The Evolution of the Cruise Missile

by

KENNETH P. WERRELL

Air University (AU)

Air University Press

Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

September 1985
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Werrell, Kenneth P.

The Evolution of the Cruise Missile .

"September 1985."

Includes bibliographies and index.

1 . Cruise Missiles-History . I . Air University (US) . II . Title.

UG1312.C7W47 1985 358'.174'0973 85-8131

First Printing 1985

Second Printing 1998

Disclaimer

Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the

editors and do not necessarily represent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force,

the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release:

distribution unlimited.

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents

US Government Printing Office

Washington DC 20402
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THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
CONTENTS

Chapter Page

DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

FOREWORD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

THE AUTHOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

I INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

II THE EARLY YEARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Foreign Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The Navy-Sperry Flying Bomb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The Army-Kettering Bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Foreign Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The Army-Sperry Experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

US Navy Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The Kettering-General Motors A-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

XBQ Aircraft As Aerial Torpedoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

APHRODITE: The Aerial Torpedo In Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

III WORLD WAR II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

The German V-l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

The American V-1(JB-2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

The Northrop JB-I/JB-10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

IV POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Postwar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Air Materiel Command BANSHEE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Northrop Snark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

North American Navaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

97

The Martin Matador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

108

Navy Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

113

Regulus I, Rigel, Regulus II, Triton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

The Crossbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Chapter Page

The Hound Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

The Buck Duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

The Bull Goose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

The Quail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

V US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Advancing Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

SCAD, SCAM, SCUD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

1970s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Harpoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

STAWS and SCM to SLCM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

The Navy Effort: General Dynamics Wins

the SLCM Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

ALCM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

VI 1977 TO THE PRESENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Cruise Missiles and SALT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

The B-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

ALCM Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Cruise Missile Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Rationale for Multiple Cruise Missile Variants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

SLCM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

GLCM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

MRASM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

ALCM "C," ASALM, ATCM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Final Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

VII CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

APPENDIX A: Specifications of Various Cruise

Missiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

APPENDIX B: Discussion of Air War College

Cruise Missile Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

APPENDIX C: Cruise Missile Survey, Airpower Research

Institute, Air War College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

APPENDIX D: Cruise Missile Survey Cross

Tabulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Vi
Page

APPENDIX E: Snark Flight Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

APPENDIX F: X-10 Launchings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

APPENDIX G: Navaho Launchings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

APPENDIX H: Tomahawk Launchings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

APPENDIX 1: Boeing AGM-86A and AGM-86B Flight Tests. . . . . . . . . 271

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
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FOREWORD

The penchant of the American military to be on the leading edge of technology

could destroy our perspective of new weapon systems and distort our perceptions of

their most effective use in modem warfare . So it is with cruise missiles, one of

technology's newest and most sophisticated developments . Dr Werrell's book

provides the perspective and insight we would otherwise lack.

Although cruise missiles are among the newest and most sophisticated weapons

fielded by the United States, they possess a rich conceptual and technological

heritage . It is important that we understand this heritage as we consider deployment

and employment options . It is also important that we understand the developmental

process illustrated by the history of the cruise missile. Without the perspective

provided by this history, our perceptions of their purpose and use lack depth and

insight .

Many significant events have intervened between the completion of Dr Werrell's

manuscript in 1982 and its publication . The manuscript has not been updated

because rapid developments make such updating an endless task. In fact, the rapid

pace of continued development serves to reinforce the need to reflect on the

development of these systems and to place their purpose in perspective .

DONALD D. STEVENS, Colonel, USAF

Commander

Center for Aerospace Doctrine,

Research, and Education
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THEAUTHOR

Dr Kenneth P. Werrell conducted this study while serving as a visiting professor

at the Air University Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education

(CADRE), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama .

A 1960 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Dr Werrell holds the

MA and PhD degrees from Duke University.

Dr Werrell is Professor of History at Radford University . His background

includes a Visiting Associate Professor assignment at Command and General Staff

College and Historian assignments for both Operations Research, Inc . and the War

Department Historical Fund .

A frequent participant in military history workshops and conferences, Dr Werrell

has authored several articles and papers on military history . Among these is Eighth

Air Force Bibliography (MA/AH Publishing, 1981).

Dr Werrell was commissioned upon graduation from the United States Air Force

Academy in 1960, and received his pilot wings in 1961 . Assigned to the 56th

Weather Reconnaissance Squadron in Yokota, Japan, from 1962 until 1965, Dr

Werrell served first as pilot and later as aircraft commander for the WB-50. He

resigned his commission with the rank of captain in 1965 .
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many individuals and organizations helped make this book possible. First, I wish

to thank those at my home institution, Radford University, who encouraged and

made possible my work with the Air University: the Board of Visitors; Dr Donald

~Dedmon, President ; Dr David Moore, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr W.

j D. Stump, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences; and Dr W. K. Roberts,

Chairman of the Department of History . Special thanks are due Prof I . B. Holley

t(Duke U.) and Congressman Rick Boucher (9th Dist Va.) for assistance and support

during the clearance process . The United States Air Force, Lieutenant General

Charles Cleveland, former Commander of the Air University, Major General

(USAF, Retired) David Gray, former Commandant of the Air War College, and

Major General Paul Hodges, Commandant of the Air War College, were unsparing

in their support throughout this project. Colonel Thomas Fabyanic (USAF,

Retired), the founder and fast director of the Airpower Research Institute (ARI),

and Colonel Kenneth Alnwick, his successor, deserve much of the credit forhelping

conceive the concept, encourage the project, and remove many of the barriers

encountered . Colonel Donald Stevens, current director, provided vital publication

assistance . Others at the Air University who helped in many important ways were

Lieutenant Colonels Donald Baucom and John Guilmartin (USAF, Retired) and Dr

David MacIsaac. Preston Bryant, John F. H. Schenk, and Dorothy McCluskie lent

very valuable editorial assistance . Many individuals helped in document

processing: Jo Ann Perdue, Edna Davis, Connie Smith, Marcia Williams, and

Jennifer Warner. For logistical support I am thankful to Capt Harbert Jones, Betty

Brown, Marilyn Tyus, and Toni White. Graphic support, of excellent quality, came

from the pen of Peggy Greenlee, while John Westcott and Stephen Garst of Air

University Review created the softback cover. The USAF History Program helped

in a number of ways, from archival and pictorial support to much appreciated

advice and criticism. These individuals include Dr Richard Morse, R. Cargill Hall,

Lynn Gamma, Judy Endicott, Pressley Bickerstaff, and Margaret CWborn of the

Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center; Dr Richard Hallion of Edwards Air

Force Base; and John Bohn of Offutt Air Force Base. The able assistance of Julie

McAuley from Eglin Air Force Base; Al Misenko, Dr Clarence Giger, and Mike

Levy from Aeronautical Systems Division ; Robert Smith from Air Force Logistics

Command; and Klara Foeller from Media Research at Norton Air Force Base

proved invaluable . The Air University Library played a key role in making this

book possible with special thanks due Tomma Pastorett, Ruth Griffin, and Kathleen

Golson . Colonel Benjamin Tillman and Major John Gannon of the 416th

Bombardment Wing, Colonel Joseph Rutter, the ALCM Program Director, and the

RDQ section at the Pentagon were as unsparing of their time as they were helpful
and hospitable. Rear Admiral Walter Locke, Colonel Carey Daniels, and Mable

Lawry of the Joint Cruise Missiles Project Office lent invaluable assistance . E. H.

Conrow and others at RAND, Dean Sampson and J. R.Utterstrom of the Boeing

Aerospace Company, Dr Ira Chart of the Northrop Corporation, Rose Marie

Phillips of the Sperry Corporation, John Bickers and E. J. Reilly of the McDonnell

Douglas Astronautics Company, David Jolivetter of the Williams International

Corporation, Richard Shearin of the Vought Corporation, Dr Derek Bruins of

Occidental College, William Kaiser of the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Richard

Scharchburg of the General Motors Institute Foundation, Bob Finley and Bruce

Greenberg of the National Archives, Phil Edwards and Pete Suthard ofthe National

Air and Space Museum, Charles Worman of the Air Force Museum, and Dr

William Armstrong of the Naval Air Systems Command all played vital roles in

making this book possible . The many individuals at the Defense Audio Visual

Agency helped obtain most of the illustrations while the Maxwell Air Force Base

Photo Lab processed them . Overseas, B.C.Kervell of the Royal Aeronautical

Establishment, Air Commodore H.A. Probert, Humphrey Wynn, and "J. P."

McDonald, at the Air Historical Branch, and E. Hines of the Imperial War, Museum

made the British and German side ofthe story possible .

Finally, I must thank my entire family, especially my wife Jeanne, who endured

much to make this project possible.

KENNETH P. WERRELL

Senior Research Fellow

Airpower Research Institute
CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The outcome of war is determined by a complex combination of factors that

include numbers, politics, strategy, tactics, training, morale, leadership,

organization, logistics, weapons, and luck . A slight superiority in most of these

categories, or a great superiority in one, can account for victory. Without

attempting to rank order these factors, it is obvious that the country possessing

better weapons increases its chances of victory.

Consequently, the United States must come to grips with changing technology if

the country is to remain militarily strong A leading student of military technology

has put it this way:

. . . new and more effective weapons have generally been adopted only slowly in spite of their

obvious advantages . Since the character of contemporary weapons is such that their production as

well as their use can dislocate whole economies, it is probably not too much to suggest that the

survival of entire cultures may hinge upon an ability to perfect superior weapons and exploit them

fully. Survival itself, then, appears to depend on speed in both the development and the optimum

utilization of weapons. I

Given this premise, the US military must not become part of the problem, but rather

must make the best use of the country's economic, scientific, and manufacturing

resources . The services must look to the future. In 1945, the top American airman

wrote that :

National safety would be endangered by an Air Force whose doctrines and techniques are tied

solely on the equipment and process of the moment. Present equipment is but a step in progress,

and any Air Force which does not keep its doctrines ahead of its equipment, and its vision far into

the future, can only delude the nation into a false sense of security . 2

While weapons come and go in the military, history provides examples of classes

of weapons having both a dramatic and a lasting impact upon the conduct of

warfare . These examples involve weapons which were, at their inception,

revolutionary since they were not merely new but clearly superior to equipment

already in use on the battlefield . Because they dominated warfare they were crucial

to battlefield success ; and nations possessing and using such weapons effectively

were, more often than not, victorious. Examples include the long bow, gunpowder,
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

iron-clad steamships, tanks, and airplanes. These weapons not only displaced

existing armaments, they also forced widescale changes in military training,

organization, tactics, strategy, and thought . For example, the airplane has come to

dominate land and sea warfare in addition to introducing a new form of warfare,

direct bombardment of the enemy's homeland. A number of technological

developments have fundamentally changed the course of airpower during its short

history . Some of the more salient examples are jet engines, nuclear warheads,

radio, radar, and missiles (ballistic and cruise : surface-to-surface, air-to-air, air-toground, and surface-to-air) .

A class of missile of particular interest, now entering the US inventory, is the

cruise missile. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cruise missile against the

criteria suggested above, seeking answers to two basic questions : Is the current

cruise missile simply another weapon in the now familiar class of aerial munitions?

Or does it represent a potentially revolutionary class of weapons in its own right?

These questions, and the.answers to them, may well have far-reaching implications,

for if the current version of the cruise missile represents not an evolutionary

development but a quantum leap forward in weaponry, then US development and

employment strategies require significant adjustment.

In actuality, the cruise missile, as an operational concept and system, has been

around for some time; and very early on inspired rather far-reaching claims . A

newspaper account in 1915 called it: "A device . . . likely to revolutionize modern

warfare . "' Before World War I was over, the cruise missile, or the aerial torpedo,

as it was then called, was touted as "the gun of the future-4 and compared in

importance with the invention of gunpowder.' Billy Mitchell saw it as : "A weapon

of tremendous value and terrific force to airpower.

"6 The passing of years has not

dimmed enthusiasm for the device, a newspaperman in 1977 writing that : "Except

for gunpowder and atomic bomb, no weapon has threatened a greater effect on war

and peace than the cruise missile ."' More temperate comments also emphasize its

importance. "The advent of the long-range highly accurate cruise missiles," one

high official told Congress, "is perhaps the most significant weapon development

of the decade.

"8 According to Leslie Gelb, a noted defense analyst : "The cruise

missile could be an invaluable addition to our security or a dangerous

complication.

"9

Indeed, there is little doubt that the cruise missile today is important to the overall

US defense effort . At this writing (June 1983), US defense planners are calling for a

large buy of cruise missiles in a variety of forms: 3,000 ALCMs (Air-Launched

Cruise Missiles), 3,994 SLCMs (Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles), 560 GLCMs

(Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles), and perhaps 3,000 to 5,000 MRASMs

(Medium-Range Air-to-Surface Missiles) with a total estimated price tag of almost

$30 billion .'° This willingness by DOD officials to spend large sums on various

versions of the cruise missile indicates that DOD believes the weapon is crucial to a

successful future defense posture . Such an investment of confidence and dollars

merits serious attention by military professionals and lay persons alike.

Certainly, the public needs to know more about this weapon in order to follow its
The Boeing AGM-86B, ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missile) . (USN)

INTRODUCTION

The General Dynamics BGM-109, SLCM (Sea Launched Cruise Missile) (USN)
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

The General Dynamics BGM-109, GLCM (Ground Launched Cruise Missile) . (General

Dynamics)

progress, to understand its importance, and to bear its costs . This point is

fundamental because public knowledge represents the only viable mechanism in a

democracy for generating support for defense projects. For its part, the military

establishment at all levels* needs to know more about the cruise missile for even

more fundamental reasons . Those operating it will be effective only to the extent

that they comprehend the weapon's capabilities and limitations . But even those

military members not directly involved with the cruise missile need to be well

informed to appreciate its importance and to know why it receives so much funding

and attention . At the higher levels, planners and decisionmakers need to understand

cruise missiles as much as possible in order to make the best decisions and plans.

Students of the cruise missile should focus on the basic characteristics of the

weapon. Consequently, this study addresses these characteristics as well as

questions derived from and inherent in them . Such an approach can put the story

into a more meaningful context and suggest follow-on questions and hypotheses for

further evaluation . A review of the cruise missile's long historical record can

illuminate not only where it has been, but suggest where it may be going. This is

admittedly an ambitious goal . But to be more than "just an interesting" study,

more than "just history for history's sake," this study must raise and satisfactorily

answer a number of specific questions .

'See Appendix H for a survey of the AirWar College class of 1982, including a roughtest of the knowledge level of Air Force officers on

the cruise missile.
INTRODUCTION

For instance, what has changed and what has remained constant between the

earlier and current versions of the cruise missile? What advantages and

disadvantages are inherent to cruise missiles as a class of weapons? Why were

cruise missiles not successfully introduced on a large scale into military inventories

before? What obstacles has the weapon encountered? Overall, what lessons can be

gleaned from the historical record of the cruise missile? What are the useful

parallels? Finally, how important is the cruise missile? Is the cruise missile just

another weapon like so many others, or does it represent a revolutionary class of

weapon?
EVOLUTION OFTHE CRUISE MISSILE

NOTES

CHAPTER I

1 . I. B. Holley, Jr., Ideas and Weapons (New Haven, Conn. : Yale University, 1953), 175 .

2 . Henry H. Arnold quoted in Air Force Manual I-1, Functions and Basic Doctrine of the United

States Air Force, February 1979, 4-11 .

3 . "Aerial Torpedo is Guided 100 miles by Gyroscope," New York Tribune (21 October 1915), 1

4 . Elmer Sperry to Admiral Earle, 25 October 1918, quoted in Delmar S. Faluney, "The History of

Pilotless Aircraft and Guided Missiles," manuscript, Naval Historical Center, c . 1958, 112, 113 .

5 . George O. Squier to Chief of Staff, 5 October 1918, Subject: "An Automatic Carrier for the Signal

Corps (Liberty Eagle)," ; Bion J . Arnold to the Secretary of War, "Secret Report on Automatic Carriers,

Flying Bombs (FB), Aerial Torpedoes (AT)" 31 January 1919, Exhibit F, Air University Library Film

623 .451 W253B .

6 . William Mitchell, "Lawrence Sperry and the Aerial Torpedo," U.S . Air Services (January 1926),

16 .

7 . Howard Silber, Omaha World-Herald (17 April 1977), 11 .

8 . Malcolm R. Currie quoted in John H. Douglas, "A Technology Revolution in Weaponry,"

Science News (23 July 1977), 60.

9 . Leslie H. Gelb, "Nuclear Bargaining : The President's Options," New York Times Magazine (27

June 1982), 61 .

10 . The price tag on the GLCMs is $3 .7 billion, on the MRASM $3 to $6 billion, and on the SLCMs

$11 .8 billion . The ALCM buy of 4,348 missiles at $8.5 billion was cut to 3,000 missiles and unspecified

cost in February 1983 . "Tomahawk Numbers," Aerospace Daily (5 April 1982), 201 ; "Pentagon,

Announcing SARs, Indicates F-15, F-16 Derivatives," Aerospace Daily (23 March 1982), 129, 130 ;

"JCMPO Seeks Potential Competition for GLOM TEL, LCCs," Aerospace Daily (23 December 1981),

275 ; "SAR Programs Summarized as of September 30," Aerospace Daily (18 November 1982), 101 ;

"Pentagon Puts Cruise Missile Through Extensive Review," Aerospace Daily (20 May 1981), 106 ;

David R. Griffiths, "Proposal Set on Air-to-Surface Missile," Aviation Week (29 December 1980), 24,

25 ; Harriet S . Hughes, "Competition Options for the Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile Program,"

unpublished MA Thesis, American University, 1981, 23, 24; "Navy Sees MRASM as Money

Problem," Aerospace Daily (24 August 1982), 297; "Air Force Cuts ALCM Total ; Navy Retains

Tomahawk Plans, " Aerospace Daily (3 February 1983), 193 .
CHAPTER 11

THE EARLY YEARS: TO 1941

Even before World War I, during the first decade of powered flight, the idea of

an unmanned, automatically controlled "flying bomb" or "aerial torpedo"

circulated in a number ofcountries .' The technology making such a device possible

consisted of gyroscopes mounted in contemporary airframes . The first practical

efforts on record began when Peter C . Hewitt, inventor of the mercury vapor lamp,

approached Elmer A. Sperry of Sperry Gyroscope Company in April 1915 with the

idea of a "flying bomb ."zTogether they developed and tested an automatic control

system on both a Curtiss flying boat and a twin-engine aircraft .' This particular

system showed enough promise by the summer of 1916 to merit a test with an

official observer. In August, Elmer Sperry wrote to Lieutenant Colonel George O.

Squier of the Signal Corps, but the Army did not answer.4 Consequently, the two

inventors arranged an official trial with the Navy. On 12 September 1916,

Lieutenant T. W. Wilkinson, Jr. (USN), with Sperry's son Lawrence as pilot, took

off aboard a specially equipped seaplane . Under automatic control, the aircraft

climbed to a predetermined altitude, held a satisfactory compass course, flew a set

distance, dove, and would have impacted as planned had Sperry not intervened.'

Elmer Sperry's developments with gyroscopes made unpiloted missiles possible . In addition,

he was directly involved in both of America's World War I missiles (Sperry Corp.)

7
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Wilkinson wrote what appears, in retrospect, as a realistic appraisal of the

missile's assets and liabilities . He noted that compared with guns the device had the

advantage of longer range. Further, Wilkinson acknowledged, "The moral effect

of such devices may be great. They are practically indestructible, unless a wellaimed shot disables [the] engine or control devices, and they cannot be driven

off.

"6 But the device was expensive, required complicated launching facilities, and

its "use in long range attacks against forts and cities is of doubtful military value on

account of [the] difficulty of striking at any desired point rather than at random

within the limits of the city or fortress . "'

Foreign Efforts

In the same general time frame, Europeans also worked on "flying bombs." The

principal efforts abroad were made by the British .' Shortly after World War I

began, the British War Office asked Professor A . M. Low to work on a rangefinder

for coast artillery, apparently because he demonstrated in London in 1914 the

principles now used in television . But the project soon changed to a radio-controlled

"flying bomb" to intercept zeppelins and attack ground targets . On 21 March

1917, Low demonstrated the device to Britain's top brass . The first vehicle

immediately crashed . One observer, Major Gordon Bell, fittingly called the "Mad

Major" because he terrified passengers with loops inches off the ground, flights

under bridges, and in one case a flight through a hangar, exclaimed "I could throw

my bloody umbrella that far! "9 The second bird got off the ground and flew

satisfactorily-for a while. But it then dove toward the assembled spectators,

scattering them before crashing about three yards from Low and the radio

controls .'°

H. P. Folland, designer of the famous SE-5 pursuit plane, designed another

missile for the project . Built by the Royal Aircraft Factory, it measured 20 to 22 feet

in span, weighed 500 pounds, and used the same 35 hp engine as its predecessor.

But the Folland missile proved equally unsuccessful, failing to get airborne on three

attempted launchings in July 1917. Little wonder the British ended the project."

The Navy-Sperry Flying Bomb

Meanwhile, America's declaration of war on 6 April 1917 changed everything in

the United States . Eight days later, the Naval Consulting Board recommended that

$50,000 be allotted to Sperry's "flying bomb" project." Subsequently, Secretary
EARLY YEARS

The British Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Aerial Target under construction, 1917. The

device was unsuccessfully tested in July 1917 (RAE, Farnborough)

of the Navy Josephus Daniels formed a five-man committee to investigate the idea;

it recommended support for the project, and Daniels approved $200,000 for the

"flying bomb" in late May .

'3

Experiments began in June at Amityville, Long Island . The Navy supplied five

Curtiss N-9 seaplanes and purchased six sets of Sperry controls. During over 100

flight tests, which began in September, pilots got the Curtiss N-9s off the water,

monitored the automatic function and, after the mechanism indicated its descent to

the target, flew home .

14

The next step came in mid-October when the Navy ordered five special aircraft

("flying bombs") from Glenn Curtiss b cause Sperry wanted a faster aircraft than

the N-9. Remarkedly, Curtiss delivered Ithe device* six days ahead of the 30 day,

schedule!"

But after the success of the manned N-9, failure dominated the new phase witty

the unmanned vehicle . Major problems emerged, the first of which was literalli

getting the machine off the ground. Because takeoffs upset the azimuth control, the

experimenters used catapult launchings. The first attempted launching on 24

November 1917 ended in disaster, as did a second on 7 December.

t o The third

attempted launching on 21 December, with a different catapult system, failed

because of engine problems. Crashes on 14 and 17 January, when "flying bombs"

got briefly airborne, cast doubt on both the catapult system and the device's

flying ability ."

'see Appendix Aformissile characteristics .
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Therefore to improve and hence to prove the airworthiness of the "flying

bomb," man again took the controls. On 6 February, Lawrence Sperry successfully

flew the machine, fitted with skis, off the ice of Great South Bay, Long Island. The

next day, the missile crashed at lift-off, leaving Sperry unhurt but the machine

demolished." Further manned tests disclosed a third problem, a mismatch of

control system and missile. Controls adequate for the N-9 proved inadequate for the

more esponsive "flying bomb." Finding that the machine lacked longitudinal

stahi~i°,,!, the testers lengthened the fuselage two feet and made other suitable

modifi ;:ations . 11

The Navy's World War I "flying bomb,'' associated with Elmer Sperry and Glenn Curtiss . A

device of this type performed successfully for the first time on 6 March 1918 (General Motors

Institute)

The first successful flight occurred on 6 March 1918, when the "flying bomb"

flew 1,000 yards as planned . One month later, however, a similar attempt failed . 20

Although the catapult functioned well, Sperry wanted a new launching device .

Consequently, Sperry hired a consulting engineer, Carl L. Norden (later known for

his World War It bombsight), to design a third type of catapult .2 1 The Chief of

Naval Ordnance, Rear Admiral Ralph Earle, reported that the catapult was worth all

the time and effort spent on the "flying bomb .' 122 In retrospect, we can only

speculate as to whether Earle's appraisal was realism or rationalization . For while

catapults were to prove important to the Navy in subsequent years, later models

relied upon a much different technology .

Meanwhile, Sperry further tested the "flying bomb." The test bed consisted of a

1 0
EARLY YEARS

Lawrence Sperry, the inventor's son, was very active in the development of the "flying bomb."

Sperry (left) with Lieutenant Bellinger in a Curtiss flying boat in 1913. (National Archives)

Marmon car fitted with an OX-5 aircraft engine and an overhead frame for the

"flying bomb." The auto-missile combination reached speeds of 75 to 80 mph on

the Long Island Parkway, becoming in essence a moving, open-air wind tunnel .

Sperry considered using the combination as a launcher but could not find a straight

road of adequate length . The experimenters did try a straight section of the Long

Island Railroad, but flanged wheels could not keep the Marmon on the tracks.z'

In any event, while the Norden catapult proved satisfactory, the "flying bomb"

did not . On 13 August, a "flying bomb" moving down the Norden device lifted the

front wheel of the dolly off the track and wrecked the missile. In early September,

another crash occurred because of an electrical power failure in the "flying bomb ."

On the 23d, the device flew about 300 feet before it went out of control and crashed .

Another did little better three days later, flying only 500 feet before crashing.z4

Meantime, tests continued with the N-9. On 17 October, the experimenters

launched one with the distance device set at 14,000 yards . But because of a

shortage of ground crew members, the pilot of the N-9 chase plane had to assist in

the launching of the "flying bomb" and when he got aloft, he was unable to close

on the lighter, pilotless N-9 . The distance mechanism on the pilotless N-9

malfunctioned and the device was last seen flying straight and level eastward over

the ocean. This was the longest flight in the Navy-Sperry tests . 15

On 29 October, the Navy launched a modified "flying bomb" with a larger tail

and aileron . The Navy officer in charge, recalling the missile's last performance,
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

ordered that only two gallons of fuel be put in the fuel tank (to ensure the machine's

recovery) . This proved catastrophic. As the catapult accelerated the aircraft, the gas

shifted to the rear of the fuel tank, stalling the engine and destroying the last Curtiss

"flying bomb .' 116

These failures discouraged neither the Navy nor Sperry ; both parties insisted that

the experiments should continue because the device still had a promising future . "I

believe," Sperry wrote Admiral Earle, "that the time has practically arrived when

we have on hand the gun of the future" [original emphasis] .z' Hence, on 1

November 1918, Admiral Earle reported to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO)

that, before spring 1919, the "flying bomb" could probably be developed to carry a

1,000-pound bombload up to 75 miles with an accuracy of about 1 .5 miles . Earle

wrote that such a device could be mass produced for $2,500. The "flying bomb,"

he continued : "Should have a strong moral effect, and should prove very valuable

in bombarding cities . . . . [But it] will prove of little value against isolated forts or

against ships .

"I' Once the Navy found a satisfactory airframe, a production

decision could then occur. 19

Although the war ended, the Navy continued the program with the help of two

former Sperry employees, Carl Norden and Hannibal Ford, after Elmer Sperry

bowed out of the project . In September 1918, the Navy supervisor of the project,

Commander B . B . McCormick, pushed for a new "flying bomb" design and

improved autopilot . McCormick asked Norden to study the Sperry controls and

report back, which he did on 30 October. A day later, McCormick recommended

that the Navy purchase six aircraft from Wittenman-Lewis ; on 2 November, the

Bureau of Ordnance ordered five "flying bombs" from that company. The Navy

fitted two of these aircraft with Sperry controls from the Amityville project, and the

remaining three with controls redesigned by Norden. The Navy successfully flew

the Wittenman-Lewis aircraft in March 1919 .

The program continued as McCormick requested a shift of the testing site from

Amityville, New York, to Dahlgren, Virginia, a move completed by May 1919 . In

addition to the N-9 and Wittenman-Lewis aircraft, the Naval Aircraft Factory at

Philadelphia built ten "flying bombs." The latter were very tail-heavy, and

apparently flew only with safety pilots aboard; a wise move in view of their

unmanned flight performance . On the first attempted unmanned "flying bomb"

launching on 18 August 1920, the machine crashed after 150 yards. The Navy did

not attempt the next launch until November. This flight lasted twenty minutes, and

the machine flew in circles . The third "flying bomb," launched on 25 April 1921,

flew less than two minutes . The missile's lack of progress, coupled with declining

funds, led the Navy to cancel the effort in 1922. Meanwhile, the Army had

developed a somewhat more successful "flying bomb.

"3°

The Army-Kettering Bug

There is a direct connection between the Army and Navy "flying bomb"

programs . While Sperry failed to interest the Army in the idea before the war, a

1 2
EARLY YEARS

flying demonstration in late 1917 did the trick . On 21 November, Glenn Curtiss,

Elmer Sperry, Rear Admiral Ralph A. Earle, and Major General George O . Squier,

now Chief Signal Officer, watched as an N-9 flew over seven miles under automatic

control ." The flight impressed Squier who, five days later, wrote the Chairman of

the Aircraft Board that immediate and energetic efforts should be made with the

"flying bomb" project. He concluded :

The time has come, in the opinion of the writer, when this fundamental question should be

pressed with all possible vigor, with a view to taking to Europe something new in warrather than

contenting ourselves as in the past with following the innovations that have been offered from

time to time since the beginning of the war by the enemy. Wars are won largely by new

instrumentalities, and this Board should be a leader and not follower in the development of

aircraft for war.

32

The Board approved Squier's recommendations and, with the Secretary of War's

verbal instructions, experimental work began ."

In December, Squier appointed a four-man board to investigate the possibilities

of the weapon. While three members reported negatively, Charles F. Kettering,

inventor of the automobile self-starter and later vice president of General Motors,

filed a favorable minority report. Not surprisingly, he received a cost plus contract

to develop the device . 34

Parallel to the Navy-Sperry program was an Army program associated with Charles Kettering

Kettering (right) examines a model of his World War I missile in 1946. (General Motors Institute)

1 3
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

Kettering formed a team at Dayton, Ohio, consisting of his company, Dayton

Metal Products (control systems) ; Elmer Sperry (gyroscopes); S . E. Votey of

Aeolian Player Piano (pneumatic controls) ; Orville Wright of Dayton Wright

Airplane (airframe); and C. H . Willis, Henry Ford's Chief Engineer (engine) . The

"flying bomb" that emerged was a biplane smaller than the Navy-Sperry device

and designed to be less complex and cheaper .* Muslin and brown wrapping paper,

doped with glycerine and creosote, covered the machine . Similar to the Sperry

"flying bomb," an air log impeller actuated a standard National Cash Register

counter which "measured" the distance and, after a designated number of turns,

cut the ignition and folded the wings . There were no ailerons. Wright recommended

a 10 degree positive dihedral for stability, which gave the aircraft its characteristic

look. The device came to be called the Kettering "Bug," perhaps from the way it

flew or looked, although its official name was the "Liberty Eagle . ""

-See Appendix Afor missilespecifications .

1 4

Army-Kettering missile shown on its launch dolly . Note the missile's small size and pronounced

wing dihedral . (National Air and Space Museum)

The Army ordered 25 Bugs on 25 January 1918 . But in contrast to Curtiss's

astonishing performance with the Navy machine, the Army's first piloted flight,

lasting six minutes, did not occur until 19 July. Two other piloted flights followed

this initial flight . For the unmanned missile, the Army used a four wheel dolly and

track that, unlike the Navy, did not employ a catapult . Following a launch test crash

on 13 September, unsuccessful unmanned launches took place on 14 September and

again on 1 October. On 2 October, the missile flew, if only for nine seconds . Two
EARLY YEARS

Kettering (left) examines wreckage of missile, location and date unknown. (National Air and

Space Museum)

days later, the machine flew 45 minutes in wide circles covering a distance of over

60 miles, but crashed at Xenia, Ohio, only 20 to 25 air miles from its launch point.

Kettering, Lieutenant Colonel Bion J. Arnold, the Army officer in charge and a

member of the Naval Consulting Board, and a young airman, Henry H . Arnold,

were watching . To conceal the device's purpose, Bion Arnold told a curious farmer

that Hap Arnold was the pilot of the downed aircraft . 36 Test problems continued,

culminating in crashes on 16 and 17 October, but another successful flight of 500

yards occurred on 22 October.37

Overall, the missile impressed the enthusiastic Army officers . B. J. Arnold,

convinced of the "flying bomb's" potential, ordered 75 more devices and foresaw

building 10,000 to 100,000 missiles at a unit cost of about $400 to $500 . 38 Not one

to understate, Squier wrote the Chief of Staffthat :

. . . this new weapon, which has now demonstrated its practicability, marks an epoch in the

evolution of artillery for war purposes, of the first magnitude, and comparable, for instance, with

the invention of gunpowder in the Fourteenth Century. 39

He recommended that the General Staff immediately investigate quantity

production, establish a suitable testing area, and inform American and Allied forces

of the "flying bomb ." Subsequently, H . H . Arnold went to France to disseminate

1 5
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

the results of the "flying bomb" tests to the Allies.4° The Armistice, of course,

overtook everything. When the Dayton project closed down on 27 November 1918,

20 Bugs were completed along with 5 airframes, and 11 partially built Bugs. But

tests continued after the war.°'

In December 1918, the Army sent six Bugs to Amityville for tests . But only one

of four launches of the Long Island tests proved successful.

