News & Articles
The Missile Programme
Monday 27 April 2009
At the end of World War II, the German V2 rocket - one of its vergeltungswaffen (vengeance weapons) - showed the world the future of warfare.
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The Nuclear Weapons Programme
Monday 27 April 2009
The end of World War II saw an end to agreements between Britain and the United States to share developments in weapons technology. As a result, British scientists (usually sporting fantastic beards) working at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire under the leadership of nuclear physicist Sir William Penney, were forced to work in isolation.
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Britain's Nuclear Bombers
Monday 27 April 2009
By October 1952, Britain had developed its own awesome nuclear capability with a 25-kilotonne bomb called Hurricane, revealed to the world in tests off Trimouille Island, Australia. However, this power was of little use without a delivery system - a means to get the bomb to its target. At the time, missile technology was still in the early stages of development, so the weapon specialists looked towards the tried and tested method of bomber aircraft delivery.
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The Cold War Explained
Monday 27 April 2009
Amid the turmoil of World War II, an uncomfortable alliance arose between societies with diametrically opposed ideologies. The aggression of the fascist Axis forces had thrown down a worldwide challenge that could only be answered by the combined power of the Soviet Union and the Western allies.