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This article continues to state that the F2 was delivered with lead and concrete ballast until radar sets were available
The ballast was actually precision machine steel disks to ensure it simulated the weight of the missing radar Such ballast was only in the first 5 aircraft Thunderbird167 (talk) 13:29, 12 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
This is interesting. And from a bit of digging I think the problem is that there are verifiable, reliable sources stating that there was concrete ballast - but in my opinion this is just a massive misconception that has built up. I think you're right that it was steel ballast. As we know, that ballast was given the "Blue Circle" nickname as a clever joke (fitting with the UK's radar naming format), but that a widespread misconception of this is that cement/concrete was therefore used as ballast.
The difficulty here is Verifiability, not truth - we have good sources stating there was concrete ballast. What we need is a source that confirms my theory above - i.e. stating that people have misunderstood the joke!.
A few examples of otherwise decent sources that state there was concrete ballast:
Lewis Page. (July 23, 2024 Tuesday). Continuing with the Tempest ‘sixth-gen’ fighter jet would be insanity. telegraph.co.uk: " ...[the F2] didn’t even have a radar, just cement ballast in the nose cone. This was known with the usual black Service humour as “Blue Circle” radar, in reference to the well known cement firm and the Blue Fox and Blue Vixen radars carried by the Sea Harrier."
JAMES ADAMS and PHILIP BERESFORD. (December 21 1986, Sunday). Now GEC falls behind on the Tornado radar. The Sunday Times: "The radar was originally intended to be installed in a Tornado prototype in 1980 but as late as last year the first aircraft in service had cement ballast inserted in the nose cone. The RAF now mocks the Foxhunter radar as 'Blue Circle', after the cement company."
The FT got it right back in the day: "Several Tornado interceptor aircraft are flying with steel ballast in place of radars, and those with radars have Foxhunter built only to an interim standard. These were accepted by the RAF on the basis that the radar would be improved." Lynton McLain. (March 30, 1987, Monday). GEC Radar For RAF May Cost Extra £250M. Financial Times.
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