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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1603.PDF
FLIGHT, 2 November 1961 the air. Compared with the original air-to-air weapon, AS.20 differs in not having a proxim- ity fuze, and the extra space is utilized by the increased size of the variety of warheads which may be fitted. It is reported that there is an air-to-surface version of the radar- guided AA.25, but this could be employed only against ships, or similarly cle"ar radar targets. NORD 5401 (AS.30) Radio-command tactical missile FRENCH AIR FORCE, and most NATO nations (Air/Surface Missile 30) COMMERCIAL success has come to Nord Aviation through their policy of producing usable and wanted guided weapons earlier than their rivals. These weapons have, in time, become technologically outmoded; but the score of 72,000 rounds delivered— partly on a private-venture basis—speaks for itself. It is a remarkable fact that no European country, and the United Kingdom in par- ticular, has developed a hard-hitting guided missile for use from any type of aeroplane against any type of surface target. Nord's AS.30 can be launched from a helicopter or from an aircraft travelling at supersonic speed, and its size is adequate for it to carry a nominal nuclear warhead (although such a device has not yet been produced in France). Ancestry is obvious; the missile is essenti- ally a scaled-up AS.20, with a higher wing loading, increased velocity and choice of visual or radar guidance. Steering is accom- plished by biassing the vibrations of the trembler spoilers which intermittently inter- 707 rupt the twin jets from the sustainer motor. Trials at Colomb-Bechar and Cazaux have been conducted principally with Canberras and Vautours, and satisfactory results have been obtained. Competition with Bullpup for NATO acceptance has been intense, and at the time of writing it seems likely that the French missile will win. Whatever the outcome of the competition may be, the winner is almost certain to be adopted by the RAF and Royal Navy. Carriers already announced for AS.30 include the Mirage HIE and Etendard IVM. QUAIL Bomber-protection decoy us AIR FORCE Guided Air Missile 72) NOT strictly a missile, for the reason that it is not meant to hit anything, Quail is designed to confuse rather than destroy. Developed by McDonnell Aircraft, and first flown in 1958, it is a miniature aeroplane constructed largely of reinforced plastics and powered by a GE J85 turbojet. Carried in the bomb bay of a B-52 heavy bomber. Quail is released as defended enemy areas are approached. The wings and fins unfold and the vehicle there- after operates electronic and possibly other types of countermeasures in order to dilute the enemy defensive effort. ROBOT 304 Radio-command tactical missile ROYAL SWEDISH AIR FORCE TAILORED for carriage by the Saab A32A Lansen attack aircraft, Rb304 was in pre- liminary design 11 years ago and flew in 1955. 1-9 6*1 Features include a two-stage solid motor, a rear wing with tip fins incorporating tracking flares, and cruciform nose controls operated by the electro-pneumatic XA82 autopilot. SKYBOLT Hypersonic ballistic missile us AIR FORCE (Weapon System 138A. Guided Air Missile 87A), ROYAL AIR FORCF MANNED bombers have become exceedingly vulnerable. Even aircraft capable of coming in at supersonic speed "on the deck." or at 2,000 m.p.h. at 70,000ft or more while packed with countermcasures, can no longer live in a modern missile environment. The pene- trative ability oi a missile like Blue Steel or Hound Dog is considerably better, owing to its much smaller radar cross-section and very high performance; but by 1957 it appeared that an even better answer was the marriage of the bomber and the ballistic missile. Such a combination would be an excellent Cold War deterrent, for the launch aircraft could main- tain standing patrol just outside the frontier of the presumed enemy; while in an all-out conflict the ALBM (air-launched ballistic missile) would have all the advantages of the ballistic missile's extreme speed and relatively small re-entry vehicle, coupled with the fact that its launching site could be almost any- where in the world. The feasibility of launching large ballistic vehicles from bombers travelling at both subsonic and supersonic speeds was demon- strated to the US Air Force by several con- AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES: I, GAM-87A Skybolt; 2, Nord AS.20; 3, Robot 304; 4, GAM-77A Hound Dog; 5, Russian missile carried by Badger medium bomber; 6, Nord AS.30; 7, Bullpup 8; 8, Bullpup; 9, Blue Steel; 10, Russian missile carried by "Yak-25 development"; II, Russian missile carried by so-called "Beauty" supersonic bomber; 12, GAM-72 Quail; 13, Russian missile carried by Bear heavy bomber
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