In about 1978, we developed an attack profile against the West Raynham Bloodhound site. Follow the bomb steer, then when locked, break at 60° AoB through 90° to beam the CW illumination, reverse to hold it on the beam following the AEO's calls until it broke lock. Meanwhile the Nav Rad continued to keep the target in view. Once the lock broke, turn back at 60° AoB onto the bomb steer for another 10s or thereabouts until illuminated again. Keep up the process until inside the min. engagement range, then complete the bomb run.
Am I right in thinking the Bloodhound radar used the doppler shift effect of an object moving towards it? Pretty much like speed scameras on the roadside do now.
Makes sense if you flew at a right angle to the radar beam, the vulcan would have no closing speed (staying the same distance away from the stationary radar), therefore radar returns would have the same wavelength and the Vulcan is not picked up.
I have pictures of my head of the Vulcan manoeuvring like a sailing yacht that's tacking into the wind.
Sorry, just had flashbacks of doing "radar theory" in my training and got all carried away. Perhaps the only thing I can remember from my training! I remember the instructor saying radar works by voodoo magic. I now wonder if I would have got a mark if I wrote that in the end of phase exam?