Originally Posted by
Pontius Navigator
We were once quoted 187 feet at quite a short range and the Mk1 something !ike 850 feet, that was when SA2 was 3,000 feet. On height of the fire unit, that was an SA2 issue at Last Peruse Strait when they tried to engage a P3.
As far as I can find from the 15JSTU firing reports the lowest intercept they got with a Mk 2 was on 13th November 1964 with Missile S204 which successfully proximity fused on an approaching Meteor flying at 315 knots and an altitude of 174ft AGL at a impact range of 8NM.
Low level firing of Mk 1s were done at Aberporth in the August and September of 1963. According to the records 2 missiles were fired to the trial condition with involved a Jindivik at 2500 feet. only the first one on the 23rd August was successful and it was Missile 148 fired by a team from 247 Sqn. The Missile scored a direct hit and splashed the drone. The other missile failed in flight. That is about as low as anything that was recorded in any of the acceptance, Service or R&D firings for the Mk 1.