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Navaho - X-10

The Navaho X-10 missile became  the basis for the air-launched Hound Dog strategic air-to-surface missile.   In 1946, North American began the development of a long-range supersonic surface-to-surface cruise missile. This development effort eventually led to the SM-64 Navaho (q.v. for further details) design, and included a test vehicle to verify the basic aerodynamic and systems design of the Navaho. The test vehicle was ordered as RTV-A-5 in 1950, but was redesignated as X-10 in 1951. The first flight of an X-10 occurred in October 1953.

The X-10 was powered by two Westinghouse XJ40 (later J40) turbojet engines, and took off and landed on a conventional runway. Its all-moving canard and delta-wing configuration was that of the planned SM-64 Navaho cruise stage. The X-10 was equipped with an autopilot for automatic stable flight, and controlled by a radio-command guidance system with an AN/ARW-56 on-board receiver and an AN/ARW-55 transmitter in the ground control station. An AN/APW-11 radar transponder was carried for tracking of the vehicle by the ground control radar. Later X-10 vehicles were also equipped with an N-6 inertial navigation system, which was planned for use by the forthcoming SM-64. The X-10 was a very high performance aircraft, and was for a short time actually the fastest turbojet-powered aircraft flown, reaching Mach 2.05.

The X-10 flight test program was very successful, and continued through November 1956, when the (significantly less successful) tests of the XSM-64 Navaho began. After the X-10 program was moved from Edwards AFB to Cape Canaveral in 1955, several X-10s were lost in landing accidents, when the vehicle either veered off the landing strip, did not properly extend the prarabrake, or failed to engage the landing barrier. Between September 1958 and January 1959, three surplus X-10s were launched as high-speed, high-altitude target drones, but all these flights ended with the unplanned loss of the vehicle. In the end, of the thirteen X-10s built only a single one survived the whole program.

Additional information on the Navaho X-10 is available through the following links:


North American History
Encyclopedia Astronautica

 

Hound Dog to SRAM

SRAM Photos

AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile
[SRAM]

    The Short Range Attack Missile (SRAM) was developed and produced by the Boeing Aerospace Company, the SRAM measured 14 feet in length, 18 inches in diameter, and weighed approximately 2,230 pounds. 
  Armed with a nuclear warhead and 6 equipped with a simple inertial guidance system, the SRAM was propelled to its range of 20 to 50 nautical miles by a solid-propellant rocket motor. Each SAC B-52 G and H model bomber could carry up to 20 SRAMs, six on each of two wing pylons and eight on a rotary launcher located in the bomb bay. The FB-111, on the other hand, could be equipped with a total of six missiles, two mounted internally and four carried on wing pylons. The B-1B was designed to carry up to 24 SRAMs on three rotary launchers, each equipped with eight SRAMs. 
  Originally, the SRAM's primary mission was to improve the survivability of the SAC manned bomber force through the "neutralization of surface-to-air missile defenses." The mission was later expanded to encompass asecondary objective, the destruction of selected strategic targets. 
  The SRAM missile program was inaugurated on 23 November 1963 when Headquarters SAC submitted a requirement to the Air Staff for a short-range air-to-surface attack missile for its G and H model B-52 Stratofortresses. Headquarters Air Force expanded the SAC proposal to include the FB-111 and possibly the future B-1 bomber. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara approved the initial development of the air-launched guided missile weapon system on 23 March 1965. 
  The Boeing Company received a contract from Headquarters Air Force on 31 October 1966 to develop and produce the SRAM.
Strategic Air Command accepted delivery of the first production-line SRAM on 1 March 1972. The first B-52 and FB-111 units to become operational with the new missile were the 42nd Bomb Wing (B-52G), Loring AFB, Maine, on 15 September 1972, and the 509th Bomb Wing (FB-111), Pease AFB, New Hampshire, on 1 January 1973. On 20 August 1975, the last 1500 SRAMs were delivered to SAC's 320th Bombardment Wing, Mather AFB, California. 
  The first live launch of a SRAM from a SAC operational B-1B took place on 3 June 1987.

