| Red Top | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Red_Top_missile.png) Red Top missile | |
| Type | Air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1964 - 1988 |
| Used by | United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Hawker Siddeley Dynamics |
| Unit cost | £18,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 154 kilograms (340 lb) |
| Length | 3.32 metres (10.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 0.23 metres (9.1 in) |
| Wingspan | 0.91 metres (3 ft 0 in) |
| Warhead | 31 kg (68.3 lb) annular blast fragmentation |
Detonation mechanism | Green Garland infrared proximity; secondary contact fuze |
| Engine | Linnet solid fuel motor |
Operational range | 7.5 miles (12 km) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 3.2 |
Guidance system | infrared homing, limited all-aspect |
Steering system | control surfaces |
The Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace) Red Top was the third indigenous British air-to-air missile to enter service, following the de Havilland Firestreak and limited-service Fireflash. It was used to replace the Firestreak on the de Havilland Sea Vixen and later models of the English Electric Lightning.
Originally designed as an upgraded version of the Firestreak, Red Top emerged as a much more capable weapon, with roughly double the range, a more sensitive seeker giving limited all-aspect capability, and an even larger warhead than the already-large one in Firestreak. In its primary role as an anti-bomber weapon fired at medium and high altitudes, it offered a significant improvement in overall performance.
Red Top was originally intended to replace Firestreak outright, but carrying the missiles on the Lightning required additional area to be added to the Lightning's vertical stabilizer for stability at high speed. For this reason, Firestreak continued to be used on older models of the Lightning. Both missiles passed out of service in 1988 when the last of the Lightnings retired.