# Operational Requirement

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An **Operational Requirement**, commonly abbreviated **OR**, was a United Kingdom (UK) [Air Ministry](/source/Air_Ministry) document setting out the required characteristics for a future (i.e., as-yet unbuilt) [military aircraft](/source/Military_aircraft) or [weapon system](/source/Weapon_system).

The numbered OR would describe what intended role the [aircraft](/source/Aircraft) would be used for, e.g., [bomber](/source/Bomber), [fighter](/source/Fighter_aircraft), etc., or what type of [weapon](/source/Weapon) was required, e.g., [gun](/source/Gun), [armament](/source/Armament), [bomb](/source/Bomb) type, etc.

In conjunction with any [official specification](/source/List_of_Air_Ministry_Specifications), prospective manufacturers would then choose whether to design an aircraft or weapon for this particular requirement.

Operational Requirements were carried over with the dissolution of the Air Ministry and the creation of the [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) (MoD).

## Other requirements

An **Experimental Requirement** (**ER**) was for an aircraft for [research](/source/Research) purposes; e.g., ER.100 in support of development of the [English Electric Lightning](/source/English_Electric_Lightning).

## See also

- [List of Operational Requirements for nuclear weapons](/source/List_of_Operational_Requirements_for_nuclear_weapons)
- [List of Air Ministry specifications](/source/List_of_Air_Ministry_specifications)

## Further reading

- Moore, Richard (2010). [*Nuclear Illusion, Nuclear Reality: Britain, the United States, and Nuclear Weapons, 1958-64*](https://archive.org/details/nuclearillusionn00moor). Nuclear Weapons and International Security since 1945. [Basingstoke](/source/Basingstoke), Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. [81](https://archive.org/details/nuclearillusionn00moor/page/n97)-82. ISBN 978-0230-21775-1. [OCLC 705646392](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/705646392)

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