Hound Dog to ALCM

From Hound Dog to ALCM by David Matthews

When I left Wright-Patterson for the 100th AMMS, I thought I had seen the end of the B-52 and all things Hound Dog. But when I left Davis-Monthan and the RPV program, I was assigned to the Strategic Systems Program Office at Wright-Patterson. The main effort of the Strat-SPO was integrating the cruise missile program into the B-52 force. Much of the effort was performed by former Hound Dog people.  Within Strat-SPO were myself and Fred Thompson, taking care of the technical orders for the new Bomber systems,
missile checkout, and all of the new support equipment for loading and handling the new missile. Our support equipment manager was a civilian, Fred Duncan, that spent his last years as a CMSgt in AMMS/MMS with Hound Dog and SRAM. His boss, Don Nancarrow, was a former member of the Hound Dog program office at W-P. During operational testing,  former Hound Dogger Rick Wysong joined Strat-SPO to manage the flight test assets. 

The SAC detachment at W-P included CMSgt John Landy, a former member of several AMMS'. His counterpart at SAC/LGW became SMSgt Shelby Monhollen, also a long-term Hounddogger. 

The tech order branch in SAC MSET provided three people to attend all of the planning, in-process review, validation and verification meetings on the new tech orders. Clem Brinker, Bob Caldwell, and Dave Coble were all houndoggers.

Our on-site man at Seattle was MSgt Steve Boyle, one of Vaces finest.  At Edwards, and later at Chanute, the training system for the new missile was put together mainly through the efforts of Charley Ross and Dave Simpson; and only two former houndoggers could have done the job so well.

The ALCM is alive and well, both in the nuclear role and as a headline grabbing conventional weapon. It can trace it's heritage back almost forty years to the lessons it's developers learned on the Hound Dog.

Griffis AFB Display

Photo of a training shape made up to look like an ALCM in flightand placed on display at Griffiss AFBwith a B-52G.   It had been used by the 416th as a load trainer/mass simulator. The nose shape is different from the actual operational ALCM.  Note:The 416th at Griffiss AFB, NY was the first ALCM Wing

Hound Dog to RC-135

The RC-135 had a Inertial Navigation system which included the D9A Computer and a Kollsman Astrotracker and ATE. The system was maintained by ex AMMS Troops all assigned to the 6th Strategic Wing, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and 376th Strategic Wing

GAM Troops Assigned to the 6th Strategic Wing - Eielson AFB, Alaska

Hansford, Larry
Hardern, Darryl K.
Hawkins, James O.
Hume, James I.

McIntosh, John D.
Rasmussen, Robert
Tew, Otho E.
White, Johnnie

GAM Troops Assigned to the 55th AMS - Offutt AFB, Nebraska

GAM Troops Assigned to the 376th Strategic Wing - Kadena AB, Okinawa

Billingsley, Thommy

Can You Keep a Secret?

The Lockheed D-21 (Project Tagboard) was an unmanned or "drone" aircraft designed to carry out high-speed, high-altitude strategic reconnaissance missions over hostile territory. It is a product of the Lockheed "Skunk Works" program that developed the A-12, YF-12, and SR-71 "Blackbird" manned aircraft in the 1960's. The D-21 ramjet-powered reconnaissance drone was powered by a Marquardt RJ-43-MA-11 ramjet. Cruising at Mach 3.3 at an altitude of 90,000 feet, the D-21 had a range of over 3400 nautical miles. The D-21 was guided by an inertial navigation system on a pre-programmed flight profile.

    A launch system was developed using a modifiedB-52H aircraft as carriers. The new D-21 configuration (designated D-21B) had dorsal mounting hooks for carriage under the B-52's wing, and a solid rocket booster for the initial acceleration required to start the ramjet engine. The first launch from a B-52 took place on November 6, 1967, but the D-21 crashed. Several flights followed in 1968 with mixed success.

    The first operational launch was on November 9, 1969, but the D-21B was lost. Several successful operational missions were flown over the next two years, but the D-21 program was highly classified and details have not been released. The program was canceled in 1971 and the D-21s were placed in storage.

There was a Organization the 4200 Support Squadron formed at Beale AFB in 1968 with quite a few AMMS people assigned.The particulars of this assignment were classified. Apparently they maintained the D-21B.  Drone which was used to fly secret overflight missions over China.  The project was dubbed Senior Bowl.