A three-officer board, in January 1919, recommended further development of the

"flying bomb" by the Air Service, prompting the last phase of the project, tests in

the fall of 1919. B. J. Arnold selected Carlstrom Field, near Arcadia, Florida, as a

good place for further tests in his 1918 search . In mid-1919, Lieutenant Colonel

Guy L. Gearhart, a 40-year old former coast artillery officer, took over the project

and received authorization on 29 August to ship 12 Bugs to Carlstrom!2

Between 26 September and 28 October 1919, the Army attempted 14 test flights .

Although five Bugs crashed on or immediately after launching, the sixth attempt

(on 13 October) was successful; the "flying bomb" covered 1 3/a miles. Other

successful flights of 1 3/a miles and 2 miles occurred before the final shot, on 28

October. On this particular test, the Bug flew 16 miles before crashing because of

engine problems . But the 16-mile flight could not conceal the fact that 10 of 14

attempts had ended in failure . Gearhart's report avoided that point and

recommended only matters of a technical nature: development of a catapult,

improved engines, and experiments with larger gyros. So ended the Kettering Bug

project, at a cost to the American taxpayer of about $275,000 for the period April

1917 to March 1920.

43

Besides an interesting and often overlooked episode, what did these World War I

flying bomb projects reveal? First, the experimenters experienced difficulties just

getting unmanned aircraft into the air . Launch problems caused a number of

crashes, complicating development of the "flying bombs." Second, the

manufacturers found that building a stable aircraft that flew well without pilots was

not easy. Limited knowledge of aerodynamics, lack of testing, and haste in building

the machines guaranteed problems. Little wonder, then, that the "flying bombs"

had basic aerodynamic faults . The developmental method of the day, trial and

error, did not work well with unmanned aircraft . Manned tests partially solved these

aerodynamic problems ; modifications and flight experience led to later, although

somewhat limited, successes . Third, other technical problems hindered the

programs . In particular, neither guidance systems nor engines performed as

designed . Fourth, destruction of the "flying bombs" on most of the tests restricted

the programs. This fragileness was due, in large measure, to the fact that these

machines were designed to be cheap and fly short one-way missions . The Army

was unable to recover many for subsequent testing, thereby rapidly exhausting the

number of available vehicles . Further exacerbating this problem was that these

wrecks yielded little positive data on why the crashes occurred . Finally, despite all

the fanfare, expense, and effort, the experimenters achieved minimal success . Only

1 of the 12 Spenry-Navy tests functioned properly; and on this particular test, the

"flying bomb" flew a mere 1,000 yards. The Kettering Bug had 2 successes on 6

1 6
attempts at Dayton, 1 of 4 at Amityville, and 4 of 14 at Carlstrom . Taken together

then, there were only 8 successes on 36 attempts.

In brief, a few me-hanically-gifted visionaries, equipped with limited knowledge

and resources, were unable to transform the "flying bomb" idea into reality .

Despite their best efforts and a few successes, the theory remained more advanced

than the technology of the day . Nevertheless, the idea persisted in the years that

followed .

Foreign Developments

EARLY YEARS

Work on the pilotless bomber continued not only in the United States but in Great

Britain .'" As early as May 1919, the Royal Naval Antiaircraft Gunnery Committee

requested a radio-controlled target aircraft . In response, the Air Ministry attempted

to develop such a vehicle in England and, at the same time, buy one from the United

States ; but British Secretary of State, Winston Churchill, vetoed the latter initiative .

By 1920, the RAF perceived that three lines of potential development existed: a

gyro-guided "flying bomb," a target missile, and a radio-controlled, air-launched

missile . In short order, the RAF dropped the third and merged the first two

categories. The British flew a number of radio-controlled aircraft (with pilot

monitors) in the early and mid-1920s, including a Bristol fighter, a Sperry Avio, a

D.H .9A, and a Wolf.

After the war, RAE built this radio-controlled missile, shown in 1920-22 (RAE, Farnborough)

1 7
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

But perhaps equally pertinent to this particular story is the Royal Aircraft

Establishment (RAE) 1921 Target aircraft .* Beginning in July 1922, the British

conducted tests over water for both safety and security reasons . The seventh test, on

3 September 1924, was a partial success ; the device, after its catapult launch, flew

for 12 minutes before its engine stopped . On the tenth and final test on 2 March

1925, the missile flew 39 minutes .45

The RAF began work on a true "flying bomb" in September 1925 . Compared

with the RAE 1921 Target missile, the Larynx (Long Range Gun with Lynx Engine)

was smaller, heavier, and faster .* In fact, a 200 hp Lynx IV engine gave the device

a top speed of about 200 mph, making it faster than contemporary fighters . The fast

Larynx crashed into Bristol Channel shortly after a catapult launch from the HMS

Stronghold on 20 July 1927 . The RAF believed that the second missile completed

its 100 mile course on 1 September 1927, although it was lost . On 15 October 1927,

the third Larynx flew 112 miles at 193 mph, impacting five miles off target . 46 In

September and October of the next year, HMS Thanet launched two missiles that

flew approximately 50 miles each, one landing within 1 .6 miles of its target while

the other impacted 4.5 miles from its target . In May 1929, the RAF land-launched

two missiles from Portland: the first flew beyond its target into the unknown, while

the second performed as programmed.

The RAE Larynx missile on cordite-fired catapult of destroyer HMS Stronghold, July 1927 The

man on the box is Dr. George Gardner, later Director of RAE (RAE, Farnborough)

*See Appendix A for missile specifications .
EARLY YEARS

Another view of the Larynx . Note the "3" on the missile's packing crates, wings, and tail . The

missile's first launch on 20 July 1927 over the Bristol Channel failed . (RAE, Farnborough)

Because of safety and security considerations, the British shifted their tests to a

200-mile course in the desert wastes of Iraq . The results disappointed the RAF,

however, as the three Larynxs launched in August and September 1929 flew only

27, 60, and 32 miles respectively . In October, one crashed on the launching

platform while another was last seen as it passed the 22 mile mark. The airmen

blamed vapor lock in the engine, rather than the control system, for the failures .

They concluded from these tests that accuracy was equated with weather

information, and targets beyond 100 mile ranges were therefore limited to area type

targets . 47

By 1927, the British were developing three types of missiles: a mechanicallycontrolled "flying bomb," a radio-controlled missile, and an air defense missile to ,

break up enemy aircraft formations . In October 1930, the Chief of the RAF Air

Staff eliminated the air defense missile, shelved the radio-controlled Larynx,

continued the mechanically-controlled Larynx at a low priority, and emphasized

instead a new target missile. Three years later, the Chief of the Air Staff established

new priorities for the program . Defense against pilotless aircraft received top

research priority, shepherd aircraft (manned mother ships guiding radio-controlled

unmanned missiles) ranked second in priority (ahead of a new Larynx), with the

lowest priority assigned to a missile that would home in on enemy radio stations . In

1934, the air defense missile regained its number one priority status ; but because

this air defense missile required two mother aircraft for guidance, cost as much as a

1 9
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

single engine fighter, could operate only in daylight, and required three to four

years to develop, the RAF dropped it in 1936 .'8

Despite these stated priorities, the RAF really did nothing with the "flying

bomb" until its final cancellation . The RAF's major concerns were high unit cost

and low accuracy . The RAF estimated that a 300 mph, 250-mile-range missile

would cost £ 500 each in a 5,000 unit run, while a 450 mph missile would cost

£ 3,000 to f 4,000 apiece . The British airmen estimated accuracy at 10 miles on a

200-mile flight in average weather conditions. During these studies, the Air Staff

looked at rockets as a substitute for the "flying bomb" and considered jet-powered

"flying bombs ." Finally, in September 1936, the Air Staff reviewed both the air

defense and Larynx missiles and decided that neither merited further

development .41

The British, however, did have a successful interwar missile development

program, the target missile . The RAF began this program by converting three

Fairley IIIF float biplanes to meet the 1930 requirement for a radio-controlled

target . Although the initial two, launched off the HMS Valiant in January and April

1932, crashed, the third, launched on 14 September 1932, flew for nine minutes . In

January 1933, the converted aircraft, dubbed the Fairley Queen, survived two hours

of Royal Navy antiaircraft bombardment. The next month, the Air Ministry let a

contract for a cheaper target missile, a conversion of the Tiger Moth trainer. Called

the Queen Bee, it first flew under radio control in 1934. In all, the Fairley

Corporation built 420 such devices between 1934 and 1943 . 5°

Fairley IIIF equipped with radio-control devices and known as the Fairley Queen It also acted

as a "shepherd" aircraft . (RAE, Farnborough)

20
EARLY YEARS

Launch of deHavilland Queen Bee. This target missile was a radio-controlled version of the

deHavilland Tiger Moth (RAE, Farnborough)

The Army-Sperry Experiments

US Army interest in "flying bombs" continued in post-war years . For example,

in late 1919, one officer noted that the "flying bomb will be a great asset to the

military forces of the country first perfecting it .

"5' Consequently, the Army

contracted with the Sperry Gyroscope Company in February 1920 to design and

construct four gyro units, and then in April 1920 with the Lawrence Sperry Aircraft

Company to perfect automatic control by installing equipment in three Standard E-1

aircraft and five Messenger aircraft . Mechanical problems, especially with

gyroscopes, hindered several otherwise successful tests flown with pilot monitors in

November and December 1920. Because Lawrence Sperry achieved even greater

success in similar tests between March and May 1921 at Mitchell Field, he won a

second contract in June to upgrade the guidance equipment and to construct six

Messengers, three as aerial torpedoes . Further flights in late 1921 achieved good

accuracy.s z

The contract included one unusual feature, a provision providing $5,000 for

hitting a target 1 out of 12 times at 30 miles, and a $5,000 bonus for 2 additional

hits . The same bonus applied to trials at 60 and 90 miles. 53 Difficulties with the

21
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Lawrence Sperry's Messenger aircraft . Sperry died in a crash of this type aircraft on 13

December 1923. (National Air and Space Museum)

automatic controls encouraged, if not forced, Sperry to use radio-control guidance .

After gaining approval from the Army's contracting officer on 9 May, Sperry used

radio-control equipment, developed at the Army Engineering Division by

Lieutenant Redman, which allowed an aircraft about 1 1/2 miles away to guide the

simulated "flying bombs ." Sperry obtained good results in May and June 1922-

better than anything achieved thus far .

14

In the tests at Mitchell Field one day before the expiration of the contract, the

Army judged Sperry's devices to have twice hit a target at 30 miles, three times at

60 miles, and once at 90 miles .53 The Chief of Engineering Division insisted,

however, that Sperry had not earned the bonus since the contract did not specify

radio control . This particular official noted that a system requiring a mother aircraft

to fly a mile or so from the "flying bomb" all the way to the target offered little

advantage . Regardless of the merits of the case, the Army paid Sperry a $20,000

bonus. 5 6

Despite this negative reaction to a radio-control system, the Army proceeded to

conduct its own radio-control tests . The Engineering Division developed a pilotmonitored system that guided a number of Sperry's Messenger aircraft between

October 1923 and April 1925 at McCook and Langley Fields . Again, mechanical

problems hampered the flights . 5'

In 1927, the war department pushed the radio-control idea. However, the two

aircraft purchased in 1929 for these tests, a Curtiss Robin (XC-10) and a Stimson

22
EARLY YEARS

Junior, proved unsatisfactory . More importantly, the country's economic

depression constricted funds and delayed the project."

Before leaving American Army developments temporarily, one keen proponent

of "flying bombs" deserves mention . In July 1923, Billy Mitchell suggested using

"flying bombs" in the famous battleship bombing tests . The Chief of Engineering

Division recommended against Mitchell's proposal on the advice of Lieutenant

Redman, who believed that the chances for failure were high because the system

worked only against large targets and, moreover, because the Sperry test results

were due largely to good luck. Therefore, on 18 August 1923, the Chief of the Air

Service rejected the use of aerial torpedoes in the tests . 59

US Navy Efforts

US Navy interest in cruise missiles reemerged in the mid-1930s from a somewhat

different direction than might be expected, for the main impetus came by way of

unmanned aerial target programs .

Like the Army, the Navy recognized the advantages of radio-controlled vehicles.

The Navy discussed radio control not only in 1916 but also in the summer of 1917 in

connection with the Sperry device . Radio control work commenced under the

Bureau of Ordnance in January 1921, following an expression of interest by the

Chief of Naval Operations in anti-aircraft targets . Flight tests began in 1921 with

further experiments conducted in 1923 and 1924. The first successful unpiloted

radio-controlled flight occurred in September 1924. Although this naval work

continued, the Navy made little progress after 1925 because ofinsufficient funds. A

Navy effort to reenergize the program in 1932 fell victim to a budget cut by

President Roosevelt the following year. 6°

A second Navy effort beginning in 1935 did better . In April 1935, the

Commander of Aircraft, Battle Fleet, requested that the CNO provide a high speed,

radio-controlled aircraft for anti-aircraft target practice . In August, the Plans

Division, Bureau of Aeronautics repeated this request . The CNO, Admiral William

H. Stanley, who had seen the British aircraft target, the radio-controlled Queen

Bee, supported the program . As the Bureau ofOrdnance had little or no enthusiasm

for such an aircraft, the CNO directed the Bureau of Engineering and the Bureau of

Aeronautics to proceed with the project in May, 1936.

The Navy began flight tests in February 1937, and by the end of the year had

achieved good results . The Navy first used the device as a target in operations with

the carrier Ranger in August, 1938. These and subsequent practice sessions

revealed shockingly poor US Navy anti-aircraft gunnery, considering the low

performance of the target aircraft . Meanwhile, the Navy formulated more deadly

plans for the radio-controlled aircraft ."

Lieutenant Commander Delmar Fahmey suggested combat uses for drones62

23
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

(termed "assault drones") as early as August 1936, a mere month after assuming

command. Although one author asserts that in the late 1930s naval aviators

prevented this concept from developing, the growth of technology and world events

were certainly catalysts in accelerating the development of combat roles for drones .

Two pieces of electronics equipment emerged at this point to foster the missile's

progress : television and the radar altimeter . By 1937, RCA demonstrated airborne

television in an air reconnaissance project for the Soviets . In August 1941, TV

received its initial testing aboard an American drone. Intuitively obvious is TV's

utility in extending the vision of the drone's operator, thereby increasing

operational effectiveness. The concurrent use of radar altimeters made drone flight

more practical, since they accurately measure altitude above the surface, an

especially valuable capability when flying over varying terrain . (This is in contrast

to the barometric altimeter, which measures a base pressure .) In January 1941, the

Navy successfully tested radar altimeters in a drone." A third factor, world events,

was simply the growing tensions and conflict in the world.

Despite these technical advances, the drone program progressed relatively

slowly . For instance, although the Navy tested target drones simulating assault

drones in September 1940, it was not until November 1941 that the Chief of the

Bureau of Aeronautics ordered 100 obsolescent torpedo bombers converted into

assault drones and 100 missiles designed especially for the same purpose . The Navy

deliberately gave the order to a company not associated with aircraft production so

as not to interfere with the arming of US and Allied forces. While this idea had

some merit, as we shall see, it hindered the missile program.e°

The attack on Pearl Harbor changed the entire complexion of the program. The

first impact was that the Navy reclaimed its 100 torpedo bombers for training

purposes . Nevertheless, the Navy conducted two important demonstrations in April

1942. On 9 April, TV aboard a torpedo-carrying drone (TG-2) detected a US

destroyer eight miles away from the drone, which in turn was 20 miles from its

mother ship. The control plane guided the drone to intercept the destroyer and

when the drone was 300 yards away from the ship, the drone released its torpedo

which passed beneath the destroyer as planned . On 19 April, a raft towed at eight

knots was the target of a BG-1 drone . After the drone's TV detected the raft at 4

miles, the control plane, situated 30 miles away, guided the drone into the raft . 65

Early that same month, the Bureau of Aeronautics ordered 200 assault drones .

The Naval Aircraft Factory would build 100 TDN-Is, and contracted with Interstate

Aircraft and Engineering for the other 100, designated TDR-1 . The contract

scheduled deliveries to begin before 1 November 1942 . The next month, the Vice

Chief of Naval Operations expanded the program to 1,000 drones . But the Chief of

the Bureau of Aeronautics, John H . Towers, the grand man of naval aviation,

resisted the move. A "Catch 22" situation emerged: Ernest J. King, the CNO,

wanted to avoid the piecemeal use of the weapon, as had been the case with the tank

and poison gas in World War 1, while Towers opposed production until the weapon

proved to be superior to conventional weapons . But perhaps the single most

convincing argument against the program was the tremendous commitment of

24
EARLY YEARS

resources (10,000 men, of whom 1,300 were aviators, and $235 million) during the

early dark days of the war. Towers recommended cutting the order to 500 machines

(100 TDNs, 200 TDRs, 100 TD2Rs, and 100 TD3Rs), a recommendation approved

by the CNO in August 1942 . In March 1943, the Navy considered expanding the

program to 3,000, but only added a 1,500 drone order to the existing order of 500 . 66

Admiral John H. Towers, considered the "father" of naval aviation, resisted the "flying bomb"

idea (USN)

Meanwhile, drone supporters attempted to get it into action; but timing and

personalities prevented this . Unlike the situation in 1942, by early 1944 the US

Navy was growing from strength to strength and defeating the Japanese Navy

soundly . Also, the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz,

did not want the device. Why deploy an untried weapon when carrier aviation

seemed to do everything better? Further, the drones offered few advantages and

were difficult to maintain in the field . There also were production problems :

Interstate could not turn out the requisite number of machines as specified in its

contract and, if that were not enough, there were technical difficulties that led to

crashes . For example, investigation of one drone crash revealed a structural defect .

25
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Therefore, in March 1944, the Navy cut the total program buy to 388 (100 TDNs

already accepted, to be followed by 188 TDR- Is, 50 TD2Rs, and 50 TD3Rs) . 6'

Despite such adversity, the Navy finally conducted combat tests in late 1944.

After a demonstration against a beached Japanese merchant ship off of Cape

Esperance on 30 July, during which drones scored two direct hits and two near

misses, the real tests began. In operations from Sterling and Green Islands, between

27 September and 26 October 1944, the Navy expended 46 TDRs. Technically and

militarily, the drone trials were less than a smashing success . Only 29 of 46 tested

reached their target, mechanical problems accounting for 9 failures, TV problems

for 5 more, and Japanese anti-aircraft fire for the remaining 3. And as this took

place in a backwater of the war, these tests had minimal impact upon Japanese and

US Navy operations.68

But even before the Navy launched its last TDR on 26 October 1944, the program

was dead because on 8 September Admiral King cut it off. The Navy offered the

AAF (Army Air Forces) the entire program, including control sets, drones, and

personnel . On 25 October, General Arnold declined the offer. 69

So in the end, the Navy gained little more than limited experience with its 200

pilotless aircraft . A number offactors account for this marked lack ofsuccess . First,

the program encountered serious internal opposition from Naval aviators . In

addition, a number of strong and influential personalities opposed the program;

Admiral Towers because it was unproven, and Admiral Nimitz because it was not

needed . On the latter point, timing was against the weapon . When the war was not

going well and US carriers had not yet shown their potential, drones might have

gotten enthusiastic support, but they were not ready . Later, when drones were

ready, carrier aviation ruled the waves and there was no need for them . Problems

with both technology and production also slowed the program. Finally, the drone

program was very expensive in terms of men and money . Army airmen were to do

little, if any, better .

The Kettering-General Motors A-1

In the late 1930s, two individuals connected with the World War I Kettering Bug

reappeared in the cruise missile story. In mid-1936, Hap Arnold stated that "flying

bomb" development should reopen .'° But no action occurred until two years later,

by which time overseas events and the improving domestic economic situation

encouraged American rearmament. On 8 August 1938, the Chief of the Air Corps,

Major General Oscar Westover, requested that the Chief of the Material Division

begin immediate study of the aerial torpedo . Westover wanted a low cost ($300 to

$800) weapon with a range of 20 to 30 miles, and he wanted it fast . "For your

information," he concluded his letter, "the War Department insists upon some

positive and practical results soon.""

26
EARLY YEARS

General Henry H Arnold, wartime chief of the Army Air Forces, was a firm supporter of the

"flying bomb." (USAF)

The specifications for the missile included a 200- to 300-pound warhead, 20-mile

minimum range, and the ability to hit a 2 square mile target at 20 miles. These

specifications went to the Adjutant General on 29 September 1938 over the

signature block of the new Chief of the Air Corps who took command that day,

Henry H. Amold.'2 But industry could not meet the challenge . In April 1939, the

airmenjudged Vega, the only bidder, to be inadequate for the job .'s

Enter, or reenter, Charles F. Kettering, now General Manager of Research at

General Motors and a member of the National Research Council . He initiated

correspondence with Arnold on 7 September 1939, writing : "I believe that a plane

of 150 hp, complete with controls and radio . . . could be built in the neighborhood

27
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

of 12 to 15 hundred pounds and I don't believe should cost, in reasonable quantities

more than that many dollars.

"'4 By this point, however, the airmen had upped their

expectations from the September 1938 specifications to include a range of 100 miles

and the ability to hit a 1/2 mile diameter target . On 15 January 1940, the Army

formalized these specifications, stipulating a new minimum range of at least 20

miles with a maximum range of 100 miles. On 18 February 1941, the Army ordered

ten "flying bombs" from General Motors for $250,000 and in July 1942 five more.

To guide these aircraft, the Army decided to employ radio control.'s

The General Motors (GM) A-1, a monoplane powered by a 200 hp engine, was

designed to carry a 500-pound bomb load 400 miles at 200 mph. 76 * After some

preliminary tests at Langley Field, Virginia, the Army flight-tested four machines

at Lake Muroc, California (presently Edwards AFB) in November and December

1941 . Consistent with the device's history, the tests harvested little success. The

first GM A-1, launched on a carriage down a track on 15 November, immediately

crashed . Bird number two flew two and one-half minutes on 5 December, bird

number three for 10 minutes on 7 December, and bird number four 1 hour and 35

minutes on 8 December . The Army concluded that both the automatic (preset) and

radio controls were unsatisfactory ." Suggested modifications included adding a

power catapult and altitude control, modifying the airframe, and deleting the preset

controls . The next group of vehicles, tested at Eglin Field, Florida, incorporated

these changes. The first such device crashed on 10 March 1942, the second flew 1

hour and 57 minutes on 19 March, and the third for 1 hour and 40 minutes on 2

April . In this group of tests, the airmen noted particularly poor directional control.'s

A General Motors A-1 about to undergo a captive launch test on 11 November 1941 . Arnold

and Kettering pushed the GM A-1, but it performed little better than Kettering's World War I

"flying bomb ." (USAF)

-See Appendix Afor missile specifications .

28
EARLY YEARS

Despite these aeronautical achievements, some Army aviators experienced

doubts about the utility of the GM A-1, especially because of the small 500-pound

bomb load and the need for a mother ship. General Motors suggested a twin-engine

version which could carry a 1,000- to 2,000-pound bomb load 900 to 1,200 miles;

but the engine production bottleneck made such a proposal impractical .'9

Meanwhile, General Motors added landing gear, a monorail launcher, and a

television sensor to the device . On 17 July 1942, the modified A-1 flew only two

minutes, but this was better than the next two attempts : An accident during taxiing

destroyed one device on 25 September; and five days later, another device crashed

on takeoff. 10

In October, a new idea emerged-air launching . Some believed only this

technique, coupled with a TV sensor, would make the A-1 a useful military

weapon. The North American B-25 emerged as the missile carrier, a bit of poetic

justice since the nickname of the twin-engine bomber was "Mitchell ." In 1943, the

Army tested models of the missile mounted on the bomber in a wind tunnel at

Wright Field." Nothing else came of this effort .

These 1/22 .2 wind tunnel models of GM A-1 atop a B-25 were tested at Wright-Patterson field,

but the idea got no further (USAF)

The last two A- Is flew in late May 1943 at Lake Muroc . On 24 May, the first

remained aloft for 1 hour and 35 minutes, while the last on 27 May remained

airborne for 1 hour and 20 minutes . Once again, the airmen noted ineffective

control . 82

A report in August 1943 spelled doom for this particular project, noting that

29
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

developing the device would cost $.7 million and 18 months development time .

Even then, the report asserted, the small bomb load made the A-1 a questionable

military weapon. Consequently, on 6 September 1943, Major General O. P.

Echols, Assistant Chief Air Staff, Materiel, Maintenance, and Distribution,

recommended cancellation of the project.e 3Following a demonstration of a parallel

project on 10 October 1943 (see below), the Army cancelled the GM A-1 project.

Arnold pulled the plug on 18 November, with General Motors receiving the formal

word on 23 December 1943 . The project had cost the Army about $350,000. 8 °

XBQ Aircraft as Aerial Torpedoes

Starting a bit later, but in progress at almost the same time as the GM A-1, was

another American guided missile project. Following Pearl Harbor, some believed

that the quickest way to get aerial torpedoes into action was to use radio-control

target drones . But the Army considered the existing drones either too small or

possessing unsatisfactory characteristics ." Nevertheless, the airmen tested target

drones as facsimile aerial torpedoes . On the aforementioned tests on 10 October

1943, an airborne operator guided two PQ-12As fitted with TV and a 500-pound

bomb load ; one hit and destroyed another airborne drone (PQ-8), the other hit

within 30 feet of a ground target . Despite these accomplishments, the Army

considered such equipment inadequate in light of tactical requirements ."

In March 1942, the Army initiated projects involving two types of aerial

torpedoes, one with a 2,000-pound bomb load, the other with a 4,000-pound bomb

load. Fleetwings contracted on 10 July 1942 to build two aircraft of the first type

(XBQ-1 and XBQ-2A), while Fairchild contracted on 1 October 1942 to construct

two of the larger craft, designated XBQ-3. The Army Air Forces also requested US

Navy aerial torpedoes for testing-the Interstate TDR-1, XTD2R-1, and XTD3R-1

which the Army redesignated respectively, XBQ-4, XBQ-5, and XBQ-6. The entire

XBQ series consisted of twin-engine devices that looked like aircraft ."

Although the Fleetwings XBQ-1 was designed to deliver its 2,000-pound

warhead 1,717 miles at 225 mph,* a crash on the first flight ended the project in

May 1944. 88 The next in the series, the XBQ-2A,* was essentially the same aircraft

as the XBQ-1, but high cost led to its demise in December 1943 . 89 In contrast, the

Fairchild XBQ-3* was larger and heavier than either the XBQ-1 or XBQ-2A.

Although one XBQ-3 received some structural damage in a forced landing in July

1944, XBQ-3 tests continued at a cost of $1 .4 million .9° The Army borrowed a

fourth variant, the Interstate's XBQ-4* (TDR-1), from the Navy in April 1943 and,

after completing tests, returned it in December of the same year. The last two

prototypes, the XBQ-5 and XBQ-6, never got beyond the proposal stage. 91

*See Appendix Afor missile specifications.

30
EARLY YEARS

The Fleetwings XBQ-2A was a radio-controlled missile capable of delivering a 2,000-pound

warhead. Its larger engines and jettisonable landing gear made it different from the .XBQ-1, but

no more successful . (USAF)

The XBQ-3 was an unmanned version of Fairchild's AT-21 trainer designed to carry 4,000

pounds, 1,500 miles at 220 mph. (USAF)
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The Interstate XBQ-4 possessed the most modest performance of the XBQ series . It was to

carry 1,950 pounds, 400 to 750 miles, at 162 mph. (National Archives)

APHRODITE: The Aerial Torpedo In Action

The only AAF "flying bomb" used in combat during World War II had the code

name APHRODITE. United States airmen stripped armament and nonessential

flight equipment from worn out ("war weary") heavy bombers and crammed them

with 18,500 pounds of explosive . A pilot got the modified bomber off the ground

and up to cruising altitude, after which an electronic technician adjusted the radio

control equipment and activated the fuze. Then the two men bailed out over

England . A control ship, using radio control, guided the aircraft to its target .

APHRODITE's first mission, on 4 August 1944, failed . One modified B-17

crashed with the pilot aboard, the Germans shot down a second machine, a third

overshot its target by 500 feet, and a fourth impacted 1,500 feet short of its target .

Two further attempts on 6 August also failed, one missile crashing in England, the

other into the North Sea.

92

-See Appendix A for missile specifications

32
EARLY YEARS

33

Boeing APHRODITE, 11 September 1944. War weary B-1 7s, such as this one, were stripped of

armor and armament, loaded with nine tons of explosive, and guided by radio control against

German targets . (USAF)

On 15 October 1944 this APHRODITE missile exploded short of its target after being hit by flak .

(USAF)
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The white smoke trail was used by the controller to see the missile The APHRODITE program

was a failure . (USAF)

Concurrently, the US Navy engaged in a similar project, using B-24s, a different

radio-control system, and a television sensor . On the first trial, on 12 August, the

weapon blew up, killing Navy Lieutenants Wilford J. Willy and Joseph P.

Kennedy, Jr. A second attempt that day demolished some German facilities at

Heligoland but, because of a poor TV picture, not its target . There were no further

Navy operations . 91

The AAF persisted and received better equipment, including TV which permitted

forward vision from the device and readout of the compass, an altimeter which

allowed the aircraft to descend to and maintain a preset altitude, and a radio beacon.

But the results were comparable to the Navy's test . The Germans shot down one

missile 300 feet right of the target on 11 September 1944 . Three days later, the AAF

lost two more devices, the second missing its target by 200 feet . On 15 October,

flak downed one missile while another hit a town one quarter mile from the target .

Two more devices disappeared on 30 October, one over Germany and the other over

the North Sea. 94

On 27 October 1944, Headquarters US Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF) ordered

that the remaining devices be used against German cities . The AAF added throttle

controls to enable the device to fly a flight profile that included a 10,000-foot

penetration altitude and a 300-foot approach altitude . The next mission on 5

December ended with one weapon destroyed by flak and a second downed by icing .

The last mission, on 1 January 1945, proved equally unsuccessful with one device

34
EARLYYEARS

hitting a residential area two miles beyond the target and a second crashing five

miles short of the target . In the end, neither new targets nor new equipment made

any appreciable difference. Fundamental mechanical problems persisted ."

But it was the USSTAF Commander, General Carl "Tooey" Spaatz, who in late

January 1945 halted and later cancelled the launching of APHRODITEs against

Germany . He did this not only because employment of such weapons ran counter to

the American strategic bombing doctrine, but more importantly, the APHRODITE

scheme did not work . The weapon proved highly susceptible to weather conditions,

vulnerable to flak, and limited in accuracy . A report on the project concluded that

the system needed more radio frequencies (to allow simultaneous launchings), more

controls, and more instrumentation, as well as a remote detonator . The

APHRODITE concept simply failed as a strategic precision weapon; it was instead

a terror weapon, and not a very good one at that . As General "Jimmy" Doolittle,

the Eighth AirForce commander, put it, the scheme wasjust a bad idea.96 So ended

APHRODITE.

In summation, American efforts with "flying bombs," before and during World

War II, failed . Technical problems proved too great; and the results represented

only a slight improvement over the World War I experiments . American "flying

bomb" development shifted from pre-set guidance to radio-control from an

accompanying aircraft . But, while radio-control efforts worked in theory and in

tests, they did not work well in combat. Mechanical problems with missile,

explosive, and guidance systems precluded adequate testing of both the equipment

and the concept . A realistic appraisal of these piston-powered "flying bombs"

during World War II must conclude that although they were comparable in cost to

manned aircraft, they proved less reliable, less accurate, and more vulnerable than

conventional aircraft . The Germans, however, came up with a breakthrough to

make the "flying bomb" a marginal, if not truly practical, weapon.
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

NOTES

CHAPTER 11

Data within the brackets indicate the location of source material : Public Record Office, London,

United Kingdom (PRO) ; Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio (AFM); National Air and Space Museum,

Washington, D.C . (NASM) ; Albert F Simpson Historical Research Center, Montgomery, Ala .

