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Summary: Blue Steel test flights. Comprises of the cameras tracking the aircraft and missile paths. Both reels are intended as a record of the missile flights, and as such they have no title, legends, credits, etc. No wording or text to the screen, or close up photography of the missile.
Description: Reel one: Film opens as a Victor V bomber approaches at height, drops the missile which flies horizontally before it’s engines ignite, climbs then tumbles, falls to the ground and explodes. A Vulcan V bomber appears, releases the missile, the Vulcan climbs away, missile ignites, releasing flames and smoke, flying horizontally, and tracked by calibrated cameras on the ground. Two contrails emit from the missile seen to have four fins on the nose cone, missile explodes and the nose cone falls to the ground and catches fire, tracked by the cameras. The tracking cameras have three moving scales azimuth, elevation and frame number of the tracking graticule, centred manually on the missile. Other similar cameras follow the path of any additional aerial debris following an explosion.
Reel two: The process is repeated as the Victor and Vulcan return and release their missiles. A chaser aircraft accompanies these flights resulting in much clearer photography. Again the missiles explode during flight, but this time into two large sections, one explodes in mid air, the other on the ground. Flames and thick smoke appear. Finally, the Victor approaches for the third time, releases the missile, flame and smoke, flies horizontally continuing to do so until it is disappears from sight of the tracking cameras. The film ends: the fate of the missile is not revealed.