GAM-87 Skybolt

The air-to-ground GAM-87 Skybolt missile was scheduled for introduction on the B-52Hs in lieu of the AGM-28 Hound Dog Missile Hound Dogs carried on the B-52Gs. The program was a joint US/British project. The British intended to use the Skybolt on their Avro Vulcan delta-winged bomber as a replacement for their Blue Streak missile. Go-ahead for the project was given in February 1960. The GAM-87 was scheduled to have an initial operational capability in 1964. The United States anticipated an order for 1,000 GAM-87s; whereas the British were looking at 100 of the missiles

    The Air Force had decided to cancel the Skybolt missile development program due to political and economic reasons and to keep using Hound Dog missiles, The program was cancelled on Dec 22, 1962

From Rascal to Hound Dog

The "Rascal," originally designated as the XB-63, was an air-to-surface supersonic guided missile armed with a nuclear warhead. Its development was inaugurated in April 1946. The Rascal was intended as a "stand off" weapon, to be launched from Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombers as far away as 100 miles, thus reducing the manned bomber crew's exposure to enemy defenses in the immediate target area. Launched from its carrier aircraft, the missile would continue toward its predetermined target controlled by a self-contained inertial guidance system. The terminal dive began about 20 miles from the target. During this final phase of flight, the Rascal's course could be altered by signals from the launching "director" aircraft.

The first launch of a guided Rascal took place in October 1953 from a Boeing DB-47 director aircraft; various successful powered flights were demonstrated during later tests.

The GAM-63 program was terminated in late 1958, shortly before the first Rascal-equipped SAC unit was to become operational, in favor of the more promising and longer range "GAM-77 Hound Dog"

From Crossbow to Quail

The Radioplane B-67, later redesignated GAM-67 (Guided Air Missile), was a pilotless drone initially designed as a high altitude target. The Crossbow was powered by a Continental J69 gas turbine (based on the French Turbomeca Marboré II) and could achieve speeds approaching Mach I. The Boeing B-47 was capable of carrying 4 GAM-67s on specially designed underwing pylons.

The Crossbow was later adapted to various missions including Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) decoy and tactical reconnaissance. In the ECM decoy configuration, the GAM-67 would transmit radar jamming signals to confuse enemy defensive radar systems. The carrier aircraft would launch one or more Crossbow's and the resulting radar jamming would allow the bomber force to (theoretically) penetrate to the target area.

The GAM-67 was controlled through ground control signals and an onboard autopilot. Beginning the the late 1950s, the GAM-67 was replaced by more efficient single purpose drone the McDonnell Douglas GAM-72 "Quail"

From TAC to SAC

Some of you should remember the following Missile Systems. It should bring back a few memories.

Allies and Foes

British: Blue Steel

The British Counterpart to our Hound Dog. This was a Rocket powered missile carried on their Vulcan Bomber.

Russia's Equivalent to the Hound Dog

The AS-3 (Kangaroo) air-to-surface missile is a large, supersonic, turbojet-powered, cruise missile weighing approximately 24,500 lb with a range of 100 to 350 nm. It carries a 5000-lb nuclear warhead. For guidance it uses a preprogrammed autopilot for launch and climb, an autopilot with command guidance for mid-course flight, and a preprogrammed dive to target. It has a CEP of 150 ft when used in an anti-ship role and a CEP of 1 to 3 nm when used against land targets. One AS-3 is carried aboard the TU-95 Bear B and Bear C aircraft.

The Hound Dogs Worst Nightmare

SA-5 Gammon - Russian SAM

The SA-5 was designated the S-200 Volga by the Soviets -- the SA-5A and SA-5C are conventional versions; the SA-5B is nuclear. It had a Range of 186 Miles, Altitude of 100,000 Ft and a Speed of Mach 4. It was designed in the 1950s to counter high-altitude American threats such as the B-70 Valkyrie and SR-71 Blackbird, as well as the new stand-off missiles such as the Hound Dog, Blue Steel, and Skybolt

This is Russia's answer to our Missile Badge

Russia's Equivalent to the SRAM

AS-16 Kickback

The Russian Kh-15 (AS-16) short-range attack missile is analogous to the American AGM-69 SRAM. Its basic version is the Kh-15P anti-radiation missile used for breaking through air defenses. Its Kh-15A anti-ship version (exhibited in Abu Dabi 1993 as the Kh-15S) has an inertial navigation system for the initial flight stage and a millimetric-wave active-radar self-homing system for the final flight stage. During its initial flight stage the Kh-15 missile, using a solid-fuel, rises to an altitude of about 40,000 meters, whereupon the target seeking radar turns on. Having been zeroed in on the target, the missile dives while accelerating to a speed of Mach 5.

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Last updated on:  Monday, April 26, 2010
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