This list of Operational Requirements for nuclear weapons shows known Operational Requirements (ORs) specifically for nuclear bombs intended for use by the Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom (UK).
An Operational Requirement, commonly abbreviated OR, was a UK Air Ministry document setting out the required characteristics for a future (i.e., as-yet unbuilt) military aircraft or weapon system. The numbered OR would describe what type of weapon was required. Operational Requirements were carried over with the dissolution of the Air Ministry and the creation of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Table of Operational Requirements
edit| Operational Requirement | year | Service | Description | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR.1001 | 1946 | Royal Air Force | Atomic bomb | Blue Danube |
| OR.1127 | 1953 | Royal Air Force / Royal Navy | Small kiloton bomb | Red Beard |
| OR.1132 | 1954 | Royal Air Force | Powered guided bomb | Blue Steel |
| OR.1139 | 1954 | Royal Air Force | Medium range ballistic missile | Blue Streak |
| OR.1140 | 1954 | Royal Air Force | Powered guided bomb | Blue Steel |
| OR.1141 | 1954 | Royal Air Force | warhead for the powered guided bomb | Green Bamboo |
| OR.1142 | 1954 | Royal Air Force | Megaton warhead | Violet Club |
| ? | 1955 | Royal Navy | Kiloton warhead for Seaslug missile | Indigo Hammer |
| ? | 1957 | British Army | Kiloton 8-inch artillery shell | Yellow Anvil |
| ? | 1958 | British Army | Guided missile warhead | Blue Water |
| ? | 1958 | British Army | Atomic demolition charge | Violet Mist |
| OR.1153 | 1958 | Royal Air Force | Free-fall megatonbomb | |
| OR.1155 | 1958 | Royal Air Force | Megaton warhead for anti-ballistic missile | |
| OR.1156 | 1958 | Royal Air Force / Royal Navy | Nuclear depth charge | |
| OR.1157 | 1958 | Royal Air Force | Megaton warhead for anti-ballistic missile | |
| ? | 1958 | Royal Navy | Megaton warhead for naval use | |
| OR.1159 | 1958 | Royal Air Force | Powered guided bomb | Blue Steel |
| OR.1160 | 1958 | Royal Air Force | Megaton warhead for powered guided bomb | |
| OR.1161 | 1958 | Royal Air Force / Royal Navy | Lightweight warhead for powered guided bomb | |
| OR.1166 | 1958 | Royal Air Force | Warhead for Bloodhound missile | Indigo Hammer |
| OR.1171 | 1959 | Royal Air Force | Megaton warhead for bomb or missile | Red Snow |
| OR.1172 | 1959 | Royal Air Force | Kiloton warhead for Seaslug, Bloodhound and Blue Water | RO106/Tony |
| OR.1176 | 1960 | Royal Air Force | Variable-yield kiloton warhead | WE.177 |
| OR.1177 | 1960 | Royal Air Force | Kiloton Red Beard replacement | WE.177 |
| OR.1178 | 1960 | Royal Air Force | Nuclear depth charge | |
| OR.1179 | 1960 | Royal Air Force | Megaton warhead for Skybolt | |
| OR.1182 | 1960 | Royal Air Force | Long-range air-surface missile | |
| OR.1187 | 1960 | Royal Air Force | Skybolt | Skybolt |
Further reading
edit- Moore, Richard (2010). Nuclear Illusion, Nuclear Reality: Britain, the United States, and Nuclear Weapons, 1958-64. Nuclear Weapons and International Security since 1945. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-0230-21775-1. OCLC 705646392.
"A study of the political, military and technical aspects of Britains nuclear weapons programme under the Macmillan government, contrasting Britains perceived political decline with its growth in technological mastery and military nuclear capability. Important reading for anyone interested in the history and military technology of the cold war" – Publisher