(AFSHRC) ; Air University Library, Montgomery, Ala . (AUL); Naval Historical Center, Washington

D.C (NHC). The numbers following the symbols for the Air University Library and Simpson Center are

their call numbers

1 . Notre Dame Scholastic (5 November 1892) ; Aeronautics (October 1909) (October 1911)

[AFSHRC-K110 .70012-11 ; House Committee on Military Affairs, 63rd Congress, 1st Session

[AFSHRC-168 .655-71 . Individuals associated with the idea included Elmer Berliner (1909), Paul E.

Chamberlin (1911), and an unidentified Swede in 1913 .

2 . Bion J Arnold to Secretary of War, "Secret Report on Automatic Carriers, Flying Bombs (1713),

Aerial Torpedoes (AT)," 31 January 1919 [AUL-623 .451 W253B1. Hereafter cited as Arnold Report .

Lee Pearson, "Developing the Flying Bomb," NavalAviation News (May 1968), 23

3 . Gordon Bruce, "Aerial Torpedo is Guided 100 miles by Gyroscope," New York Tribune (20

October 1915), 1 ; Delmar S . Fahrney and Robert Strobell, "America's First Pilotless Aircraft," Aero

Digest (July 1954), 28 ; Charles Keller, "The First Guided Missile Program," Journal of American

Aviation Historical Society (Winter 1975), 268 . Hewitt and Sperry hoped to develop a weapon of war, as

was dramatically made known to the world in a 1915 newspaper article based on information from

Sperry's son, Lawrence, under the title "Aerial Torpedo is Guided 100 Miles by Gyroscope ." The

story's lead sentence read : "A device which is likely to revolutionize modem warfare has been invented

and tested, and will be ready for the market within a very short time ." The author speculated that the

device could destroy an entire town as far as 100 miles away with no loss to the attacker, possibly with

only one weapon The story claimed that young Sperry told of tests indicating accuracies of 3 miles at a

10-mile range and 8 miles at a 100-mile range . The article concluded : "The new invention is a selfcontrolled aeroplane, flying without a pilot and loaded with death ." Bruce, 1, 3 .

4. Further efforts to stimulate Army interest in the project failed . Several Army officers invited to

witness demonstrations found them cancelled because of mechanical problems . Hewitt and Sperry

cancelled one demonstration scheduled for William "Billy" Mitchell in November 1916 because the

soon to be famous aviator did not show up. Keller, 269.

5 . Ralph Earle to Chief of Naval Operations, Subj: "The F B ., Development to Date," 1 November

1918, I , [NHCI Hereafter cited as Earle Report ; Fahmey and Strobell, 28 ; Keller, 268 .

6. Quoted, Earle Report, 2 ; Keller, 269.

7 . Quoted, Earle Report, 2

8 . In September 1914, an American attache reported an Italian aerial torpedo . While a successful

French pilotless aircraft test of 36 miles was reported in 1917, it is unsubstantiated . The French did get a

pilotless aircraft airborne for 51 minutes on 14 September 1918 . House Committee on Military Affairs,

69th Congress, 1st Session, "Department of Defense and Unification of Air Service," hearing 19

January-9 March 1926, 377; A.Volmerange, "L'Avion Sans Pilote," Aeronautique (September 1921),

9; Henri Bergeron, "Les Avions Sans Pilote," L'Air (5 June 1921), 14

36
9. A. M. Low, "The Fast Guided Missile," Flight, (3 October 1952), 438; Delmar S. Fahmey,

"The History of Pilotless Aircraft and Guided Missiles," n.d., 103, 104, 998-1001 (NHCJ. Hereafter

cited as Fahmey manuscript. Grahame Felgate, "British Pilotless Aircraft," IW. R. Taylor (ed .),

Aircmglf Annual 1960 (London: Ian Allan, 1960), 64, 65] ; John W. R. Taylor, Jane's Pocket Book of

RPVs: RobotAircrafl Today (New York, N.Y. : Macdonald and Jane's, 1977), 11, 13, 15 .

10 . Low, 436-438; Rhodi Williams, "The First Guided Missile," Royal Air Force Flying Review

(May 1958), 26, 27 .

11 . Jane's Pocket Book ofRPVs, 15 ; G. W. H. Gardner, "Automatic Flight: The British Story,"

Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Vol . 62, (July 1958), 478 .

12 . Arnold Report, 2.

13 . Ibid. ; Earle Report, 2, 3 ; Fahmey and Strobell, 28 .

14 . Thomas P. Hughes, Elmer Sperry (Baltimore, Md. : John Hopkins, 1971), 265; Earle Report, 3;

Fahmey and Strobell, 28; Keller, 269 ; Pearson, 23 ; Fahmey manuscript, 91, 92.

15 . Specifications called for an empty weight of 500 pounds, a top speed of 90 mph, a 50-mile range,

and a 1,000-pound payload . The machine was a biplane powered by the same 100 hp OX-5 engine used

in the famous Jenny trainer. Gyroscopes held the machine to a set course and a small and simple propeller

mechanism, after turning a preset number of revolutions, forced the missile to dive, presumably into its

target . Exhibit J, Arnold Report ; Fahmey and Strobell, 29 ; Keller, 270 ; Pearson, 24 ; Fahmey

manuscript, 96-98 .

16 . Keller, 270, 271 ; Fahmey manuscript, 98, 99.

17 . Keller, 271 ; Pearson, 24 ; Fahmey manuscript, 99.

18 . Fahmey and Strobell, 29 ; Keller, 271 ; Fahmey manuscript, 100, 101 .

19 . Keller, 271 .

20. Ibid ., 272; Fahrney and Strobell, 29 ; Pearson, 25.

21 . Keller, 272 ; Fahmey manuscript, 107 .

22 . Earle Report, 3.

23 . Keller, 271 ; Pearson, 24; Fahmey manuscript, 106, 107 .

24 Keller, 272 ; Pearson, 24, 25 .

25 . Fahmey and Strobell, 29; Keller, 273 ; Pearson, 25

26 Keller, 273 .

27 . Fahmey manuscript, 112 .

28 Earle Report, 4.

29 . Ibid .

30 . Hughes, 270-271 ; Fahmey manuscript, 113-117, 120-122 .

31 . Jones Collection [AFSHRC-168 .655-7] .

32 . George O. Squier to Chairman, Aircraft Board, Subj : "F. B." 26 November 1917, Exhibit B,

Arnold Report. When officers of a French mission were asked what was the best contribution the United

States could make to the war, they answered, "new inventions ." Guy L. Gearhart, "Resume ofAerial

Torpedo Development," 7 July 1921 [AFM]. Hereafter cited as Gearhart, "Resume ."

33 . "Resume of Aerial Torpedo Development," 10 April 1926, 1 [AFM]. Hereafter cited as Resume,

1926 .

34 . Ibid ; Fahmey and Strobell, 29 ; Gearhart, "Resume."

35 . "Brief History of Aerial Torpedo of 1918" (AFM]; Exhibit H, Arnold Report ; Chief Signal

Officer to the Chief of Staff, 5 October 1918 [AUL-623 .451 W 253B]; Jones Collection; H. F. "Red"

Smith, "The World's First Cruise Missile," Air Force Magazine (October 1977), 43 ; Fahrney and

Strobell, 29, 32.

36 . Data on the manned flights are unclear . My account follows data in the Jones Collection, while

another claims the manned missile was larger than the Bug and was flown in September. Stuart Leslie,

Boss Kettering (New York, N .Y . : Columbia University, 1983), 82. Arnold Report, 5, 6; Josephus

Daniels to the Secretary of War, Exhibit C, Arnold Report ; Thomas A. Boyd, Professional Amateur

(New York, N.Y . : Dutton, 1957), 107 ; "Aerial Torpedo Development United States Air Service

Contracts 2713-2714-229-242-379-387," 9, 10 INASM] . DeWitt S. Copp's account of the Bug is

37

EARLY YEARS
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

unsupported by the archival materials . He apparently confuses Bion J . Arnold, the commander of the

project, with H. H. Arnold . See his A Few Great Captains (Garden City, N.Y . : Doubleday, 1980), 23,

118 . On 23 April 1918 the Aircraft Production Board recommended $20,000 for an automatic airplane

built by E. E. Winckley . There is no further mention of this machine . Another "flying bomb" may have

been the Modisette aircraft; but there is no collaboration . Garther Littrell, "The First Robot Bomber,"

Flying (November 1944), 44, 45. B . J . Arnold, while looking for a better testing site, saw another

"flying bomb" project, the Lloyd Giles machine in Los Angeles . It was smaller than the Bug, more

costly, and not nearly so well developed . Bion J . Arnold to William C. Potter, 20 December 1918, Subj :

"Giles Automatic Carrier," [AUL-623 .451 W 2538]; Jones Collection .

37 . Arnold Report, 7, appendices H and L.

38 . Bion J . Arnold to Dayton Metal, Subj : "Ammunition Carrier," 10 October 1918, Exhibit M,

Arnold Report ; Arnold Report, 6.

39 . George O. Squier to Chief of Staff, 5 October 1918, Subj : "Automatic Carrier for the Signal

Corps (Liberty Eagle)," Exhibit F, Arnold Report .

40 . Ibid. ; Boyd, 107 ; Henry H. Arnold, Global Mission (New York, N.Y . : Harpers, 1949), 74-75 .

41 . Arnold Report, 14 . On 22 December Major General George Squier, Lieutenant Colonel Bion J .

Arnold, Orville Wri~ht, and Charles F. Ketterin$ briefed the Secretary of War, Newton Baker, on the

"flying bomb" project . The Secretary in turn was to inform the President who might then decide to make

a proposal at the upcoming Versailles Peace Conference to ban or limit the weapon. Other researchers

will have to determine if this plan was carried out . Resume, 1926, 2, 3 ; Arnold Report, 13

42 Dan I . Sultan, Board of Officers, 13 January 1919 [AUL-623 .451 W 2538] ; Resume, 1926, 7

1916 Army Officer Register, 277

43 . Guy L. Gearhart, "Complete Data on Aerial Torpedo-1919" [AFM] ; "Case History of

Controlled Missiles-Aircraft," Part I-GMA-1, I [AFSHRC-202.4-1 V]. Hereafter cited as Case

History GMA-1 .

44. In 1919 a French Artillery Officer, Rene Lorin, wrote a book which advocated long distance

bombardment of distant objectives with jet-propelled pilotless aircraft guided from other aircraft . Basil

Collier, The Battle of the V-Weapons 1944-45 (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1964), 12 ; Basil Collier,

TheDefense of the United Kingdom (London : Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1957), 353 .

45 Jane's Pocket Book of RPVs, 18, 21 ; Felgate, "British Pilotless Aircraft," 65-67 ; Gardner,

"Automatic Flight," 479-481 ; "Statement of Pilotless Aircraft in Possession of A .M.S .R .," 22 May

1925 [PRO-AIR 5/5061 ; "Memorandum on Pilotless Aircraft," 3, 4 [PRO-AIR 20/382] ; J . P Hassell,

"Larynx Britain's Cruise Missile," student paper, RAE 1977, 2 .

46 The Larynx carried a radio transmitter, but not radio control, in the 1927 Bristol Channel tests .

Coupled with a chain of ground stations, the radio gave directional information as well as engine rpm,

perhaps the first use of aircraft telemetry

47. Gardner, "Automatic Flight," 482-484 ; Memorandum on Pilotless Aircraft, 2-6 ; "DRG No.

A41762" [blueprint] [PRO-AIR 5/506] ; Minutes of Pilotless Aircraft Committee of 23rd Meeting of 19

March 1930 ; "Report of the Pilotless Aircraft Committee on Trials of Larynx Aircraft in Iraq, 1929"

[Both PRO-Minutes 78A, 76A; AIR 5/536] ; Hassell, 3, 5, 6.

48 . Memorandum on Pilotless Aircraft, 1 ; "Conference on Future Research Programme," [PROMinute 31A; AIR 2/1362] ; "Record of Important Points Disclosed During the Conference on Pilotless

Aircraft Held by CAS on 2 October 1930 and the Decisions Made," [PRO-Minute 2A; AIR 2/1313] ;

"Development of RAM and Larynx," November 1935 ; DSR to AMRD, 30 December 1935 ; DCAS to

CAS, 20 January 1936 ; "Air Staff Note on the Wireless-Controlled `Ram,"' 7 February 1936 [All 4 in

PRO-Minutes 114B, 122, 123, 133A; AIR 2/1362] ; Hassell, 7.

49. Wimperis (Director of Scientific Research), 28 September 1936 ; R . D Inst . 2 to ADRD Inst, 21

September 1936 ; DSR to FOI, 26 March 1936 ; "Air Staff Note on the Mechanically Controlled Pilotless

Aircraft (The Larynx)," 20 May 1936 ; DSR to AMSR, 15 December 1933 ; "Pilotless Aircraft Coordination Committee Minutes Meeting," 14 February 1934 ; [all 6 PRO-Minutes, unmarked, 158, 148,

1568, 228, 20A; AIR 2/13621 ; "Pilotless Aircraft Co-ordination Committee Meeting Minutes, 1

February 1935," [PRO-Minutes 2213 ; AIR 2/13131 Gardner, "Automatic Flight," 484 ; Hassell, 8 .

50 Felgate, "British Pilotless Aircraft," 68, 69 ; Gardner, "Automatic Flight," 484-488 ; Jane's

38
EARLY YEARS

Pocket Book of RPVs, 22 ; Williams, "The First Guided Missile," 27; Peter G. Cooksley, Flying Bomb

(New York, N.Y. : Scribner, 1979), 18 ; Fahmey manuscript, 1002, 1003, 1006, 1014, 1024 .

51 . Fahmey manuscript, 140 .

52. Gearhart, "Resume," 1-3 ; Resume, 1926 ; Henry H . Arnold to Chief of Air Corps, Subject:

"Aerial Torpedo," August 1930, 6 [AFSHRC-202.4-IV] ; "Aerial Torpedo Development," 16, 17,

27A, 36A.

53. Gearheart, "Resume" ; William W. Davenport, Gyro (New York, N.Y . : Scribner, 1978), 216.

54. Resume, 1926, 7 .

55. Gearhart, "Resume," 2; Davenport, Gyro, 217; Resume, 1926, 8, 9 .

56. Resume, 1926, 9 .

57. Ibid ., 9-11 ; Case History GMA-1; "Aerial Torpedo Development," 55 .

58. "Summary of Power Driven Weapons Developed by Special Weapons Branch Equipment

Laboratory," 20 November 1943, 2, 3 [AFSHRC-201-46 1111 ; Case History GMA-1 .

59 . Mitchell foresaw the use of the "flying bomb" against cities over 100 miles away. He insisted

that : "The aerial torpedo is, and will be, a weapon of tremendous value and terrific force to airpower ."

Alfred Hurley, Billy Mitchell (Bloomington, Ind . : Indiana University, revised edition, 1975), 77, 88,

116, 121 ; William Mitchell, "Lawrence Sperry and the Aerial Torpedo," U.S. Air Services (January

1926),16 ; William Mitchell, WingedDefense (New York, N.Y. : Putnam's Sons, 1924),6 . Concurrently,

Mitchell observed that the device was languishing in the United States . Mitchell, "Lawrence Sperry,"

16 .

60. Fahmey manuscript, 92-94, 149-179 ; Berend D. Bruins, "U.S . Naval Bombardment Missiles,

1940--1958," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1981, 67 ; L. S. Howeth, History of

Communications-Electronics in the United States Navy (Washington, D .C . : Government Printing Office,

1963),349-351 .

61 . Fahrney manuscript, 188-277 ; Howeth, 479-483.

62. Fahrney claims he coined the name "drone" for this type of craft in late 1936 . The name follows

the motif of the British Queen Bee, another radio controlled aircraft . D. S. Fahrney, "Guided Missiles

U.S . Navy the Pioneer," American Aviation Historical SocietyJournal (Spring 1982), 17 .

63 Bruins, 68, 69; Fahmey manuscript, 316-329 ; Howeth, 484-486 .

64. Bruins, 70; Howeth, 486.

65 . Delmar S . Fahmey, "The Birth of Guided Missiles," United States Naval Institute Proceedings

(December 1980), 56, 57.

66. Bruins, 83-86 ; Fahmey manuscript, 372-375, 381 ; Howeth, 487, 489, 492 . Although the TDN

and TDR used different airframes, both used the same 200 hp Lycoming engine ; the TD2R and TD3R

were the same airframe with different engines . See below, "XBQ Aircraft as Aerial Torpedoes ."

67. Bruins, 97-103 ; Fahmey, "The Birth," 58, 59; Fahmey manuscript, 394, 395, 398; Howeth,

493 .

68 . Fahmey, "The Birth," 59; Fahmey manuscript, 402, 403, 418, 419.

69 Bruins, 106 ; Fahmey manuscript, 417, 424. In 1939 the Army requested, and the Navy sent, the

Air Corps a TG-2 control aircraft and a N2C-2 drone . Fahmey, "Guided Missiles USN the Pioneer,"

21 .

70 . Routing and Record Sheet, handwritten comments 5/7/36 attached to Report of the Air Corps

Board, No. 9 "Radio Controlled Aircraft," 25 October 1935 [AFSHRC-167.5-9] .

71 . Oscar Westover to Chief, Materiel Division, 8 August 1938 [AFSHRC-202.4-1 V] .

72 . "Report, Controllable Bomb, Power Driven, General Motors, Type A-1" 24 August 1943

[AFSHRC-Summary of Power Driven Weapons] . Westover died in an aircraft crash on 21 September

1938 . Arnold, Global Mission, 169 .

73 . Engineering Section Memorandum Report, 26 April 1939 [AFSHRC-202 .4-1 V1.

74. Kettering to Arnold, 7 September 1939 [Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 21 .

75. Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 3, 4; Case History GMA-1 ; Arnold to Kettering, 3

November 1939 ; Arnold to Adjutant General, Subj : "Military Characteristics of Aerial Torpedo" 15

January 1940; CG Materiel Center to Richards, G. M., 18 May 1942 [last 3 in AFSHRC-202.4-1 V1

76. Randolph P. Williams, Memorandum Report, Subj : "Controllable Bomb Project," 20 December

1941 ; H. A. Huebotter, Memorandum Report, Subj : "General Motors Corporation, Aerial Torpedo," 24

February 1942 [both AFSHRC-202.4-1 V] .

39
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

77. Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 4, 5 ; Case History GMA-1 ; R. L. Mayrath, Memorandum

Report, Subj : "Controllable Bomb, Power Driven," 24 January 1942 [AFSHRC-202.4-1 V] .

78 . Case History GMA-1 ; Summary Power Driven Weapons, 6, 7; Report, "Controllable Bomb,

Power Driven, General Motors, Type A-1," 24 August 1943 [AFSHRC-202.4-1 V] .

79. Case History GMA-1 ; Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 8; F. O. Carroll to Chief, Materiel

Division, Subj : "Controllable Bomb Project," 17 January 1942 [AFSHRC-202.4-1 V] .

80 . Case History GMA-I ; Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 9, 10 ; Report "Controllable Bomb,

Power Driven, General Motors, Type A-1," 24 August 1943 [AFSHRC-202.4-1 V].

81 . Case History GMA-1; R. L. Mayrath, Memorandum Report, "Controllable Bomb, Power

Driven," 13 November 1942 ; O . E. Hunt to C.G., Materiel Center, 14 April 1943 [both AFSHRC202 .4-1 V]; AAF Technical Report, "Five Foot Wind Tunnel Test No . 396" [AFM].

82 . R. L. Mayrath, Memorandum Report, "Controllable Bomb, Power Driven," 18 June 1943

[AFSHRC-202 .4-1 V]; Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 12, 13 .

83 Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 13, 14; Case History GMA-1 .

84 . Case History GMA-1; O. P. Echols memo to Chief of Air Staff, Subj : "Controllable Bomb,

Power Driven, General Motors Type A-1," 6 September 1943 [AFSHRC-202 .4-1 V].

85 . Summary of Power Driven Weapons, 4.

86. Ibid., 5, 6.

87 . Ibid., 4, 5.

88 . "XBQ-1," I June 1943 [Pilotless Aircraft as Guided Missiles, AFSHRC-218 .94-11 .

89 . "XBQ-2A," l August 1943 [Pilotless Aircraft] .

90 . "Details of AAF Guided Missile Programs," 9/2/44 [AFSHRC-201-46 111] ; "XBQ-3," 1

January 1946 [Pilotless Aircraft] .

91 . "XBQ-4," 1 August 1945 ; "XBQ-5," 1 June 1945 ; "XBQ-6," 1 June 1945 [All in Pilotless

Aircraft] .

92. Case History GMA-1 ; 3rd Air Division Folders [AFSHRC-527.431A-21-2] ; Paul A. Whelan,

"History of the Third Air Division in World War 11 : 1943-1945," unpublished Ph .D . dissertation, St

Louis University, 1968, 249-62 .

93 . Third Air Division, "Final APHRODITE Project Report," [AFSHRC-527.431 A-1 ]

94 . Ibid . ; 3rd Air Division Folder; 3rd Air Division Tactical Mission Report [AFSHRC-519 .431-11 ;

Pilotless Aircraft as Guided Missiles 1945-46 [AFSHRC-218 .94-11

95 . E. E. Partridge to C. G ., Eighth Air Force, Subj : "Report on APHRODITE Project," 20 January

1945, 1 [AFSHRC-527 .431 All; Robert M. Lee to CG, USSTAF, 7 January 1945 [AFSHRC-519 .31 I1] ; Captain R . S. Bamlard to CG, 8AF, 9AF, ASC, 17 January 1945 ; Msg Doolittle to 3AD, II

December 1944 [both AFSHRC-527 .431A-21-11 ; 3rd Air Division Folder; Arnold to Spaatz, 23

November 1944, [Spaatz Collection, Library of Congress, Box 161 Third Air Division Final

APHRODITE Report ; 3rd Air Division Tactical Mission Report .

96. Partridge Report, 3 ; Lieutenant Colonel R. B . Satterwhite to CG 3BD, 18 October 1944

[AFSHRC-519 .311-1] . AAF Board Reports, 17 January 1945, 21 February 1945, 23 March 1945, 18

April 1945 [Pilotless Aircraft as Guided Missiles, 1945-461 Interview James H. Doolittle, Columbia

University, Oral History Collection, 17 . Two further aspects require comment before closing this

discussion of the APHRODITE project . In February 1945, the AAF began study of fighter aircraft as

explosive drones, studies which never got beyond the preliminary stages . Finally, the AAF considered

the system for use in the Pacific War Insufficient radar to guide the machines and the emergence of a

new weapon called the JB-2 (see Chapter 111) killed that idea . "The Development of Guided Missiles,"

1946 [AFSHRC-201-4611 .
CHAPTER III

WORLD WAR II

A number of spectacular technological developments emerged during the Second

World War. The atomic bomb, jets, and medical advances come to mind, as do the

German V weapons. The V-1 and V-2* ushered in a new type of warfare consisting

of remote bombing of cities by pilotless weapons launched over a hundred miles

away through all kinds of weather, day and night. Of the two, the V-2 impressed the

layman more because of its thundering takeoff, its virtual in-flight inpregnability to

conventional attack by defense forces, and its silent, faster-than-sound approach

Of all German secret weapons, it has commanded the most attention not only for its

drama but also for its impact upon subsequent developments in rocketry . After all,

German technicians, who developed the V-2 technology, subsequently provided

much of the initial expertise for US space and ballistic missile programs. Hence, it

is understandable that few lay people realize the V-1 caused greater damage and

casualties than did the V-2 .

The Germans first considered "flying bombs" in the 1930s. While two German

companies, Askania and Siemans, did some work in the field, an independent

inventor, Paul Schmidt, achieved success . He began work in 1928 on a pulsejet,

received a patent on the device in 1931 and, beginning in 1933, received modest

government support . In 1934, along with G. Madelung, Schmidt proposed a

"flying bomb" powered by a pulsejet . The next year, he received a contract ; and

four years later, he demonstrated a pulsejet-powered pilotless bomber. While the

German Air Force (GAF) wanted such a device, it shelved the project because of

range (a 350-mile range requirement exceeded the state of the art), accuracy, and

cost problems . Nevertheless, the Argus Company began work on the pulsejet in

1938 ; two years later, the Air Ministry brought Schmidt to Argus. 3

The German V-1

A number of factors encouraged development of what would become the V-1 .

First, the capture of France in 1940 reduced the distance to England, thereby ending

the need for some form of radio control which experts thought to be necessary over

'While most authors assert that "V" stands for vergeltungswaffe (vengeance weapon), some claim it initially stood for versuchmusrer

(experimental) . I The Germans also designated the V-I the Fi (Fieseler) 103, Kirschkern (Cherry Sre), FZG-76 (Flaknelgerat, Flak

Artillery Device, although some believe this stood for Fernziel Gerat long-distance target apparatus) ; for simplicity I shall use the less

precise, but more common V-1 .

41
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

the much longer distances between Germany and Britain. Second, the war depleted

and dispersed the Luftwaffe's ranks by 1942, making the pilotless bombers more

attractive . Third, the bombing of Germany infuriated Hitler . He demanded a terror

weapon for retaliation against Britain. Finally, interservice rivalry entered in-the

Air Force wanted a weapon to match the Army's V-2. Therefore in June 1942

Erhard Milch, GAF production chief, gave the highest priority to a proposal by

three German companies to produce a pilotless bomber constructed from cheap

materials: Argus the engine, Fiesler the airframe, and Askania the guidance system .

The V-1 flew in December 1942, first in a glide test after release from an FW

200, then on Christmas Eve in a 1,000-yard powered flight after a ground launch. In

July 1943, a V-1 impacted 1/2 mile from the target after flying 152 miles.° By this

time, the Germans had decided to build both the V-1 and the V-2 .

On 26 May 1943, some of the Third Reich's top leaders visited the German test

facility at Peenemunde and decided to put both weapons into full production. The

V-I's considerable advantages (low cost, simplicity, ease of transportation, and low

fuel consumption) convinced the German leadership ofthe efficacy of the system .'

The German V-1 was a cheaply built and cost effective "flying bomb." The pulse jet powerplant

was inexpensive, yet gave the missile a top speed close to that of piston-powered fighters

(Imperial War Museum)

The V-1 was a small missile powered by a pulsejet .'* The cheap and effective

engine operated a venetian blind-type device which opened to admit air and then

closed to fire at 50 cycles per second. This propulsion system gave the V-1 its

characteristic sound, however as the pulsejet could not operate at speeds of less

than 150 mph, it required a boosted launch . A catapult accelerated the V-1 up a

180-foot ramp to a launch speed of 200 mph . The weapon's average range was

about 150 miles, although some got as far as 175 miles . The missile crossed the

'See Appendix Aformissile specifications.

42
WORLD WAR II

British coast at about 340 mph, but as the 150-gallon fuel load burned off, its

airspeed increased to about 400 mph by the time it reached London.' But problems

associated with mass production adversely affected the missile's speed, accuracy,

and operational altitude . The Germans used a gyro autopilot, powered by

compressed air, to hold a course determined by a magnetic compass and a

barometric device to regulate altitude . These devices sent signals to the craft's

rudder and elevators on the tail surfaces . A small propeller device armed the

warhead after the V-1 flew about 38 miles and then, after a preset number of turns,

fired two detonators which locked the elevators and rudder in the neutral position

and deployed hinged spoilers on the tail, presumably over the target . The downward

attitude of the V-1 usually cut the fuel flow to the engine, causing it to stop and

thereby warning those nearby of the impending explosion .'

The Allies early on knew of German efforts involving secret weapons . Not only

was Germany known for her scientific and technological feats but, in November

1939, the British received the still mysterious "Oslo Report," which mentioned

certain unspecified long-range weapons. The British, not knowing about GAF's

V-1 program, at first focused their efforts on what turned out to be the German

Army's V-2 program . 9 Increasing information came into the Allies' hands in June

1943 about an "aerial mine with wings " By August, the British knew of a ballistic

missile and a pilotless bomber. Further confirmation of German progress occurred

when some Danes smuggled out photographs of a V-1 that crashed on the island of

Bornholm in August 1943 .'° The French underground also sent word ofconstruction

of launching sites in the fall . ULTRA, the decoding of German radio messages,

provided more information . In November 1943, the British identified the V-1 in

reconnaissance photographs of Peenemunde and then, in May 1944, examined a V1 which had crashed in Sweden ." Meanwhile, the Allies took more active measures

to counter this growing German threat .

In January 1943, the British began flying aerial reconnaissance over the German

test facility at Peenemunde . In June, the British considered bombing the installation

but deferred the attack until the longer hours of darkness in August. On the night of

17-18 August (the night following the Army Air Forces' (AAF) famous

Regensburg-Schweinfurt mission), RAF bombers hit the east end of the research

base and set back the V-2 project two to eight weeks. But British bombs left

untouched V-1 operations on the west side of the base. 'z

The Allies also noted the construction of launch sites 10 to 35 miles inland from

the French coast. Massive structures at seven locations, intended to house various

German secret weapons (two for the V- Is), became increasingly visible to Allied

photo-intelligence specialists Allied bombing of these targets began with a US

attack on 27 August 1943. In addition, the Allies discovered a large number of

smaller complexes designed strictly for the V-1, which the Allies called ski sites

because of the appearance of their storage buildings from the air ." Extensive aerial

reconnaissance in October, combined with pictures already in hand, revealed 29 ski

sites . In addition, 40,000 workers involved in the construction of these sites gave

the French underground abundant information that helped pinpoint the location of

43
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

70 to 80 ski sites . A second series of photos in December uncovered 88 confirmed

and 50 suspected sites .

l a

Although the Allies did not begin their bombing attacks in earnest until

December 1943, by 10 June 1944 the Allies estimated that they had knocked out 82

of 96 sites attacked . Between 1 December 1943 and 12 June 1944, the AngloAmerican Air Forces, flying 25,150 attack sorties, dropped a total of 36,200 tons of

bombs on the sites . This bombing effort cost the Allies 154 aircraft and 771 crew

members.

15

The Germans, recognizing the vulnerability of these launching platforms to both

Allied intelligence and bombing, in 1944 built smaller, more easily constructed and

concealed launching platforms that the Allies called modified sites . By June 1944,

the Germans had about half of their 150 sites ready for action. The Allies detected

these modified sites in February, with positive identification occurring by late

April. But, because of inhibiting operational factors, they attacked only one site .

16

The Allied bombing of the sites was expensive and, as it turned out, ineffective .

Intense political pressure, however, forced the airmen to pulverize the sites . While

none of the bombed sites went into action, the bombing diverted vast amounts of

Allied bombs from other targets and did not prevent the Germans from building

alternate launching sites .' 7

The British also prepared defenses closer to home based upon the initial

assumptions that the pilotless bomber would fly at about 400 mph (which proved

correct) and at 7,500 feet (which did not) . Later, the British revised these

assumptions to 350 mph at 7,000 feet, and finally to 330 mph at 6,000 feet . The

British completed a detailed plan in January 1944 which would establish fighter

patrol lines (consisting of eight single-engine and two intruder squadrons) and an

artillery line of 400 heavy and 346 light pieces south of London ." (See figure 1 .

They would later move the guns to the coast, ranging form Dover to Eastbourne, as

indicated in figure 2.) But the demands of supporting the D-Day invasion and

excessively optimistic bomb damage assessment reports of the ski sites led the

British to revise the plan in March, reducing the number of guns defending London

to 192 heavy and 246 light pieces . 19 The defense commander, Air Chief Marshall

Roderic Hill, pointed out that the antiaircraft artillery would have difficulties if the

V-Is operated at 2,000 to 3,000 feet, not the predicted 6,000 feet .z° Subsequent

events proved Hill's warning prophetic .

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Channel, German plans called for a V-1

production rate of up to 8,000 per month by September 1944, with operations

starting from 64 sites on 15 December 1943 . One source indicates that the Germans

wanted to launch 5,000 V-1 s per day against England, clearly an unrealistic goal

even within the unrealistic government of Germany. Numerous technical problems

hindered the program, as did Anglo-American air attacks which some believe

delayed the start ofthe V-weapon campaign by a minimum of three months .

21

Although Flakregiment 155 (W)* began training in the summer of 1943, this

training included only limited firing of the missile at Peenemunde. The Germans

organized this regiment into 64 launch crews .zz

-"W" for the unit's commander, Colonel Max Wachtel .
111111111111111

550

150

BALLOONS

GUN BELT

AP~~

%U1111MI ~00

rM-0-1~ .

WN

650

MAO

EASTBOURNE

45

HASTINGS

Figure 1 . Initial British defensive deployment .

