43-512: The Clausen Rolling Platform was a missile launching platform, built at the coastal missile test range of RAE Aberporth , West Wales, in the 1950s. It used a floating platform in a pool of water to simulate the rolling of a ship at sea, without the drawbacks and costs of going to sea. The Platform was first used for development trials of the Seaslug missile . Most of the Aberporth site is on
86-744: A 114 mm (4.5 in) shell. The first deployment, in the GWS-25 form, was on the Type 22 frigate (2 systems) and later on modified Leander class frigates (1 system) in six-round, manually-loaded trainable launchers. It entered service with the Royal Navy in 1979 and was used during the Falklands War . The current version is the GWS-26 Mod 1 system on Type 23 frigates , fielding 32 vertical launch missiles (VL Sea Wolf) in its missile silo. It
129-656: A Second World War British Army firing range. Due to the threat of Nazi Germany invasion, the Projectile Development Establishment moved from Fort Halstead to the range during 1940, with the Royal Air Force Combined Services Projectile Development Establishment being in existence between September 1943 and January 1945. With the site being an outstation of PDE Fort Halstead and Royal Arsenal Woolwich. The range
172-500: A higher performance replacement was published in 1964. British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) won a 1967 development contract along with Vickers and Bristol Aerojet. Although only slightly longer and heavier than Seacat, Sea Wolf offered dramatically higher performance, with a top speed on the order of Mach 3, an effective range roughly double that of Seacat, and a fully automated guidance system that made engagements much simpler. Testing lasted from 1970 until 1977, with shipborne trials on
215-442: A launcher that is aimed at the target by the fire-control system, VL Sea Wolf uses a vertical-launch system (VLS). Missiles are launched vertically by a Cadiz booster motor and turnover pack, to clear the ship's superstructure and rapidly flipped onto their flight path by thrust vectoring . The booster motor, which also increases the range of VL Sea Wolf from 6.5 km (4.0 mi) to 10 km (6.2 mi), then separates from
258-471: A modified Leander class frigate , HMS Penelope , from 1976. Sea Wolf was tested with a vertical launch system early in the development period on a modified Loch class frigate , HMS Loch Fada but for obscure reasons work did not continue in this direction: the GWS-26 "VL Seawolf (VLS)" being a much later (1980s) development. During trials, the missile performed impressively, once intercepting
301-402: A plateau above 450 foot cliffs. The platform was a 750 ton circular steel caisson floating in a diamond-shaped pool, on a concrete platform just above sea level. The pool was 20 metres (66 ft) across and 13 metres (43 ft) deep. Access down the cliffs was made by a cable funicular , taking 11 minutes to descend with a loaded 20 ft long, two-ton missile. The action of the platform
344-407: A record of engagements. When lock has been achieved with the missile tracker a round is fired and tracked by a pair of radio beacons in the missile's tail. The ship-board system constantly measures the angle differences between the target and the missile and issues guidance commands to the missile through an Automatic Command to Line of Sight (ACLOS) device transmitting on a microwave link controlling
387-544: A successful interception. After successful trials, the size of these salvoes was reduced and the production launchers installed on the County-class destroyers were simplified to a dual launcher. The platform's launcher was reloaded from the static ground alongside the platform and there was no capacity to test reloading ability under rolling conditions. The platform was named for Hugh Clausen (1888–1972), who had worked on Royal Navy fire control since World War I and
430-468: A third to crash trying to avoid the missile. The second wave of aircraft attacked during a failure of the missile system and the Type 42 Glasgow sustained damage. On 25 May 1982, HMS Coventry and Broadsword also operating in a 22/42 combination to the north-west of Falkland Sound came under attack by two waves of two A-4 Skyhawks. Broadsword attempted to target the first pair with Sea Wolf but
473-589: A triple launcher for the missiles and a mounting for the Type 901 fire-control radar . Both of these mounts were stabilised and held a constant direction as the platform rolled beneath them. The radar mount tracked the position constantly, the missile launcher moved in discrete steps. The Type 901 radar provided the beam-riding guidance for the missile. This tracked the missile and broadcast control signals to it. Separate radars were used to search for targets, track them and estimate their height. At Aberporth these were provided by existing radar equipment, not dedicated to
