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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1810.PDF
900 FLIGHT, 6 December 1957 Missiles 1957 . . . ( U.S.A.—continued) of these vehicles was a second programme,intended to investigate problems associated with re-entry of the Jupiter nose-cone andwarhead—which, like Redstone, separate* from the main body. For this purpose theA.B.M.A. evolved Jupiter C, a towering three- stage device comprising a single Recruit (solid-propellant test vehicle) bearing the nose-cone, standing on a cluster of four Recruits, in turnmounted atop a Redstone propulsion section. One of these Jupiter C vehicles was fired fromPatrick a distance of 3,300 miles, easily beat- ing all previous records for speed, distance andaltitude, as far as the "western nations" are aware. No precise time-table of the flight-trials ofthe real Jupiter can be compiled at this time, but it is known that the first two developmentprototypes were launched from Patrick in the early spring of this year. Neither achieveda successful flight, and it is unofficially reported that both exploded before burn-out as a resultof structural failure caused by sloshing of the kerosine and/or liquid oxygen. The thirdJupiter was carefully re-engineered to prevent a repetition, and the integral tanks were pro-vided with special sets of baffles evolved by the A.B.M.A. (not by the U.S.A.F. as onereport averred) and designed to minimize slosh- ing without interrupting fuel flow. In additiontwo other potential sources of trouble were investigated: the gust-sensing indicator wasremoved from the forward probe, and the base of the weapon was redesigned to incorporatea heat-shield to protect the control wiring from eddies of flame from the rocket motor duringthe first few seconds of firing. When this third Jupiter was launched inMay it performed admirably in all respects, Bendix Tolot SAM-N-i (Below, right) Surface-toair. Solid boost motor, integral ramjet for suscainer propulsion. Overall length of missile and boost, about31ft 3in; length of basic missile, 20ft 3in; wing span, about 95in; body diameter, 29.5in; firing weight,without boost, approximately 3,000 Ib; maximum slant range, of the order of 38-40 miles. Convair Terrier SAM-N-7 (Below, left) Surface-to-air. Solid boost motor, solid sustainer motor. Overall length with boost. 26ft Sin; length of basicmissile, Mft 9in; body diameter, 13.5in; span of wings, 47in; firing weight, without boost, 1,100 Ib; maximumslant range, about 20 miles. rti OiQ achieving a range of some 1,500 miles and apeak altitude of between 250 and 300 miles. This proved the ability of the weapon to reachits full design performance, and the know- ledge put new life and inspiration into theA.B.M.A. workers and Army "top brass," most of whom were despondent at the manner inwhich theif IRBM was being taken from them and possibly shelved. The third prototypeconsisted of the final airframe and nose-cone, together with the definitive S-3 motor. In placeof the warhead was a ton of instrumentation, and instead of guidance the vehicle was con-trolled by an autopilot pre-programmed to follow the optimum trajectory. Like currentJupiters, this round had an accessory-power unit energized by combustion of the main pro-pellants, with water governing turbine tempera- ture; earlier Jupiter A.P.Us, had employedH.T.P. The drawing shows the exhaust stack in the base-plate serving both the A.P.U. andthe main rocket turbopump. By August the Army were firing Jupitersequipped with a representative guidance system. One of the firings (there were at leasttwo) in that month concerned a vehicle des- cribed as a Jupiter C, but in all probabilityreally a Jupiter development round. This well- trained missile reached an apogee at 400 miles,a re-entry velocity of 12,000 m.p.h. and landed within a previously determined 400yd circle.The Army claimed that the round "posted a letter" to Gen. Medaris, commander ofA.B.M.A., which was actually recovered from the Atlantic ocean. The nose-cone, reported tohave been non-metallic, was proudly displayed to the world by President Eisenhower. Cer-tainly the Jupiter guidance has many times demonstrated high reliability—as, in fact, hasthe entire weapon. In recent months the relations between theteams actually working on the Army and Air Force IRBMs have been satisfactory, and bothDouglas and the A.B.M.A. have visited each other (as a result of which the Army weaponmay soon appear cloaked in a more sophisti- cated airframe). The elimination of Jupiterfrom FY58 funding was initially countered by the intervention of the Defense Secretary, andit is believed that in August a small allocation was made to the programme from the DefenseEmergency R. and D. fund. Shortly before that time the Defense Department removedfrom the Air Force the responsibility for financ- ing the development of Jupiter, and accordingto the Montana Democrat the programme has actually received about $35m from FY58funds. Early in October the total investment in Jupiter was reported to have reached approxim-ately $200m. Should Jupiter be produced in inventoryquantity for the U.S.A.F. Strategic Air Com- mand it may be manufactured "by the ChryslerCorpn., who have handled all production of Redstone and are exceedingly conversant withJupiter. Production would probably be under- taken in Detroit, but there has been talk ofa $300m Chrysler production plant being established near Redstone Arsenal—whichseems exceedingly unlikely. The cost of a pro- duction Jupiter has been