Operational Requirement

An Operational Requirement, commonly abbreviated OR, was a United Kingdom (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 intended role the aircraft would be used for, e.g., bomber, fighter, etc., or what type of weapon was required, e.g., gun, armament, bomb type, etc.

In conjunction with any official specification, prospective manufacturers would then choose whether to design an aircraft or weapon for this particular requirement.

Operational Requirements were carried over with the dissolution of the Air Ministry and the creation of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Other requirements

An Experimental Requirement (ER) was for an aircraft for research purposes; e.g., ER.100 in support of development of the English Electric Lightning.

See also

• List of Operational Requirements for nuclear weapons
• List of Air Ministry specifications

Notes

Further reading

• 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.

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Cold War military projects of the United Kingdom

list of code names used for projects (Rainbow Codes)

air-to-air missiles

• Blue Sky (Fireflash)
• Blue Jay (Firestreak)
• Red Dean
• Red Hebe
• Red Top
• Taildog/SRAAM
• Skyflash

air-to-surface missiles

• Blue Steel
• Green Cheese

surface-to-air missiles

• Blue Envoy
• CF.299 (Sea Dart)
• Green Light (SeaCat)
• Red Duster (Bloodhound)
• Red Shoes (Thunderbird)
• Seaslug
• Violet Friend

surface-to-surface missiles

• Blue Slug
• Blue Streak
• Blue Water
• Blue Rapier / Red Rapier
• Orange William (Swingfire)

satellite launch vehicles

• Black Arrow
• Black Knight
• Black Prince

nuclear bombs

• High Explosive Research
• British hydrogen bomb programme
• Blue Danube
• Blue Peacock
• Orange Herald
• Red Beard
• Violet Club
• WE.177
• Yellow Sun

nuclear warheads

• ET.317
• Red Snow

Cold War military equipment of the United Kingdom

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