SECTION 10
#1732788065611516-672: Is a naval surface-to-air missile system designed and built by BAC , later to become British Aerospace (BAe) Dynamics, and now MBDA . It is an automated point-defence weapon system designed as a short-range defence against both sea-skimming and high angle anti-ship missiles and aircraft. The Royal Navy has fielded two versions, the GWS-25 Conventionally Launched Sea Wolf (CLSW) and the GWS-26 Vertically Launched Sea Wolf (VLSW) forms. In Royal Navy service Sea Wolf
559-517: Is being replaced by Sea Ceptor . The earliest point-defence missile used by the Royal Navy was the Seacat , which had been rapidly developed from an earlier anti-tank missile design, the Malkara . As a weapon originally designed to operate against slow-moving ground vehicles, the missile had subsonic performance and was of limited capability against even early jet aircraft. It was used largely due to
602-567: Is being upgraded by the addition of an infra-red camera, enhanced tracking software and new operator's consoles. Proposed " fire-and-forget " development with an active radar seeker instead of command guidance for dealing with saturation attacks. GWS-27 was cancelled in 1987. Sea Wolf was not designed as a particularly lightweight system, the original GWS-25 variant with Type 910 tracking required 13.5 tonnes (13.3 long tons ; 14.9 short tons ) of tracking and below-decks fire-control equipments, reduced to 5 t (4.9 long tons; 5.5 short tons) with
645-583: Is currently managed by QinetiQ with air traffic services provided by NATS . The airport is mainly used for testing unmanned aerial vehicles in a area called the West Wales UAV Centre which is connected to the Welsh Government created ParcAberporth . No. 636 Volunteer Gliding Squadron RAF was present between October 1996 and December 2001 Aberporth Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P859) that allows flights for
688-457: Is expected to remain in service until 2020 . Sea Wolf is powered by the Blackcap solid-fuel rocket to a maximum velocity of Mach 2, and can intercept targets at ranges between 1,000 and 6,000 m (1,100 and 6,600 yd) and altitudes from 10 m (33 ft) to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The warhead weighs 14 kg (30.9 lb) and is a proximity fuzed HE-fragmenting type. In
731-418: Is situated southwest of Aberporth , Ceredigion , Wales . The airport is being developed as West Wales Airport for domestic flights. It is also developing as a centre for the deployment of civil and military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as 'drones'. The airport underwent major improvements in 2008 which extended the length of the runway from 945 to 1,257 m (3,100 to 4,124 ft). The site
774-486: Is to be engaged, the ship's computer slews one of the two Sea Wolf trackers onto the target (there was a single tracker on a Sea Wolf Leander ). Originally the Type 910, with an I-band radar, was used but this suffered from poor performance locking onto low-altitude targets hidden in the background sea clutter in the Falklands War. Low-level targets had to be engaged using the 910's secondary TV mode to manually track
817-709: The British Army's new Sky Sabre air defence system under the name "Land Ceptor". CAMM is derived from and shares components with the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) missile in service with the Royal Air Force . Sea Ceptor entered service on the Type 23 frigates in 2018 replacing the Sea Wolf and will also be integrated onto the forthcoming Type 26 and Type 31 frigates when they enter service in
860-596: The E-band Type 968 providing short-range target indication. On the Type 23 frigates, these functions have been taken over by the Type 996 3D surveillance radar. Target data is processed by the ship's computers and when the system is live, targets are automatically assigned and engaged automatically (although this can be over-ridden by the Missile Director (MD) in the Operations Room). When a target
903-416: The carrier task force. In an attempt to overcome the fleet's overall air defence deficiency following the loss of HMS Sheffield , a new tactic was devised, which saw each of the two Type 22 frigates paired with each of the two remaining Type 42 (area air defence) destroyers . The pairing was unofficially termed "Type 64", the sum of both classes numbers. The two pairs were deployed some distance from
SECTION 20
#1732788065611946-410: The ease which it could be adapted to the role simply by replacing the original wire guidance system with a radio command link, and that its small size allowed multi-round launchers to be fitted to ships in place of their Bofors 40 mm guns . It entered service in 1961, the first point-defence missile to do so. The limited performance was understood to be a problem from the start and a requirement for
