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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 2310.PDF
610 FLIGHT, 14 October l%o Missiles and Spaceflight PERSHING PROGRESS The photograph below is the first to portray what appears to bethe operational configuration of Pershing, the US Army's new selective-range ballistic missile. Managed by Martin's OrlandoDivision, the programme reached the flight stage on February 25. There have since been six further firings—a surprisingly smallnumber but sufficient to accomplish a vast amount of work. Propulsion is by Thiokol. The first stage, comprising a high-impulse solid grain (apparently with jetevators), appears to occupy roughly half the length of the parallel portion of body. Ahead ofit is attached the second stage, with greater burning time. In recent weeks both first and second stages have been fired sequen-tially to simulate a full-range mission. The most recent flight (see picture and pages 600-602) was the first to involve a livesecond stage, but it ended in disaster; shortly after ignition of the second stage the missile performed violent gyrations, suggestiveof failure of the second-stage control system. Operationally, Pershing is carried on a neat TEL (transporter/erector/launcher) made by Tapco, which in turn ridesupon a tracked prime mover by Food Machinery. TheTEL runs on four wheels with pneumatic tyres and is fullyair-transportable. It incorpor- ates an azimuth-ring launcherand powered erection arm, and was first used in a "maxi-mum flight acceleration" launching on June 8. Thefollowing month both the TEL and the tracked primemover were used in a test firing. The September 28firing appears to have been the first to test the operationalnosecone, which breaks the contour of the perfect ogiveof the earlier development rounds. The first two-stage Pershing leaving its launch pad at Cape Canaveral on September 28. After the second stage had ignited, the missile went out of control and was destroyed by the range safety officer First artist's impression of the Eagle, the US Navy's newest air-to-air missile for long-range defence, with (inset) its launching aircraft anc the Fleet task force. Bendix have prime systems management respon sibility, and Grumman are the main subcontractors BIRD OF PREY On the left is the first illustration giving an indication of the con-figuration of the Bendix AAM-N-10 Eagle, the 100-mile-rangt missile for the defence of fleets at sea. Powered by "rocket engines'1by Aerojet-General, it is seen to have cruciforms of wings and fins, but the control system is not discernable. Targets would be.? detected by AEW equipment in the Douglas Missileer aircraft on patrol at 35,000ft, which would release one of its six Eagleswhile the target was below the sea-level horizon. Eagle data include: length, 15ft; launch weight, 2,0001b; flight speed M4;operational service, 1962. . ' ., COURIER IB What is perhaps the most sophisticated space vehicle yet placedin Earth orbit, Courier IB was launched by Thor-Able-Star from Cape Canaveral on October 4. It is intended to be the first ofa network of similar satellites which should eventually provide the U S Defense Department with an unjammable communicationssystem to all parts of the world. Its basic function is to receive and record high-speed voice andradio/teletype messages and play them back on receipt of a ground command. The instrumentation includes five magnetic-taperecorders and a receiver/transmitter system with a maximum capacity of 68,000 words per minute. This is stated to be roughlyequal to the total message traffic at present carried by all existing transatlantic cable and radio-links. The instrumentation ispowered by 19,200 solar cells which are expected to remain active for about one year (the satellite itself should be in orbitfor a much longer period). Courier IB is in an approximately equatorial orbit, at a height of some 650 miles. The satellite is asphere, with a diameter of 51 in and a weight of approximately 5001b. An earlier Courier failed to reach orbit on August 18; thecomplete series is hoped to be operational within four years. UK/US SPACE DEAL? The London Daily Mail of October 3 carried a report—filed theprevious day in Washington by their Air Correspondent—claiming that an Anglo-American space agreement had been reached afterdirect consultations between Premier Macmillan and President Eisenhower. Corning only a week after the rational statements bythe British Minister of Aviation (reported last week), it appears that the two heads of State have progressed a considerable distancealong a rather different road. On the other hand, the report may well be incorrect, and at the time of going to press no officialconfirmation had been received. According to the newspaper, the agreement would open up theWRE at Woomera (and doubtless other Commonwealth estab- lishments) to the United States, who in return would supply largeboosters for Commonwealth space experiments—"on easy terms," it is alleged. The Australian Prime Minister, Mr Robert Menzies.is said to have been present at the White House talks, and to have agreed to the use by America of Woomera as a base for very-long-range military shots. Already the US have a satellite tracking station at the WRE, and on October 4 the Australian Ministerfor Supply, Mr Allen Hulme, said that there was "the utmost co-operation" between the two Governments. FRENCH/MATRA ROCKET LAUNCHER In our August 19 issue we published a survey of the work of theEngins Matra Company, of Paris, and announced that their honeycomb launchers for spin-stabilized rockets were to belicence-produced in Britain by Thomas French & Sons Ltd, of London SW1. It is now possible to give further details of theagreement and outline the work so far completed in this country. The Type 35AC launcher is the pattern covered by the agree-ment, and although originally designed for metric weapons has been found perfectly adaptable to the British 2in missiles of eitherh.c. or h.e. varieties. From front to rear it comprises a pointed nosecone, a main body and a rear cone, and let into the top of themain body is the distributor. The latter is a simple electro- mechanical assembly incorporating a rotary actuator and regula-tor assembly together with a revolving-disc switch mechanism. It enables the 35 rockets to be fired in any of a wide range ofsequences—h.c. or h.e. separately or in pairs, or rippled—under the control of a multi-position switch in the cockpit. The launcher is 94in long, has a diameter of 16.53in and weighs1921b empty and 5401b laden. Thomas French have sales rights throughout the world except for the French community of nationsand the United Arab Republic. After negotiating the agreement, Thomas French approached the Ministry of Aviation (last January)and were told that the Ministry would be interested in the launcher, provided it was developed as a private venture. Twoprototypes were delivered to schedule in April and have per- formed excellently during their official trials, which started inmid-May and are now well into the air-firing stage.
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