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Seacat (missile)

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Seacat was a British short-range surface-to-air missile system intended to replace the ubiquitous Bofors 40 mm gun aboard warships of all sizes. It was the world's first operational shipboard point-defence missile system, and was designed so that the Bofors guns could be replaced with minimum modification to the recipient vessel and (originally) using existing fire-control systems. A mobile land-based version of the system was known as Tigercat .

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66-465: The initial GWS.20 version was manually controlled, in keeping with the need for a rapidly developed and deployed system. Several variants followed; GWS.21 added radar-cued manual control for night and bad-weather use, GWS.22 added a SACLOS automatic guidance mode, and the final GWS.24 had fully automatic engagement. Tigercat saw relatively brief service before being replaced in British service by

132-469: A beam of 112 feet 9 inches (34.37 m) and a draught of 36 feet 0 inches (10.97 m) at deep load. Displacement was 43,060 long tons (43,751 t) standard, with full load of up to 53,390 long tons (54,247 t). Eight Admiralty three-drum water-tube boilers fed steam to Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines rated at 152,000 shaft horsepower (113,000 kW) which in turn drove four propeller shafts. This gave

198-472: A 4-round, 6,600 lb (3,000 kg) trainable launcher, but a 3-round, 2,800 lb (1,300 kg) launcher was later developed. Both launchers were manually reloaded and carried an antenna for the radio command link. All that was required to fit the system to a ship was the installation of a launcher, the provision of a missile handling room and a suitable guidance system. Seacat was used by NATO and Commonwealth navies that purchased British equipment and

264-443: A complete rebuild on the lines of HMS  Victorious , but due to high costs, plans to fit new geared steam turbines and a stretched hull were abandoned. Eagle was instead given a more austere but extensive modernization that provided greater radar and processing capability than the systems fitted to Victorious . The changes included major improvements to the accommodation, including the installation of air conditioning. The island

330-453: A critical moment when the ship was under air attack. Initial British postwar reports claimed that Seacat had destroyed eight aircraft, but these did not stand up to scrutiny and no "kill" could be solely attributed to the Seacat, despite it being fired on many occasions. Seacat may have been involved in the destruction of three Argentine A-4C Skyhawks although these aircraft were subjected to

396-634: A fully modern airwing, though it was generally accepted that even after her return to service she considered to be in a significantly worse overall material state in comparison to Eagle . Of the 48 Phantom FG1s ordered for the FAA, 20 were diverted to the RAF equipping 43 Sqn , though some were loaned back to the Navy to equip the Phantom FG1 training unit 767 NAS which trained both RN and RAF Phantom crews until it

462-471: A larger follow-on to the Implacable -class of aircraft carriers with armoured hangars, with the design being modified before orders being placed to accommodate larger and heavier aircraft, which led to the displacement growing from the originally planned 27,000 long tons (27,433 t) to 32,500 long tons (33,022 t) by the time the ships were ordered. Four ships were ordered, although one, Africa ,

528-435: A pair of pylons on the helicopter, with an optical sight mounted through the cabin roof. Hellcat was also considered for counter-insurgency (COIN) purposes, with four missiles carried on a militarised Short Skyvan . Despite being offered by Shorts for some years, it does not seem to have been sold. "Seacat Target"" is a specialised target vehicle based on the Seacat and is used to simulate sea-skimming missiles for practising

594-519: A ship's air defence against. Introduced in 1986 it uses the first and second stages of Seacat with the addition of a special target head in place of the missile's warhead. The target missile can be fired from the standard Seacat launcher. The first warship to have the system fitted operationally was the Battle-class destroyer , HMS  Corunna , in February 1962. The Seacat became obsolete by

660-402: A signal is sent from the operator's sights toward the target. The signal is generally radio or a laser . The missile has receivers for the signal on the rear of the fuselage. Some form of encoding is used in the signal so that the missile can steer itself into the center of the beam. Changing frequencies or dot patterns are also commonly used. These systems have the advantage that the link between

726-451: A source of spares for Ark Royal , Eagle was then sold for scrap and towed from Devonport on 14 October 1978 to Cairnryan near Stranraer to be broken up, clearing her mooring space for her sister and arriving there five days later. The lower hull of Eagle was still being broken up when her sister Ark Royal arrived at Cairnryan for demolition on 28 September 1980. One of her anchors (along with one of Ark Royal ' s) stands guard at