989-611: The hangar apron occurring during 1968 and 1971. During the 1960s Aberporth was the HQ of the RAE Ranges Division. RAF Aberporth 1940-46 & 1959-84 The following military units were posted here at some point: RAE Aberporth 1939-73 The following units were posted here at some point: Polish Army Resettlement Corps Depot 1946-50 The airfield was used as a Polish Army Resettlement Corps Depot between 1946 and 1950. The nearby range, MoD Aberporth started out as
1032-523: The line of fire and the lock was lost. Coventry was struck by three bombs and sank shortly after. Sea Wolf suffered from problems with hardware failure causing launches to fail, broken locks from the extreme sea conditions and the Argentines' low-altitude hit-and-run tactics with multiple, crossing targets which it was not designed to intercept. Sea Wolf accounted for three confirmed "kills" and two further possibles from eight launches. Instead of
1075-521: The main fleet, covering likely attack routes, in an attempt to draw attacking aircraft into a "missile trap", the intention being that, if the Type 42 was unable to engage targets at longer ranges with its Sea Dart missiles, the Type 22 would use its short-range Sea Wolf missiles to defend both ships. On 12 May 1982, Brilliant and HMS Glasgow were operating in combination and were attacked by two flights of four Argentine Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft. Brilliant shot down two of these and caused
1118-498: The manually loaded form, the missiles are stored on board in maintenance-free canisters, sealed until use and handled like a round of ammunition. The standard mode is fully automated and uses radar tracking. Target detection is carried out using the ship's surveillance radars. In the Type 22- and Sea Wolf-equipped Leander class, this was the radar Type 967–968 combination; the D-band Type 967 providing long-range surveillance and
1161-499: The missile, which flies on to engage the target. Although vertical launch had been explored much earlier in Sea Wolf's development, it was not until the 1980s that a production design was undertaken. VLS went into service, using the GWS-26 system , on the Type 23 frigate HMS Norfolk . Type 23 frigates have a 32-cell VLS, each cell holding one VL Sea Wolf for a total of 32 missiles. The cells, or canisters, are housed vertically in
1204-539: The platform, mounted on top of the cliff. Additional radio equipment was used to control the target drones used, and to receive telemetry from test missiles. The first Seaslug launch was made from the platform in April 1954. Further tests of the complete system were made from the dedicated missile trials ship HMS Girdle Ness , off the coast of Aberporth and in the Mediterranean around Malta , beginning from
1247-411: The public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee. The aerodrome is not licensed for night use. The airfield is being used as a base for Thales Watchkeeper WK450 military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) trials over Cardigan Bay . On 13 June 2018 a Watchkeeper crashed into a lane near the airfield; there were no injuries. Sea Wolf (missile) Sea Wolf
1290-559: The rear fins of the missile. It is possible for a tracker to control a salvo of two missiles. The radar and CCTV guidance system were developed by Marconi Radar at Great Baddow , Essex. During the Falklands War, Sea Wolf was the Royal Navy's only modern point-defence weapon. It equipped the Type 22 frigates HMS Brilliant , HMS Broadsword and the Batch 3A Leander class frigate HMS Andromeda . These ships were assigned "goalkeeper" duties, to provide close anti-aircraft defence of
1333-543: The sextuple launcher for the original Sea Wolf GWS-25 conventional launch block was also tested at Aberporth. The platform was decommissioned in 2004 and most surface buildings removed, although the underground bunkers remain. The caisson has now been removed but the pool remains and can be seen on public mapping services. 52°08′33″N 4°33′28″W / 52.142591°N 4.557742°W / 52.142591; -4.557742 RAE Aberporth Aberporth Airport ( ICAO : EGFA ) ( Welsh : Maes Awyr Aber-porth )
Clausen Rolling Platform - Misplaced Pages Continue
1376-406: The ship's magazine such that the top of the canisters protrude from the magazine. Block 2 Sea Wolf is a replenishment upgrade to the existing stocks of Sea Wolf missiles. Block 2 missiles have replaced all Sea Wolf missiles, both on Type 22 and Type 23 frigates, as part of normal ammunition replenishment operations. In a parallel programme ("Sea Wolf Mid-Life Update") the associated Type 911 tracker
