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.................I happened to pop in to the Cosford museum on Sunday and was looking at the WE177s on display under the Valiant. I guess it's just possible that they weren't real ones, but what caught my eye was that the list of aircraft that have carried them included the Sea King...
Yellow Sun
Didn't realise that it was designed to have a blunt nose...thought the black part was a cover for the missing warhead..
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
As you will see on the web, the physics package was approximately under the suspension lug.
I am not sure why this one has a black nose. The nose should be a translucent fibreglass. The two red blanks are for the turbine inlets and the red one on the side is the turbine exhaust. The green hatch behind that is for access to the ground impact isolation 'switch' or the switch to make the weapon airburst only.
I am not sure why this one has a black nose. The nose should be a translucent fibreglass. The two red blanks are for the turbine inlets and the red one on the side is the turbine exhaust. The green hatch behind that is for access to the ground impact isolation 'switch' or the switch to make the weapon airburst only.
Another question on nukes on FJs. It seems that the Jaguar and Harrier were cleared for the 177. What about the two man rule etc when it came to fitting them on single seaters ?
Last edited by The Oberon; 14th Jan 2009 at 09:34.
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The Sea Harrier FRS1 was definitely set up for 'special weapons', presumably WE177 - deleted along with the weapon of course.
Not sure about GR1-3 Harriers, I think they could carry it, but not as far as I remember on GR5 onwards - suppose the weapon was gone by then !
Sea Harrier was of course also set up for the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, a later & reportedly better item similar to Exocet.
Some RAF Buccaneers were also equipped to carry them for a while as a maritime strike squadron.
That rather good missile was retired even more prematurely than the Sea Harrier...
Not sure about GR1-3 Harriers, I think they could carry it, but not as far as I remember on GR5 onwards - suppose the weapon was gone by then !
Sea Harrier was of course also set up for the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, a later & reportedly better item similar to Exocet.
Some RAF Buccaneers were also equipped to carry them for a while as a maritime strike squadron.
That rather good missile was retired even more prematurely than the Sea Harrier...
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WE.177C
Oberon. "The best known 177 variants were the A and B. There was a C variant designated for nuclear depth charge / mine use."
An old error that unfortunately gets regurgitated again and again.
WE.177A was the 1/2 kt and 10 kt dual role version with a depth bomb capability. First issued to the Navy in 1969.
WE.177B was the 450 kt strategic model first issued to Vulcans and later handed down to Buccs and Tornadoes. It had no depth bomb functions
WE.177C was a 190 kt land attack only version introduced around the mid-1970s, and had no anti-submarine depth bomb functions. It could be laid down on water (as in shallow, as frequently found inland) but had no depth sensing kit as required for anti-sub depth bomb functioning. It was an RAF-only weapon and not issued to RAF maritime aircraft.
And none of the WE.177 series was ever able to be used as either a land mine or a sea mine. Where do these myths spring from?
An old error that unfortunately gets regurgitated again and again.
WE.177A was the 1/2 kt and 10 kt dual role version with a depth bomb capability. First issued to the Navy in 1969.
WE.177B was the 450 kt strategic model first issued to Vulcans and later handed down to Buccs and Tornadoes. It had no depth bomb functions
WE.177C was a 190 kt land attack only version introduced around the mid-1970s, and had no anti-submarine depth bomb functions. It could be laid down on water (as in shallow, as frequently found inland) but had no depth sensing kit as required for anti-sub depth bomb functioning. It was an RAF-only weapon and not issued to RAF maritime aircraft.
And none of the WE.177 series was ever able to be used as either a land mine or a sea mine. Where do these myths spring from?
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Oberon. Another question on nukes on FJs. It seems that the Jaguar and Harrier were cleared for the 177. What about the two man rule etc when it came to fitting them on single seaters ?
It was rewritten to suit the single seater after take-off. Before take off there was always a second someone close by on the ground. Plenty of declassified info available on the rule changes in the National Archives.
It was rewritten to suit the single seater after take-off. Before take off there was always a second someone close by on the ground. Plenty of declassified info available on the rule changes in the National Archives.
British Nuclear Weapons
As this thread has drifted towards nuclear weapons, here is a link to some pretty comprehensive historical information for anyone who is interested.
nuclear-weapons.info
nuclear-weapons.info