200

WORLDWAR 11

DOVER

FOLKESTONE

Following the cross-channel invasion of 6 June 1944, Hitler pushed for the start

of the V-1 campaign as one way to relieve his troops . The Germans hoped to begin

operations on 11 June, but circumstances forced a postponement until the next

night. They planned to begin with a combined bomber and V-1 attack on London

with a salvo of V- Is 20 minutes before midnight, harassing fire until 4:45, followed

by a second salvo of 500 V-1s. But because of the disruption of the invasion and

because the crews at 36 to 37 of the sites employed ramps and catapults for the first

time and without safety equipment, the German plan failed . Flakregiment 155 did

fire two small salvoes ; none of the first salvo of nine missiles reached Britain, and

the second salvo of 10 V- Is did little better . Five of the second salvo crashed soon

after launch and a sixth disappeared, thereby leaving only four to hit England . The

first impacted at 4:18 AM on 13 June. Seven minutes later, the third exploded at

Bethnal Green, killing six, the only casualties from the four V- Is ." A lull followed,

as the Germans worked out their equipment and supply problems. The V-weapons

campaign resumed at 10:30 PM on 15 June; during the next 24 hours, the Germans
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

1111111111111

Figure 2. Final British defensive deployment.

launched 244 V-1 s against London and 50 against Southampton . People came to

recognize the eerie "putt, putt" of the pulsejets as they streaked across the English

countryside towards London. Britons quickly learned that as long as the missile

"putted" along they had nothing to fear, but once the noise stopped an explosion

soon followed .z°

By 18 June, the Germans had launched their 500th V-1 ; by 21 June, their

1,000th ; by the 29th, their 2,000th ; and by 22 July, their 5,000th .zs The V-1 attacks

continued until 1 September when Flakregiment 155 withdrew before the Allied

ground advance .

The number of V-Is that approached London varied with the day (over 100 were

observed crossing the coast on about 18 days) and by the hour.zb The average V-1

explosion inflicted few casualties ; however, some hit crowded areas with

devastating effect . For example, at 11:20 AM on Sunday, 18 June, one impacted on
the Royal Military (Guard's) Chapel at Wellington Barracks, one-quarter mile from

Buckingham Palace, killing 121 worshippers . The top echelons of the Allied

leadership quickly learned of this disaster and the V-1's potential as a killer

weapon. Moreover, the V-weapons' attacks forced the evacuation of 800,000 to one

and one-half million Londoners .z' All of this created intense political pressures . For

these reasons, Eisenhower, in the midst of making the invasion work, on 18 June

gave the V-1 countermeasures' campaign priority over all other requirements

except the urgent needs of the ground war. 21

The most dramatic single V-1 hit destroyed the Guard's Chapel at Wellington Barracks on

Sunday, 18 June 1944, killing 121 (Imperial War Museum)

The British cabinet discussed deception measures to shift the mean impact point

of the weapons because statisticians calculated that moving it six miles to the

southeast would reduce casualties by 12,000 per month. Because such an action by

the British had deep moral and political overtones, the Minister of Home Security,

Herbert Morrison, argued against it, convincing the cabinet but not Prime Minister

Winston Churchill . The British reported to Germany through captured German

agents in the "Double Cross System," that their weapons fell beyond the target,

thereby encouraging their foes to shorten the missile's range.z 9 In fact the V-1s'

mean point of impact until 21 July was about four and one-half miles south of its

aiming point, the Tower Bridge . (See figure 3 .) The weekly mean impact points

wandered from there, but always remained south of the Thames, with the overall

mean impact point (12 June-1 October) four miles south southeast . (See figure 4 .)

German plots, based on agents' reports, put the mean impact point 4 miles north

northwest of the actual one-right on target - 10

47

WORLD WAR11
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

Figure 3 . Median points of V-I impacts for one-week periods . The bridge symbol locates the Tower

Bridge, the principal German aiming point .

(1) 30 June to 7 July

(2) 7 July to 14 July

(3) 14 July to 21 July

(4) 21 July to 28 July

(5) 28 July to 4 August

(6) 4 August to I 1 August

(7) 11 August to 18 August

(8) 18 August to 25 August

(9) 25 August to 1 September
WORLD WAR 11

CONCENTRIC CIRCLES - 2 MILE

INTERVALS FROM BRIDGE

Figure 4. Centers of impact of 20 or more V-1 s for 12 hour periods, 25 June to 29 August . Circles are 2

miles in radius from the main German aiming point, the Tower Bridge The cross indicates the median

point of impact

The Germans also used obituary notices in the London newspapers as another

source of target intelligence . In July the authorities plugged this source, a wise

move as a German plot based upon this data put the mean point of impact one and

one-half miles west of the actual impact point, certainly much closer to the truth

than other information available to the Germans . The lack of German aerial

reconnaissance permitted these deceptions to work. 31

Throughout this missile bombardment, Anglo-American airmen continued

bombing targets related to the V- Is . Between 12 June and 3 September, Allied Air

Forces flew 26,000 sorties, dropping 73,000 tons of bombs on a variety of Vweapons' targets . The two bomber commanders, Arthur Harris of the RAF's

Bomber Command and Jimmy Doolittle of the AAF's Eighth Air Force, opposed

49
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

bombing the launching sites from the start, wanting instead to hit V-1 factories .

Despite their objections and intensified German flak (between December 1943 and

May 1944, the Germans increased the number of heavy flak guns in France from

520 to 730), Anglo-American airmen bombed the launch sites . The ski sites

remained on the target list until 27 June, after which only the large sites continued

to be hit . By 15 July 1944, the Allies had hit 68 of the 88 identified modified sites,

with 24 considered to have been knocked out . The Anglo-American airmen also

attacked supply sites until mid-July, when they realized that storage sites were the

main source of supply. The Joint Crossbow Committee decided at its first meeting

on 21 July to assign storage depots and seven German factories top target priority,

with 57 modified sites receiving second priority, and recommended that attacks on

large sites stop. Consequently, the Allied Air Forces attacked these priority targets

between 2 and 9 August with 15,000 tons of bombs, of which three quarters were

targeted against storage sites . Following this massive assault, the scale of V-1

launchings fell by half. Concomitantly, the bombers also pounded factories

involved in V-1 production: the Volkswagen plant at Fallersleben four times, the

gyro factory at Weimar once, hydrogen peroxide facilities (used in the V-1's

booster) at Peenemunde, Hollriegelshreuth, and Ober Raderach a total of seven

times, and the Askania factory in Berlin (which manufactured missile controls)

once . It cost the Allies 197 aircraft and 1,412 aircrew .'2

Yet accidents hurt the German effort almost as much as the Allied bombing .

About 20 percent of the V-Is proved defective, exploding on the ramp, crashing

shortly after takeoff, or wandering well off course . In German tests between 18

August and 26 November 1944, only 31 .4 percent of 258 V-ls impacted within

either 30 km of the aiming point at 225 km range or 15 km at 100 km range, the

GAF definitions of success . The Germans attributed at least 35 percent of the

failures to premature crashes ." The V-1's accident rate of 9 percent with its early

138 foot ramp declined to 2 percent with its later 170 foot ramp. Accidents

probably killed more Germans than the 185 killed by Allied bombs. 3a

The second line of Allied defense was the fighters . At first, the Allies committed

eight single-engine and four twin-engine fighter squadrons consisting of the fastest

types available-Spitfire XIV, Tempest V, Mustang III, and Mosquito-to the

defensive effort . The AAF and RAF stripped armor, rear view mirrors, and paint

from their fighters, and polished their surface skin. The Allies used higher test

gasoline (150 octane) and greater engine boost to wring every possible bit of speed

out of their aircraft . These measures added 13 to 30 mph to the fighters' top speed.

The Anglo-Americans also employed their first operational jet, the Meteor, against

the V weapons . The Meteor became operational on 27 July and claimed its first V-1

on 4 August ."

Fast for their day, the V-Is crossed the English coast at an average airspeed of

340 mph, building up their eventual speed to about 400 mph . This allowed Allied

fighters about six minutes to catch and down the missiles before they reached their

target . The missiles' small size made them difficult to spot, a problem exacerbated

by their low penetration altitude which usually averaged between 2,100 and 2,500

50
WORLD WAR11

Aircraft could intercept and down the V-1, but not without difficulty An aircraft closing within

200 yards of the missile risked damage or destruction from the V-1's jet exhaust or its

explosion . (Imperial War Museum)

feet . Therefore conventional tail pursuit tactics proved unsatisfactory . The tactic

finally adopted allowed the V-1 to overtake the fighter, which then closed to

attack . 36 Allied pilots quickly learned that closing to ranges of less than 150 yards

could result in the loss or damage of their fighter . V-1 explosions or jet exhaust

damaged 37 aircraft and downed 4 or 5 aircraft, killing 5 pilots and a navigator in

the first 6 weeks of the campaign." Allied airmen used other tactics as well . On 23

June, a Spitfire pilot, Flying Officer K. Collis, flipped a V-1 over with his wing,

upsetting the missile's gyro controls, causing it to crash. Four days later, a Tempest

pilot achieved the same result with his aircraft's slipstream ." Nevertheless, Allied

pilots found the V-1 s not only tough to spot and intercept, but tough to down . One

British estimate asserted that the V-Is were eight times as difficult to attack as a

manned aircraft, even though they flew straight and level .39 While that estimate

may be somewhat exaggerated, the V-Is undoubtedly were a difficult target to

destroy .

By 12 July, the Allies increased fighter interceptor units to 13 single-engine and 9

twin-engine squadrons (6 of the latter were part-time) and 1 month later to 15 day

and 8 night fighter squadrons (2 of the latter were part-time).°° The defenders

worked out rules of engagement which gave the fighter pilots full rein in good

weather and antiaircraft artillery gunners complete freedom in bad weather. For inbetween atmospheric conditions, the most likely situation, the British allowed their

antiaircraft artillery complete freedom up to 8,000 feet with fighter interceptors

operating above that altitude . On 10 July, the British modified a 26 June order

allowing fighters to enter the gun belt in hot pursui?of V-1s . After that, fighter

pilots who entered areas where guns were firing did so at their own risk .41

5 1
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

52

A less orthodox method of destroying a V-1 . . . slip a wing under the missile's wing, and

was to fly alongside (Imperial War then flip the device over, tumbling its gyro,

Museum) causing it to crash (Imperial War Museum)

England's third line of defense was antiaircraft artillery . (See figure 1 .) When

the campaign began, the Allies rapidly got 192 heavy guns and 200 light guns into

position; by the end of June 376 heavy guns, 594 light guns, and 362 rocket

launchers were operational .42 But a number of problems became apparent as

considerable numbers of V-1 s still got through the defenses . The 2,000- to 3,000-

foot operating altitude of the V- Is was the worst possible for the guns: too high for

the light guns to be effective and too low for the heavy guns to traverse well .

(Manually controlled mobile heavy pieces proved unsatisfactory as they could not

smoothly and rapidly traverse.) Radar, sited in hollows and folds in the terrain to

protect it from German countermeasures which did not materialize, operated at a

disadvantage because such siting limited effective range and coverage. The

proximity of the gun belt to London created another problem-a number of

damaged V- Is crashed into London, even though the defenses had done their job.

Finally, the guns and the fighters interfered with each other. The fast, low-altitude

trajectory of the missiles meant that fighters strayed into the gun belt, thus

inhibiting the gunners who, for their part, sometimes fired on fighters as well as the

missiles. But ultimate success did occur because the defenders proved adept at

generating rapid, flexible, and effective defensive adjustments . 43

The defenders solved some of their problems more easily than others . For

example, on 18 June, the British resited their radar on higher ground and ordered

guns within London silent . The defenders built permanent structures, consisting of

28 railway sleepers and 12 ties, for the mobile guns. Devised by Brigadier J . K . C.

Burls, these were first called "Pile Portable Platforms," for the AA Chief,

Frederick Pile ; they quickly became known as "Pile Mattresses." Beginning in late

June, static guns with power controls and automatic fuze setters replaced mobile

guns. Better gun predictors got into action in early July . 44

But the most intractable problem remained the interference between fighters and

guns. The overall defensive commander, Air Chief Marshall Roderic H. Hill, and

the antiaircraft commander, General Frederick Pile, decided to designate an all-gun

belt from which all aircraft would be excluded. As this idea emerged, two officers,
WORLDWAR11

Air Commodore G. H. Amber and Lieutenant Colonel H . J . R. J . Radcliffe,

simultaneously suggested moving the guns and radar to the coast, which would

eliminate the problem of damaged missiles falling into London and would provide

the radar with optimum range. Such a scheme would also give the fighter pilots a

clear demarcation boundary (the coastline) between the gun and aircraft zones.

About the same time, the eminent British scientist and developer of radar, Robert

Watson-Watt, independently came up with the same concept, giving it even more

force and credibility .'s

Certainly such a scheme was risky . First, would the new concept actually

improve the defenses? The most potent defensive weapon, the fighter, which by 13

July 1944 claimed credit for 883 of the 1,192 kills, would be inhibited by a split

zone. Second, how long would such a redeployment, entailing hundreds of heavy

guns, thousands of personnel, and tens of thousands of tons of supplies and

equipment take? What would happen to the defenses in the meantime? A third

problem involved interservice relations . Such a change might improve the

effectiveness of the guns, but the fighters would be restricted . How would the RAF

take such a proposal? Finally, how long would it take to get a clear decision on this

proposal? As each day passed, it became increasingly difficult to redeploy because

the defenders fitted more and more of the mobile guns with the "Pile Mattresses,"

and added more and more guns to the gun belt .'6

On 13 July, the overall commander, Hill, made the decision to create an all-gun

belt on the coast . (See figure 2 .) His bold and quick exercise of authority is

remarkable, as is the speed with which the British implemented Hill's decision : the

defenders had the heavy guns, radar, and supporting equipment and supplies in

place by 17 July, the light guns two days later . The move was no small feat, since it

involved the movement of 23,000 people and about 60,000 tons of ammunition,

equipment, and supplies .41 The British placed the guns on the coast between Dover

and Beachy Head, the killing zone extending 10,000 yards over water and 5,000

yards inland . They restricted aircraft to altitudes above 8,000 feet in this area, but

allowed them to roam free over the Channel and over England between the gun belt

and the balloon line .48

The defenders made other changes as well . The number of heavy guns in the

coastal belt increased from 376 on 1 July, to 416 on 23 July, 512 on 30 July, and

finally to 592 on 7 August. In addition, they emplaced 892 40mm guns, 504 20mm

guns, and 254 rocket tubes .

The British found a new American radar set, S .C.R. 584, especially useful . Early

on, General Pile sent Major P. Blair to Washington with pieces of a crashed V-1 and

an urgent request for more equipment as soon as possible . Blair spoke to US Army

Chief of Staff, George C . Marshall, who immediately allocated 165 S .C .R . 584s

for shipment on the next boat to Britain.

Other factors also aided the defenders . No. 10 (BTC) predictor for the British 3.7

inch guns and the No. 9 (BTC) predictor for the American 90 mm guns

increased kills '49 as did another technical improvement, the proximity fuze. This

type of fuze detonated at a preset distance from the target and proved about five

53
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Antiaircraft artillery proved very effective against the "flying bomb," downing almost half the

V-1s destroyed in the London campaign and almost all those destroyed in the continental

campaign . Here Winston Churchill (right) inspects a gun battery with his antiaircraft

commander, General Frederick Pile (left) . (Imperial War Museum)

times as effective as either a time or contact fuzes° In addition, the gunners got

better with increasing practice .

These measures enabled the defenders to improve dramatically their

effectiveness. Prior to the redeployment, allied defenses downed 42 .3 percent ofthe

V-ls observed ; after the redeployment, that figure rose to 58.6 percents' Another

set of data, similar but not exactly coinciding, indicates that the defense downed

48 .4 percent of those missiles spotted over land in the first period, 84.1 percent in

the second period . 51 The high point for the defense came on the night of 27/28

August when the defenses destroyed 90 of 97 missiles reported ; only 4 impacted on

London. 53

This dramatic increase in destructiveness resulted largely from the tremendous

improvement in the effectiveness of antiaircraft artillery . While the guns got only

21 .5 percent of the destroyed credits in the first period, they got 53 .9 percent in the

54
WORLDWARII

second .m In the first week after the move, the guns downed only 17 percent of their

targets, but this figure rose to 74 percent in the last period (29 August through 1

September)."

Some of this increased success of the guns came at the expense of the fighters .

Although by mid-August the Allies deployed 15 day and 6 night fighter squadrons,

the fighters' scores declined from 74.5 percent to 38 percent of the V-ls downed.ss

The highest claims went to No. 3 Squadron (Tempest V) with 2571/2, No. 91

Squadron (Spitfire XIV) with 185, and No . 96 Squadron (Mosquito XIII) with 174.

Thirty-four pilots received credit for downing 10 or more missiles, with top honors

going to Squadron Leader J. Berry (611/3 -V-1 credits) .S'

Squadron Leader Joseph Berry claimed the destruction of the most V-1 s, 611/3 On two occasions he destroyed seven in one day, on two occasions five in one day, and on four occasions four in a day . He was killed by flak on 1 October 1944 (Imperial War Museum)

55
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

In addition to the bombers, fighters, and guns, the British employed a fourth

defensive agent, barrage balloons . The number of balloons increased from the

initial 500 to 1,000 by 1 July, to 1,700 by 9 July, and to 2,015 by mid-August.

Moreover, by 21 June the British had equipped all their balloons with a double link

system that released the balloon cable at both ends when hit while simultaneously

deploying parachutes at each end. But problems resulted because the British

designed the device to ensnare an aircraft flying at 250 to 300 inph, not at the V-I's

300 to 400 mph speed . The defenders also used additional wires, nets between

adjacent balloons, and kites, but none of these measures met with great success .

Other factors curtailed the balloon barrage . Although the defenders desired to keep

the barrage flying all the time, in all kinds of weather, this proved impossible. A

shortage of hydrogen, coupled with balloon losses in bad weather, grounded the

entire barrage one-fifth of the time.SB The British lost about 630 balloons during the

campaign.

The fourth line of British defense was an armada of barrage balloons . (Imperial WarMuseum)

On 28 June, the British discovered missiles fitted with a metal attachment on the

wings for cutting the balloon cables . Nevertheless, the evidence indicates that the

effectiveness of the balloons increased ; that is, the proportion of V-Is credited to

the balloons rose from about 4.4 percent in the period prior to the redeployment to

7 .8 percent afterwards.s9

During the course of the summer campaign, the Germans introduced a new

launching method. The first air launch known to the British occurred on 6 April

56
The balloon's cable could destroy a V-1 . Balloons accounted for almost six percent of the V-1 s

destroyed by the defenders of London. (Imperial War Museum)

Nevertheless, many V-1 s got through . This photo taken from a Fleet Street rooftop shows a V-1

about to impact near Drury Lane. (Imperial War Museum)

57

WORLD WAR II
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

Almost 6,200 Britons died from the V-1 assault . This elderly man and his dog (right) survived

the blast but the man's wife died . Note rescue workers in the background (Imperial War

Museum)

1944 at Peenemunde, with the first recognizable air launch against England on 9

July 1944. A bomber carrying one missile flew towards England at about 300 feet

altitude and 160-170 mph until, about 60 miles off the coast, it climbed to several

thousand feet and launched the V-1 . The GAF air-launched about 90 V-Is prior to

the defensive redeployment, and a further 310 between then and 5 September . With

the withdrawal of German forces from French launching sites, these air-launched

weapons became the chiefair threat to Britain in the closing months of the war . 6°

Between 5 September and the last air launching on 14 January 1945, the Germans

hurled about 1,200 V-1s against Britain. Of these, only 66 reached London. During

this entire operation, the Germans lost a total of 77 missile-carrying aircraft,b'

including 16 to Allied fighters . Significantly, most of the weapons reaching London

achieved very poor accuracy . Compared with the ground-launched missiles, which

fell on the average within 7 .9 miles of their aiming point in July and 11 .4 miles in

August, in September half ofthe air-launched weapons impacted within 24 miles of

the aiming point, a full 29 miles north northeast of the ground-launched V-1's

impact point . 61

The Germans did not take advantage of the air-launched missile's ability to

outflank the defenses except for one attack on Manchester on 24 December and,

although the Germans that night launched 50 V-1s, only one of the weapons

58
WORLD WAR II

While most of the V-1 s were ground launched, about 1,600 were air-launched against Britain

(USAF)

59
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

impacted within the city . Clearly, the Germans by late 1944 lacked all forms of

airpower and could not afford to risk their relatively few remaining aircraft in this

kind of operation . Weather and British defenses restricted the obsolete He Ills .

Finally, the poor accuracy of the air-launched missile did not recommend its use to

the Germans .63

The final act in the V-weapon campaign against Britain came in March 1945

when the Germans introduced a long-range version of the V-1 . Fitted with a wooden

wing (which weighed 395 pounds compared with 445 to 480 pounds of the metal

wing) and a reduced warhead, it could fly 220 miles as compared with the standard

range of about 150 to 160 miles . 6° The Germans launched 275 modified V-ls from

Dutch ramps between 3 March and 29 March against Britain, but only 13 reached

London. Because photoreconnaissance and intelligence reports tipped the Allies off

to this new weapon, they ordered the northern defenses reinforced on 27 February.

This reinforcement consisted of six Mustang and one Meteor squadron for day

defense, and two Mosquito and one Tempest squadron for night defense . But the

guns worked so well that the British relieved the jets and five of the Mustang

squadrons . The defenders downed 72 .8 percent of the 125 missiles observed.

Nevertheless, one flying bomb hit Smithfield Market on 8 March, causing 233

casualties . 6s

In all, the Germans fired 10,492 V-ls against Britain, all but 1,600 launched

from ramps . About 2,000 of them crashed shortly after takeoff. The defenders

observed 7,488 missiles . and downed 3,957 (52.8 percent) . The fighters received

credit for 1,846 5/6 kills, the guns for 1,8781/3, and the balloons for 231 5/6 . 11 The

defenses downed 69 percent of the V-Is launched during daylight, compared with

65 percent at night. The defenses improved their overall kill effectiveness, downing

42 .3 percent of the V-ls observed before the redeployment (12 June to 15 July),

58.6 percent after the redeployment (16 July to 5 September), 63 .2 percent of the

air-launched missiles after this period (16 September to 14 January 1945), and 33 . 1

percent of the ground-launched long-range V-ls from Holland, for an overall kill

percentage of 52.8 . Conversely, the percentage of V-ls that reached London,

relative to those launched, declined in these same periods (29 .1, 23, 5 .5, 4 .7) for an

overall figure of 23 .1 percent . Nevertheless, about 2,419 V- Is reached the London

Civil Defense Region, killing 6,184 civilians and seriously injuring 17,981 .

Additional casualties included approximately another 5 percent consisting of

service personnel . In all, about 92 percent of the casualties were in the London

area.

68

To put the lethality of the V-Is into perspective requires comparison with other

German weapons that killed and maimed British civilians during World War 11 .

German bombing killed 51,509, V-2s killed 2,754 and long-range guns killed

148 . 69

There is one more aspect of the V-1 operational story, an aspect frequently

overlooked by authors . The Germans also launched anywhere from 7,400 to 9,000

V-Is against targets on the continent, with about 4,900 aimed at the key port of

Antwerp. For their part, the Allies deployed 18,000 troops to man 208 90mm, 128
WORLDWAR II

3 .7-inch, and 188 40mm guns. In addition, the defenders initially used 280 balloons

which, in time, grew to 1,400. The Allies did not employ any fighters in the defense

of Antwerp.'° This was a political decision, as a SHAEF document stated : "The

problem of [continental] defense will not be approached from the same political

viewpoint as was the case in the U. K . ""

Despite the non-use of fighter-interceptors, the Allies successfully defended

Antwerp . The German missiles first came from the southeast, then in midDecember shifted direction to the northeast, and finally by the end of January to the

north. The defenders designated a 7,000-yard radius circle around the dock area as

the vital area . About 2,759 of the V-Is detected threatened this crucial port facility ;

the Allies destroyed 1,766 (64 percent), so that only 211 missiles fell within the port

complex ."

The Germans also attacked Liege with about 3,000 V-1s . The Allies defended

this city from 23 November to 11 December when the German offensive in the

Battle of the Bulge pulled the defenders out.

V-ls killed a total of 947 military and 3,736 civilians on the continent, and

wounded an additional 1,909 military and 8,166 civilians . Antwerp suffered

10,145 (1,812 military, 8,333 civilian) of the total 14,758 V-1 casualties on the

continent ."

The single best study estimates that the Germans built 30,000 V-1s, half the

60,000 planned .

14 They made a considerable investment in resources for both the

V-1 and V-2, although the exact cost is difficult to estimate .'S In any event, the

Germans could ill-afford to put their precious resources into the wonder weapons.

For although a technological accomplishment, the V-weapons certainly helped little

in advancing the strategic interests of Germany. The Germans needed more

effective weapons, superior in quality and in considerable quantity, to meet the

overwhelming numbers of Allied weapons. Consequently, they could have gained

much more militarily by putting these resources into jet aircraft, proximity fuzes, or

flak rockets . As one author has so well put it : "Germany preferred the spectacular

to the strategic ; she preferred rockets to radar, and it was this that cost her the

war.

"76 To be precise, the Germans had more pressing needs that could not be met

by either of the V-weapons .

But the introduction of the V-1 did impose some considerable cost on the Allies.

From a strictly dollar point of view, the V-1 cost the Germans less to build and to

operate than it cost the Allies in damage and defense . A wartime British study went

into great detail analyzing the costs of the Allied campaign to counter the V-1 .

Using the German costs as unity (based upon an estimate of 8,000 launched), the

study concluded it cost the defenders 1 .46 for damage and loss of production, 1 .88

for the bombing, .30 for fighter interception, and .16 for static defenses, for a total

ratio of 3.80:1 . Adjusting these figures for the continental defensive effort and the

total German costs would lower this ratio only to about 3 :1 . Economically then, the

V-1 more than paid for itself ." But it must be emphasized that the Allies could

afford the cost, the Germans could tiot . This proved especially true in the last two

yews of the weu

61
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The V-1 certainly had a number of advantages . It was a cheap weapon that did

not use critical materials; therefore, the missile could be employed in mass. The

V-1 could be easily launched regardless of weather conditions or time of day. It

proved difficult to spot and to attack because of its relatively high speed and low

altitude approach, and it was durable as a target since it had few vulnerable parts

and no aircrew that could be killed or injured. Because it could not be turned back,

it had to be either destroyed or allowed to crash .

Conversely, the weapon had a number of limitations . While the remarkable and

cheap pulsejet engine did the job, the ground-launched version required a booster

and a long ramp which, in turn, meant a fixed and vulnerable launch site . It is both

ironic and illogical that the much larger and more complex V-2 had mobility, while

the smaller and simpler V-1 did not. Fixed V-1 launch sites, along with fixed

targets, meant that the missile's flight path was predictable. This, in turn, meant

that defenders could mass their forces in a relatively concentrated and narrow zone .

The missile flew a constant course, altitude, and speed which meant that, once

located, the missile was easy to engage . The V-1's poor accuracy limited it to use

against the largest of targets (cities) . Therefore, the Germans employed the V-1 as a

psychological weapon, despite the inability of bombing to break civilian morale in

previous bombing campaigns . Moreover, poor German intelligence shielded the

large city of London from an accurate bombardment . The GAF's inability to use

aerial reconnaissance, in turn, permitted British deceptions to work. Finally, the

V-1's small warhead restricted the impact of those missiles that penetrated the

defense and hit their targets .

Because of the success of Allied defenses against the "flying bomb," postwar

opinion downgraded the device . Observers doubted its future utility: "The V-1 is

not worthy of further development, as it is too vulnerable to countermeasures . . . ."78

In short, the V-1 proved to be a remarkable technical achievement that was

somewhat cost effective . But, on balance, it proved doubtful as a weapon of war.

Although advanced technically, tactically, and economically, it was just too far

ahead of its time. Fortunately for the Allies, the Germans did not possess the

technologies during World War II to make the V-1 the potent winged weapon it

foreshadowed .

For the German V weapons did serve as a primary catalyst in rejuvenating a

dormant US missile program. The new US effort was to take two different routesan American designed missile, the JB-1, and a copy of the V-1, the JB-2.

The American V-1(JB-2)

On 12 July 1944, 2,500 pounds of salvaged V-1 parts left Great Britain and

arrived the next night at Wright-Patterson Field .'9 The AAF ordered the staff there

62
The AAF quickly copied the V-1 which it designated the JB-2 (National Air and Space

Museum)

to build 13 copies of the "flying bomb" ; and within three weeks, the AAF had

completed its first JB-2 .* Concurrently, a memo recommending US production of

the weapon went to General Amold .x°

But the War Department realized some of the missile's inherent drawbacks . A

December War Department message to the European forces noted the JB-2's

inaccuracy and plainly called it a "terror weapon ." In addition, the message

mentioned the opportunity costs in terms of armaments not produced and delivered .

Nevertheless, the War Department believed that if the weapon's accuracy could be

improved, the JB-2 might prove valuable . The message ended with the observation

that the main problem area was logistical, not tactical ." I

Despite these reservations, before the end of July, General B . E . Meyers ordered

1,000 JB-2s . In August, the AAF contracted with Republic (airframe, later

subcontracted to Willys-Overland), Ford (engine), Jack and Heintz (controls), and

Alloy. Products (pressure vessels) . Contracts for launch rockets went to Monsanto,

for launch sleds to Northrop."

But the 1,000 JB-2 order marked only the beginning . Before September ended,

the AAF wanted production raised to 1,000 a month, a rate which the AAF expected

to reach by April 1945, with an increase to 5,000 a month by September ." AAF

enthusiasm for the weapon grew rapidly, despite the fact that it failed in initial tests .

In December 1944, the airmen ordered a second 1,000 and expected not only to

reach the 1,000 per month production rate by April, but 5,000 a month by June; and

they studied the feasibility of a rate of 1,000 a day!s° Some civilian leaders

-See Appendix Aformissilespecifications .

63

WORLD WAR 11
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

supported the AAF . Assistant Secretary of War (Air), Robert Lovett, for example,

wanted a production rate of 3,000 a month ." On 14 January 1945, Arnold ordered a

further 75,000 JB-2s; he wanted the ability to launch 100 a day by September and

500 a day by January 1946 . The next day the project received an AA-1 priority, the

same as that enjoyed by the B-29 . 86

Airmen in the field gave the weapon a guarded reaction. Leigh Mallory,

commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force, endorsed use of the weapon as

one way to help overcome poor weather and stiffening defenses .$' Spaatz, who

stated in July that there was no requirement for a pilotless aircraft in the ETO

(European Theater of Operations), also noted the device's usefulness during bad

weather when he wanted to use it to harass and demoralize the Germans . He

believed it could be used perhaps ten days a month with the firing of about 300

weapons per day of operation . But these same AAF airmen put very specific

conditions on their support of the project : they wanted the missile program if, and

this was the big if, there would be no significant curtailment of bombs, artillery

shells, or personnel . Most importantly, these officers insisted that the JB-2

production effort not disrupt the supply of bombs, as it just barely kept up with

operational requirements ." Spaatz wrote Arnold of the need for a standoff weapon,

but believed that current pilotless aircraft and bombs cost too much. The senior

American airman in Europe preferred a more traditional course :

We have proven the precision bombing principle in this war. . . . Therefore, we must develop

bombsights and bombardiers, which, under all weather conditions, cannot only literally drop

bombs in "apickle barrel" but in the correct barrel . 89

Later, Spaatz's Headquarters argued that it did not have time for testing these

devices in the ETO . Other reasons advanced against premature use of the "flying

bombs" by airmen in actual combat included inaccuracy and losing the element of

surprise if used in a piecemeal fashion against enemy targets . 9 °

The program met criticism stateside as well . In September, some expressed

concern that the missile program would adversly affect the production of artillery

shells and heavy artillery pieces . A report in late 1944 concluded that the program

would cut field artillery production by 25 percent and bomb production by 17

percent .9 ' In January 1945, General Myers learned that the proposed missile

program would not only cost $1 1/2 billion but would require one-fourth of Allies'

ETO shipping assets . To circumvent the shipping problem, the planners considered

building the device in Europe; but they quickly dropped this idea because of the

limited capacity of continental industry and the requirement for raw materials from

the United States." These factors motivated the War Department's late January

decision not to mass produce the JB-2. Consequently, on the last day of January,

General Wolfe halted production until a further investigation could be concluded. 93

The Air Materiel Command study that emerged in February affirmed the earlier dire

projections. Nevertheless, it did recommend a production rate of 1,000 per month

beginning in November 1945 with a total production run of 10,000 . 9° In fact, the
WORLD WAR 11

AAF ordered 10,000 more JB-2s in February, in addition to the 2,000 ordered in

1944. The new plan called for a launch rate of 1,000 per month by January 1946.

The end of the war resolved the numbers game . When production terminated in

September 1945, US industry had delivered about 1,385 JB-2s to the War

Department."

