Fireflash was the United Kingdom's first air-to-air guided missile to see service with the Royal Air Force.

The basic design was based on studies carried out at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) on earlier weapons.

[b] This called for a smaller weapon using four RP-3 motors for boost which were then ejected, leaving the central projectile to coast onward to the target.

[1] It was soon realized that the all-aspect capability of Red Hawk was beyond the state of the art and a simpler weapon would be needed in the interim.

[1] The Red Hawk project continued as well, but only briefly before its specifications were relaxed as well; in November 1951 the Air Staff issued OR.1117, given the code "Blue Jay", for an infrared seeking design which became Firestreak.

Like the original Little Ben, Project 5 called for a beam riding missile able to be launched from the rear aspect within a 15° cone.

[1] Wartime German research suggested that the rocket exhaust would ionize the air behind the missile and make it difficult to receive the radar signal, so Fairey based their design on the original Red Hawk layout using separate boosters that fell away during flight, leaving the signal clear while the unpowered "dart" continued on to the target.

The rocket nozzles were canted slightly to spin the missile assembly on launch, evening out any asymmetries in the thrust.

[7] About 300 missiles had been produced by 1955, but the Royal Air Force soon decided not to retain the type in its inventory as much more advanced designs were on their way.

A high pressure air supply from the aircraft was also required to spin the gyros before the missile was launched.

A Fireflash unit, missing the tips of the propulsion sections, is in storage at the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre.