tbwtg
9th Oct 2019, 13:05
Might be of interest - a mention of an operational test of the Linesman system in 1962 with V-force and Lightnings, in a longer article by Mr Iann Barron at pp21-22 of the Autumn 2019 newsletter of the Computer Conservation Society, http://www.computerconservationsociety.org/resurrection/pdfs/res87.pdf
"An operational test of the Linesman system was planned. This was to be a massive event. It involved the whole of the RAF. Our V bombers were to fly out over Germany and to return across the North Sea representing the attacking red force of Bear bombers (Tu95s), while the defending blue force of Lightning fighters would be scrambled and directed using the Linesman system. Because we did not have very many planes the bombers were to be tightly concentrated into a 5 degree (?) arc. The role of the Elliott system was twofold; it was to record and monitor the performance of Linesman and also to simulate the attack on the remaining 90 degree or so sector that a real raid would present.
The test was delayed repeatedly over many weeks. The problem was the Lightning fighter. The Lightning was a wonderful device. It was basically a jet engine with the pilot as a bare back rider; the Lightning could climb to 60,000ft and, with reheat, could reach Mach 2. However, it was a fuel guzzler and had a limited range; if reheat was used while it was going east it would not have enough fuel to return to base. Worse still, it was extremely unreliable. The RAF had one squadron of six planes; a minimum of five were required to be operational for the test and this proved very difficult to achieve."
...
Some time later, during Barron's postponed honeymoon and a last-minute change of system at RRE Malvern - "A complicated procedure was devised applying external voltages to the relevant pins in a programmed sequence as the two wires were interchanged. Miracle of miracles, the system worked . . . and continued to work . . . and the aeroplanes flew."
"An operational test of the Linesman system was planned. This was to be a massive event. It involved the whole of the RAF. Our V bombers were to fly out over Germany and to return across the North Sea representing the attacking red force of Bear bombers (Tu95s), while the defending blue force of Lightning fighters would be scrambled and directed using the Linesman system. Because we did not have very many planes the bombers were to be tightly concentrated into a 5 degree (?) arc. The role of the Elliott system was twofold; it was to record and monitor the performance of Linesman and also to simulate the attack on the remaining 90 degree or so sector that a real raid would present.
The test was delayed repeatedly over many weeks. The problem was the Lightning fighter. The Lightning was a wonderful device. It was basically a jet engine with the pilot as a bare back rider; the Lightning could climb to 60,000ft and, with reheat, could reach Mach 2. However, it was a fuel guzzler and had a limited range; if reheat was used while it was going east it would not have enough fuel to return to base. Worse still, it was extremely unreliable. The RAF had one squadron of six planes; a minimum of five were required to be operational for the test and this proved very difficult to achieve."
...
Some time later, during Barron's postponed honeymoon and a last-minute change of system at RRE Malvern - "A complicated procedure was devised applying external voltages to the relevant pins in a programmed sequence as the two wires were interchanged. Miracle of miracles, the system worked . . . and continued to work . . . and the aeroplanes flew."