1960s

In the 1960s, the RAF started to examine options for land-based AEW aircraft. NASR.6166 was a joint RAF/RN requirement issued in 1962, for a carrier-borne AEW aircraft that would also be used from land bases. This requirement specified an FMICW radar. That didn't stop companies from offering...

My friend said that during the first two decades of the early Cold War. The British STT has designed a series of very distinctive blueprint tanks and a small number of prototype vehicles actually built. These new tanks used to meet the needs of the new era of warfare and against the Soviets...

The UK nuclear deterrent has become after the NHS a political commitment for both Tory and Labour PMs to show their metal. But an earlier Tory PM, Harold Macmillan had his doubts as did Sir Winston Churchill. Macmillan got on well with the new young US President. Kennedy for his part saw the UK...

I have come across an article from Air Force Magazine (link below) about the F-5 dated December 1964 that briefly talks about two variants of the F-5 apparently being offered at the time. First, an improved F-5A with slightly higher thrust ("J85-13/J5", 4300 lbf, 220 lbf higher than the...

Meant to create a topic on this after creating the one on the Kenworth-Boeing gas-powered turbine truck earlier in the year. Like that program this one had its origins in an USN requirement, albeit a later one. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tODsl0-oW0Q View...

The Royal Navy in the 1960s has been the place for many alternative history threads helped by the excellent books on the subject and the enthusiasm of Brits like me for CVA01 and co. The US Navy offers even more scope for programmes that could have been. Some thoughts to kick things off...

View: https://youtu.be/JIkYOFxcqRg

https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBgCRQ2wIvw

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LRdmSgUDaQ Looks like the requirement was for a heavily protected defence orientated tank, employing ambush tactics (similar in a number of respects to the S-Tank), for use by the British Army On the Rhine (BAOR). IIRC, default NATO strategy in the event...

As a result of a December 1964 request from the Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shustri in London for a joint US-Soviet nuclear guarantee, the UK Foreign Office drew up a discussion paper with the Ministry of Defence on British nuclear forces outside of the NATO area. A follow-up Foreign...

I found info about the A118 compound helicopter project (circa 1960) in a book (in Italian) on history of Italian contributions to mechanical engineering, with an interesting chapter devoted to helicopters. Further material, including the real blueprints, should be available at the museum of...

I found this on Fleabay the other day- delighted to happen across it. I'd be interested to hear thoughts on the likelihood of this coming to fruition. I believe BEA were getting cold feet regarding the Rotodyne at this stage and Westland were trying hard to push the Belvedere derivative as a...

Another cracking article from Mr Day. https://thespacereview.com/article/4051/1

Despite being favoured over Bristol's design, AWA was not able to spare the staff to realise the ER.134T research aircraft requirement, and so Bristol was awarded the contract. As we know Bristol's 188 took a long time and was hampered by the Gyron Junior engines. But what if AWA had staff...

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a33918204/4468-mallard-history/

I didn't find anything about Momentum bomb project in the forum. In Chris Gibson & Tony Buttler's book "British secret projects: Hypersonics, Ramjets & missles" this project names "RAE Momentum bomb": and "Vickers Momentum bomb": What does it mean? And I have another question. Do you have any...

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/20/04/24/2248252/long-lost-us-military-satellite-found-by-amateur-radio-operator https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/les-5.htm

Back in the 1960s Boeing was telling everyone that its Supersonic 2707 transport would be the must-have airliner for the 1970s. Some 26 airlines took out options on the plane. There is a comprehensive thread about the US designs on this site, but no illustrations of the artwork Boeing must have...