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792-433: A speed of 31.5 knots (36.2 mph; 58.3 km/h) at deep load. Eagle started Sea trials on 31 October 1951, with initial flying trials starting on 14 February 1952 and the ship being accepted into service on 1 March 1952. Eagle continued to work up her crew, embarking an initial air wing equipped with two squadrons of Supermarine Attacker jet fighters, two squadrons of Fairey Firefly anti-submarine aircraft and

858-895: A squadron of Blackburn Firebrand attack aircraft, and in September 1952, took part in the big NATO naval exercise, Exercise Mainbrace off the coast of Norway and Denmark. In early 1953 Eagle visited the Mediterranean, before returning to home waters when in June she took part in the Fleet Review at Spithead to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. She joined the Mediterranean Fleet in February 1954, before returning to British waters in May. Eagle

924-440: Is a small, subsonic missile powered by a two-stage solid fuel rocket motor. It is steered in flight by four cruciformly arranged swept wings and is stabilised by four small tail fins. It is guided by command line-of-sight (CLOS) via a radio-link; i.e., flight commands are transmitted to it from a remote operator with both the missile and target in sight. In some senses it was no more than an initially unguided subsonic rocket that took

990-407: Is in flight. Electronics in the sighting device and/or the missile then guide it to the target. Many SACLOS weapons are based on an infrared seeker aligned with the operator's gunsight or sighting telescope . The seeker tracks the missile, either the hot exhaust from its rocket motor or flares attached to the missile airframe, and measures the angle between the missile and the centerline of

1056-613: The Rapier , while Seacat saw longer service until being replaced by Sea Wolf and newer technology close-in weapons systems . Seacat and Tigercat were both successful in the export market and some remain in service. Seacat traces its history to the Short Brothers of Belfast SX-A5 experiments to convert the Malkara anti-tank missile to radio control as a short-range surface-to-air missile . This led to further modifications as

1122-480: The Royal Australian Navy and was removed from service when the final ship of this class was decommissioned in the late 1990s. In their final variant, fire control was provided by HSA M44 radar/optical directors. Secondary firing positions based on visual tracking of the target through binoculars mounted on a syncro-feedback mount was also available. HMAS  Torrens was the final ship to live fire

1188-499: The anti-aircraft role, the target is typically already being illuminated by a radar signal. However, a beam-riding missile flies directly at the target, which is often inefficient for a high-speed target like an aircraft. For this reason, most anti-aircraft missiles follow their own route to intercept the target, and do not ride the beam. A more modern use of beam-riding uses laser signals because they are compact, less sensitive to distance, and are difficult to detect and jam. This

1254-509: The vertical launch version . GWS-21 missiles were fitted to the four Swedish Östergötland -class destroyers under the designation Rb 07, replacing three Bofors L/70 guns (a more modern and heavier variant than the Royal Navy's L/60) with a single launcher on each ship. The Östergötland -class destroyers, which were of late 1950s origin, were retired in the early 1980s. Seacat was mounted on all six River-class destroyer escorts of

1320-404: The 1970s due to increasing aircraft speed and the introduction of supersonic , sea-skimming anti-ship missiles . In these cases, the manually guided subsonic Seacat was totally unsuited to all but head-on interceptions and then only with adequate warning. A Seacat version was tested for intercepting targets flying at high speed near the water surface. This version used a radar altimeter, which kept

1386-586: The 40/L60 or the newer and more effective Bofors 40mm /L70 with proximity fuzed shells. It would also be useful against large, slow anti-shipping missiles, like the Styx , which was being deployed by the Warsaw Pact and various clients of the Soviet Union. It was also seen as offering useful secondary roles as a lightweight weapon to use against light commercial shipping and fast attack craft. The missile

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1452-585: The British after the war, some being ex-RAF units. After the Falklands conflict, a radical and urgent re-appraisal of anti-aircraft weaponry was undertaken by the Royal Navy. This saw Seacat rapidly withdrawn from service and replaced by modern weapons systems such as the Goalkeeper CIWS , more modern 20 mm and 30 mm anti-aircraft guns and new escorts carrying the Sea Wolf missile, including