The US version of the V-1 differed little from the German original, except for

two features: launching and guidance." The danger of the German catapult

propellant (hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate) and production

problems encouraged US airmen to use something else to get the missile airborne

and attain the minimum speed required for pulsejet operation . The AAF considered

a number of alternative launch technologies: a flywheel, a cart powered by an

aircraft engine, and powder. They adopted the latter, but a shortage of powder in

December led to consideration, and testing, of air launch . 97 The AAF concentrated

its efforts on ground launch, first from a 400-foot inclined (6 degrees) ramp, then a

level ramp, and finally from a 50-foot ramp mounted atop a trailer . 9 a

Early American efforts with the JB-2 were unsuccessful, as this one demonstrated on 21 November 1944. (USAF)

The first attempted flight on 12 October failed, as did many others that followed.

By 3 December, the AAF record stood at 2 successes in 10 attempts. The AAF

persisted-and did better: by June 1945, it had achieved 128 successes in 164

attempts

Because the RAF's major concern centered on accuracy, it worked on an

improved guidance system. Tests with preset controls, the German method,

achieved results similar to the Germans ; the Americans experienced an average

error of over eight miles at a range of 127 miles. Therefore, the airmen installed

radio-control guidance in the missile. The AAF equipped the JB-2 with a radar

beacon, which assisted tracking by a ground radar unit (SCR 584) up to the radar's

65
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

But AAF persistence led to success . On 5 June 1945 a JB-2 at Eglin releases its booster as a

P-38 chase plane observes. (USAF)

The AAF also air-launched the JB-2 from B-1 7s . This Flying Fortress, complete with gun turrets,

is flying over Holloman Field, New Mexico. (USAF)
WORLDWAR11

maximum range of about 100 miles, and remote control equipment. One observer

forecast in February 1945 that this system could achieve accuracies of 500 yards at

50 miles and 1,000 yards at 100 miles, which would put the "JB-2 into the class of

very flexible, extremely long range artillery ."'°° But the tests disappointed the

weapon's enthusiasts with an average error of about 6 miles at 80 miles on 14 tests

and almost twice that at 127 miles on 20 tests . Clearly these results fell below

expectations and equaled the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the preset system. But, in

the end, accuracy did improve; postwar tests indicated an average accuracy of 5

miles at 150 miles for preset and one-fourth mile at 100 miles for the radarcontrolled system . 101

The Navy first launched its V-1, designated Loon, in January 1946, and first from the deck of

the surfaced submarine Cusk on 18 February 1947 This Loon is aboard USS Cusk on 12

Novemper 1948 (National Archives)

The US Navy also involved itself with the V-1 . In September 1944, the Bureau of

Aeronautics suggested firing the JB-2 from an escort carrier . The next month, the

Chief of Naval Operations endorsed the idea and requested 51 of the flying bombs

from the AAF fOT cm~er trials . By April 1945, the Navy had named their version of

the V-1 "Loon," and extended their study of launch platforms to include landing

craft (LSTs), PB4Y-ls (the Navy's B-24), and off the beach. But a May 1945 study

indicated that a reasonable date to expect operations from either ship or shore was

not until August or September 1946.'°z

The Navy launched their first Loon on 7 January 1946; it glided to its destruction

as the engine died. In March 1946, the Secretary of the Navy approved the

67
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

conversion of two submarines for Loon operations . The Navy also considered

converting other vessels in June and July of 1946, specifically one Essex class

aircraft carrier and one battle cruiser; but by the next year, it had dropped the idea.

In January 1947, the submarine Cusk entered the Mare Island naval facility for

conversion. On 18 February, it fired its first Loon, which flew a little over 6,000

yards before crashing . After a number of other failures, the Navy achieved success

on its fifth try on 7 March . The submariners fired more Loons from the surfaced

submarines and, on 26 January 1949, launched one from a surface ship, the

converted seaplane tender Norton Sound. In March 1950, the Navy terminated the

Loon program to make way for the more advanced and promising Regulus . 101

The Navy also had difficulties with the missile This Loon exploded in July 1948 but did not

seriously damage the submarine (National Archives)

The Northrop JB-1/JB-10

The same month the JB-2 program began, so did another pilotless bomber

program: on 1 July 1944, the AAF initiated a US-designed missile designated the

JB-1 . To expedite the design process, the Northrop Corporation, the primary

contractor for the JB-1, used photos of the tooling templates from its MX-324, a

68
rocket-powered mockup of its equally obscure XP-79 rocket-powered

interceptor. 104

Northrop powered the JB-lA* with two General Electric B1 turbojets and

designed it to carry two 2,000-pound bombs, 200 miles at 427 mph . On its first

powered launch on 7 December 1944, the JB-IA climbed rapidly, stalled, and then

crashed 400 yards from the launch point . Problems with the device included leaking

tanks, inaccessible engines (each wing panel was secured by 270 screws), low

thrust (each turbojet produced only half of the expected 400 pounds), as well as

obtaining sufficient test engines .

Prior to building its "flying bomb," Northrop built a manned tailless glider, which it flew in 1944

over Muroc Dry Lake Due to longitudinal instability, these tests almost ended in disaster.

(USAF)

Therefore, Northrop fitted a pulsejet pirated from the JB-2 program to the

Northrop airframe . On 19 February 1945, the AAF redesignated the re-engined and

slightly larger device, JB-10 .*'°5 But the JB-10's tests at Eglin Field disappointed

the AAF, which considered only 2 of the 10 flights even a partial success . On its

longest flight (13 April 1945), the missile covered only 26 miles due to longitudinal

instability . This particular problem highlighted the need for extensive development .

Most significantly, each JB-10 cost approximately $55,425 compared with $8,620

for each JB-2. Northrop built a missile just too elegant and expensive for its

mission ; in essence, Northrop built a missile to aircraft specifications . The AAF

realized this pronounced tendency to overbuild the JB-10 . This contributed to the

AAF's November 1944 decision to lower the missile's priority . Finally, in March

1946, the AAF cancelled the project .

-See Appendix Afor missile specifications

69

WORLDWAR 11
EVOLUTION OFTHECRUISE MISSILE

Northrop developed the glider into a "flying bomb," the JB-1A, which crashed on its first

launching on 7 December 1944. It carried two 2,000-pound bombs on either side of the

fuselage which housed twin General Electric jet engines (USAF)

Problems with the JB-1 A's power plant forced the AAF to install a Ford copy of the V-1's pulse

jet . The missile, with the new engine and carrying two 1,825-pound warheads within the wing,

was designated JB-10 Here the Northrop missile is readied for test at Eglin on 6 April 1945.

(USAF)

70
NOTES

CHAPTER III

WORLD WAR II

Data within the brackets indicate where the material is located : Public Record Office, London, United

Kingdom (PRO); Royal Artillery Institution, Woolwich, United Kingdom (W); National Air and Space

Museum, Washington, D.C . (NASM); Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center, Montgomery,

Ala. (AFSHRC) ; Air University Library, Montgomery, Ala. (AUL); Naval Historical Center,

Washington, D.C. (NHC). The numbers following the symbols for the Air University Library, Simpson

Center, and Public Record Office are their call numbers .

1 . Wesley Craven and James Cate (eds.), The Army Air Forces in World War 11, Vol. 11: Europe :

Argument to VE Day (January 1944 to May 1945) (Chicago, Ill . : University of Chicago, 1951), 85 .

Hereafter cited as Craven and Cate . "German Guided Missile Development," 4 October 1945, 3

[AFSHRC-203 .1 Vol . 12] .

2. Basil Collier, The Battle of the V-Weapons, 1944-1945 (London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1964),

18 . Hereafter cited as Collier, V- Weapons .

3 . German Guided Missile Development, 2-3 ; Basil Collier, The Defence of the United Kingdom

(London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1957), 354-55. Hereafter cited as Collier, UK. Rowland F.

Pocock, German Guided Missiles ofthe Second World War (New York, N.Y. : Arco, 1967), 21 ; Collier,

V-Weapons, 15-17 . The Germans also built a piloted, suicide version of the V-1 which need only be

mentioned here as it did not see action, although American forces captured 175 copies . See Peter G.

Cooksley, Flying Bomb (New York, N.Y. : Scribner, 1979), 133, 135 ; Pocock, 27; Antony L. Kay,Buzz

Bombs (Boylston, Mass . : Monogram Aurron, 1977), 20, 24, 27 ; Hanna Reitsch, Flying is MyLife (New

York, N.Y. : Putnam, 1954), 208-219 ; William Green, The Warplanes ofthe Third Reich (Garden City,

N.Y . : Doubleday, 1970), 170, 171 .

4. Collier, V-Weapons, 18 ; Kay, 5 .

5. Ironically, that same day the V-1 failed in the flying demonstration . Milch took the whole matter

rather lightheartedly, slapping Walter Domberger, the Army officer in charge of the V-2, on the back,

and with a wry grin remarking : "Congratulations! Two-nothing in your favor!" Walter Domberger, V-2

(New York, N.Y . : Hurst and Blackett, 1955), 95 .

6. The following mention a span of about 17'/z feet : Alfred Price, Luftwaffe Handbook, 1939-1945

(New York, N.Y . : Scribner and Sons, 1977), 85; Karlhenz Kens and Heinz J . Nowarra, Die deutschen

Flugzeuge (Munchen: Lehmanns, 1968), 575; Leonard Bridgman (ed .), Jane's All the World's Aircraft:

1945146 (London : David and Charles, 1946), 148c ; Michael J . H. Taylor and John W. R Taylor (eds .),

Encyclopedia of Aircraft (New York, N.Y. : Putnam's Sons, 1978), 237; British Air Ministry,

"Vulnerability and Armament Diagram," [AFSHRC-Film #119, Frame 9058] ; "British Air Ministry

Technical Note 1464," June, 1944 [AFSHRC-142.0423-8] ; US Forces European Theater, Report of the

General Board, "Tactical Employment of Antiaircraft Units, including Defense Against Pilotless

Aircraft," #38, 39 [AFSHRC-502 .101-38] . Hereafter cited as USFET, #38 . Other sources note a span

of 16 feet : British Air Ministry, report 2242 "German Expendable Pilotless Aircraft," 13 June 1944

[AFSHRC-142.0423-9] ; British Air Ministry, diagram "filed 18 July 1944" [AFSHRC-142.0423-8] ;

Office of Statistical Services, 19 June 1944 [AFSHRC-142.0423-9] . Finally some sources list both

figures for the span: Collier, UK, 97 ; British Air Ministry, "German Expendable Pilotless Aircraft,"

7 1
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

report 2245, 13 June 1945 [AFSHRC-Film #228]; Elke C Weal, (et al), Combat Aircraft of World War

Two (New York, N.Y . : Macmillan, 1977), 106 . Apparently most, if not all, V-Is had a span of 16'h

feet . The confusion stems from the examination of a V-1 which landed in Sweden in early 1944 with a

tapered wing which spanned 16 feet . War Cabinet Crossbow Committee, 18th Report, Assistant Chief of

Air Staff, Intelligence, 22 July 1944 [AFSHRC-Film #154, Frame 9456] ; Richard A. Young, The

Flying Bomb (London : I . Allan, 1978), 135, 136 .

7 Price claims in Luftwaffe Handbook, 189, that the V-1 flew at a constant speed even though the

weight decreased, because the performance of the engine also decreased as the inlet shutter vanes

gradually burned away. This information apparently is from Military Intelligence Division, "Handbook

on Guided Missiles : Germany and Japan, " MID 461, February 1946 .

8 . Air Intelligence Report No. 2258, 5 August 1944 ; Air Intelligence Report 2261, 17 August 1944

[Both PRO-AIR 40/2166] ; Jane's All the World's Aircraft : 1945/46, 147c, 148c ; Collier, V-Weapons,

66, 87 ; Weal, 106 ; Pocock, 23, 24, 103 ; Young, 132, 140, 141 . A survey of 205 V- I terminal dives by

one British observation unit showed that 44 percent cut off their engines at the beginning of their dive and

glided more than 10 seconds, 52 percent cut off their engines shortly before impact, and 4 to 5 percent

impacted with the engines running . D.D. Science, "Behavior of Flying Bombs at End of Flight," 19

August 1944 [PRO-AIR 20/4262] .

9. British Air Ministry, Air Defence of Great Britain, draft chapter, Vol . VII : The Flying Bomb and

Rocket Campaign: 1944 to 1945, 15, 17, 23-25 [AFSHRC-512.431 A] . Hereafter cited as Air Defence

GB . J . C. Masterman, The Double Cross System (New Haven, Ct . : Yale University, 1972), 251 ; Ewen

Montagu, Beyond Top Secret (London : Coward, McCann, and Geoghegan, 1977), 158 ; British

Information Services, "Flying Bombs," December, 1944, 4 [AFSHRC-512 .6522-101 ; Hillery St . G.

Saunders, Royal Air Force, 1939-1945, Vol . III : The Fight is Won (London : Her Majesty's Stationery

Office, 1954), 142 ; Jozef Garlinski, Hitler's Last Weapons (London : Times Books, 1978), 53-54 ;

Collier, V-Weapons, 24; Air Scientific Intelligence Report No. 5, "German Pilotless Aircraft," 23

December 1943 [PRO-AIR 20/1667] .

10 . Philip Joubert de la Ferte, Rocket (London : Hutchinson, 1957), 48 ; Saunders, 145 ; Collier, VWeapons, 32 ; Air Defence GB, 15 ; Young, 17, 19 ; Kay, 6 ; ASI Report No. 5 .

11 . The British correctly assumed that the Germans would employ a crack radar unit during the testing

of the weapon. Their patient monitoring of such units paid off in October 1943 when intercepted

messages confirmed the basic performance characteristics of the V-1 . Air Defence GB, 17, 23-25;

David Irving, The Mare's Nest (London : Kimber, 1964), 126, 185 ; Collier, UK, 358 ; Joubert, 48;

Saunders, 146 ; Collier, V-Weapons, 40 ; ASI Report No. 5 .

12 . Air Defence GB, 11, 12; Saunders, 144, 145 ; Joubert, 174, 176 ; Irving, 97-119 ; Collier, VWeapons, 33, 34 .

13 . M. C. Heifers, "The Employment of V-Weapons by the Germans During World War II,"

Washington, 1954, 21 [AFSHRC-Film #31,731 ; Frame 323] ; Joubert, 85 ; "The V-Weapons,"After the

Battle (No. 6, 1979), 3 .

14 . Craven and Cate, III, 91-93 ; Air Defence GB, 22 ; Joubert, 174-180 .

15 . Craven and Cate, III, 95, 105, 106 ; Saunders, 150; Collier, V-Weapons, 46; Collier, UK, 359,

360 ; Assistant Chief, Air Staff, Intelligence, "Flying Bomb and V-2 Rocket," 8 January 1945, 6

[AFSHRC-142 .0423-41 .

16 . Saunders, 152 ; Heifers, 17, 20; Craven and Cate, III, 102 ; British Information Service, "Flying

Bomb," 6; SHAEF, "Report of 'V' Section on Continental Crossbow (September 1944 to March

1945)," 23 [AFSHRC-505 .42-131; Collier, UK, 360. The AAF built a replica of the modified sites at

Eglin AAF Base, experimented with tactics, and recommended low level fighter-bomber attacks against

the sites . The RAF disagreed, claiming that the AAF constructed the Eglin replica to the wrong

specifications . Craven and Cate, III, 98-100, 104 ; Air Defense GB, 59 in . These sites consisted of 5 or 6

buildings and took 6 to 8 weeks to construct, compared with the ski sites' 12 buildings which required 2

to 3 months to build By May 1944, the Germans had cut the time to 8 to 10 days, and finally to 18 hours

Once the firing began, a number of clues aided Allied intelligence officers to identify the sites : skid marks

of the booster pistons which began 200 to 300 yards in front of the launcher, a pattern of scorch marks on

the ground and foliage, and in the fall and winter, the fact that the Germans located the sites in deciduous

72
WORLD WAR II

woods. The Germans learned their lesson and built their last sites (in Holland and western Germany) very

simply in coniferous woods with a second wood a few hundred yards away SHAEF, "Interim Report of

'V' Section on Crossbow, 24 October 1944-5 May 1945," 9, 10 [AFSHRC-Film #1181; SHAEF,

Report of 'V' Section, September 1944-March 1945, 25 ; Young, 125 .

17 . Joubert, 96; Collier, V-Weapons, 148; Craven andCate,111, 102, 531, 532 ; Irving, 224

18 . Collier, V-Weapons, 56-59; AC/AS, Intelligence, Flying Bomb, 7; Air Defence, GB, 42, 43 ;

Roderic Hill, "Air Operations by Air Defence of Great Britain and Fighter Command in Connection with

the German Flying Bomb and Rocket Offensives, 1944,45," Supplement to the London Gazette (19

October 1948), 5587 .

19 . This was part of a total reduction from 528 heavy pieces to 288 and from 804 light pieces to 282.

In addition, the British planned to use 480 balloons . Collier, V-Weapons, 58 ; Collier, UK, 361, 363,

364 ; Hill, 5588, 5589 .

20 . Collier, V-Weapons, 59; Collier, UK, 361, 365; Hill, 5588, 5589 .

21 . Joubert, 84, 110 ; Irving, 193, 199; Interrogation Karl Thalen, Kassel, 10 and 21 July 1945, "V-1

Development and Test Programs," 10 August 1945, 2 [AFSHRC-519.619-201 ; Kay, 6 . Another figure

is a planned rate of 6,000 to 9,000 per month. United States Strategic Bombing Survey, V-Weapons

(Crossbow) Campaign, January 1947, 2nd edition, 214.

22 . Heifers, 7-9 ; Headquarters, United States Strategic Air Forces, Technical Intelligence Report

#31, "Report on V-1 Weapon by Colonel Eberhardt," 29 June 1945 [AUL-M28357, Vol . 111 ; Price,

87 ; Collier, V-Weapons, 20 .

23 Air Defence GB, 83 ; Heifers, 28-30 ; Collier, V-Weapons, 69, 71-75 ; Hill, 5591 ; Irving, 233 ;

Pocock, 48 .

24 Hill, 5591, 5592 ; Pocock, 48 ; Collier, V-Weapons, 79.

25 . Irving, 236, 240 ; Garlinski, 168 '

26 Pocock,49 .

27 Actually, other single V-1 explosions killed more 30 June, 198 ; 3 July, 124 ; and 23 August, 211 .

Air Defence GB, 210; Collier, V-Weapons, 12 ; British Information System, "Flying Bomb," 15 .

28 Air Defence GB, 92 fn ; Collier, V-Weapons, 83 ; Collier, UK, 377, 378 ; Irving, 242 .

29 Irving, 250, 257 ; Masterman, 253 ; Montague, 159, 160 .

30 . USSTAF, Armament and Ordnance Memo #5-7B, "An Analysis of the Accuracy of the German

Flying Bomb (V-1) 12 June to 5 October 1944," 1, 9, 25, 39 [AFSHRC-519.6522-11 ; Air Defence GB,

113, 127 in .

31 . Air Defence, GB, 127 fn ; Rear Admiral G P. Thomson, 25 July 1944 [PRO-AIR 20/60161 . Half

the V-ls fell within 71/2 miles of the mean impact point. J . B. Gordon to CG, AAF, 14 July 1944, 3

[AFSHRC-519.161-71 ; British Air Ministry, "Points of Impact of Flying Bombs, 22 June~31 August"

[PRO-AIR 20/42621 ; AC/AS, Intelligence "Flying Bomb," 3 .

32. Air Defence, GB, 55, 59, 116 fn, 117-122, 140, 147, 149 ; USSBS, V-Weapons, 19, 20; AC/AS

Intelligence, "Flying Bomb," 8 ; Collier, UK, 522. The Anglo-American airmen dropped between

50,000 and 57,000 tons of bombs on the V-1 launching sites, 38,000 tons on supply sites, 8,000 tons on

factories, another 8,000 tons on air-launched V-1 carrier bases, and 4,000 tons on Peenemunde . In all the

allies dropped a total of 115,400 tons of bombs on 42,612 sorties, or about 2.4 percent of the bombs

dropped in Europe by the AAF and RAF during World War If. One Allied airman asserts that the

bombing of the V-Is distracted strategic bombing for three and one-half months . Arthur Tedder, With

Prejudice (Boston, Mass : Little, Brown, 1966), 584 . United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Over-all

Report, (European War) 1, 8, 89; United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Statistical Appendix to

Over-all Report (European Wat), ll',The Contribution of Air Power to the Defeat of Germany : Appendix

1, Long Range Weapons [AFSHRC-519.601C, 71 .

33. Karlshagen E. T., "Erprobungsbericht FZG 76 Fur die ziet vom 18 .8-26 .11 .1944," 1 [NASM,

Reel 3585, Frame 6501 .

34 . The British calculated the V-1 failure rate at Peenemunde between 16 and 33 percent Air

Scientific Intelligence Report No 151, "Trials and Operation of Airborne Flying Bombs," [PRO-AIR

20/16611 ; ASI Report No. 5 ; AC/AS, Intelligence, "Flying Bomb," 6 ; SHAEF Interim Report ; Joubert,

97, 114 . The French put the launch failure rate at 33 percent, while the British believed an additional 20

percent to 30 percent crashed before reaching the English coast . Young, 89 ; Kay, 9; "History of

Antiaircraft Command," Plate 22 a [W-C3/531 .

73
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

35 . Hill, 5593 fn, 5594; Air Defence GB, 125, 126 ; Collier, UK, 374 ; Saunders, 165 ; Young, 70,

114; "Flying Bomb-Scientific Sub-Committee Report," 4 August 1944, 8[AFSHRC-Film #153, Frame

8758] . Experiments using methanol and nitrous oxide boosted engines added about 20 mph to the speed

of Mustangs, 16 mph to the Spitfire XIVs, and 6 mph to the Tempest Vs 10th War Cabinet Comndttee

Report, 28 July 1944, Annex IV [AFSHRC-Film # 154, Frame 9399] .

36. Hill, 5594; Collier, UK, 374 ; Mary C. Welborn, "V-1 and V-2 Attacks Against the United

Kingdom During World War H," 1950, 9 [AFSHRC-170.81-45] ; Operations Research Section (ADGB)

Report No. 88 [AFSHRC-142.0423-9] ; British Air Ministry, "Points of Impact and Accuracy of Flying

Bombs: 22 June-28 July" [AFSHRC-512 .6522-9] ; "The Speed of Air-Launched Divers" [AFSHRCFilm#155, Frame 12613] .

37 . Hill, 5594; S. B . 60093, 8/7/44, 5 August 1944 [AFSHRC-142 .0423-9] ; Air Defence Great

Britain Tactical Memo-Day #3/1944 "Destruction of Pilotless Aircraft" [AFSHRC-512 .6522-9] .

38. Air Defence GB, 126; Saunders, 165 ; Young, 70 .

39. ADGB Tac . Memo #3/1944; USFET, #38, 39 fn . Analysis of gun camera film showed that it

took a 7.36 second burst to down a V-1 versus 6 .06 seconds to down a German fighter . A.F .C . 166,

"Flying Bomb Type FZG.76 : Tactical Notes for Attacks" [PRO-AIR 20/3431] .

40. Hill, 5594 ; Air Defence GB, 121, 179 ; Saunders, 165 ; Collier, UK, 380.

41 . Hill, 5592 ; Air Defence GB, 131 .

42. AC/AS, Intelligence, "Flying Bomb," 8; Mary C. Welborn, "Over-all Effectiveness of First

U.S . Army Antiaircraft Guns Against Tactical Aircraft," 6 [AUL-M35044-2#42] ;

SHAEF/1029/4/ADD, "Notes on German Flying Bomb," 15 August 1944 [AFSHRC-506.6522C] .

43 . Frederick Pile, AckAck (London : Harrap, 1949), 330-333.

44 . Ibid ., 332; Hill, 5592, 5594; SHAEF/1029/4/ADD Notes, 26 July 1944 ; Collier, UK, 375 ;

"History of Antiaircraft Command," 60.

45. Hill, 5596, 5597 ; Air Defence GB, 133-135 ; Frederick A. Pile, "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of

the United Kingdom from 28 July 1939, to 15 April 1945," supplement to the London Gazette (18

December 1947), 5990. For another suggestion for a coastal belt see Spaatz to SHAEF, 11 July 1944

[AFSHRC-519 .161-7]

46. Collier, UK, 381-383 ; Collier, V-Weapons, 91-95.

47. Pile, 335 ; Hill, 5597; Collier, UK, 523 .

48. Pile, 334 .

49. Ibid ., 339 ; Air Defence GB, 130 ; AC/AS, Intelligence, "Flying Bomb," 8 ;

SHAEF/1029/4/ADD, 15 August 1944 .

50. Air Defence GB, 106 ; Ralph B. Baldwin, The Deadly Fuze (San Rafael, Calif. : Presido, 1980),

261-266 . The Navy first tested the proximity fuze in August 1942 against target drones (destroying all

three available with four bursts), getting it into combat by January 1943 . Buford Rowland and William

Boyd, U.S . Navy Bureau of Ordnance in World War11 (Washington, D.C . : Government Printing Office,

n . d.), 283 .

51 . Collier, UK, 523.

52. Welborn. V- I and V-2 Attacks, Table 2 .

53. Hill, 5599 . The fighters downed 23, the guns 65, and the balloons 2; 3 overflew the city . Chaz

Bowyer,AirWarOver Europe, 1939-1945 (London : Kimber, 1981), 171 .

54. Collier, UK, 523.

55. Welborn, V-1 and V-2 Attacks, 10 .

56 Collier, UK, 523 .

57 Cooksley, 186 ; Saunders, 169 ; Hill, 5601 . Some earlier figures indicate that the Tempests

downed about 1/3 of the V-Is claimed by the fighters, while the Spitfires and Mosquitoes each downed

about 1/4 . "Squadron Claims for Divers Destroyed" [AFSHRC-Film #153, Frame 8536] .

58. Hill, 5595 fn; Air Defence GB, 107, 108, 127, 128, 160, 167, 168 . On one occasion, probably

before the V-1 campaign, the British lost 80 balloons within a few moments and on 27 June 1944, 35 in

about that time . War Cabinet Committee, "Anti-Diver Balloon Barrage-Lightning Risks," 24 July 1944

[AFSHRC-Film #154, Frames 9449, 9451] .

59. In a study of the results of impacts of V-Is with 55 balloons, covering the period between 12 July

74
and 11 August, 19 parted the cables, 23 crashed immediately after the collision, and 4 exploded .

Estimates of how many V-Is the Germans equipped with this cable cutting device range from 10 percent

in the first month of the campaign to as high as 50 percent . Irving, 252; ORS Technical Report #3,

B .D .E . SB 90/5/1 "Impact of Flying Bomb With Barrage Cables," 28 August 1944 [AFSHRC142 .423-91 ; A.1 .2 (g), Report #2251, 10 July 1944 [AFSHRC-142.0423-91 ; Collier, UK, 523 ; British

Air Ministry, "The Economic Balance of the Flying Bomb Campaign," 4 November 1944 [AFSIJftC512 .675-31 ; Young, 93. The Allies considered and rejected a number of other measures to help counter

the V-1s . The British formed a committee to investigate how electronic jamming could disrupt radio

control of missiles . (The V-Is were not radio guided, but the Germans simulated radio traffic to fool the

British . Actually the Germans installed radio devices for tracking purposes on about four percent of the

V-Is reaching England .) Allied bombing of the German radio facilities and the overrunning of the

stations also helped nullify the German control infrastructure . Another British committee investigated

electromagnetic methods of fouling up the V-I's compass Other measures discussed included smoke and

flash deception, commando attacks, and kidnapping of German technicians . Some rather outlandish ideas

also emerged . An American officer proposed that heavy bombers pull metal cables and sweep the skies in

a manner similar to ocean mine sweepers . A British civilian suggested that aircraft drop cables with

weights, bolo fashion around the missile . The Allies also considered, and rejected, terror attacks on

Berlin and poison gas attacks on the V-1 launch crews . Irving, 242 fn, 243; LTC, QMC to Commander

SHAEF, 14 July 1944 [AFSHRC-512 .662-11 ; Air Defence GB, 37, 40, 93; Helfers, 28, 29 ; Hill, 5588 ;

Young, 73; Eugene Walter, "V-Weapons," 16 May 1947, 30 [AFSHRC-171 .3-111 ; "Radio

Transmitters in Flying Bombs, Revised Note, (22 June-22 July 1944)" [PRO-AIR 20/42621 ; F,A.A . to

Winston Churchill, 3 July 1944 [PRO-AIR 20/6016)

60. Hill, 5599; "Air Launched 'Divers' September and October 1944" [AFSHRC-Film #1191; Air

Defence GB, 113 ; Collier, UK, 389; Saunders, 167, 168 ; 19th Report by Assistant Chief Air Staff

(Intelligence), 22 July 1944 [AFSHRC-142.0423-321 ; Kay, 9; Young, 119; ASI Report No. 151 .

61 Hill, 5601 ; Collier, V-Weapons, 119, 131 ; Collier, UK, 390, 391, 522 .

62 . USSTAF, Armament and Ordnance Memo #5-7B, 9; AC/AS, Intelligence, "Flying Bomb," 3 .

63. USSTAF, Armament and Ordnance Memo #5-7B, 9 ; Hill, 5602 ; Saunders, 168 .

64 . Air Ministry Weekly Intelligence Summary #289 [AFSHRC-142 .423-151 ; Air Intelligence

Report No. 2321, 8 March 1945 [PRO-AIR 40/2167) .

65. Hill, 5602, 5603; Collier, V-Weapons, 134, 135 ; Collier, UK, 523.

66. Collier, UK, 523 .

67. [bid . ; Hill, 5603 . The fighters got 48 percent of those downed during the day and 53 percent of

those during the night, while the guns got 49 percent during the day and 43 percent during the night .

Balloons got the remainder. USSTAF, Armament and Ordnance Memo #5-7B, 144 .

68. Air Defence GB, 123 ; Collier, UK, 523 . The Germans expected the overwhelming bulk of their

missiles to get through the British defenses Two sources relate that in the early summer, presumably

1943, the Germans ran tests at Vicenza in northern Italy matching V- Is against 20 fighters, including a

captured Spitfire . These tests led the Germans to believe that the losses would be in the range of 10

percent . Nigel Tangye, "Flying Bombs and Rockets," Foreign Affairs (October 1945), 41 ; Bruce

Robertson, Spitfire : The Story ofa Famous Fighter (Letchworth, Herts : Garden City, 1960), 190.

69 . Of the 146,777 British civilian casualties in World War II, 112,932 were due to bombing, 24,165

to the V- Is, 9,277 to the V-2s, and 403 to the long-range guns . Collier, UK, Appendix L.

70. USFET, #38, 40, 41, 45; Headquarters Antwerp X Forward Operations Report #2J, 1 May

1945, Annex A [AFSHRC-539 .667-121 ; SHAEF, Report of 'V' Section, September 1944-Match 1945,

A,%USSBS,V-Weap0M, Is.

71 . SHAEF, "Air Defence of Targets in Belgium Against Flying Bombs," 14 October 1944

[AFSHRC-Film # l 17, Frame 429481 .

72 Headquarters Antwerp, X Forward, Report #2H, 4 March 1945 [AFSHRC-539 .667-121 ; Report

#2J, Annex A; USFET, #38, 40-45; Young, 129 ; IX Air Defense Command, "Historical and

Statistical Summary: 1 January 1944-1 June 1945," 32 [AFSHRC-539.041 .

73 . Cooksley, 185 . For a good secondary account see R. J . Backus, "The Defense of Antwerp

Against the V-1 Missile," MMAS Thesis, US Army Command and General Staff College, 1971 .

74 . USSBS, Aircraft Factory Division Industry Report, 115 [AFSHRC-137.302-31 .

75 . A number of secondary sources use a figure of 280 man-hours to build the V-1, which appears to

75

WORLD WAR II
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

be rather low Brian Ford, German Secret Weapons (London: Ballantine, 1969), 60; Rudolf Lusar,

German Secret Weapons of the 2nd World War (London : Spearman, 1959), 132 ; H. W. Koch, "Science

at War: Germany's Wartime Technology," 136 . A very early intelligence report put the figure at 257

man-hours ; S B. 60093, 8/7/44, 5 August 1944 [AFSHRC-142 .0423-91 . The United States version of

V- l (designated JB-2) cost about $8,080 each (less warhead) and about 1,047 man-hours, see below . Air

Technical Service Command, "Progress Report" [AFSHRC-218 .94-11 ; John S Vaugh, Jr . to B. D.

