Lockheed Polaris
Perfection of this missile represents one of the greatest achievements in missile engineering. The problem presented to Lockheed and its subcontractors in 1956 was to produce an …
Collection: Missiles
Scheufeln Taifun (Typhoon)
This unguided rocket was mass-produced in 1945 and used in conjunction with more conventional Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA). The weapon design was initiated by Scheufeln (a range officer …
USA Lightweight Torpedo Mk43
This torpedo was used by crews to practice their skills. It contained a dye to mark its progress and weights were jettisoned at the end of its …
Vickers Type 888 Red Dean
Red Dean was an Air-to-Air Missile project started in late 1952. The missile was to use a pulse doppler guidance system. However, the technology was not available …
Philco-Ford AIM9B Side Winder
Development of the Sidewinder Air-to-Air Missile, (AAM), began in 1949 with the formation of a team led by Dr McLean in China Lake USA. The team aimed …
RAF Lightweight Torpedo Mk30
This is a passive anti-submarine weapon which reaches a speed of 19 knots and carries a 45kg (100lb) warhead activated by a proximity fuse. The acoustic head …
Raytheon AIM7 Sparrow
The Sparrow Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) began as Project Hot-Shot in 1946 under contract from the US Navy. However, full engineering development of Sparrow I did not start …
Rheinmetall Borsig Feuerlilie (Fire Lilly)
The F55 was the last stage of a surface-to-air missile project. The project aimed to research the aerodynamic and propulsion principles required for an effective surface-to-air missile. …
Rheinmetall Borsig Rheinbote
Although unguided, this was the first multi-stage missile to be used in warfare. The Rheinbote’s powerful first stage delivered 38,000kg (83,774lb) thrust for just 1 second, to …
Ruhrstahl Kramer X4
The X4, was developed as an Air-to-Air Missile (AAM), although its use of wire guidance paved the way for modern anti-tank missiles, which often used wire guidance …
Hawker-Siddeley Blue Steel
Started privately by AV Roe in 1954, a contract was eventually placed by the Ministry of Supply in 1956 for a stand-off missile to carry a Thermonuclear …
Hawker-Siddeley Red Top – Air to Air Missile
The Red Top Air-to-Air Missile was originally called Firestreak IV. However, it so radically improved Firestreak’s capabilities, that a new name was more appropriate. The requirement for …
Henschel HS293
Development of the Henschel 293 began in May 1940; the research led by Professor Dr Herbert A Wagner. The HS293 was designed as a glider bomb based …
Holzbrau-Kissing Enzian (Gentian Violet)
Work on the Enzian Surface-to-Air Missile began at Messerschmitt AG in 1943. Designed by Dr Herman Wurster, the missile layout owed much to the aerodynamic principles of …
Fairey Fireflash
The Fireflash Air-to-Air Missile project started in 1949 as the ‘Blue Sky’ project. The missile had a strikingly unusual configuration that has yet to be repeated. The …