1518-568: The Falklands onboard all these classes. The final Royal Navy Seacat variant, this used the Italian Alenia Orion RTN-10X fire control system with Type 912 radar and was fitted only to the Type 21 frigate . This variant saw active service in the Falklands. A land-based mobile version of Seacat based on a three-round, trailer-mounted launcher towed by a Land Rover with a second trailer carrying fire control equipment. Tigercat

1584-547: The Green Light prototype, and finally emerged as Seacat. As it was based on an anti-tank weapon, the Seacat was small and flew at relatively slow, subsonic speeds. It was thought to be useful against first and second generation 1950s jet aircraft of Hawker Sea Hawk performance, which were proving to be too difficult for the WWII-era Bofors 40 mm L/60 guns to successfully intercept. Another system, Orange Nell ,

1650-523: The RN Phantom fighters) were not fitted, and therefore the full potential of the ship was not realized. In 1964-5 it was claimed Eagle and the proposed CVA01 and half sized Hermes would be a viable three carrier fleet until 1980. Victorious would have been replaced by CVA01 in 1973. In reality the 1958 Royal Navy assessment was that with affordable modernization of the existing carrier fleet, only HMS Hermes would be effective after 1975, and she

1716-489: The Simple Tachymetric Director (STD) and was entirely visual in operation. The target was acquired visually with the missile being guided, via a radio link, by the operator inputting commands on a joystick. Flares on the missile's tail fins aided identifying the missile. HMS  Eagle 's GWS-20 was trialled on board HMS Decoy , a Daring -class destroyer, in 1961; it was subsequently removed. It

1782-546: The center of the field of view, and the electronics automatically apply a correction instruction in the opposite direction of the change to re-center the missile. These instructions are delivered either by a radio link or a wire. Radio links have the disadvantage of being jammable , whereas wire links have the disadvantages of being limited to the length of the wire and fragile (i.e. not very good for penetrating/attacking targets in vegetated areas such as forests) and can not be fired over bodies of water due to potential shorting of

1848-816: The class were prepared accordingly. In the event only HMS  Cavalier and HMS Caprice received it, in 1966 refits. GWS-20 saw active service in the Falklands war on board the Fearless class and the Rothesay frigates HMS  Plymouth and HMS  Yarmouth , who retained the GWS-20 director when upgraded to GWS-22. GWS-21 was the Seacat system associated with a modified Close Range Blind Fire analogue fire control director (CRBFD) with Type 262 radar. This offered manual radar-assisted ( Dark Fire ) tracking and guidance modes as well as 'eyeball' visual modes. It

1914-575: The controller about 7 seconds or 500 yd (460 m) flight time to acquire and lock onto radar tracking and optical direction, making it unsuitable for close-in AA defence. Seacat was mounted on a powered four-round launcher which was smaller than the Mark 5 Twin Bofors and STAAG type mountings it replaced. It was also lighter, easier to maintain, and very easy to use. Initially, all Seacat installations used

1980-471: The full force of San Carlos air defences; other claims to the same kills include Army Rapier and Blowpipe missiles and ship-based 40 mm gunfire . On 12 June, HMS  Glamorgan launched a Seacat at an incoming Exocet missile which may have been deviated by the close detonation, but not enough to cause a miss. The destroyer was hit and heavily damaged in the attack. Argentina deployed Tigercats from GADA 601 . Seven Tigercat launchers were captured by

2046-422: The launcher and missile cannot easily be broken or jammed. But, they have a disadvantage because the guidance signal may be detected by the target. Examples include the laser-guided RBS 70 SAM and 9M120 Svir ATGM. With wire- and radio-guided SACLOS, the sighting device can calculate the angular difference in direction from the missile position to the target location. It can then give electronic instructions to

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2112-562: The missile from being guided below a certain altitude above the surface and hence prevented the operator from flying the missile into the water. This version was never ordered. Despite being obsolete, the Seacat was still widely fielded by the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the Falklands War and was the main anti-aircraft defence of many ships. It proved more reliable than the more modern Sea Wolf missile that had been recently introduced, although HMS Ardent ' s launcher failed at

2178-409: The missile near the center of the gunners line of sight immediately after launch, and a narrow view lens with automatic zoom that accomplishes the fine tracking adjustments. In most configurations, the narrow field camera utilizes electronics that translate the brightest spot in the view – the flare or strobe of the missile – into an electrical impulse. This impulse changes as the missile leaves