Meyers, 16 January 1945 [AFSHRC-201-46 V]; Mitchell to CG AAF, 6 September 1945 [AFSHRC201-46 VIII] . Three wartime reports put the figure between 800 and 1,150 man-hours . The post war

United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) study, estimated that the 100th V-1 cost 17,000 manhours, the 1,000th 7,500 man-hours, and the 10,000th 3,500 man-hours . USSBS, Aircraft Factory, 115 ;

Intelligence Report SD 375-1, 17 July 1944 [AFSHRC-170.2271-5] ; BAM, "The Economic Balance" ;

Air Intelligence, 2 (a) report No. V.1/44 , "Production of Flying Bomb," 26 July 1944 [PRO-AIR

20/3398] To translate this man hour figure into money is even more difficult Some secondary sources

use a figure of 125 pounds or $500, while others cite other amounts ; Wemher von Braun, for example,

states $4,000 . All authoritative sources agree, however, that the V-2 cost more, but exactly how much

more is again subject to a wide variety of opinions, ranging from a low of 3 times to a high of 96 times .

Garlinski, 10, 70 ; Irving, 24, 25, 314, 24, 25 ; Domberger, 94 .

76 Irving, 313 .

77 BAM, "The Economic Balance ."

78 John R. Propst, "Development of the German V-1 and V-2, 1936-1945," Air Command and

Staff School Thesis, 1948, 46 [AUL-239 .04348 Propst] ; Aeroplane Spotter (6 March 1948), 55 .

79 Memo: Director of Technical Service, ASC, USSTAF, 15 January 1944 [AFSHRC-142.0423-9] ;

Robert A. Lovett memo for H. H. Arnold, 2 August 1944 Subj : Pilotless Aircraft and Guided Missiles, 2

August 1944 [AFSHRC-201-46 III ; Air Materiel Command, "The Development of Guided Missiles,"

June 1946, 35 [AFSHRC-201-46 I] ; Delmar S Fahrney manuscript, "The History of Pilotless Aircraft

and Guided Missiles," n .d ., 800 [NHC].

80 . J B. Gordon to CG, AAF, 14 July 1944, 4 [AFSHRC-519.161-7] ; A.M .C ., "Development

Guided Missiles," 35 [AFSHRC-201-46 11 . For a general, undocumented account of the American V-1,

see Richard Hallion's, "The American Buzz Bombs," Aeroplane Monthly (November 1976) .

81 . AGWAR to SHAEF W-78828, 18 December 1944 [AFSHRC-Film #127, Frame N3168].

82 . K. B. Wolfe to O. P. Nichols, 31 July 1944 ; J . M. Gillespie to Deputy Director Air Technical

Service Command, 7 September 1944 [both AFSHRC-201-46 IV] ; A .M.C ., "Development Guided

Missiles," 35 [AFSHRC-201-46 I] .

83 . Arnold to Spaatz, 10 October 1944 [AFSHRC-519.8671-8'44] ; James A . Burden to Chief of

Engineering and Procurement, Air Technical Service Command, 23 September 1944 [AFSHRC-201-46

IV] .

84. Memo for General Bull, Subj : Status of JB-2 (Chinese copy of German Flying Bomb), 3

December 1944 [AFSHRC-Film #127]; T. 1 . 2003 Addendum No. 14, 18 January 1945 [AFSHRC201-46 V].

85 . David T. Griggs, "The Role of Controlled Buzz Bombs in the German War," 5 February 1945

[AFSHRC-519 .311-1] .

86 . E M. Powers to Director Air Technical Service Command, Subj: Launching and Procurement

Program JB-2, 14 January 1945 ; K. B. Wolfe to B . E. Meyers, Subj : JB-2 Large Scale Procurement

Program, 15 January 1945 [both AFSHRC-201-46 V].

87. SHAEF, Leigh Mallory, 5 October 1944 [AFSHRC-Film # 127, Frames N3198, N3199] .

88. SHAEF, Minutes of Meeting 29 December 1944 [AFSHRC-Film #127, Frame N3177]; A.M C.,

"Development Guided Missiles," 35 [AFSHRC-201-46 I] .

89 Spaatz to Arnold, 3 December 1944 [AFSHRC-519.311 -1 ] .

90. David T. Griggs to Edward L. Bowles, 14 March 1945 [AFSHRC-519.161-71 ; letter 5 March

1945 [AFSHRC-Film #1271 ; C. P. Kane to Office Liaison Officer, USSTAF, 3 March 1945

[AFSHRC-519 .8671-8] .

91 G . M . Barnes to Office, Assistant Chief Air Staff, Material and Supply, 30 September 1944

76
WORLD WAR II

(AFSHRC-201-46 IV] ; Wesley Craven and James L. Cate, (eds .), The ArmyAir Forces In World War11,

Vol . VI: Men andPlanes (Chicago, Ill : University of Chicago, 1955), 256.

92. John S . Vaugh, Jr . to B. E. Meyers, 16 January 1945 [AFSHRC-201-46 V]; A.M.C .,

"Development Guided Missiles," 40 [AFSHRC-201-46 I] ; USSTAF to War Department, 101342A,

n. d . (AFSHRC-Film #127, Frame N3156]; Craven and Cate, VI, 256 ; Fahmey manuscript, 807,

93 . AGWAR to SHAEF, W-25880, 24 January 1945 [AFSHRC-Film #172, Frame 1904] ; Griggs,

"The Role of Controlled Buzz Bombs in the German War" [AFSHRC-519.311-I] ; A.M.C .,

"Development Guided Missiles," 41 [AFSHRC-201-46 I] .

94 . A. M. C., "Development Guided Missiles," 41 [AFSHRC-201-461] .

95 . Air Technical Service Command, "Program Report of Army Air Forces Pilotless Aircraft as

Guided Missiles" rev . 1 January 1946 [AFSHRC-218.94-1) ; A. M. C ., "Development Guided

Missiles" [AFSHRC-201-46 I] ; Memo to Chief of Staff, 26 November 1946; Guided Missile

Committee, Joint New Weapons Committee, Subj : Correction and Addition ; Summary Handbook of

Guided Missiles, 13 February 1946 (both AFSHRC-201-46 III]

96 . The JB-2 cost about $8,620 (about twice the AAF's original estimate) . The weapon required about

1,047 man-hours (excluding warhead) to produce, a man-hour figure remarkably close to that estimated

for German production (above) which, in view of the relative condition of US and German industry in

1944 and 1945 suggests that the figure for German production is low. A.T .S .C ., "Progress Report"

[AFSHRC-218 .94-1] ; John S. Vaugh, Jr . to B . E. Meyers, 16 January 1945 [AFSHRC-201-465] ;

Mitchell to C.G .A.A .F ., 6 September 1945 [AFSHRC-201-46 VIII] ; Berend D. Bruins, "U.S, Naval

Bombardment Missiles, 1940-1958," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1981, 105 ;

Hallion, 571 .

97. By the spring of 1945, 6 of 10 attempted launches from B- 17s failed . The B-17 could carry two

JB-2s, but the additional drag and weight decreased the B-17's range by 500 miles . A one-fourth to onehalf reduction in range for the B-17, depending of course, upon a host of variables

98. A. M. C., "Development Guided Missiles," 38, 42 [AFSHRC-201-46 I] ; A.T .S .C ., "Program

Report" [AFSHRC-218.94-1] ; "American Buzz Bomb Now Gets in Air from 50-Foot Launching

Ramp," Impact (August 1945), 64; Memo to Chief of Staff, 26 November 1946 [AFSHRC-201-46 III] ;

Cooksley, 143 ; Guided Missile Committee, "Summary Handbook of Guided Missiles," 1 July 1945

[AFSHRC-145 .96-195] ; Joint Committee on New Weapons and Equipment, Guided Missiles

Committee, Evaluation Form No. 6, JB-2, 3 April 1945, 5 [NASM] ; Jane's All the World's Aircraft:

1945146, 213C; Gordon Swanborough and Peter Bowers, U.S Military Aircraft Since 1908 (London :

Putnam, rev . 1971), 96; William Green, Famous Bombers of the Second World War, [Vol . I] (Garden

City, N.Y. : Hanover, 1959), 36 .

99 . Memo for General Bull, 3 December 1944 [AFSHRC-Film #127, Frame N3159); AT.S .C_

"Progress Report" [AFSHRC-218.94-1] ; Guided Missile Committee," Abstract Report and

Supplement," 26April 1946, 31 [AFSHRC-178.2810); Fahmey manuscript, 805, 806

100 Griggs, "The Role of Controlled Buzz Bombs in the German War" [AFSHRC-519.311-1] .

101 A.T .S .C ., "Progress Report," (AFSHRC-218.94-1] ; Memo to Chief of Staff, 26 November

1946, [AFSHRC-201-46 III] ; G .M.C ., "Summary Handbook" [AFSHRC-145 .96-195] ; A.T .S .C .

Report on "JB-2 Pilotless Aircraft," 1 March 1946 [NASM].

102, In September 1945, submariners recommended study of submerged torpedo tube firing of V-I s,

and also considered launching V-2s from their boats . Chief Bureau Aeronautics to Commander, Naval

Air Material Center, Philadelphia, 26 December 1944 [AFSHRC-201-46 IV] ; Joint Committee on New

Weapons and Equipment, Guided Missiles Committee, Subcommittee No. 3, Special Weapons for

Operations Against Japan, 1 May 1945 [AFSHRC-201-46 III] ; Bruins, 122, 128-129; Fahmey

manuscript, 539, 544, 813. Norwegian sources reported seeing two German submarines in December

1944 fitted with V-1s . While this report circulated through American intelligence channels, no

confirmation exists . Colonel D. C. Doubleday to Director, ATSC, Subject : Transmittal of Paraphrased

Message, 6 February 1945 [NASM] .

103 . Bruins, 129-131, 141-145 ; Fahmey manuscript, 546-565 .

104 . Gerald Bolger, "The Aircraft of Jack Northrop," Journal of the American Historical Society

(Spring 1981), 86 .

77
EVOLUTION OFTHE CRUISE MISSILE

105 A.T.S .C., "Progress Report" [AFSHRC-218.94-1] ; A .M.C ., "Development Guided

Missiles," 43 [AFSHRC-201-46 I] ; Mervin E. Gross, "Guided Missiles," 8 November 1944

[AFSHRC-201-46 IV] ; P. F Helmick to Director, Air Technical Service Command, 9 December 1944

[AFSHRC-201-46 V].

106 . Northrop built 10 of these pulse-jet versions in addition to the I glider and 2 turbo-jet versions .

When the final cancellation occurred, only the 1 glider model and 1 JB-10 remained intact . A.T .S .C .,

"Progress Report" [AFSHRC-218 .94-1] ; A.M.C ., "Development Guided Missiles," 35, 44

[AFSHRC-201-46 I] ; G.M.C ., "Summary Handbook" [AFSHRC-145.96-195] ; G.M.C ., "Abstract

Report and Supplement," April 1946, 49, 52 [AFSHRC-178 .281D] ; Gross, "Guided Missiles" ; W. M.

Darling memo report, "Pilotless Aircraft, Type JB-10, Expenditure Order 448-18," 8 March 1946 ;

Edward W. Moore, memo report, "Pilotless Aircraft Type JB-10, Project MX-543," 28 November 1945

[both AFSHRC-201-46 V].
CHAPTER IV

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

Thus far, this narrative has centered on the technical development of the cruise

missile; rightly so, for this was the focus of the story until 1945 . But political

considerations and intraservice and interservice rivalry emerged even before the last

shot sounded in World War 11 . This competition occurred mostly between members

ofthe Army and members of the soon-to-be independent air arm.

The intraservice disputes arose as the airmen used the war to advance their move

towards independence . This is not to say that they put their interests above that of

the nation; rather, they saw the two as intertwined since in using airpower to win the

war, they could also advance the cause of air autonomy.' Senior airmen included

the guided missile in this effort . For example, Arnold wrote Assistant Secretary of

War Lovett in August 1944 that he wanted to get the JB-2 into action as soon as

possible to stake out another role for the AAF (Army Air Forces) .z A more

charitable view can be seen in a letter written by Arnold's right-hand man in

February 1945 that :

We [in the AAFl believe the JB-2 to be representative of a new family of very long range weapons

whose capabilities will profoundly affect future warfare and especially aerial warfare. We want

now to explore the possibilities of very long range missiles to the utmost extent which will not

involve a serious diversion of effort from the essential business of prosecuting this war 3

But as Chapter III indicated, the closest the airmen came to getting such a missile

into combat during the war involved the less-than-successful APHRODITE project.

The AAF also made considerable efforts towards winning autonomy at home .

The Air Staff produced a memo in September 1944 that, if approved, would place

missiles that were essentially aircraft, launched or controlled from aircraft, directed

against aircraft, or were alternatives or additions to bombers or fighters, under the

AAF. 4 Such a position surely did not leave much for anyone else!

A meeting between representatives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Army's three

forces (air, ground, and service), and the War Department's General Staff on 14

September 1944 framed the basic Army missile policy.' On 2 October, Lieutenant

General Joseph T. McNarney approved the document that served as a cornerstone in

the evolution of future Army-Air Force missile roles and responsibilities .

Because the McNarney memo recognized that missile development was in its

79
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

early stages, it maintained that exclusive assignment of missiles to one arm or

service was unwarranted . Further, the memo divided research and development

responsibility on technological, not tactical, grounds. The memo assigned all

responsibility for research and development of air-launched missiles and those

ground-launched missiles depending primarily on aerodynamic lift to the AAF. The

Army Service Forces (ASF) received responsibility for ballistic missiles launched

exclusively from the ground .e In short, the McNarney memo divided responsibility

on an evolutionary basis : winged missiles looked and performed like aircraft and

therefore went to the AAF, wingless missiles looked and performed like artillery

and, hence, went to the ASF. Although this solution appeared reasonable and

tactful, it sought to avoid the key issue : operational control . In view of the

accelerated JB-2 program, the issue could not be avoided . Consequently, in January

1945, Marshall assigned operational control of the JB-2 to the AAF. But as

subsequent events revealed, this neither settled the matter nor stilled the airmen.'

In February, the airmen proposed a change to the McNarney memo which would

give them both planning and operational responsibility for all missiles, except those

replacing artillery, close support aircraft, and antiaircraft artillery . In short, the

AAF wanted control of those missiles that supplemented or complemented aircraft .

In contrast, the War Department's G-3 wanted to retain the McNarney memo

guidelines for research and development, but proposed an operational division

which would give the airmen control over air-launched missiles and those missiles

used in missions of strategic bombardment, fighter escort, and distant interception .

At the same time, responsibility for missiles used for supporting artillery, tactical

bombardment, and antiaircraft guns would be split between the AAF and Army

Ground Forces (AGF). The AGF, supported by the War Department General Staff

Operations Plans Division, opposed this scheme, thereby forcing G-3 to revise

slightly its proposal which the airmen supported for political reasons . 8 Marshall,

however, maintained his position that the McNarney memo would guide research

and development and that operational assignments would be made only after

missiles developed sufficiently to be compared to mission requirements . 9

Despite Marshall's position, the jockeying continued . Spaatz proposed assigning

unguided missiles to the ASF, and controllable ones to the AAF, since the airmen

did not like the line drawn in the McNarney memo between winged and non-winged

missiles . Numerous meetings in 1946 failed to produce a solution . 10 The

participants realized the importance of the issue ; for example, in September 1946,

Major General Curtis LeMay, the first Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Research and

Development, argued that "the long-range future of the AAF lies in the field of

guided missiles" and therefore the AAF "must `stick to its guns' ."" In October

1946, The Army resolved the issue momentarily by placing responsibility for all

Army guided missile research and development under the AAF . 'z

When the airmen achieved independence in the fall of 1947, the issue of guided

missiles remained unsettled . The 15 September 1947 document creating a separate

air force gave the fledgling USAF responsibility for pilotless aircraft, strategic

missiles, and area air defense; it gave the Army responsibility for airfield air

80
defense . The separation agreement left unstated responsibility for point air

defense .

's

The issue of responsibility for specific weapons has since been reopened on

several occasions but never settled to the satisfaction of all concerned . Most of the

participants viewed missiles as evolutionary weapons, devices to supplement or

replace existing equipment . To the Army, missiles were a way to extend the range

of the artillery ; to the Air Force, missiles were a way to enhance aircraft . The

problem is, of course, that these activities take place in the same geographic area .

In summary, this digression points out that the issues of roles and responsibilities

for missiles were raised at an early date (1944), argued forcefully, but never

satisfactorily resolved .

Postwar Adjustment

POSTWARDEVELOPMENTS

One result of the massive war effort and service competition was that when the

war ended, the United States had 19 different guided missile projects in progress,

including both powered and unpowered missiles .

'4 By January 1946, that number

rose to 21 and continued to climb. Although the military revised the program in

1946, dropping many of the World War lI projects (mostly the unpowered air-tosurface types), they added new ones ; by mid-year, they carried 47 projects on the

books. The inevitable came in December 1946 when the Administration slashed the

fiscal 1947 missile budget from $29 to $13 million .

's

Such a massive cut forced the military to make hard decisions about their future

missile programs .

'6 The airmen cancelled 11 of their 28 guided missile projects, but

even more reductions were necessary . A study by Air Materiel Command

recommended that AAF axe the so-called "insurance missiles," thereby cutting the

number of funded projects to 12 ." Thus, USAF cut the number of surface-tosurface missiles from 12 to 7: one 150-mile, two 500-mile, one 1,500-mile, two

5,000-mile, and the BANSHEE missile. But in March 1948, the total shrank to

four: the Air Materiel Command BANSHEE, the Northrop Snark, the North

American Navaho, and the Martin Matador.

's

Air Materiel Command BANSHEE

In January 1946, Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker suggested that the best way for

the Air Force to press its case for guided missiles was to impress the American

public by demonstrating a missile having at least a 1,000 mile range . USAF

selected the BANSHEE for this task because it seemed best able to succeed.

8 1
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

Unfortunately for USAF, BANSHEE might be known as the son of APHRODITE,

for the device (a modified B-29) failed in its mission as had APHRODITE (a

modified B-17). Because BANSHEE encountered considerable problems, USAF

terminated it in April 1949 .' 9 The other three surface-to-surface missiles did

somewhat better .

Northrop Snark

In August 1945, the AAF established a requirement for a 600 mph, 5,000-milerange missile with a 2,000-pound warhead . In response to an Air Force solicitation

for such a device, Northrop presented a proposal in January 1946 for a subsonic,

turbojet-powered, 3,000-mile range missile . That March, the company received

one-year research and study contracts for a subsonic and a supersonic missile with a

range of 1,500 to 5,000 statute miles, and a 5,000-pound payload . Jack Northrop,

the company president, nicknamed the former (MX-775A) Snark, and the latter

(MX-775B) Boojum, both names from the pages of Lewis Carroll .z°

The 1946 Christmas budget reduction deleted the subsonic Snark from the AAF

missile program, but retained the supersonic Boojum. But the matter did not end

there . Jack Northrop personally contacted Carl Spaatz, Chief of the Air Arm, and

others, to save the Snark. He promised development in two and one-half years, at an

average cost of $80,000 for each of the 5,000-mile missiles in a 5,000-unit

production run . The noted aircraft designer and manufacturer contended that it

would take several years to develop the turbojet-powered missile, with 60 percent

of the effort going into the guidance system . Before 1947 passed into history, USAF

reconstituted the Snark program, slightly modified from the August 1945

specifications, at the same time relegating the Boojum to a follow-on status ."

Air Materiel Command authorized 10 flight tests of the Snark, the first by March

1949 . In July, General Joseph McNamey called the Snark America's most

promising missile project. But the Army and the Navy criticized both the Snark and

Nava4o for their high cost relative to their overall priority and unproven concept .

Even Air Force enthusiasm for the Snark cooled ; in March 1950, the airmen

reduced the program to the development of only its guidance system ."

The company designated the initial version N-25 . Larger and heavier than

previous "flying bombs," Snark also possessed much greater performance ; its J33

engine pushed it at a cruising speed of Mach .85 (with a maximum level speed of

Mach .9) to a range of 1,550 statute miles.* A B-45 mother ship controlled the

N-25, which Northrop designed to be recovered by means of skids and a drag chute .

The designers expected that recovering the test vehicles would cut the time and

money required to develop the missile .

Numerous problems became apparent in testing the N-25 at Holloman Air Force

Base . Despite a schedule calling for flight tests in 1949, the experimenters did not

-See Appendix Afor missile specifications

82
The first version of the Snark (MX-775) was designated N-25 by Northrop The sleek, tailless

missile successfully flew for the first time on 16 April 1951 . (USAF)

N-25 at Holloman, 15 April 1950 (USAF)

83

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

This photograph of a N-25 (#972) on 11 December 1952 clearly shows the "saw tooth" leading

edge on the wing. (USAF)

N-25 in flight . Although the first two N-25s crashed, the missile's overall flight record was very

good. (Northrop)

84
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

make the first attempted launch until December 1950. It failed . After another

failure, the first successful flight took place in April 1951 when the missile flew 38

minutes before recovery . During this series of tests, the 16 sled-launched missiles

flew 21 times, achieving a maximum speed of Mach .9- and a maximum endurance

of 2 hours, 46 minutes . With the conclusion of these tests in March 1952, 5 of the

16 N-25s remained .23

The prose description and a quick glance at a photograph of a Snark fails to

highlight the uniqueness of the missile . The Snark flew in a nose-high flying

altitude because it lacked a horizontal tail surface as did so many of Northrop's

machines . Instead of conventional control surfaces (ailerons, elevation), the Snark

used elevons . A profile view reveals that the missile also had a disproportionally

small vertical tail .

85

The sixth N-25 (#972) flew 81 minutes before it was recovered at Holloman on 26 June 1951 .

On 21 attempted N-25 flights between 21 December 1950 and 28 March 1952, 10 missiles

were recovered . (USAF)

To meet the toughest challenge for the program, guidance over the proposed

intercontinental distances, Northrop proposed an inertial navigation system

monitored by stellar navigation. Northrop accomplished the first daylight (ground)

test of this stellar device in January 1948. This was followed by flight tests aboard

B-29s in 1951-52. Between 1953 and 1958, 196 flight tests aboard B-45 aircraft

provided abMk 4S0 hots Of gQdance experience. The large and heavy (almost one

ton) guidance system worked, but not for very long . The company claimed that the

Snark could achieve a CEP* of 1 .4 nm. 24

In June 1950, the Air Force increased Snark requirements to include a supersonic

dash at the end of the 5,500 nm mission (6,350 statute miles), a payload of 7,000

pounds (later reduced to 6,250 pounds), and a CEP of 1,500 feet . This key decision,

increasing performance requirements, invalidated the N-25.

-Circular Error Probable (CEP) is the measure of average accuracy, that is, one-half the weapons will fall within that radius.
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Northrop therefore produced a new design . Basically a scaled-up N-25, the N-69

was initially called "Super Snark."* The company lengthened the fuselage,

sharpened the nose shape, replaced the external scoop with a flush scoop, and

increased the launch weight. More noticeably, Northrop added a larger wing .

Although Northrop slightly shortened the wing span, it broadened the wing by

extending it further aft, thus increasing the wing area from 280 to 326 square feet .

In addition, because wind tunnel and N-25 tests showed some instability in pitch

(pitch-up), Northrop redesigned the wing with a leading edge extension, thereby

giving the Snark wing its "saw tooth" shape.25 A J71 engine powered the "A,"

"B," and "C" models before USAF adopted the J57 in December 1953 for the

"D" models.

Northrop designated the enlarged Snark, N-69 Note the "saw tooth" leading edge and straight trailing edge on both the wing and shadow of missile N-3268. (USAF)

But testing was necessary before this could occur. First, the experimentors tested

three unpowered dummy missiles with ballast to simulate the N-69 . Then between

November 1952 and March 1953, they flew four modified N-25s fitted with two

47,000-pound-thrust boosters . In contrast, the N-69A used twin, four-second

duration, 105,000-pound-thrust boosters, while N-69C and later models relied on

twin, four-second duration, 130,000-pound-thrust sockets 26

But numerous problems beset the Northrop missile during testing . The Snark

proved unstable in all but straight and level flight . Northrop compounded these

difficulties when it took engineers off the Snark project to help the company's

ailing, but priority, F-89 all-weather interceptor program. Despite the reduction of

test vehicles to 13 (as of February 1953), the program exceeded its budget by $18 .3

million . The movement of testing from Holloman to the Atlantic Missile Range in

*See Appendix Afor missile specifications .

86
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

Side view of N-69C (GM-13107) showing the proportionally small rudder . This missile broke up

in the first terminal dive test on 6 April 1955. (USAF)

The failure of the Snark in terminal dives forced a change in concept and design to a

detachable ballistic nose with fin stabilizers . The new nose was fitted to a modified N-69D

(N-3296) and first flown on 26 October 1955. (USAF)

87
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

This rare aerial picture shows the launch of GM-11111 on 26 April 1954 (USAF)

As GM-11111 drops its boosters it shows the profile of the new Snark wing with the extended

trailing edge. (USAF)

88
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

1952, a move opposed by Northrop, also hindered the program . In fact, the slow

construction of test facilities in Florida restricted testing between 1953 and 1957 .

There were also powerplant problems because the J71 engine exceeded its fuel

consumption specifications, necessitating a number of engine changes . If these

problems were not enough, the first missile delivered for flight tests was in serious

disrepair .

GM-11111 crashed, 3,000 feet from the launcher, due to electrical failure . The falling boosters

can be seen in center and right of the picture . (USAF)

The program also suffered numerous test failures . The initial launch attempt on 6

August 1953 failed, as did the next four. On 3 June 1954, the missile flew three and

one-half hours but exploded on landing . While USAF recovered 10 N-25s on its 21

flights, the first successful N-69 recovery occurred on the 31st flight on 2 October

1956. The lack of recoveries retarded the testing of the N-69. Northrop completed

these tests by May 1955, well after the Snark's tentative activation date of April

1953 and operational date of October 1953 . 27

The problems grew worse. By May 1955, wind tunnel and flight tests indicated

that Northrop's operational concept, terminal dive of the missile into the target,

would not work because of inadequate elevon control . Five flight tests of the

N-69C, a nonrecoverable radio-controlled missile with fuselage speed brakes

(designed to test the Snark from launch into the target) confirmed these findings . In

July 1955, the Air Force accepted the company's proposal for a different delivery

concept involving a nose which detached from the airframe near the target and then

followed a ballistic trajectory . The redesigned missile (N-69C, modified) first flew

on 26 September 1955 . 21

These aerodynamic, cost, and scheduling problems brought the missile under fire

and generated unfavorable publicity. One bit of ridicule which outlived the, program

89
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Another view of the modified Snark wing, circa 1955 (Northrop)

Initial attempts to recover the N-69 failed because the skid system created adverse

aerodynamics . This N-69A (GM-3394) got to the skid strip but, because the rear skid was not

locked, crashed and exploded on 3 June 1954 (USAF)
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

The first successful recovery of the N-69 (N-3303) did not occur until 2 October 1956. (USAF)

Even with wing damage, this recovery of N-3313 on 16 April 1957 was considered successful .

Note the two landing struts and pylon wing tanks . (USAF)
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

dubbed the waters off Canaveral "Snark infested waters" because of the numerous

crashes . (In fact, to some, this may well be the most memorable aspect of the entire

progrAm .) At the other extreme, a Snark in December 1956 flew too far; that is, it

failed to respond to control and was last seen heading toward the jungles of Brazil .

As one Miami paper put it, with apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "They

shot a Snark into the air, it fell to the earth they know not where."" In 1982, a

Brazilian farmer found the errant missile .

Snark (N-3303) in flight with skids extended accompanied by a Northrop F-89 director aircraft,

2 October 1956 (Northrop)

Snark in flight . The missile flew in a nose high attitude . (USAF)
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

More importantly, Strategic Air Command (SAC), the intended user of the

missile, began to express doubts about the Snark by late 1951 . Although some may

suspect the motives of a unit dominated by bomber pilots regarding a pilotless

bomber that would take the man out of the machine, valid questions concerning the

weapon's reliability and vulnerability emerged at this point . As early as 1951, SAC

decried Snark's vulnerability both on the ground and in the air . On the ground, the

missile would be based at unhardened fixed sites . In the air, the subsonic (Mach .9)

Snark lacked both defensive armament and the ability for evasive maneuver.'°

Indeed, it is difficult to quarrel with the 1954 SAC command position, which was

"conservative concerning the integration of pilotless aircraft into the active

inventory in order to insure that reliance is not placed on a capability which does not

in fact exist . "" But some SAC officers in 1951 saw value in the Snark program as a

way to get the command into the missile business . Or perhaps they just wished to

make the most of a bad situation ."

Criticism of the Snark came from other quarters as well. In early 1954, a blue

ribbon panel, The Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee,33 found important

aspects of all three American long-range missile programs (Snark, Navaho, and

Atlas) unsatisfactory. The committee concluded that, in general, the missiles' CEPs

were outdated and their bases were vulnerable. The panel assessed the Snark as an

"overly complex" missile which would not become operational until

"substantially later" than scheduled .

The panel went on to make three recommendations. First, it recommended that

USAF employ a variety of means to assist heavy bombers: area decoys, local

decoys, and ECM (electronics countermeasures) . Second, it suggested that USAF

extend missile CEP requirements from one quarter nm to three-to-five nm. Clearly,

this relaxation made sense in view of the much greater warhead capability soon to

be available with the evolution from atomic to hydrogen explosives, and the

accuracy limitations of the existing guidance systems . (By mid-1954, USAF had

loosened Snark's CEP requirement from 1,500 to 8,000 feet .) Third, the panel

recommended simplification of the Northrop vehicle, entailing cancellation of both

the Northrop and North American celestial navigation systems . The committee

estimated that Northrop could produce a simplified Snark by 1957 with quantity

production in 1958-59 . 3°

But the Snark program did not appreciably improve . In fact, test problems

demonstrated serious deficiencies in the weapon. In 1958, General Irvine of Air

Research and Development Command (ARDC) cited the Snark as an outstanding

example of unwarranted funding ; and General Power, Commander of SAC, noted

that the missile added little to the command's strength. The latter wanted a

reevaluation of Snark in order to either correct deficiencies or terminate the

program.

35

But despite Air Force reservations about the Snark, journalists presented the case

for the Northrop missile in the aviation press in the period 1955-58 . They

emphasized the missile's major advantages, chiefly resulting from the fact that it

was a one-way, unmanned weapon. Besides not requiring a tanker fleet, advantages

93
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Launch of N-69D (N-3316) on 20 November 1957. Both the boosters and pylon tanks are

clearly visible. Because of a ripped drag chute, N-3316 was destroyed in landing . (USAF)

included fewer requirements for ground handling, repair, and safety . Snark's

advocates noted that it could fly as fast as contemporary bombers, could be

programmed for evasive maneuvers (so they claimed), and could be adapted for

low-level (500-foot) operations . Suggestions that would reduce prelaunch

vulnerability included rotating the missiles between sites (more sites than missiles)

94
and deploying them on old aircraft carriers . But the crucial argument for Snark

focused on low cost. About 1/8th to 1/10th the size of a B-52, the Snark cost as little

as 1/20th as much as the Boeing bomber . 16 Simply put, the Snark was cost effective .

Meanwhile, the program lumbered along . Northrop designed the "D" model

Snark as a recoverable vehicle equipped with a 24-hour stellar-inertial system. In

the most visible change, Northrop added two pylon tanks carrying a total of 593

gallons of fuel to the wing . The overall result increased the Snark's empty weight

from 16,616 pounds ("C") to 20,649 pounds ("D") and the gross flying weight

from 36,074 pounds to 44,106 pounds . The N-69D first flew in November 1955,

but did not accomplish its first successful stellar-guided flight until October 1956 .

The "E" model followed shortly.* While Northrop cut 2,000 pounds from the

"D's" empty weight, the "E" weighed 5,000 pounds more at gross flying weight.

The company first launched the N-69E, the prototype vehicle for the SM-62 (the

operational designation, "strategic missile"), in June 1957 (it crashed within

seconds), initially with a workable rudder that it later deactivated . An Air Force

crew launched its first Snark on 1 October 1957. These operations by SAC crews

illustrated the Snark's severe problems . Of the first seven Air Force launches, only

two reached the drop zone and only one of these impacted within four miles of the

aiming point."

