Red Top Missile QRA Lightning late 80s

[goon]

Hi All,

I'm building Airfix's 1/48 Lightning F.6, as a QRA aircraft. I'm arming with Red Top, because I like the fin shape! I assume they would be live on a QRA aircraft, and I've found various colour schemes and stripe 'styles'. Can anyone confirm what the body and fin colours would have been and what stripes for a live missile? (I've seen white body with green fins, grey all over, and others.)

 

Thanks for any help,

Gareth

[Jure Miljevic]

Hi Gareth

Probably nothing you have not already seen, still ... Take a look at this photo ...

... found on this blog. One would imagine QRA aircraft on actual interceptions would carry live missiles. To my eye rings on this Red Top look silver, yellow and olive green. However, this photo obviously dates to 60' or 70'. In SAM article from 1979 new Red Top colours are given as natural metal body with Dark Green control surfaces. This photo of Lightning it her gray livery ...

... found here shows Red Top in similar scheme, although its body looks more like light gray. Also, apart from yellow one, rings are of different colours.

I hope this have not just added to confusion. Cheers

Jure

[goon]

Thanks Jure, certainly helps narrow it down a bit.

[rtfxwp]

Hi Gareth,

 

I used to maintain Red Top and Firestreak missiles between 1977 and 1984 at RAF Wattisham and RAF Leuchars, and yes, live Red Tops would have been loaded to QRA aircraft.  During that time Red Tops had Dark Green wings and fins, and the rear section of the body (from the fin hubs rearwards) was also dark green.  The body tube was a sort of anodized metallic grey colour (dark aluminium?).  The four body clamp rings holding the five body sections (Seeker Head, Guidance, Warhead, Rocket Motor, and Control Sections) together were a gold anodized finished (Zinc passivized?).  There was an aluminium closure disc in the rocket motor exhaust.

 

In the second of the two photos above you can make out the long fairing which covered wiring loom connecting the guidance section (front) to the control section (rear).  At the front and rear end of this fairing you can just make out the twin dashed lines which were painted around the body of the Red Top.  These marked where clamp rings where attached to the missile, for loading and downloading.

 

Also, in the photos above (both carrying live missiles) you can make out the 3" Golden Yellow band (signifying High Explosive) painted around the front of the warhead  (behind the front clamp mount markings), and a 3" Mid Brown band (signifying low explosives) painted around the front of rocket motor, just ahead of the wing fairings.

 

The black square you can see just ahead of the fairing is a proximity fuze window.  If I remember rightly, there were three of these evenly spaced around the body of the missile.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Mark R

[canberra kid]

This is a Red Top on one of the Lightnings at Bruntingthorpe.

John 

[goon]

Perfect, a technical description and a photo to illustrate it! Many thanks everyone.

 

Gareth

[tweeky]

I spent 5 years on 5 Sqn at Binbrook. the aircraft were armed up on the pan missiles and guns but were made safe, The jets were then dragged up to the Q sheds that's where the missile and guns were plugged in and made ready, The trigger was taped over to act as a tell tail. The only safety device left on the aircraft was the Master Armament Safety Break keY (or MASBY as it was called). the was in the STBD wheel well and had a long red and white warning flag attached.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Stbd Missile had both the red "Noddy cap" removed from the seeker head as well as the protective bands covering the proximity fuse (as rtfxwp has mentioned them). Port Missile The proximity fuse cover was removed but the Noddy cap was left on, this was removed once engines had been started external power removed, Restrictor Cable checked (item on top of the seat) and Canopy locked lines checked (you didn't want a Q jet loosing its canopy half way down the runway). You removed the access ladder then the port noddy cap. Just prior to taxi the pilot would signal for the MASBY to be removed. As the jet taxied out of the shed the TELIBRIEF would automatically disconnect (this was ground anchored and allowed the pilot to talk to the fighter controllers during the scramble). Once the jet was away remaining jet stood down, we then had to get the spare aircraft up to the Q sheds and prep it ready for being armed up. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by tweeky