2244-481: The missile that correct its flight path so it is flying along a straight line from the sighting device to the target. Most antitank SACLOS systems such as Milan and TOW use a strobe or flare ( visible , infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) light) in the tail of the missile with an appropriate sensor on the firing post, to track the missile's flight path. The launching station incorporates a tracking camera with two lenses. A wide field of view lens that locates and "gathers"

2310-465: The older steel plate design, and the reheated exhaust of the Phantom's Rolls-Royce Spey engines required water-cooled deflector plates. It was also planned to fit bridle catchers to the catapults as a cost-saving measure, as the bridles would otherwise be lost after a single launch. During the Phantom FG1 trials (involving three newly delivered aircraft operated by 700P NAS) the longer waist catapult

2376-492: The operator's sights. This signal is sent to the missile, often using thin metal wires or a radio link , which causes it to steer back toward the center of the line-of-sight. Common examples of these weapons include the BGM-71 TOW wire-guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) and the Rapier radio-command surface-to-air missile (SAM). Another class of SACLOS weapons is based on the beam riding principle. In this case,

2442-573: The opposite of manual command to line of sight (MCLOS) ones, thus allowing updated version of such anti-tank weapons (notably AT-3 Malyutka ) to still remain in service in some countries. HMS Eagle (R05) HMS Eagle was an Audacious -class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy , in service 1951–1972. Until the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth -class aircraft carriers in the 21st century, she and her sister Ark Royal were

2508-538: The process of jet formation of high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) charges, thus maximizing weapon's effectiveness. However, such systems don't allow for a top-attack mode, or target illumination from a different source than the launcher itself, so choice between the two operating modes may vary between operators. The main disadvantage of both SACLOS guidance systems in an anti-tank role is that working on angular differences evaluation, it does not allow any notable separation between guidance system and missile launch post

2574-578: The ship to operate with a modern airgroup of Phantoms into the late 1970s was clearly going to cost much more, and the new Conservative government in 1970 confirmed plans to convert Hermes to a Commando carrier and withdraw Eagle . In February 1972, the Secretary of State for Defence , Lord Carrington , estimated refitting Eagle to operate Phantoms would cost £25–30 million, and the overall manpower and cost requirements of operating two large strike carriers were beyond Britain, particularly as Ark Royal

2640-469: The shipbuilding programme for the Royal Navy. The third ship of the class, Eagle , which was only 26% complete, was canceled in December 1945, with Audacious being renamed Eagle on 21 January 1946. The newly renamed Eagle was launched by Princess Elizabeth on 19 March 1946, but construction of the two carriers was slowed for three years while the Royal Navy's requirements for aircraft carriers

2706-406: The system prior to its removal from service; and this was also the only time three missiles were on the launcher and fired in sequence, resulting in one miss and two hits on towed targets. SACLOS Semi-automatic command to line of sight ( SACLOS ) is a method of missile command guidance . In SACLOS, the operator must continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile

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2772-436: The tail of the missile looks for the signal. Electronics in the missile then keep it centered in the beam. It differs from semi-active radar homing (SARH) and semi-active laser homing (SALH) in which the target is illuminated by a powerful emitter, and a sensor in the head of missile detects the reflected emissions and directs it to the target. Radar was the most common form of SACLOS signals in early systems, because, in

2838-582: The two largest Royal Navy aircraft carriers ever built. She was laid down on 24 October 1942 at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast as one of four ships of the Audacious class. These were laid down during the World War II as part of the British naval buildup during that conflict. Two were cancelled at the end of hostilities, and the remaining two were suspended. Originally called Audacious , she

2904-636: The waist) were fitted as well as new arrester gear (DAX I) and mirror sights. As well as an overhaul of the DC electrical systems, AC generators were also fitted to give additional power. It was decided that Eagle would have her anti-aircraft guns removed and replaced by the Seacat missile system, though her aft four 4.5 inch gun turrets were retained, and all of her original machinery and equipment would be fully overhauled. In 1959 Eagle entered Devonport Dockyard to begin this extensive refit, and by May 1964 it

2970-470: The wires. Also, wires leave a trace all the way to the target, which could help find the source of the fire. Note that almost all (unless counter counter measures are installed) wire/radio link guided ATGMs can be jammed with electro-optical interference emitters such as " Shtora-1 " on the T-90a . With beam-riding SACLOS, the sighting device emits a directional signal directed toward the target. A detector in