estimated unofficiallyat $480,000. As it stands, therefore, the Jupiter pro-gramme may produce a Jupiter, or a Thupiter/ Thorpiter, or possibly nothing. Some relevantquotes are: "nothing succeeds like success in this business" and "you can't expect to win any-thing with pieces of paper" (a dig delivered by Chrysler at the performance of Thor);"Jupiter is an isolated hardware program without production, training and operationalback-up" (Aviation Daily); "If the Jupiter is the best missile, and, from what I hear, it is,I would favor going ahead with it" (Sen. Henry Jackson); and "The Jupiter programwill be continued through its test program" (Neil McElroy, the new Defense Secretary).In October, when news of the postponement of plans for "marrying" Jupiter to Thorreached Redstone, overtime was once more allowed at A.B.M.A. and the Jupiter wentfull-steam-ahead again. Lacrosse The genesis of this system was aMarine Corps study in 1947 for a weapon cap- able of being fired against the largest hard-skinned targets—major fortifications—from ground bases and helicopters. Cornell Aero-nautical Laboratory and the A.P.L. at Johns Hopkins co-operated in a feasibility study, andCornell were awarded an R. and D. contract in 1949. Shortly before the Korean war began the project was reoriented as an Army pro-gramme, and Cornell were given a high- priority development contract. Early in 1956The Martin Company were brought in to assist in final development and undertakeproduction. Configuration is unusual, there being cruci-forms of fixed, swept wings and unswept mov- able tail surfaces. Federal Telecommunica-tions Laboratories supply radar command guidance, but Cornell were reported last Julyto be investigating a more self-contained sys- tem, less open to countermeasures. Pesco Pro-ducts division of Borg-Warner supply the hydraulic control package. The large warheadis by Honeywell's Ordnance Division, and has fuzing and arming by General Electric'sMOSD. Propulsion is effected by one of the new range of high-impulse solid sustainers byThiokol; the charge has a synthetic rubber oxidizer base, and is one of the largest suchmotors to reach the production stage. Martin manufacture a high proportion of thecomplete Lacrosse system, including the canti- levered-tube launcher, which is mounted on apivoting base carried by a standard 10-wheel lorry and has a hydraulic jack to elevate the mis-sile to the required firing angle. All elements of the system are mounted on mobile carriers, andthe bulk of it is air-transportable by small Army aircraft. The actual guidance unit neednot be close to the launching point, and would normally be in an extreme forward position.The target need not be visible provided its co- ordinates are known; thus the system is un-affected by weather. Development Lacrosse weapon systems werevery successfully tested at White Sands P.G., New Mexico. These missiles were in pre-production at Baltimore when, a year ago, the programme was transferred to the new interim488,000 sq ft plant at Orlando, Fla, which cost $6,031,950 and now employs almost 3,500.Production Lacrosse systems are of an improved type, and the first came off the Orlando line atthe beginning of August. Overall cost of the programme is described as "one of the lowestin missile-systems history." In service the Lacrosse will provide "one-shot" demolition ofany enemy strongpoint, more surely and more cheaply than by artillery or fighter/bombers. Little John This simple and effectiveweapon was evolved by the Rocket Develop- ment Laboratories at Redstone Arsenal be-tween February and June 1956, being test fired in the latter month. Compared with the largerHonest John, it is more mobile, particularly under the most adverse operational conditions.Although described as a free-flight weapon, it has movable fins each carrying a tracking flare(suggesting that the weapon is actually guided by radio command). All the systems development was done atRedstone, and the following companies and agencies contributed: Allegany BallisticsLaboratory (propulsion charge); Consolidated Western Steel (sustainer case and chamber);Emerson Electric (airframe); Rock Island Arsenal (launcher); and Picatinny Arsenal(warhead). Intensive training and indoctrina- tion is at present taking place and the weaponis beginning to go into U.S. Army service. Part of the production is being undertaken byDouglas Aircraft, and the warhead is supplied : by the Honeywell Ordnance Division, witharming and fuzing by G.E. (MOSD). Matador Apart from the "V-l" of 1944,the U.S.A.F. Matador was the first pilotless bomber ever to go into large-scale service, andit has now branched out into a highly effective family of weapons which are at combat readi-ness in various parts of the world. The basic TM-61A was fully described in our 1956review, in which was published a history of its genesis and development and full details of themanner in which a squadron equipped with it operates in the field. TM-61A, as the basic type of Matador, isa high-wing aircraft comparable in size with a modern fighter and manufactured by TheMartin Company in Baltimore, using a cheap and effective metal-honeycomb structure formajor airframe components. Complete inter- changeability was achieved soon after produc-tion began early in 1954, and since that time production missiles have been shipped un-assembled in crates, for erection by the user squadron. The weapon is fired from mobilelaunchers with the aid of a large solid boost
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