American Projectiles and Explosives
Missiles
Bureau of Aeronautics Missiles
"Little Joe" 650-pound Surface-to-Air Missile
Overall length: 8 feet 6 inches
Span: 4 feet 9 inches
Total weight (4 rockets): 591 pounds
Total weight (6 rockets): 651 pounds
Warhead: 100-pound G.P. Bomb AN-M30
General: "Little Joe" is a short-range (10,000 foot) radio-controlled, flare-sighted anti-aircraft missile with a 100-pound G.P. warhead, launched from a shipboard catapult with the aid of standard rockets. A Canard-type airframe with cruciform wing and bow plane, it was designed to intercept Baka-type bombs and suicide planes. The missile is powered by a JATO unit.
The missile would be launched from a catapult 20 feet long mounted in a 40mm gun position. It would attain a velocity of 300 to 400 mph after two seconds.
Control: By observing the flare track, the launcher guides the missile to its target with radio signals sent to the receiver in "Little Joe". The AN/ARW-17 receiver actuates signals which, in turn, operate the servo mechanisms to position the control surfaces. A gyro system provides the stability.
Propulsion: An 8AS1000 E JATO unit serves as the main propulsive motor. This unit weighs 139 pounds and contains about 75 pounds of Galcit propellant. It delivers 1,000 pounds of thrust for eight seconds.
Four or six 3.25-inch Aircraft Rocket Motors Mk 7 are used to assist in launching.
Warhead: The 100-pound bomb has only the V.T. fuze.
1,400-pound "Lark" Ship-to-Air Missile
Wing span: 6 feet 2 inches
Tail span: 4 feet
Total weight: 1,361 pounds
Warhead: Undetermined; probably a specially designed fragmentation head.
General: The "Lark" is launched from a shipboard catapult for attacking high-altitude bombers. It has cruciform wings and tail surfaces, the tail surfaces being offset 45 degrees from the wings, and is powered by two liquid-fuel rocket motors, one continuous and one intermittent. It is radio-controlled in the first part of its flight, its position determined by the launching ship's radar. When it comes within radar homing range of the target, the homing mechanism takes control.
It is launched at 150mph from a multiple-charge shipboard catapult by means of two 12AS1000 F JATO units which are jettisoned after exhaustion. With a range of 80,000 yards, an optimum ceiling of 30,000 feet, and a rate of climb of 8,200 feet per minute, it may develop a maximum speed of 650 mph. Designed strength permits a maximum lateral acceleration of 4g. Slant range is estimated to be 45 miles, with time of flight of about five minutes.
Control: By use of the ship radar intelligence, radio control will maintain the missile in the center of the tracking radar beam during the initial phase of flight. When the range of the automatic homing radar is reached, it will take over and navigate a collision course with the target. Both remote radio control and radar homing devices are connected to control surfaces by servo mechanisms. It is gyro-stabilized for roll, with a yaw angle-of-attack indicator.
Propulsion: Two acid-aniline liquid rocket motors furnish the propulsion. One 200-pound thrust continuous rocket is augmented by a 400-pound thrust intermittent motor. The latter is governed by a Mach Number meter so that a more or less constant speed is maintained. Both rockets total about 75 pounds in weight and have a supply of 490 pounds of fuel. The two 12AS1000 F JATO units are used to assist launching and are jettisoned after exhaustion.
Warhead: The proposed warhead is a fragmentation type of explosive activated by a fuse to be fired electrically or on impact.
1,700-pound "Gorgon IIC" Ship-to-Surface Missile
Wing span: 11 feet
Total weight: 1,688 pounds
Warhead:
-1,000-lb G.P. Bomb AN-M65
-500-lb G.P. Bomb AN-M64
General: The "Gorgon IIC" is a radar-radio controlled, resojet-powered, Canard-type airframe carrying a 500- or 1,000-pound G.P. bomb. Launched from a catapult, it has a range of 90 miles and a ceiling of 8,000 to 10,000 feet. It is designed mainly for ship-to-shore round-the-clock area bombardment with an expected dispersion of one mile at maximum range. It is radio-controlled and radar-tracked. Launched from a 150-foot, multiple-charge type, level catapult, giving the missile an initial velocity of 240 mph, the "Gorgon IIC" has a rate of climb of 600 feet per minute, and reaches an impact speed of 450 mph. Its radius of turn is 10,000 feet.
Control: Intelligence on the target area is provided by AN/APN-33 A1 radar, range 70 miles. Radio control of the missile is accomplished by the receiver AN/ARW-17 (for combat the AN/ARW-37 is proposed) which has a range of 70 to 100 miles. Radio signals from this receiver actuate servo controls which maneuver the missile. A gyro system applies stability.
Propulsion: A resojet, of 14-inch by 10-inch diameter and 9 feet long, provides 200 pounds of thrust for 10 to 20 minutes on 174 pounds of gasoline. Specific impulse is 1,030 pound-seconds per pound.
Warhead: The bomb is held in its cradle by two bands. Installation of the Fuzes Mk 235 and Mk 236 is standard.
1,600-pound LBD-1 "Gargoyle" Air-to-Surface Missile
Wing span: 8 and 1/2 feet
Total weight: 1,646 pounds
Warhead:
-1,000-lb S.A.P. Bomb AN-M59 or
-1,000-lb G.P. Bomb AN-M65
General: The "Gargoyle" is a JATO-powered glide bomb with radio control and flare observation. It is designed for launching from carrier aircraft against maneuvering targets on the surface, visibility permitting. Launching should be at a speed of 200 mph to avoid stalling the missile. It has a range of 26,000 feet in a 30 degree dive if launched from the optimum altitude of 15,000 feet. Speed of the parent aircraft is reduced 10 mph and the take-off distance is increased 15 to 80 feet, but maneuverability is not greatly affected. The missile has a turning radius of 2,550 feet, and is designed for a lateral acceleration of 4g's. Top speed: 600 mph.
Control: On the V-tail, control is pitch is accomplished by "rudavators" working together; control to left and right is accomplished by the rudavators working individually. These control surfaces are positioned by servo motors which take their signal from the radio receiver. The receiver, AN/ARW-17 (the AN/ARW-37 is proposed for combat) weighs 20 pounds and has an estimated range of about 28 miles, depending on the antenna employed. Weight of servo system: 125.6 pounds.
Power: A standard 8AS1000 JATO unit, weighing 150 pounds, provides a propulsive thrust of 1,000 pounds for eight seconds. The fuel is 80 pounds of solid Galcit 63C propellant contained in a 9 and 1/2 by 28 and 7/8 inch casing.
Suspension: Exact specifications are not now available; but in test drops D-6 shackle and sway braces were employed. When the G.P. bomb is used, two steel straps 1/16 inch by 1/2 inch through the suspension lugs on the bomb hold it to the cradle. If the S.A.P. bomb is loaded, a strap through the single British suspension lug is used; also, an adapter block is placed in the cradle to provide a snug fit for the smaller diameter of the S.A.P. bomb.
Warhead: The proposed warhead is a fragmentation type of explosive activated by a fuse to be fired electrically or on impact.