List of Operational Requirements for nuclear weapons

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

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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

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  • 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

See also

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