1419-521: The summer of 1957. Testing at Aberporth continued for the improved Seaslug GWS.2 until 1968. The solid-fuel Gosling rocket boosters for Seaslug GWS.1 were produced at RNPF Caerwent in South East Wales. Caerwent also carried out motor trials on these. The last Gosling was produced there on 14 June 1966. Like that on Girdle Ness , the launcher was a triple launcher. The intention was that Seaslug would be launched in salvoes, to guarantee
1462-558: The target. The lighter Type 911 supplanted the Type 910, adding a second radar (a K-band set based on the Blindfire tracker of the Rapier missile , to control engagements at low level) and was fitted in the 7th Type 22 Frigate onwards. Unlike Type 910, Type 911 does not have any TV function; the TV camera is retained only to allow the Missile Director to visually confirm targets and to provide
1505-466: The tracking system locked down and could not be reset before the aircraft released their bombs. Broadsword was hit by one bomb, which bounced up through the deck and destroyed her Westland Lynx helicopter. The second pair of Skyhawks headed for Coventry 90 seconds later at a 20-degree angle to her port bow. On Broadsword the Sea Wolf system had been reset and acquired the attacking aircraft but Coventry ' s evasive manoeuvring took her through
1548-497: The upgraded Type 911 tracker. The "broad-beam" Leander -class frigate of 2,500 t (2,500 long tons) standard displacement could carry only a single missile system, and required some significant structural "surgery" of the upperworks to counteract the weight of the new missile system. Sea Wolf in its original guise cannot therefore be easily added to existing vessels. For this reason, the Lightweight Sea Wolf variant
1591-838: Was announced that the UK Ministry of Defence was funding a study by MBDA to investigate a replacement for Sea Wolf which is scheduled to leave service about 2018. MBDA was later contracted to replace the Vertical-Launch Sea Wolf weapons system on the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates as part of the Future Local Anti-air Defence System (Maritime) or FLAADS(M). The system chosen was the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) which would be known in Royal Navy service as "Sea Ceptor" and will also be jointly used by
1634-410: Was controlled by actuators fixed to the land. They could move the caisson in both 20° roll and 10° pitch axes independently. Variable water ballast within the caisson allowed its dynamic behaviour and period of oscillation to be adjusted. Its movement could be so violent as to induce seasickness in even experienced sailors, leading to its informal name of 'HMS Rock'n'Roll' . The platform was fitted with
1677-519: Was designed to use a four-missile launcher, similar in form to that of the obsolete Sea Cat system. It was intended to equip the Royal Navy's Invincible class carriers and Type 42 destroyers to supplement the medium range Sea Dart system, which was not as capable of intercepting sea-skimming missiles. However, it was cancelled before it entered service. At the DSEI conference in September 2007 it
1720-403: Was due to the shift from beam-riding guidance (LOSBR) to automatic command to line of sight (ACLOS) or similar systems. These no longer required the missile to be launched on a precise alignment from a trainable launcher, so that they could be gathered into the command beam. Later missiles such as Sea Wolf would be launched from simpler vertical launchers, which require no stabilisation, but
1763-783: Was previously RAF Aberporth , a former Royal Air Force satellite station which used by the RAF Army Cooperation Command , the site was also used the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), the Defence Research Agency (DRA) and the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) under the control of the Ministry of Defence until 2001. During 1956, a brand-new asphalt runway was built, with other extensions of
Clausen Rolling Platform - Misplaced Pages Continue
1806-655: Was previously the Aberporth Anti-Aircraft Artillery Range and the Projectile Development Range along with The Aberporth Range . The Clausen Rolling Platform was built there to test radar and launchers against the rolling motion of ships at sea, without needing to go to sea. It is used for testing rockets by the British military , as well as for launching civilian rockets for atmospheric research . The site
1849-696: Was the driving force for the construction of the platform. It was shown off to the public press on occasion, being visited by the Daily Express 's science correspondent Chapman Pincher and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1959. The platform remained in service for testing naval radar and satcom terminal stabilisation. It was also used for testing other sea-launched missile launchers, including Seaslug's successor Sea Dart . Developments in missiles made them smaller and lighter, and no longer requiring to be pointed in such an accurate alignment before launch. Much of this
#610389