3036-705: Was also fitted. Following work-up, Eagle deployed to the Mediterranean before taking part in the autumn NATO exercises in the North Atlantic . In May 1956, Eagle was deployed to Malta to work up for another stint in the Mediterranean Fleet. Eagle ' s first wartime service came in 1956, when she took part in the Suez Crisis with Captain H C D MacLean, DSC in command. The ship's aircraft of that period included Westland Wyverns , Douglas Skyraiders , Hawker Sea Hawks and de Havilland Sea Venoms . The Admiralty had originally planned to give Eagle

3102-432: Was also one of the main advantages over concurrent SALH systems regarding detection: a laser riding beam emitter is typically a low powered device and does not need to be pointed immediately to the target. Because the missile sensor looks backward to it, the whole system is also impervious to most jamming devices. Another advantage in antitank applications is that the backward-looking guidance system does not interfere with

3168-403: Was being developed for this role, but was cancelled when the Navy concluded it would not be effective against its intended targets, newer high-performance strike aircraft . The first public reference to the name Seacat was April 1958, when Shorts was awarded a contract to develop a close-in short-range surface-to-air missile. Royal Navy acceptance of Seacat as a point defence system, to replace

3234-476: Was cancelled before construction began. The first of the class, Audacious was laid down at Harland & Wolff 's Belfast shipyard on 24 October 1942. Construction was slowed by the need to concentrate resources on more urgent requirements, such as the construction of landing craft, and none of the ships of the class had been launched when the end of the Second World War brought large cuts in

3300-516: Was carried as the design anti-aircraft weapon of the Type 81 (Tribal-class) frigate, the four Battle-class AD conversions, on the first four County-class destroyers, HMNZS Otago and HMNZS Taranaki , and the carrier HMS Eagle . It was last used after sale to the Indonesian Navy and refit by Vosper Thornycroft in 1984 of, the Type 81s Tartar , Ashanti and Gurkha . GWS-22

3366-495: Was carried in active service by the Fearless -class landing ships, the Type 12M ( Rothesay -class) and Type 12I ( Leander -class) frigates, the Type 61 (Salisbury-class) air defence frigates HMS Lincoln and HMS Salisbury , and the first group of County-class destroyers. HMS Kent and HMS London updated to GWS22 in the early 1970s. It was originally intended that all C-class destroyers should receive GWS20, and

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3432-480: Was complete. Standard displacement had increased to around 44,100 tons (full load displacement was 54,100 tons) and Eagle was now the largest aircraft carrier in the Royal Navy. Total cost of the refit was £31 million. The refit was intended to extend her operational life for another 10 years, and she now operated Blackburn Buccaneer , de Havilland Sea Vixen , Supermarine Scimitar and Fairey Gannet aircraft, but water-cooled jet blast deflectors (needed to operate

3498-428: Was completely rebuilt and a 3D Type 984 radar was installed, with processing capacity to track and rank 100 targets , twice the capability of the early 984 system fitted to Hermes and Victorious . The flight deck was modified and included a new 2½ inch armoured deck with a full 8.5 degree angle, two new steam catapults (BS5s, 151 ft (46 m) stroke on the port side forward and 199 ft (61 m) stroke in

3564-557: Was disbanded in 1972. The 1966 decision to run-down the RN fixed wing carrier fleet ( Centaur had already been laid up as an accommodation ship, and Victorious was soon to be prematurely scrapped, following a minor fire) meant Eagle ' s days were numbered. Eagle was paid off in January 1972 at Portsmouth after 20 years and 4 months of service, and was stripped of reusable equipment (radars and missile systems primarily), after which she

3630-498: Was expected to serve to the end of the 1970s with only two short refits. To preserve Eagle in maintained or unmaintained reserve would require refits, estimated at around £4 million, every 3–4 years, and maintenance crew of 350–400 Navy personnel for £1.5–2 million a year. Reactivation would take four and a half months to a year, while maintaining a Sea Vixen squadron was unjustified expense for aircraft that were obsolete. The refit of Ark Royal cost £32 million to allow operations of

