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Old 26th Feb 2015, 04:05
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India Four Two
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Saigon SGN/VVTS
Posts: 6,625
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CS,

Thanks for the link. Fascinating reading, particularly concerning the electronics. I found this piece of information on the side looking radar to be staggering (p 140):

Since SLRs utilise the forward motion of the aircraft to scan the ground, the picture must be built up by a series of adjoining strips or lines on the CRT display, each representing the returns from an individual or group of transmit pulses. These lines must be integrated continuously to show the complete map and in the case of the TSR2 this was to be done by exposing the lines on the CRT to a photo sensitive strip of film which was being moved past the CRT and then instantaneously developed by a series of chemicals in bottles attached to the display. The complexity of the mechanisms which must have been required to operate this system in the ambient conditions of the cockpit is remarkable.
The last sentence was, I feel, written somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

Instantaneous development of films in a high-speed, high-G, low-level environment. What were they thinking of?

I was lucky enough to hear Bee Beamont speak about the TSR2 at our UAS Annual Dinner in the late 60s. A very impressive talk.
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