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Revision as of 10:23, 7 June 2013 editAndy Dingley (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers160,213 edits So what? This is what redirects offer us. "Wotan" radar was named after Wotan, not after Woden. Undid revision 558735704 by Holothurion (talk)← Previous edit Revision as of 10:27, 7 June 2013 edit undoHolothurion (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users7,131 editsm Undid revision 558737221 by Andy Dingley (talk) That would be valid if the word was used in-text, not on the link. Please stop changing back.Next edit →
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==History== ==History==
The ] (MoS) initiated the idea because, during World War II, the British realised that although the code-names of some German secret projects could be cryptic, they often provided useful clues as to their nature. For example, basic characteristics of a new German radio navigation device known as '']'' (which used a single radio beam) were inferred by the British before it entered service with the Luftwaffe. This was because the system was named after the one-eyed ], which offered British scientists a useful hint.<ref>{{cite book |title=Most Secret War |last=Jones |first=R |authorlink=Reginald Victor Jones |year=1978 |publisher=Hamish Hamilton Ltd. |location=London |isbn=0-241-89746-7 |page=120}}</ref> The intention of rainbow codes was to clearly and uniquely identify British projects, whilst not providing any hints or clues regarding their characteristics. The ] (MoS) initiated the idea because, during World War II, the British realised that although the code-names of some German secret projects could be cryptic, they often provided useful clues as to their nature. For example, basic characteristics of a new German radio navigation device known as '']'' (which used a single radio beam) were inferred by the British before it entered service with the Luftwaffe. This was because the system was named after the one-eyed ], which offered British scientists a useful hint.<ref>{{cite book |title=Most Secret War |last=Jones |first=R |authorlink=Reginald Victor Jones |year=1978 |publisher=Hamish Hamilton Ltd. |location=London |isbn=0-241-89746-7 |page=120}}</ref> The intention of rainbow codes was to clearly and uniquely identify British projects, whilst not providing any hints or clues regarding their characteristics.


Each rainbow code name was constructed from a randomly selected colour, plus a randomly selected noun taken from a list, for example: Each rainbow code name was constructed from a randomly selected colour, plus a randomly selected noun taken from a list, for example:

Revision as of 10:27, 7 June 2013

The Rainbow Codes were a series of code names used to disguise the nature of various British military research projects. They were mainly used from after the Second World War until 1958, when they were replaced by an alphanumeric code system.

History

The Ministry of Supply (MoS) initiated the idea because, during World War II, the British realised that although the code-names of some German secret projects could be cryptic, they often provided useful clues as to their nature. For example, basic characteristics of a new German radio navigation device known as Wotan (which used a single radio beam) were inferred by the British before it entered service with the Luftwaffe. This was because the system was named after the one-eyed god of the same name, which offered British scientists a useful hint. The intention of rainbow codes was to clearly and uniquely identify British projects, whilst not providing any hints or clues regarding their characteristics.

Each rainbow code name was constructed from a randomly selected colour, plus a randomly selected noun taken from a list, for example:

  • “Blue” + “Steel” = Blue Steel, a nuclear-armed stand-off missile
  • “Green” + “Mace” = Green Mace, an anti-aircraft (AA) gun.

While most colour and noun combinations were meaningless, some were real names, although quite unrelated to the project they designated. For example, “Black Maria” is also a name for a police van and the “Red Duster” is a name for the Red Ensign, the flag flown by British merchant ships.

The names were mostly dropped with the end of the Ministry in 1959. Its functions were transferred to the War Office, the Air Ministry that handled military aviation, and the newly-created Ministry of Aviation in charge of civil aviation. After the reorganization, projects were mostly named with randomly-selected codes comprising two letters and three digits, e.g. BL755, WE177. However, rainbow codes continue to be used with some modern systems; current examples include the Blue Vixen radar and the Orange Reaper Electronic Support Measures system.

Projects

This list of projects needs additional citations for verification. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this list of projects. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Rainbow Code" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

Black

Blue

Brown

Green

Indigo

Jade

Orange

Pink

  • Pink Hawk - early name for Fairey Fireflash missile. As this was a "reduced" version of the Red Hawk, it is a rare example of Rainbow Codes having some implied meaning, rather than their usual purely deliberately meaningless choice.

Purple

Red

Violet

Yellow

Non-Rainbow codes

Several British military related terms have a similar format to Rainbow Codes, but are not since they do not refer to classified research projects. These include:

See also

References

Notes
  1. Jones, R (1978). Most Secret War. London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd. p. 120. ISBN 0-241-89746-7.
  2. "Blue Vixen radar (United Kingdom), AIRBORNE RADAR SYSTEMS". Jane's Avionics. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  3. www.skomer.u-net.com/Blue Boar
  4. www.aeroflight.co.uk/review 7
  5. Chris Gibson Vulcan’s Hammer p.18
  6. PRO. AVIA 65/1193 E10A. Tech Note GW375 p.2
  7. "Fairey Green Cheese Air to Surface missile". Skomer.
  8. Cullen, Tony & Foss, Christopher F. (1991) Jane’s Land-Based Air Defence 1990–91, Jane’s Information Group, London: ISBN 0-7106-0915-9
  9. Green Mace Anti-Aircraft Gun
  10. Chris Gibson Vulcan's Hammer p17
  11. British Secret Projects: Jet Bombers Since 1949 Tony Buttler Midland Publishing 2003
  12. ^ "United Kingdom Aerospace and Weapons Projects". Skomer. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  13. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1959/1959%20-%202460.html
  14. The Red Queen and the Vigilante accessed 22nd April 2008
  15. Red Queen
  16. Jobson P. (2008) Royal Artillery Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations, The History Press, Stroud: 316 pp.
  17. "Airborne DF has existed for over 50 years". PPRuNe - Professional Pilots Rumour Network. 22 September 2010.
  18. Davis, R.A. (1993). "Concorde Power Plant Fire Protection System". Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology. 43 (5): 26–30.
Bibliography

External links

Cold War military projects of the United Kingdom
list of code names used for projects (Rainbow Codes)
air-to-air missiles
air-to-surface missiles
surface-to-air missiles
surface-to-surface missiles
satellite launch vehicles
nuclear bombs
nuclear warheads
Cold War military equipment of the United Kingdom
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