988. On the Lightning, Red Top's larger fins made the aircraft unstable at high speed, and a larger rudder was required on the aircraft. This meant the Firestreak remained in service beside Red Top on earlier aircraft.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==


* [[Firestreak]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6615-development-lightning-f-6-saddled-to-a-skyrocket-en|[Devblog] Lightning F.6: Saddled to a Skyrocket!]]
* [[wikipedia:Red_Top_(missile)|[Wikipedia] Red Top (missile)]]

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]