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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1108.PDF
254 FLIGHT NAVAHO An Intercontinental Ramjet Missile 'THE North American Indian tribe of this name were hardly-•- given to striking paralyzing blows at enemies thousands of miles away, but this is the awe-inspiring function of the U.S.A.F.SM-64 Nayaho missile, responsibility for which is vested in North American Aviation, Inc. Although photographs of Navahomay not yet be published, it can be stated that it is of a type which bridges the gap between existing bombers and futurerocket-propelled ballistic weapons. It has wings, control surfaces, a complex guidance system and is driven by air-breathing power-plants—two large Curtiss-Wright ramjets which have already been fully developed in test vehicles flying at Mach 3 at around100,000ft. Navaho is rocket-launched and cruises at the same height at about Mach 3.5 for a design range exceeding 2,500 miles.The airframe has already been extensively tested on turbojet power. Navaho airframes are the work of N.A.A.'s Missile DevelopmentDivision at Downey, California; guidance systems are prepared by the company's Autonetics Division and the rocket boostersand test-vehicle motors are produced by the NJVA Rocketdyne Division. Airborne tests of components were made at EdwardsA.F.B. and Navaho flight testing is now going ahead at the U.S.A.F. Missile Test Center, Patrick AJ£, Florida. In Downey's tower laboratory (above) Navaho airframes are sub- jected to test loads. Another picture: December 9, 7955, p. 866. North American s missile-assembly hangars at Patrick are seen above behw 'a the central control at the Patrick Missile Test Center. Flight paths are plotted by a Sandia tracker (above); below, the last man off the missile "pad" gives the clearance for firing.
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