This proposal of 1955 was for an aircraft that would have been the very behemoth of interceptors, an aircraft capable of intercepting targets 260 miles away at 60,000ft and Mach 2. Equipped with air to air radar, 4 guided missiles, 2 jets with reheat, and 4 rocket motors, it would have been a formidable machine. But the sheer size of the beast is staggering: look at the size compared with the SR53 and P177:
| weight | length | span | |
| SR53 | 18,400 lb | 45 ft | 25 ft |
| P177 | 26,000lb | 50 ft | 30 ft |
| P 187 | 97,000lb | 84 ft | 53 ft |
The design had some points of interest: a sliding nose was fitted, so that the pilot had a better view on landing, yet the aircraft would be aerodynamically smoother at high speeds. Elaborate arrangements were also made for enabling the 2 crew members to eject safely.
| Dry weight: | 54,700 lb |
| Landing weight | 62,200lb |
| Normal All Up Weight | 97,000lb |
| Overall span (with weapons) | 51ft 7ins |
| Overall length | 83ft 6ins |
| Overall height | 21ft 8ins |
| Power plant: | |
| turbojet | 2 de Havilland P.S.52 'Gyron' |
| Static thrust with reheat | 2 x 35,000 lb |
| Static thrust without reheat | 2 x 25,000lb |
| Rocket | 4 de Havilland developed Spectre 5 |
| Static thrust | 4 x 10,000lb |
| Weapons: | to O.R. 1131 |
| 2 radar guided missiles | |
| 2 infra red homing missiles | |
| Crew | Pilot and navigator |
| Total sortie time: | |
| normal warning | 48.9 minutes |
| extended warning | 89.2 minutes |
| Ultimate ceiling | |
| 1 minute duration at M=2 | 76,000ft |
| Max altitude cruise | |
| M=2.0 on jets only | 57,000ft |
| Maximum level speed | |
| Structure limit | M = 2.5 |
| Fuel limit | M = 3.0 |
And here is a typical sortie as drawn up by Saunders Roe. It was no doubt intended to show both the range and endurance of the vehicle together with its ability to do the high speed dash/climb.
7 August 1999 updated 5 July 2002.
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