The central problems remained guidance and reliability . While the first full-range

test revealed that existing maps mislocated Ascension Island, this meant little to the

Snark program because of the missile's gross inaccuracy. On flights out to 2,100

miles, the Northrop missile averaged a CEP of 20 miles. The most accurate of seven

Launch of SM-62A (N-3425) on 12 February 1960 (USAF)

*See Appendix Afor missile specification

95

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Launch of SM-62A (N-3445) on 16 June 1960 Because of flight control failure, it stalled and

crashed six minutes after launch. (USAF)

full-range flights between June 1958 and May 1959 impacted 4 .2 nm left and .3 nm

short of the target ; in fact, it was the only one to reach the target area, and one of

only two missiles to pass the 4,400 nm distance mark . Not until February 1960 did

Snark successfully complete a guidance trial . Based upon the last ten launches in

the program, the guidance system showed less than a 50 percent chance of

performing to specifications . In addition, the guidance system, along with the

control system, accounted for about half the test failures ; the other half were

attributed to random factors . Test results indicated that Snark had only a one in

three chance ofgetting off the ground and only one of the last ten launches went the

planned distance ."

Nevertheless, the Air Force began to incorporate the Snark into its inventory . In

March 1957, Headquarters Air Force approved the selection of Presque Isle, Maine

as the first operational Snark base; and that December, activated the 556th Strategic

Missile Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, the Snark's test site . The 556th

Missile Squadron completed the first Air Force unit launch of a Snark in June 1958,

shortly before USAF deactivated the unit . In January 1959, the Air Force activated

the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing* at Presque Isle . It received its first Snark in May .

But in November 1959, within a year of Power's request for a program evaluation,

SAC recommended cancellation of Snark (the recommendation was endorsed by

ARDC). Headquarters USAF, however, rejected that proposal . SAC put the first

Snark on alert in March 1960, almost a year before the 702nd became operational in

February 1961 . 39

But the Snark was living on borrowed time . Shortly after taking office in 1961,

John F. Kennedy scrapped the project. Kennedy, in his budget message to Congress

on 28 March 1961, requested the immediate phase-out of Snark,** calling the

-As the program shrank, the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing ended up operating the Snarks directly, without subordinate groups or

squadrons.

-The President also drastically rearranged other defense programs . He stopped further deployment of theTitan ICBM (Interconti-ental

Ballistic Missile), acceleratedthe phase out of B-47s, reduced theB-70 program from 12 to 4bombers(effectively killing it), terminated the

nuclear-powered aircraft, andcancelledthe plan to place Polaris missiles on surface ships.

96
missile both obsolete and of marginal military value relative to ballistic missiles.

The President cited the weapon's low reliability (a particularly sore point to his

Secretary of Defense), inability to penetrate, lack of positive control, and

vulnerable, unprotected launch sites . Thus, the Air Force deactivated the 702nd

Strategic Missile Wing on 25 June 1961 .^° Surely the unit's and Snark's service

must rank as one of the briefest in peacetime US military history .

The reasons for the demise of the Snark were linked with its air breathing

companion, the Navaho . Therefore a fuller explanation and summary must await a

discussion ofthat missile.

North American Navaho

Concurrent with the Snark, another cruise missile had its brief moment in the

sun . Compared to the Snark, the North American Navaho was much more dramatic

and ambitious . Although the two air-breathing intercontinental missiles developed

together, USAF planned to get the subsonic Snark into operations first, followed by

the supersonic Navaho. Eventually, both would move aside for ballistic missiles .

In December 1945, the Technical Research Laboratory of North American

Aviation submitted a proposal to the Air Force to continue German missile

research, apparently in response to military requirements issued late that year.

North American proposed a three stage effort: first add wings to a V-2, then

substitute a turbojet-ramjet powerplant for the German rocket engine, and finally

couple this missile with a booster rocket for intercontinental range. In April 1946,

the Air Force bought the first part of this scheme under project MX-770, a 175- to

500-mile range surface-to-surface missile ." In July 1947, it added the 1,500-mile

range, supersonic ramjet to the program . By March 1948, the program called for a

1,000-mile test vehicle, a 3,000-mile test vehicle, and a 5,000-mile operational

missile. In 1950, the Air Force considered launching a Navaho from a B-36, an idea

dropped the next year. Finally, in September, USAF firmed up the program, that is,

not further changing it . The Navaho program called first for the design,

construction, and test of a turbojet test vehicle, followed by a 3,600-mile-range

interim missile, and culminating in a 5,500-mile-range operational weapon. 42

USAF designated the first step, the turbojet test vehicle, the X-10. Two

Westinghouse J40WE-1 turbojets powered the X-10, which first flew in October

1953. The missile was 70 feet long, configured with a canard, "v" tail, and 29-

foot delta wing . Radio controls and landing gear permitted recovery . In all, 11

vehicles flew 27 flights . On the 19th test, the North American missile reached a

maximum speed of Mach 2 .05, establishing a speed record for turbojet-powered

aircraft .43

Unfortunately, problems hindered the follow-on (interim) missile, the XSM-64,*

and schedules slipped badly. In March 1952, USAF estimated that the first

-See Appendix Aformissilespecifications .

97

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The North American X-10 was the test vehicle for the Navaho project The missile's size,

canards, and twin tail are visible in this picture of 52-5 . (USAF)

acceptance would occur in January 1954; it occurred in April 1956, 27 months late .

Similarly, a January 1954 estimate expected the first flight in September 1954, a

flight actually not attempted until November 1956 . The first successful flight did

not come until well into 1957 . There was no single problem; difficulties seem to

affect just about everything except the airframe. The most serious problems,

however, centered on the ramjets and auxiliary power unit, the latter not operating

successfully until February 1956. 44

Between the summers of 1954 and 1955, USAF considered pushing the XSM-64

into operational service, but problems and delays in the basic program killed that

idea . The Air Force did accelerate the Navaho program in late 1955, giving it a

priority second only to that of the ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) and

ICBMs (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles), aiming to get the intercontinentalrange missile operational by October 1960.4s

The XSM-64 resembled the X-10 in size and configuration . The big difference

was a 76-foot, 3-inch long booster that was used piggy-back fashion with the XSM64 . Together, the two measured 82 feet 5 inches in length and were launched

vertically . 46

As impressive as the XSM-64 looked on paper and to the eye, in reality the

system proved far different . The XSM-64 flight tests disappointed all, earning the

project the uncomplimentary appellation, "Never go, Navaho." The first XSM-64

launch attempted in November 1956 ended in failure after a mere 26 seconds of

flight . Ten unsuccessful launch attempts occurred before a second Navaho got

airborne on 22 March 1957, for four minutes and 39 seconds . A 25 April attempt

ended in an explosion seconds after liftoff, while a fourth flight on 26 June 1957

lasted a mere four minutes and 29 seconds .47

98
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

Takeoff of X-10 (GM 52-5) on 24 September 1958 This missile flew two successful tests in

1956; but on this test as a Bomarc target, it failed to engage the runway barrier, ran off the

runway, and burned (USAF)

99
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

X-10 (GM-19308) in flight (USAF)

Little wonder then, with the lack of positive results, cost pressures, schedules

slippages, and increasing competition from ballistic missiles, that USAF cancelled

the program a few weeks later in early July 1957 . The Air Force did authorize up to

five more XSM-64 flights at a cost not to exceed $5 million . These tests, "Fly

Five," occurred between 12 August 1957 and 25 February 1958 . Although harassed

by problems and failures, the vehicle exceeded Mach 3, with the longest flight

lasting 42 minutes and 24 seconds . The final Navaho tests consisted of two launches

in project RISE (Research in Supersonic Environment), which were equally

unsuccessful . On the first flight on 11 September 1958, the ramjets did not start and

on the second and last flight on 18 November 1958, the missile broke up at 77,000

feet . It cost the taxpayers over $700 million to gain less than 1'/z hours of flight

time . So ended the Navaho project.°a

Nevertheless, USAF saw the Navaho project as a leap forward in the state of the

art of missile technology. The Navaho required new technology that resulted in a

complex missile. For example, aerodynamic heating (300° at Mach 2 and 660° at

Mach 3) demanded new materials . North American used titanium alloys, much

stronger than aluminum and yet 40 percent lighter than steel, as well as precious and

rare metals at contact points on much of the electrical gear. Other untested

technology and areas of risk included the canard configuration, ramjets, guidance,

and the massive rocket booster . The situation required North American to develop

and then manufacture these various pieces of new technology concurrently .°9

On the positive side, although the Navaho did not get into service, some of its

components did . Some went into other equally unsuccessful North American

100
The Navaho was larger than the X-10, and

launched vertically . Here, it is lowered for

mating to its booster on 5 March 1957.

(USAF)

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

The next day, the pair were elevated to the

vertical position (USAF)

projects such as the F-108 and B-70. Others fared better . The Redstone used the

rocket engine concept, and the Thor and the Atlas adapted the engine. The Hound

Dog (see below), the nuclear submarine Nautilus for its epic under-the-ice passage

of the North Pole, and the Navy's A3J-1 Vigilante bomber, all adapted the

Navaho's inertial autonavigation system. 5° Therefore, while the Navaho proved

costly, the program did have positive benefits .

But those successful adaptations cannot obscure the fact that Snark and Navaho

failed to produce anywhere near the expected results . A number of reasons account

for their demise. First and foremost, the technology of the day could not meet the

ambitious requirements of accurately and reliably flying 5,000 miles over many

hours without the intervention of pilot or navigator . Therefore, many of the missiles

crashed or performed unreliably .

Second, the manufacturers failed to master the situation . Overly optimistic

estimates and loose management led to cost overruns and schedule slippages . Allin-all, the record of American industry in these two programs is not a glorious one,

for the private sector failed to produce a viable weapon despite promise, priority,

and considerable money. One student of the US missile program sums up the dismal

story : "At the end the Snark was a technological delinquent made up of

indifferently compatible subsystems ."" The same, of course, applies to the

Navaho . The inability to recognize these technological defects early enough and

appropriately respond, Robert Perry asserts, helps explain the fate of both.

Significantly, he found no evidence that financial factors hurt either program.

Crashes may be an unfortunate part of the process of gaining aeronautical

knowledge and perfecting a new technology, but the chronic failures and crashes of
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISF MISSILE

The third Navaho (AF 53-8272), "launched" on 25 April 1957, fell back on the pad and

exploded (USAF)

The last Navaho launch was in the RISE program on 18 November 1958 It broke up at 77,000

feet (USAF)

102
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

the Snarks and Navahos revealed severe deficiencies of missile technology, design,

and production ."

These problems* delayed the development of the cruise missile, thereby

upsetting the sequence which planned for the cruise missile to precede, not coincide

with the ballistic missiles . This coincidence in timing led to competition between

the two types of missiles, the third factor in the demise of the Snark and Navaho .

For the ballistic missile proved it could do the same job as the cruise missile, and do

it better . In the final analysis, the cruise missile just could not successfully compete

with either the old and proven technology (bomber) or the new and unproven one

(ICBM).

At this time, the cruise missile seemed to offer only two advantages over the

manned bomber. First, it appeared to be cheaper. "Appeared," because a lower

percentage of cruise missiles launched would have penetrated to the target than

bombers, and those that did would have impacted further from the aiming point than

would bomber weapons. Second, man was not put at risk, a very important

consideration in the American style of warfare that emphasized reliance on

machines to minimize risk to men.

But the list of disadvantages overwhelm these two advantages . The technology

of the 1950s produced a cruise missile that looked like an aircraft, but which

performed less well . Cruise missiles could fly as high and as fast as bombers, and

far enough, but they lagged in a number of other areas . First, compared with the

bomber, they were inflexible . A bomber can be recalled, rerouted in flight, used as

a show of force, or used in a nonnuclear conflict . It can hit numerous targets, targets

of opportunity, and report back its observations . The bomber is reusable . Second,

cruise missiles were vulnerable . They could not defend themselves with either

maneuver or active defenses, as they essentially fly straight and level at a constant

speed . Third, cruise missile accuracy was much less than that of abomber. Fourth,

taking man out of the loop with this level of technology left serious reliability

problems . In contrast, bombs and bombers were proven, reliable weapons. As

General LeMay put it, missiles could not replace bombers because missiles could

not think.

Moreover, the airmen's prejudice against the unmanned weapon cannot be

overlooked . As one Air Force officer wrote in 1954:

Unfortunately, the actual reaction within the Air Force [to the guided missile] appears to be the

exact opposite of that which might logically be expected . The attitude of Air Force personnel,

individually throughout the Air Force and collectively in the major commands, seems to best be

described as a combination of skepticism, indecision, and indifference . This is a sweeping

statement, but it appears to be well supported by the facts .

53

General Thomas D. White, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, agreed. In a

commander's conference in 1957, he noted that some believed the airmen to be as

wedded to the airplane as the cavalrymen was to the horse . "The senior Air Force

`The new requirements that swept the N-25 aside for the larger and more difficult N-69 also hurt the Snark program As a result the

program lost considerable time (38 months between the first flight of each) This overstates the impact somewhat, however, as difficulties with the guidance system as well as airframe sank the program

103
EVOLUTION OF'rtiF ('RI IISF MISS If

officer's dedication to the airplane is deeply ingrained. and rightly so," White told

the generals, "but we must never permit this to result in a battleship attitude . We

cannot afford to ignore the hasic precept that all truths change with time."" He

admitted that USAF belatedly reahr.ed the potential of missiles and insisted that his

top commanders remain flexible and ready to adopt superior technologies, once

proved . White put forth a guide (namely, the USAF position) for top level thinking

and activities regarding missiles . First, USAF must admit that the missile was here

to stay since it should he a highly effective weapon . Second . USAF wants to get

into the missile business as quickly as possible despite the constraints of money and

technology . Third, once missiles proved themselves they would be quickly

integrated into the Air Force ." Finally, White commented that cruise missiles were

inferior to ballistic missiles : many rnissilemen saw the air breathers as nothing more

than a stopgap weapon .

s`'

Nevertheless, the intercontinental hallistic missile also got off to a slow start. The

Convair Atlas began in 1945, but the program dried up in 1947 due to restricted

funds and low priorities . Although subsequently revived, it was clearly secondary

to USAF's two cruise missiles as made clear by missile funding . During fiscal years

1951 through 1954 . the Atlas program received $26 .2 million, while the Snark and

Navaho got a total of $450 million . Prior to 1952 or 1953, the Air Force favored the

winged cruise missile over the wingless ballistic missile despite quantitative studies

indicating that the former would he less accurate and dependable, as well as more

costly than the latter . The primary reasons for this situation seemed to be emotional

and cultural resistance . As one student of the missile program of these years writes :

The ballistic missiles overcame the cruise missiles in the late 1950s Here a Thor IRBM is

prepared for its first flight on 23 January 1957 (USAF)

104
The first American ICBM to fly was this Atlas on 11 June 1957. (USAF)

105

POST WAR DEVELOPMENTS
To people who had grown up with the manned bombers before and during World War 11 and who

had mostly stayed with them through the early part of the next decade, a cruise missile was a less

painful and certainly a less abrupt departure from what they were familiar with than would be a

totally alien ballistic missile . Those who favored the evolutionary approach to the creation of a

new generation of weapons, predominantly missiles, were people to whom aircraft had a meaning

as a way oflife, a symbol, a preferred means ofperforming a military assignment .

57

Emotion did give way to reality . In October 1953, the Air Force learned that a

megaton-class warhead weighing 1,500 to 3,000 pounds would become available

shortly, making the ICBM much more feasible and encouraging its development .

Studies conducted in December 1953 and February 1954 indicated that the Atlas

could be operational by 1960. Probably as important, the decisionmakers learned

of the energetic Soviet efforts in the ICBM field and thus, in July 1954, the Air

Force assigned the highest priority to ballistic missiles. Despite the clamor over

Sputnik, launched in October 1957, and fears of a missile gap, the Russian ICBM

missile threat proved, in retrospect, to be overstated. Regardless, the American

ICBM program got the top level support it required . As a result, the Americans

launched their first medium-range ballistic missile (Thor) in January 1957, the first

Atlas in June 1957, and the first Titan (another liquid-fueled ICBM) in February

1959. The Atlas became operational in September 1959 and went on alert in

October, five months before the Snark." The ballistic missile had passed the cruise

missile . There were significant performance differences as well .

The first Titan ICBM flight was on 6 February 1959 . (USAF)

EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

106
Another important ballistic missile was the Navy's Polaris . (USAF)

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

At first glance, the two appeared to have relatively comparable capabilities ; that

is, they both could deliver nuclear warheads over intercontinental distances . But

closer examination of these weapons systems reveals something else. In the 1950s,

the ICBMs had an edge in accuracy due primarily to their much shorter flight time .

(Inertial guidance accuracy depends on flight time, the longer the flight the less

accuracy .) Second, the Snark and Navaho test record indicates that their reliability

was also substantially less than that of the ICBM's. Probably the only major

advantage the cruise missile had over the ICBM was cost.

Three additional factors probably explain the triumph of the ICBM over the

cruise missile . First, the ICBM got to the target much faster than did the cruise

missile, in minutes as compared to hours. (A rough estimate for the time required to

fly the 5,000 to 6,000-mile mission would be on the order of one-half hour for the

ICBM, compared to the Snark's 10 to 11 hours .) Second, once launched the ICBM

was invulnerable to countermeasures, while the cruise missile could be downed by

fighters and, increasingly after 1960, by surface-to-air missiles . A third factor was

political-psychological . While the ICBM was a new weapon, the cruise missile

physically resembled the bomber. Perhaps the greatest impetus was psychological .

The fact that the Soviets had made so much of the Sputnik forced the United States

to counter with some sort of equally modern and impressive weapon. So, for

domestic and foreign political/psychological reasons, the United States needed

ballistic missiles.

In the end, American industry failed to produce a cost-effective cruise missile

relative to either the bomber or ballistic missile. In contrast, industry successfully,

if not brilliantly, managed the ballistic missile program-which accounts for much

of the ICBM's success . As a consequence, the land- and sea-based ballistic missiles

took over the field of strategic missile delivery, which they continue to dominate .

Cruise missiles, however, served well in other roles .

The Martin Matador

The third important USAF cruise missile under development in the 1940s and

1950s was the Martin Matador. In August 1945, the AAF established a requirement

for a 175- to 500-mile range 600 mph surface-to-surface missile . Martin received a

one year contract in March 1946 to study both a subsonic and supersonic version,

but the military deleted the latter in December. Despite its subsonic speed, the

Martin missile survived the 1947 cut. In March 1949, however, the Guided Missile

Committee of the Research and Development Board recommended its elimination .

The Matador continued, although USAF cut it back in August 1949. The Air Force

rescinded that decision in December 1949 and then in September 1950 gave the

missile top priority, no doubt because of the Korean War.`

108
-See Appendix A for rmsade apcldICduons

10 9

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

The Martin Matador was smaller than the Snark, and launched from a mobile launcher It flew

successfully for the first time on 19 January 1949 at Ho!loman Air Force Base . (USAF)

The Matador possessed about the same size and looks as a contemporary jet

fighter.* A booster generating 57,000 pounds of thrust for 2 .4 seconds got the

12,000-pound missile airborne and up to a flying speed of 200 mph from a zerolength launcher.e° Powered by a 4,600-pound-thrust .133-A-37 engine, the missile

(designated TM-61 A) carried a 3,000-pound warhead over 650 mph to a maximum

range of 620 miles .61

Testing of the Matador began at Holloman Air Force Base with the first flight on

19 January 1949 . Like so many of the missiles, the initial flight ended in a crash.

Testing continued with 46 prototype missiles until March 1954, then with 84

production models between December 1952 and spring 1954. Between August 1953

and February 1954, USAF tested a second series of missiles with strengthened tail

and wings to alleviate structural problems .°=

The Matador's guidance system presented another problem because the guidance

radar's range proved less than the missile's flying range. This guidance system

required a ground-based operator to track and guide the missile, which, with lineof-sight communications, limited guided range to 250 miles. In late 1954, USAF

added a guidance system called Shanicle and redesignated the missile "I'M-61C. In

this system, the missile automatically flew a hyperbolic grid ." Based upon results

of 74 TM-61Cs launched on the Atlantic missile range between April 1957 and

September 1960, USAF calculated the missile's overall reliability at 71 percent and

CEP at 2,700 feet . However, these accuracy figures included student launches ;
EVOLUTION OFTHECRUISE MISSILE

This Matador (#11042) launch on 17 November 1952 was the first for the B-61A (USAF)

instructors achieved CEPs of 1,600 feet . 64 But Shanicle still limited the range of

TM-61C to that of line-of-sight transmissions ; moreover, this guidance system

could be jammed. To break this dependence, the Air Force installed a third

guidance system .

The Goodyear Aircraft Corporation developed ATRAN (Automatic Terrain

Recognition And Navigation), a radar map-matching system . The company began

lab tests in March 1948, flight tests in October of that year. Martin showed little

initial interest, but problems with the Matador's guidance necessitated a change. In

The missile's JATO unit malfunctioned, . . causing the Matador to impact 400 feet

penetrating the missile . . (USAF) from launch (USAF)
The Matador had difficulties with the terminal dive phase. Here, GM-11081 is 175 feet above

impact at Grand Bahama on 4 August 1953. It was the first of the structurally reinforced

B-61 As. (USAF)

August 1952, Air Materiel Command initiated the mating of the Goodyear ATRAN

with the Martin Matador . This mating resulted in a production contract in June

1954 . 65 ATRAN could not be easily jammed and was not range-limited by line-ofsight, but its range was restricted by the availability of radar maps and missile

range . Although in time it became possible to construct radar maps from

topographical maps, ATRAN initially performed poorly .

USAF installed ATRAN in the TM-61B variant, nicknamed Mace .* The missile

differed from the "A" and "C" models in more ways than just designation and

name. Mace had a longer fuselage, shorter wings, and more weight than the "A"

and "C ." The Mace also had more power, with its 5,200-pound-thrust J33-A-41

turbojet engine and a 97,000-pound-thrust booster . It first flew in 1956 and could

reach Mach .7 to .85 over a 540-mile range at low level (as low as 750 feet), and

1,285 miles at high altitude . Because of these substantial differences of

configuration and capability, the Air Force redesignated Mace TM-76A . But these

improvements did not come cheaply ; the TM-76A cost about $250,000, compared

to $60,000 for the TM-61C . USAF installed a different navigation system, inertial

guidance, aboard a Mace (designated TM-76B) which had a range exceeding 1,300

miles."

Meanwhile, the Air Force took action to get the missile into the field by

activating the 1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron in October 1951 . This unit went to

Germany with TM-61As (Matadors) in March 1954 and became operational in

1955 . USAF deployed the Mace in Europe in 1959, and it served alongside the

Matador before the latter phased out in 1962 . Eventually, six missile squadrons

(comprising the 38th Tactical Missile Wing) served in Europe with just under 200

*See Appendix A for missile specifications

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

TM-61s and TM-76s . But the missile proved less than satisfactory . Missile firings

in Florida and Libya dramatically demonstrated low reliability and poor accuracy .

Nevertheless, the Matador soldiered on. USAF deactivated the last unit, the 71st

Tactical Missile Squadron, in April 1969 as the Army's Pershing missiles took over

the Quick Reaction Alert Force role . 61

In Korea, the 58th Tactical Missile Group became combat ready' with 60 TM61Cs in January 1959. It ceased operations in March 1962, only a few months after

the 498th Tactical Missile Group in December 1961 took up positions in semihardened sites on Okinawa . These two squadrons of TM-76B/MGM-13C continued

on active duty until December 1969 . 68

Mace launch on 11 February 1960 The 13-

61B Mace was larger and heavier than the

B-61 A Matador (USAF) Mace dropping booster on 11 February

1960 . (USAF)

Like the other guided missile programs, numerous problems beset the

Matador/Mace project. Production, engines, and most of all, guidance, were

especially troublesome. The Martin Company must bear much of the responsibility

for these difficulties . In 1953, the USAF Project officer wrote that the "Martin

Matador program was delayed excessively because of [Martin's] poor design,

inadequate testing, and difficulty in retaining qualified people.

"69 Throughout its

service, observers criticized the Matador for its low inflight reliability, high CEPs,

and questionable control over long distances . A 1956 study noted that USAF did not

develop Matador according to procedures and military requirements, but rather

devised the missile around existing components and techniques . Further, at the time

the Air Force initially deployed the Martin missile, the weapon had not

demonstrated operationally acceptable performance and required major

modifications . 10

Moreover, the Matador's limited mobility concerned the Air Force. With the

prodding of the Wright Air Development Center, Goodyear developed a

combination transporter/launcher . The new equipment cut both launcher weight

(from the original 40 tons to 17'/2), and the number of different type vehicles

required to support the missile (from 28 with the Matador to 2 with the Mace) . To

enhance mobility, Martin designed the Mace's wings to fold for transport (the

Matador's wings were transported separately and then bolted on for flight) ."
Navy Programs

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

The Navy was, of course, also interested in missiles. As already described in

Chapter III, the Navy was deeply involved with the American adaptation of the V1, the JB-2, or as the Navy referred to it, the Loon . Even before this activity, in July

1943, the Navy designated the Navy Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia to handle a

guided missile project code named Gorgon . In this effort, the Navy developed a

bewildering number of missiles, some rocket-powered (Gorgon IIA, IIIA, IIIC),

some turbojet-powered (Gorgon 1113 and IIIB), some pulsejet-powered (Gorgon IIC

and Pollux), and one ramjet-powered (Gorgon IV) . While most of these need not

detain us, as they are either rocket-powered or air-to-air missiles, three are of

interest to this study.

At first, the Gorgon IIC (also known as JUN-1, CTV-3, KDN-1) received the

most emphasis after the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) initiated the ship-to-shore,

pulsejet-powered device in May 1945 . By the end of January 1946, the Navy

planned to use the missile in combat from escort carriers and landing craft supported

by a production rate rising from 200 a month in December 1945 to 500 a month by

April 1946 . Except for its canard configuration and guidance, Gorgon IIC

resembled the V-l , with its 14-inch pulsejet mounted above an 18-foot fuselage and

straight wing which spanned 11 feet . After a catapult launch got the 1,688- to

1,984-pound missile airborne, it flew about 400 to 450 mph under radio control

approximately 60 to 90 miles to its target . The first successful flight occurred in

September 1946 In the late 1940s, the Navy tested 35 to 100 of these missiles."

Also during the 1940s, Martin built another surface-to-surface missile, the

Gorgon IV (also known as the KUM-1). The company delivered eight of the

conventionally configured and ramjet-powered missiles . It first successfully flew

after an air launch in November 1947 .

The last vehicle in the Gorgon program was named Pollux . It differed in two

ways from the Gorgon IIC . First, the builders mounted the pulsejet underneath its

28-foot fuselage . Second, the missile's wings (spanning 10 feet) were swept back at

a 35 degree angle . The 2,350-pound missile first flew in October 1948 . But two

months after its third and last free flight in December 1950, BuAer cancelled the

entire Gorgon project ."

Regulus I, Rigel, Regulus II, Triton

In October 1943, Chance Vought signed a study contract for a 300-mile range

pilotless missile that carried a 4,000-pound warhead. But little transpired until the

soon-to-be-separated AAF provided the impetus for the Navy Program . In May
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

1947, the Army airmen awarded Martin a contract for a turbojet-powered subsonic

missile which became the Matador. The Navy saw this as a threat to its role in

guided missiles and, within days, ordered BuAer to start a similar Navy missile that

could be launched from a submarine, using the same engine as the Matador (J33)

and components on hand. By August 1947, the project had gained both a name

(Regulus) and performance requirements . The Navy wanted the missile to carry a

3,000-pound warhead to a maximum range of 500 nm at Mach .85 with a CEP of .5

percent of the range. The vehicle would be 30 feet in length, 10 feet in span, 4 feet

in diameter, and would weigh between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds . *14

Another factor fostering the development of the Regulus program, and which

became increasingly important, was the Navy's desire to deliver a nuclear weapon.

The Navy's problem centered on the heavy weight of atomic weapons in the late

1940s (about five tons), just too heavy for almost all carrier-launched aircraft . The

Navy converted twelve P2Vs (twin-propeller-powered patrol bombers) for such a

role, but while they could take off from carrier decks, they could not land on them.

Only the AJ Savage could do both. The Navy converted the North American

bombers for nuclear delivery, but they were limited in range to about 800 miles.

Captain Fahmey, of World War II drone fame, proposed a pilotless version of the

AJ with a range of about 1,400nm. But the Navy cancelled this TAURUS project in

1948 . So despite mechanical and tactical limitations, the AJ represented the only

carrier aircraft capable of delivering a nuclear weapon in the early 1950s . New

urgency to develop nuclear delivery systems followed the Soviet nuclear test in the

summer of 1949 . Therefore, the Military Liaison Committee to the Atomic Energy

Commission recommended consideration of Regulus along with three other missiles

for this role ."

Certainly interservice competition complicated the missile's development .

Navy's Regulus and USAF's Matador not only looked alike ; their performance,

schedule, and costs were about the same, and they used the same engine . With

pressure to reduce defense spending in 1949, the Department of Defense (DOD)

impounded fiscal 1950 funds for both missiles. Because most observers considered

Matador to be about a year ahead of the Regulus, DOD ordered the Air Force to

determine if Matador would indeed work, and BuAer to slow development of

Regulus and fund a study to determine if Matador could be adapted for Navy use .

But the Navy successfully argued that Regulus could perform the Navy mission

better than could Matador. Regulus advocates pointed to its simpler guidance

system which required only two stations (submarines) while the Matador required

three . Also, the Matador's single booster had to be fitted to the missile after it was

on the launcher while, in contrast, the Regulus was stowed with its two boosters

attached. This meant that in comparison to the Regulus, the Matador would require

more men and machinery and that the submarine had to remain on the surface

longer, thereby increasing its vulnerability to enemy action . In addition, Chance

Vought built a recoverable version of the missile, which meant that while each

Regulus test vehicle cost more than the Martin missile to build, Regulus was

cheaper to use than Matador over the series of tests . While some of the Matador's

'See Appendix Afor missile specifications.
problems would doubtlessly have been resolved, the Navy insisted on a separate

program; and in June 1950, the joint service Research and Development Board

concurred . 76 The Navy program continued .

During the Korean War, the Navy employed F6F-5Ks as assault drones, but only one of six

launched scored a hit Here a drone clears the deck of the USS Boxer in August 1952 as its

mother ship, an AD4-Q, prepares to launch from the right catapult . (National Archives)

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

The Navy's Chance Vought Regulus I missile, similar in many respects to the Matador, used

the same (J33) engine. (USN)
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Two 33,000-pound-thrust boosters launched Regulus, which first flew in March

1951 . The first submarine launch of Regulus occurred in July 1953 from the deck of

the USS Tunny . After such a launch, the Navy guided the Regulus toward its target

by two other submarines and, later, with the Trounce system, one submarine .

Regulus could also be launched from surface ships. Cruisermen were enthusiastic

about this weapon which would extend both their offensive range and mission . The

lack of a capability to pass control of the missile from the cruisers and submarines,

however, limited the weapon. The Navy also launched the missile from carriers and

guided it with a control aircraft . Problems included booster launch (the launcher

weighed eleven tons and sometimes spectacularly malfunctioned), control aircraft

(which lacked adequate speed and range to do the job), and the entire radio control

system. Engineers resolved these problems but naval aviators, like their Air Force

brethren, strongly preferred aircraft and this preference may well have undermined

the Regulus program."

Regulus I, launched from the USS Halibut (SSGN-587) on 31 March 1960 The Navy fired

Regulus I from a variety of ships and it eventually served aboard aircraft carriers, cruisers, and

submarines (USN)

Nevertheless in 1955, Regulus became operational, eventually serving aboard

diesel- and nuclear-powered submarines, cruisers, and aircraft carriers . The last

versions of the missile could carry a 3 .8 megaton warhead 575 miles at Mach .87 .

Regulus phased out of production in January 1959 with delivery of the 514th

missile. The Navy launched perhaps 1,000, obviously including many of the

recoverable versions, before it took Regulus out of service in August 1964 .'s

Admiral Zumwalt calls that decision the "single worst decision about weapons [the

Navy] made during my years of service.

"79 But careful examination of Regulus

reveals few advantages over the V- 1 . While the Chance Vought flew somewhat

further and faster, American guidance was not much better than the earlier German
Regulus I in flight, 10 April 1956 (National Archives)

missile guidance system. The principal American missile improvements were the

nuclear warhead and increased reliability .

Another Navy cruise missile of this period was the Grumman Rigel . In May

1950, the Navy planned to get the Regulus operational in 1953, Rigel operational in

1955, and the "ultimate cruise missile," the Triton, operational in 1960. Plans

called for a Marquardt ramjet to power Rigel, whose all-up weight was 19,000

pounds with booster . The missile was designed to fly 400 to 500 nm at Mach 2.