3696-409: Was exported worldwide. It has also been integrated with a variety of alternative guidance systems, the most common being Dutch HSA systems. The four systems used by the Royal Navy are described below. This - "Guided Weapon System 20" - was the initial system, which was intended to replace the twin 40 mm Bofors Mark V gun and its associated fire-control systems. The original director was based on

3762-541: Was fitted with a single DAX II arrestor wire (no.3, her other wires were DAX I). She was recommissioned in 1967. Eagle was originally intended to receive a further refit that would have enabled her to comfortably operate the McDonnell Douglas Phantom (she had already successfully operated them in trials). Her two BS5 catapults fitted in her 1959–64 refit were already powerful enough to launch fully laden F-4s, but her Jet Blast Deflectors were still of

3828-467: Was refitted at Devonport Dockyard from June 1954 to February 1955. In order to ease operations with jet aircraft, the ship was fitted with a 5.5 degree angled flight deck , which owing to the width of Eagle ' s flight deck, could be accommodated without major structural changes, although it required the ship's arrestor gear to be rearranged, and removal of nine Bofors guns (one Mark-6 six barrelled mount and three single mounts). A mirror landing aid

3894-538: Was renamed Eagle (the fifteenth Royal Navy ship to receive this name), taking the name of the cancelled third ship of the class on 21 January 1946. She was finally launched by Princess Elizabeth on 19 March 1946. Although Eagle was completed in October 1951 without an angled flight deck , one was added three years later. In 1952 she took part in the first large NATO naval exercise, Exercise Mainbrace . The Audacious -class aircraft carriers were intended as

3960-446: Was reviewed, it being eventually decided to complete Eagle to a similar standard to that planned in 1945, while Ark Royal would be completed to an improved design. Eagle was finally completed on 1 October 1951. As built, Eagle was 803 feet 9 inches (244.98 m) long overall , 750 feet 0 inches (228.60 m) at the waterline and 720 feet 0 inches (219.46 m) between perpendiculars , with

4026-469: Was shown for the first time to the general public at the 1959 Farnborough Air Show . The first acceptance trials of the Seacat on a warship was in 1961 aboard HMS  Decoy . The Seacat became the first operational guided missile to be fired by a warship of the Royal Navy. Later it was adopted by the Swedish Navy, making it the first British guided missile to be fired by a foreign navy. The Seacat

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4092-571: Was the Seacat system associated with the full MRS-3 fire control director with Type 904 radar and was the first ACLOS-capable (Automatic, Command Line-Of-Sight) Seacat. It was fitted to most of the Leander , Rothesay and County-class escorts as they were refitted and modified in the 1970s, as well as the aircraft carrier HMS  Hermes . It could operate in automatic radar-guided ( Blindfire ), manual radar-guided, manual CCTV-guided or, in an emergency, 'eyeball' guided modes. It saw active service in

4158-658: Was too small. These assessments by the Director of Naval Construction in November 1958 were very accurate, taking into account the slower than expected pace of reconstruction, corrosion of war-built hulls, the obsolete power trains except in Victorious , and the cheap unsatisfactory mix of DC electrics with AC add-on generators where needed in Eagle and Ark Royal . In early 1966 Eagle was refitted at Devonport once more and

4224-547: Was towed to Devonport where she was placed in reserve and moored in a stretch of the River Tamar known as the Hamoaze . In 1974, she was released from her moorings, towed up river, and secured in number 10 Dock, Devonport Dockyard, where she was further stripped of essential spares for Ark Royal , before being towed back to her mooring position. Up until 1976 she was officially still in reserve, but having been exhausted as

4290-447: Was used exclusively by 48 Squadron RAF Regiment between 1967 and 1978, before being replaced by Rapier . Tigercat was also operated by Argentina, India, Iran, Jordan, South Africa and Qatar. "Hellcat", an air-to-surface version to give British Westland Wasp or Westland Wessex HU.5 helicopters a capability against fast attack craft and other high-speed naval targets, was considered in the late 1960s. Two missiles would be carried on

4356-476: Was used, and a thick steel plate was chained to the deck behind the catapult to absorb the heat of the Phantom's afterburners. The JBD was not used as it would have been damaged, and after each launch fire hoses sprayed water on the deck plate to cool it down before the next aircraft could be loaded onto the catapult. While fitting adequate blast deflectors and other minor changes for Phantom operation were estimated to cost no more than £5 million in 1968, refitting

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