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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0692.PDF
On the left is seen the raising of a Redstone by means of the new lightweight A frame/H-frame system. The smaller picture shows experimental Redstone missiles in the Warren, Detroit, plant of Chrysler's Missile Operations Branch. Assembly takes place on tracks. Redstone . . *•;• to the chamber of the motor. The igniter starts combustion andthe flame at once burns at more than 5,000 deg F, the chamber being regeneratively cooled by the fuel which flows through thedouble wall. Gently the missile rises from the launcher, its stability being assured by the carbon vanes which deflect thejet from the rocket motor. As the excess of thrust over weight increases so does theacceleration. The aerodynamic fins soon become effective, and the programming unit in the guidance system deflects the con-trols and causes the missile to tilt slowly and head towards its target. When the necessary velocity has been attained—probablyof the order of Mach 5—the missile will have risen well outside the earth's atmosphere. At the appropriate instant, the motor isshut down and thereafter the entire vehicle coasts in true ballistic fashion. Soon after cut-off, the powerplant is separated from thefore-body, the latter thereafter being stabilized solely by its own cruciform of fins. Both portions follow a similar path, but duringre-entry the power unit slows more rapidly and falls well short of the target. The missile body, however, continues preciselyalong its programmed course and should hit the target squarely. Redstone was first fired in May 1953, and Army Ordnanceteams began regular development firings the following year. Pro- duction was assigned to die Chrysler Corporation in Detroit,Michigan, and large numbers of the big missiles have since been delivered to field units. Announcement of the first group armedwith the weapon was made in July last year; the 40th Field Artil- lery Missile Group with a strength of approximately 600 wasactivated and assigned to the Third Army as part of the Strategic Army Force. The weapon is now fully operational. With suitable modifica-tions its range can readily be increased to 500 miles, and there seems to be plenty of growth-potential in the basic design. Duringthe coming summer several Redstones will be fired from Eniwetok to determine the effect of detonating thermonuclear charges atheights outside the earth's atmosphere. These rounds will be programmed to fly straight upwards; the first will be timed todetonate its charge at 250,000ft and successive rounds will be exploded at increasingly greater heights. In conclusion, it shouldbe remembered that the propulsion section of Redstone—using high-energy fuel—was used to put America's first satellite intoorbit; and the success of the Explorer on January 31 proves the value of using established hardware. W. T. G. DEFENSE (continued from page 697) aircraft will be airborne before authority is given to launch—andthe positive control procedure makes it impossible, explained Griswold, for a mistake to happen. The execution order comesfrom the President, through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When this order is received, the "Go-Code" is sent to aircraft captains inthe air. And if no "Go-Code" is received then back come the bombers. "That procedure," Griswold assured me, "has neverbeen used." Now S.A.C. is turning its attention to missiles. Already anintercontinental Snark squadron has been formed. Thor units are soon to be operational. When I asked Griswold what use theThor would be in the States, with its limited range, his answer was simple: "It's the first ballistic missile we've got." So it looksas though S.A.C. squadrons armed with the Thor will be purely training units. It is clear to the Intelligence men at S.A.C. that the SovietUnion is putting its main effort into long-range intercontinental weapons—both manned bombers and missiles. And Griswoldmakes it clear that we have to face the fact that Russia as an enemy would have the initiative—not us. That is a bitter pill for anymilitary man to swallow—especially a military man who has been trained to seize the initiative as soon and as swiftly as he can.Now, however, the new role of the West's bomber force is clearly retaliation. Thus, if you take a basic strength of 1,000 heavybombers on either side, you must divide by five or even twelve —according to the strength of attack and other circumstances—to discover the real strength of the country which has lost the initiative. It is apparent that S.A.C.'s main worry is the early-warningsystem. This explains the spate of space-fiction talk from America, for there is no doubt that a tropospheric vehicle, and This picture is the first to show the powerpfonts of the Boeing B-52F. Previous B-S2s have had air-bleed accessory systems; the F has Sundstrand-driven alternators, beneath large cowling blisters. Engines are the more powerful J57-P-43W, which will also be used on the "wet-wing" B-52G. 5.A.C. wings of both types will form this year. eventually an extraterrestrial orbital vehicle, would be the savingof S.A.C. We talked then of missiles. The Air Force at the moment ispreoccupied with getting Thor into operational units both at home and abroad. Snark, it appears, will not be ordered in theusual vast quantities. Atlas and Titan, the ICBMs, are still several months away. But what is interesting is to hear the enthusiasm for the"Minuteman" concept for a new family of large solid-fuel rockets. This project is beyond the planning stage, and will give the UnitedStates a series of rockets which can be used together or singly. Thus an ICBM of the future will consist of three stages all usingsolid propellants. Separately, the stages will make up an IRBM, a long-range tactical rocket and a short-range tactical rocket. The "Minuteman" conception will be common to all threeU.S. services. As an IRBM or an ICBM it will be housed in an underground silo from which it will be fired.Next stop: Eglin A.F.B. in Florida, to see the bi-annual fire- power demonstration of the U.S. Air Force. 79 M^T^
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