However, because there were no facilities large enough to test the 48-inch ramjet,

the testers used a 28-inch version . This powered a six-tenth's scale test model which

first flew in March 1950. But the program encountered what proved to be insoluble

problems. By October 1952, 11 of the flight tests had failed . Therefore, the Navy

cancelled Rigel in August 1953. 80

With the demise of Rigel, the Regulus successor became another Chance Vought

product designated Regulus II*. In March 1954, the Navy planned to have Regulus

11 operational by 1957 and Triton operational in 1965 . Vought began design of the

supersonic winged missile in April 1952, receiving a development contract in June

1953. Thirty-six months later, the first Regulus II flew when, a i><s,ooo-po~~athrust booster launched the canard-configured missile. Regulus Il could carry its

2,920-pound warhead 570 nm at Mach 2, and over 1,150 nm at reduced speeds .

a l

One suggestion in 1957 was to fit wing tanks on the missile to extend its range.

The Navy successfully tested a recoverable Regulus II test vehicle in 30 of 48

tests, achieved partial success in 14, and failed in only 4. The government signed a

production contract in January 1958. That September the Navy fired a Regulus Il

-See Appendix A for missile specifications

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The Navy planned to replace the Regulus with the Regulus II A recoverable version of the

latter was very successful, shown landing at Edwards AFB on 19 March 1958 (USN)

The Regulus II in its first launch from a surface ship, the USS King County (AG-157), on 10

December 1958.(USN)
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

This view of Regulus II clearly shows its long lines and its canard configuration . The Navy

cancelled the missile in December 1958 (USAF)

from the submarine Grayback, the only such launching . The Navy scheduled one

other snorkel submarine to be equipped with Regulus II, along with four cruisers,

and planned in 1956 to eventually put Regulus on 23 submarines. But on 19

November 1958, the Office of the Secretary of Defense withdrew its support from

the program; and on 18 December 1958, Secretary of the Navy Gates cancelled the

project . At that point, Chance Vought had completed 20 of the missiles with 27

others still on the production line . The missile's cost (one million dollars each),

budget pressures, and the greater attractiveness of alternative nuclear delivery

systems doomed Regulus."

Indeed, a number of technological developments in the 1950s helped push the

cruise missile aside . The most important was a smaller and more powerful

thermonuclear weapon . Another development was in naval aviation . The evolution

of aircraft carriers, with such innovations as slanted deck, steam catapult, and

nuclear propulsion, allowed the operation of heavier and higher performance jetDZWeWA illelaft Off cmfiet decks. The Navy also developed the nuclear-powered

submarine and the Polaris ballistic missile.

Thus, the "ultimate cruise missile," the Triton, did not appear . It was to have a

12,000 nm range, fly at Mach 3 .5 at 80,000 feet, be guided by radar map-matching,

and deliver a 1,500-pound warhead within 600 yards of its aiming point . It entered

full-scale development in 1955, but never got into production.83
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

The Crossbow

USAF developed two other categories of cruise missiles during the 1950s: air-tosurface and decoy. During World War II, the AAF had paid some attention to

guided bombs but very little to powered air-launched missiles with the exception of

the air-launched V-1413-2 . As we have seen, the Navaho was briefly considered for

this role ; but there is little to refute the notion that in the minds of most Air Force

officers during this period, strategic air campaigns would be waged by the tried and

true : the manned penetrating bomber.

In the early 1950s, Radioplane responded to a USAF request for a missile to

home in on and destroy enemy ground radar . The government awarded a contract

(in March 1953) to Radioplane, despite the company's limited experience and

personnel . The GAM-67* had a low and straight wing and twin tail, and carried a

1,000-pound warhead . SAC planned to load at least four GAM-67s on their

bombers and launch the GAM-67s outside enemy radar range at about 34,000 feet .

Then the Crossbow would climb to 40,000 feet and fly at 480 knots to about seven

miles from the radar, where the missile would make a 30-degree power-on dive into

its target . Specifications called for 75 percent of the devices to impact within 75 feet

of the target . The weapon's estimated range was 247 nm .

The Radioplane Crossbow (GAM-67) was designed as an air-to-surface missile . It flew under

its own power for the first time in March 1956, about the time of this photograph . (USAF)

'See Appendix Aformissile specifications

120
Crossbow tests began at Holloman in December 1955, with the first powered

flight occurring in March 1956, the first successful flight (lasting 18 minutes) on 2

July 1956, and the first guided flight in May 1957. But because of financial

pressure, Headquarters Air Force cut the program back in November 1956 to

emphasize guidance. In addition to money problems, the Crossbow flew 50 mph

slower than expected and had less range than Soviet radar. Thus, the Air Force

Chief of Staff cancelled the project in June 1957. Ironically, the weapon had its

greatest success about three weeks later (26 June 1957), flying through the target's

radar antenna .1a

The bound Dog

In March 1956, Headquarters Air Force issued a General Operations

Requirement (GOR 148) for an air-to-surface missile for the B-52 . In August 1957,

Secretary of the Air Force James H . Douglas telephoned J. H . ICindelberger of

North American Aviation to tell him that his company had won the contract . In

February 1958, growing concern about both the perceived unfavorable shift in the

strategic balance and the increasing vulnerability of penetrating bombers prompted

USAF to accelerate the weapon that came to be called the Hound Dog.* The

missile, first designated GAM-77, then AGM-28, initially flew in April 1959 . 16

North American built the Hound Dog** with a canard, a delta wing

configuration, and an underslung J52 engine . The design requirements called for a

350-mile range and Mach 2 speed at over 55,000 feet . The AGM-28B carried a

1,742-pound warhead (four megatons) 652 nm in a high-level profile, 340 nm in a

low-level (1,000 feet at Mach .83) profile . A B-52 could carry two of the

inertially-guided missiles.l'

North American delivered the first production Hound Dog in December 1959.

SAC launched its first AGM-28 in February 1960; by the following July, one wing

was operational with the weapon, although the first airborne alert with it did not

take place until January 1962. SAC crews soon found that they could shorten B-52

takeoff rolls by using the Hound Dog engines in addition to the bomber's eight

engines . (Bomber fuel could later be transferred to the missile .)

Accuracy, while exceeding one nm at full range, was probably adequate

considering the four megaton warhead. But two other problems hindered the

missile . Reliability was a constant concern and in addition the two five-ton missiles,

carried on pylons, degraded B-52 flight performance .l1

Nevertheless, the numbers of Hound Dogs in the B-52 fleet rapidly grew from 54

in 1960, rising to 230 the next year, 547 in 1962, and 593 in 1963. By August 1963,

29 SAC wings were operational with the AGM-28 .

Hound Dog production ended in March 1963 and the number of operational

missiles declined in the late 1960s and early 1970s to about 308 in 1976. 19 USAF

'USAFlifted the name from the title of an Elvis Presley hit song .

'"See Appendix A for specifications .

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The North American Hound Dog (AGM-28) was a supersonic air-to-surface missile powered by

an underslung ramjet : The company turned the first operational missile over to Strategic Air

Command in 1961 . (USAF)

AGM-28 in flight over the Atlantic Missile Range in 1962 By August 1963, SAC had almost 600

Hound Dogs operational with 29 SAC Wings (USAF)

122
A B-52 could carry two Hound Dogs But the unreliable missile reduced the bomber's

performance, making it less than a success. (USAF)

phased out the Hound Dog in 1976, replacing it with the smaller (14 feet in length),

faster (Mach 3), and lighter (2,230 pound) SRAM.* The cruise missile had lost out

again to a ballistic missile .

The Buck Duck

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

Decoy missiles were the other major subdivision of cruise missiles developed

during the 1950s and 1960s. The decoys were designed to appear on enemy radar

the same as the SAC bombers, and thus to confuse, dilute, and degrade enemy air

defenses . Those responsible for the naming of the decoy missiles must have been

hunters to have come up with the names they did : Buck Duck, Bull Goose, and

Quail .

USAF planned to fit six Consolidated-Vultee Buck Ducks (GAM-71) on that

company's giant B-36. Unlike the rather exotic-looking Navaho and Hound Dog,

the Buck Duck was a conventional-looking missile, with a high straight wing

measuring 14 feet in span (which folded to five feet) .** While the Buck Duck

underwent both glide and captive tests in February and March 1955, there is no

record of any powered trials before USAF cancelled the project in January 1956 .

'Headquarters Air Force sent out a Qualitative Operational Requirement (QOR 95) in November 1963 for a SRAM (Short Range Atte

Missile) which first flew in July 1969. Boeing delivered the first production copy in March 1972 ; by 1974 over 1,100 were aboard B-52s .

**See Appendix A for missile specifications. 123
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

-See Appendix Aformissilespecifications .

124

The Air Force conducted seven glide tests

Convair designed the Buck Duck as a B-36 of the Buck Duck in March 1955. Shown

decoy Here, the missile is mounted on a here is the fourth, recovered with minor

B-29 pylon for captive tests on 16 February damage on 9 March. Note the missile's

1955 (USAF) parachute in the background . (USAF)

Slippages in the decoy schedule and the impending replacement of the Convair

bomber by the B-52 meant that the Buck Duck would have only about 12 months of

useful life . 9 '

The Bull Goose

The XSM-73 (WS-123A) Bull Goose was an intercontinental range surfacelaunched decoy missile. Work on the concept started in December 1952, although

USAF did not release a request (GOR 16) until March 1953, and did not sign a

contract with Fairchild until December 1955 .

The Air Force planned to field 10 Bull Goose squadrons and buy 2,328 missiles

in addition to 53 for research and development . The first squadron was to be

operational in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1961, the last at the end of Fiscal Year

1963. But problems with funding, the subcontractor's fiberglass-resin bonded wing,

the booster, and the engine (J83-3) delayed the program . 92

The delta-wing XSM-73 weighed 7,700 pounds at launch, including a 500-pound

payload .* A J83 or J85 engine provided the Bull Goose with 2,450 pounds of thrust

after a booster with a 50,000-pound thrust got it aloft . The specifications called for

a 4,000-mile range at Mach .85 with an accuracy of plus or minus 100 nm.

Sled tests began at Holloman in February 1957, with the first of 15 flights taking

place at the Atlantic Missile Range in June 1957. While five tests in 1957 were

successful, those in 1958 were less so. Construction of the missile sites began in

August 1958, a few months before the first Bull Goose flight with the YJ83 engine

in November. USAF considered arming the Goose, but in early December

cancelled the program because of budgetary pressures and because the Fairchild
The Fairchild Bull Goose (XSM-73) was a ground-launched decoy missile with intercontinental

range (USAF)

missile could not simulate a B-52 on enemy radar . The Goose program amassed a

total of 281/2 flying hours at a cost of $70 million ."

The most successful of the decoy missiles proved to be the McDonnell Quailmost successful because it not only became operational, but it served SAC for more

than ten years . USAF first discussed the requirement for such a device in October

1952, but did not initiate the missile until April 1955 and did not establish a formal

requirement (GOR 139) until January 1956 . The next month, USAF selected

McDonnell as the contractor. Flight tests began in July 1957, with the first glide test

in November 1957 and the first successful powered flight, which lasted 14 minutes

and covered 103 miles, in August 1958 The progress of the tests enabled

McDonnell to gain a production contract in December 1958, about the same time

the Air Force terminated so many other projects. 94

The GAM-72 (ADM-20A) was a tailless high-wing delta with four vertical fins .*

McDonnell designed the missile to operate at 35,000 to 50,000 feet, at Mach .75 to

.9, with a range (depending on altitude) of 357 to 445 nm . While eight could be

carried on the B-52 and four on the B-47, the normal loading was, respectively, four

and two . 91

*See Appendix A for missile specifications

The Quail

125

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Bull Goose launch, 28 August 1958. (USAF)

The Quail simulated the bomber in a number of ways . First, its operational

performance was comparable to the B-52; and it could be programmed (on the

ground) to make at least two changes in direction and one in speed during its 46- to

55-minute flight . Second, its slab sides and twin vertical ventral and twin vertical

dorsal fins produced a radar image similar to the bomber. In addition, the GAM-72

carried a 100-pound ECM payload consisting initially of a responder, later of both

chaffand a heat source .

A General Electric J85 powered the decoy and caused most of the problems on

the project, even though the same engine also powered the Northrop T-38. These

problems led to modification of the engine, one of the major differences between

the original GAM-72 (AGM-20A) and its successor, the GAM-72A (AGM-20B).

The latter used the J85-GE-7, which had eight compressor stages instead of the

seven stages in the J85-GE-3 . The GAM-72A weighed almost 200 pounds more

than the GAM-72, but had the same engine power and less wing area. Hence, it

carried less payload a shorter time and distance at the same speed. The GAM-72A

first flew in March 1960 . 96

126
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

The McDonnell Quail (GAM-72) was an air-launched decoy missile carried by the B-52

(background) . (McDonnell-Douglas)

Quail in flight It carried a 100-pound electronics countermeasures package over 300 miles .

(USAF)

127
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

SAC received its first GAM-72 in September 1960. By February 1961, one

Quail-equipped B-52 squadron was operational . USAF declared operational the last

of 14 B-52 squadrons with the device in April 1962, the same year it accepted the

GAM-72A. SAC had 492 Quails at its peak inventory in 1963 . In all, McDonnell

produced 616 of the missiles .97

But while the Quail served on, there were major problems. Reliability declined.

Improvements in enemy radar rendered the Quail less effective . In a 1972 test, radar

controllers correctly identified the B-52s 21 out of 23 times . By then, USAF

recognized that the Quail was no longer a credible decoy. In 1971, the commander

of SAC wrote the Air Force Chief of Staff that the Quail was only slightly better

than nothing 98 The General's candor may have reflected the fact that the Air Force

was already taking action to provide a more effective decoy.

Before turning to these programs, two important points require emphasis . First,

America's experience with cruise missiles in the 1950s and 1960s was largely

unsuccessful . Not only did the devices prove costly and unreliable, but they offered

few advantages over competing systems . Based upon this record, the US military

establishment's skepticism of cruise missiles is both understandable and well

founded . Second, those cruise missiles and their records were based on the outdated technology of the 1940s and 1950s . Dramatic technical changes in the 1960s

produced a more technologically advanced weapon.
NOTES

CHAPTER IV

POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

Data within the brackets indicate where the material is located . The following abbreviations are used :

Aeronautical Systems Division, Dayton, Ohio [ASD]; Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio [AFM]; Air

University Library, Montgomery, Ala. [AUL]; Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center,

Montgomery, Ala . [AFSHRC] ; National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C . [NASM]; Northrop

Corporation, Hawthorne, Calif . [N] ; Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C . [NHC]; Naval Air

Systems Command, Washington, D.C [NAVAIR] . The numbers following the symbols for the Air

University Library and Simpson Center are their call numbers .

1 . Both Arnold's impatience for action and his desire to have the AAF drop an ever greater tonnage of

bombs on the enemy, even if not in accordance with the prewar bombing doctrine, is evident throughout

his correspondence with his subordinates . Spaatz wanted the top American fighter ace to be from the

AAF. Spaatz's Daily Diary, I December 1944, Box 16, Spaatz Collection, Library of Congress .

2 . Max Rosenberg, "The Air Force and the National Guided Missile Program, 1944-50," June 1964,

18 [AFSHRC-K239 .046-15] . Hereafter cited as Rosenberg, Air Force .

3 . Giles to Bush, 20 February 1945, quoted in Delmar S. Fahmey, "The History of Pilotless Aircraft

and Guided Missiles," c 1958, 811 [NHC] Hereafter cited as Fahmey manuscript

4. Proposed Memo, 5 September 1944 [A.M .C ., The Development of Guided Missiles, June 1946,

AFSHRC-201-46 II] .

5 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 21 .

6. Memorandum for the Commanding General, AAF, Subject : "Guided Missiles," 2 October 1944

[AFSHRC-519 .861-81

7 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 23-24 .

8 . Ibid ., 25-27 ; Memo, I June 1945 [AFSHRC-201-4611] .

9. Memo for the Commanding Generals AAF, AGF, ASF, 19 March 1945 [AFSHRC-201-46 II] ;

William F. McKee, Deputy Chief Air Staff, Operations, Commitments, Requirements to CG USSTAF,

Subject : "Responsibilities in Guided Missile Program," 14 May 1945 [AFSHRC-519.8671-8 45] .

10 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 30-32; Mary R. Self, "The History of The Development of Guided

Missiles, 1946-50," December 1951, 15 [AFSHRC-K201-781 ; Memorandum for Deputy Chief of Staff,

21 February 1946 ; Minutes of Staff Meeting, 3 January 1946 [both AFSHRC-201-46 II] .

11 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 36 .

12 Ibid ., 36-38 ; Self, 14-15

13 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 97, 103-04 .

14 . Guided Missile Committee, Guided Missile Current Status, 1 March 1946 [AFSHRC178 .281A] .

15 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 78 ; Self, 42.

16 . E. M. Powers to CG, ATSC, 26 June, 29 June, 16 July, 21 August, 10 September 1945

[AFSHRC-201-46 II] ; Supplement to Project B-7 Postwar Research and Development Program, Five

Year Period 25 June 1945 Issue, 18 September 1945 [AFSHRC-201-46 VIII] ; E. Michael Del Pappa and

Sheldon A. Goldberg, Strategic Air Command Chronology, 1939-1973 (Offutt AFB, Neb. :

Headquarters Strategic Air Command, 1975) .

129
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

17 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 75, 78, 79 Self, 42-44 . Headquarters Air Force reviewed this AMC study

and missile requirements and decided on a program with the following priorities: (1) bomber-launched

air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles ; (2) surface-to-surface (150-mile range missiles) ; (3) surface-to-air

and fighter-launched air-to-air missiles ; (4) long-range, surface-to-surface missiles ; and (5) an interim

air-to-surface missile . On 18 June 1947, the Vice Chief of Staff of the USAF, General Hoyt Vandenberg,

approved the priority list . Rosenberg, Air Force, 117 ; Self, 45-46.

18 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 76, 79, 117 .

19 . Self, 11, 25-26.

20 . Del Pappa and Goldberg ; Rosenberg, Air Force, 76 ; Robert L. Perry, "System Development

Strategies : A Comparative Study of Doctrine, Technology, and Organization in the USAF Ballistic and

Cruise Missile Programs, 1950-1960," Rand RM-4853 PR, 1966, 30 . Hereafter cited as Perry, RM

4853 . Fred Anderson, Northrop (Los Angeles, Calif. : Northrop, 1976), 132 ; History and Development

of SM-62 (WS-103-A) Weapon System, Northrop Report NOR 61-103, 1961, 1 [NJ .

21 . Northrop designed the supersonic MX-775B Boojum to have a maximum gross weight of 112,131

pounds, fly 4,410 run into the target at Mach 1 .8 (or 4,325 nm at Mach 2) . Powered by two J47 turbojets

with afterburners almost at the wing tips, the vehicle was to be a two-stage affair . After about 1,300 nm,

a slipper shaped fuel tank would be dropped from the tailless delta-winged aircraft measuring 85 .3 feet in

length (104 .8 feet with the tank) and 50 .9 feet in span . Other proposed versions of the Snark included the

N-112 (QB-62) target drone, the N-124 (RSM-62) reconnaissance version, and the N-134 high altitude

model . Neither the Boojum nor these other versions were built . "The Northrop MX-775B Supersonic

Missile," June 1950 [NJ ; NORAIR Project Designations, 16 February 1956, 11-13 [N] .

22 . Rosenberg, Air Force, 113, 114, 117, 140, 149 ; Self, 86-89 ; Perry, RM 4853, 30, 31 .

23 . Perry, RM 4853, 33, 35; Anderson, 134, 135 ; "Standard Missile Characteristics, SM-62A

Snark," June 1960, 3 [AFM]; History Air Research and Development Command, January 1950-June

1951, 506 [AFSHRC-K243 .01 January 1950-June 1951] . Hereafter cited as ARDC History . Northrop,

Project Snark: XB-62 Pilotless Bomber, 3 [N-TL 55,235] ; NORAIR, "Snark Weapon System Program :

Historical Summary," February 1959, 6 [N-NAI 59-471 .

24. Anderson, 133, 134, 142 ; Robert B. Whitman, "Astronautical Navigation for Cruise

Application," Northrop, 1980 ; Snark Weapon System Program, NAI 59-47, 6; Northrop, Weapon

System Program Summary, GM 958, 46, 47 [N]

25 . The leading edge extensions boosted the wing area to 336 square feet A trailing edge extension,

increasing total wing area to 366.4 square feet, appeared on the "A" model in 1953

26. Anderson, 135, 142, 143 ; Perry, RM 4853, 33, 34, 37; History and Development SM-62, NOR

61-103, 21 ; Snark Weapon System Program, NAI 59-47, 7 ; Project Snark, 1, 5, 9 ; "Standard Missile

Characteristics : SM-62A," June 1960 and March 1954 ; GM 958

27 . Strategic Air Command History, July-December 1951, 20 [AFSHRC-K416.01 II July-December

511 . Hereafter cited as SAC History . Perry, 35, 36 ; Anderson, 136; ARDC History, I, January-June

1954, 199; History and Development SM-62, NOR 61-103, 8 ; GM 958, 27 ; Chronology of the Atlantic

Missile Range and Air Force Missile Test Center: 1938-1959, 86, 100 [ASD]

28 . Perry, RM 4853, 37; Project Snark, 7, 8; Anderson, 136, 138 ; Snark Weapon System Program,

NAI 59-47, 8; GM 958, 27, 44.

29. History Atlantic Missile Range, July-December 1956, Vol . I, 164-167 [AFSHRC-K241 .01 I

July-December 1956] ; Perry, RM 4853, 38.

30. SAC History, July-December 1951, 2, 18, 21 ; E. Michael Del Pappa, Snark to SRAM (Offutt

AFB, Nebr. : Headquarters Strategic Air Command, 1976), 3.

31 . SAC History, JanuaryJune 1954, I, 46.

32 . SAC History, July-December 1951, II, 21 .

33 . Members included such notables as J .B . Wiesner (M.I .T .), Clark B. Milliken (Cal . Tech), John

von Neumann, Simon Ramo, and Dean Wooldridge .

34 . ARDC History, January-June 1954, I, 198 ; Recommendations of the Strategic Missile Evaluation

Committee, February 1954, 2-6, 10 [AFSHRC-K168 .15-75] .

35 . ARDC History, 1958, 11, 325; Del Pappa, 33 .

36 . "Guided Missiles, 1956," Flight (7 December 1956), 907 ; Raymond M. Nolan, "Snark

13 0
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

Disclosures Fit With Carrier-base Plan," Missile and Rockets (March 1958), 42; Curtis L. Bates,

"Pilotless Aircraft: A Statement of the Problems," Aeronautical Engineering Review (April 1955), 56;

Russell Hawkes, "Subsonic Snark Adds Effectiveness to SAC Forces," Aviation Week (15 September

1958), 17, 19; David A. Anderton, "Snark Design Stresses Range, Simplicity," Aviation Week (26

March 1956), 46, 48 .

37 . Del Pappa and Goldberg ; Perry, RM 4853, 41, 42, 48 ; GM 958, 27, 54, 58, 59; History and

Development SM-62, NOR 61-103, 45 ; Chronology Atlantic Missile Range, 108 .

38 . Headquarters 6555 Test Wing, AFBM Division, "SM-62 Weapons System Evaluation Category

II Final Engineering Evaluation," 23 December 1959, 9, 15 [AUL-M40716-U#60-1] ; Perry, RM 4853,

40, 42; Anderson, 132 ; Ronald Huisken, The Origin of the Strategic Cruise Missile (New York, N.Y . :

Praeger, 1981), 17 .

39 . John Bohn, The Development of Strategic Air Command, 1946-1976 (Offutt AFB, Nebr . :

Headquarters Strategic Air Command, 1974), 72, 79, 86 ; History, Assistant Chief of Staff for Guided

Missiles, January 1957-January 1958, 25, 26 [AFSHRC-K168 .0321 Janutiry 1957-January 1958] ;

702nd Strategic Missile Wing History, January-July 1959, 1, 15 [AFSHRC-K-Wg-702-HI January-July

1959] .

40. 702nd SM Wg History, May-June 1961, 29, 31 ; "Text of Kennedy's Special Message to

Congress on Defense Spending," New York Times (29 March 1961), 16, 17 ; Huisken, 17

41 . Guided Missile Committee, Guided Missile Current Status ; Goldberg, Air Force, 76 ; Russ

Murray, "The Navaho Inheritance," Journal American Aviation Historical Society (Spring 1974), 18 .

42 . Goldberg, Air Force, 83, 117 ; Perry, RM 4853, 32 ; SAC History, July-December 1951, 24-26

[AFSHRC-K416 .01 July-December 1951] ; Self, 91, 92 .

43 . Murray, 19, 20; Dale D. Myers (et al .), "Propulsion Systems for the Navaho Missiles," NAA

Report AC-2463, March 1957, 2 [NASM] .

44 . Perry, RM 4853, 43, 45.

45. Ibid ., 42-45, 49 ; Del Pappa and Goldberg .

46 . Lloyd S . Jones, U.S Bombers B-1-B-70 (Los Angeles, Calif. : Aero, 1962), 214 .

47. Murray, 18 ; Perry, RM 4853, 45-47.

48. Murray, 20; Perry, RM 4853, 47, 48 ; Assistant Chief of Staff for Guided Missiles, History

January 1957-January 1958, 24 [AFSHRC-K168 .0321 January 1957-January 1958] ; Historical Office,

"Index of Missile Launchings By Missile Program, July 1950-June 1960," 8-3, 8-4 [AFSHRCK241 .04-1 July 1950-June 1960] . The proposed intercontinental XSM-64A was to measure 87.3 feet in

length and have a wing span of 40.2 feet . The vehicle had a canard configuration with a diamond-shaped

wing and a single vertical tail . Weighing 120,000 pounds at launch, the missile was to be powered by two

XRJ47-W-7 ramjets with a total thrust of 40,140 pounds . A booster weighing 169,500 pounds and

measuring 91 .5 feet in length would produce 415,000 pounds of thrust for 110 seconds to launch the

290,000 pound Navaho vertically in a piggyback fashion . North American designed the XSM-64A to

reach Mach 3.25 at 45,000 feet, travel 5,500 miles, and impact within two tun of the aiming point . It

never flew "Strategic Missile Characteristics : SM-64A Navaho, " May 1957 [AFM].

49. James F. Scheer, "Project Fantastic," Skyline (August 1956), 33, 37; Henry T. Simmons, "The

Navaho Challenge," Missiles andRockets (December 1956), 77, 78 ; Perry, RM 4853, 50.

50. Murray, 20; Perry, RM 4853, 50.

51 Perry, RM 4853, 48, 49.

52 . Ibid .

53 . Richard P. Klocko, "The Impact of Guided Missiles Upon the USAF," Air WarCollege Thesis,

1954, 9 [AFSHRC-K239 .0421-4] . For comments on similar attitudes towards RPVs see William

Wagner, Lightning Bugs and Other Reconnaissance Drones (Fallbrook, Calif . Aero, 1982), [iii, iv] .

54. General Thomas S. Power, Memorandum for General Knapp, Subject: "Commander's

Conference, Patrick Air Force Base, 30 September to 1 October," 4 October 1957 . [Document No. 5,

Strategic Air Command's Participation in the Missile Program from March 1957 through December

1957, Historical Study No. 70, Vol. II, AFSHRC-K416 .01-70 II M-D '57 .]

55 . Ibid .

56. S . L. A. Marshall, "Have We Been 'Oversold On Missiles'?," Army Navy Register (28
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

September 1957), 24; Michael Yaffee, "Missile Spending Spurred by Soviets," Aviation Week (3 March

1958), 93 ; Aeroplane Spotter (6 March 1948), 55 ; Propst, 47 .

57 . Robert L. Perry, "Appendix," 120, 119-121 (Monte Wright and Lawrence Paszek, (eds .),

Science, Technology, and Warfare: The Proceedings of the 3rd Military History Symposium, United

States Air Force Academy, 1969] .

58. Perry, RM 4853, 8, 9, 5651, 92; Del Pappa and Goldberg .

59. Self, 78, 82-84 ; Bernard J . Termena, "History of the Matador and Mace Guided Missiles,

1951-1957," Vol . I, 6, 7 [AFSHRC-K201-941] .

60. Martin rejected a catapult launcher and both a long and short rail launcher because of the

constraints they would put on the missile's mobility . C. J . Libby, "Zero Length Launcher," paper,

Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, 27 January 1955, 2, 4. [NASM].

61 . Termena, 2; "Matador," Missile and Rockets (July 1958), 114 ; Jane's All the World's Aircraft:

1955-56 (New York, N.Y. : McGraw-Hill, 1956), 292; Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 1956-57, 361 .

62 . Termena, 7-9; History ARDC, January 1950-June 1951, Vol . I, 507 [AFSHRC-K243 .01

January 1950-June 195111 .

63 . "Matador," Missiles and Rockets (July 1958), 114 ; Edwin B. Miller, Jr ., "Guided Missiles and

Pilotless Aircraft in Theater Operations," Air War College Thesis, 1953, 63 [AFSHRC-K239 .0421-1

May 1957] ; Major Anderson, "USAF Guided Missile Program," Air War College Thesis, 1951, 2, 3

[AFSHRC-K239 .716251-101 .

64. Headquarters Tactical Air Command, TM-61C Operational Summary, October 1960 [AFSHRCK417 .304-61] . On these launches, NATO crews firing before June 1960 achieved an average CEP of

1,700 feet, while those firing after that date achieved 4,150 feet . Nevertheless, Tactical Air Command

used a planning figure of 1,700 feet for experienced crews and 3,200 for new crews . History of 1st

Tactical Missile Squadron, January 1955-June 1955, 13 [AFSHRC-K-Sq-MI-1-HI January-June 1955] .

65 . Termena,25,31,41 .

66. Ibid ., 3, 4; "Mace," Missiles and Rockets (July 1958) ; Jane's All The World's Aircraft:

1958-59, 419, 420; Jane's All The World's Aircraft : 1959-60, 444; Jane's All The World's Aircraft:

1960-61, 461 ; Miller, 70 ; Huisken, 23 .

67. Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 196354, 408; Jane's All The World's Aircraft : 196455, 431 ;

History, Headquarters USAF Europe, 8 July-December 1959, 21 [AFSHRC-K570 .01 July-December

1959] ; History of 1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron (L), January 1954, ii, 3 [AFSHRC-K-Sq-MI-1-HI

January-June 1954] ; History 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, July-December 1967, B-IV-3 [AFSHRC-KWg-36-HI July-December 1967] ; History 36th TFWg, January-June 1969, A-3 [AFSHRC-K-Wg-36-HI

July-December 1967] ; History 38th Tactical Missile Wing, July-December 1965, 2 [AFSHRC-K-Wg38-HI July-December 1965] .

68 . History of the 58th Tactical Missile Group, January-March 1962, 6 [AFSHRC-K-Gp-M-58-HI

January-March 1962] ; History USAF Korea, 314th Air Division, January-June 1959, Tab 7

[AFSHRC-K-Div-314-HI January-June 1959] ; History 498th Tactical Missile Group,

October-December 1969, vi, 1, 8 [AFSHRC-K-Gp-MI-498-HI October-December 1969]_

69. Quoted in Termena, 38 ; also see 14, 16, 31, 35, 36 .

70. "Operations Analysis-Report No. 17," May 1956 [XO Concept Paper, AUL-M42107-34] .

71 . Libby, 8; Termena, 48, 49,37-60 ; Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 1958-59, 420.

72 . "Gorgon IIC," Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans, Guided Missiles Committee, Summary Handbook

for Guided Missiles, 1 January 1945 [AFSHRC-145.96-195] ; Fahmey manuscript, 501-506 ; Delmar S .

Fahmey, "The Genesis of the Cruise Missile," AIAAJournal (January 1982), 39 .

73 . Faluney, "Genesis," 39, 53 ; Fahmey manuscript, 506-509 .

74 . Fahmey manuscript, 1156, 1177 ; Berend D. Bruins, "U .S Naval Bombardment Missiles,

1940-1958," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1981, 150, 151 .

75 . Bruins, 154, 155, 165, 200, 421 .

76 . Ibid ., 158-163 ; T. Hechler (et al .), "Report on Evaluation of the Regulus and Matador Projects,"

7 March 1950 [NAVAIR]

77 . Bruins, 240, 241, 246-248, 254, 260, 512 ; Elmo R. Zumwalt, On Watch (New York, N.Y . :

Quadrangle, 1976), 81 .

132
POSTWAR DEVELOPMENTS

78. William B . Hendrickson, Jr ., "The Cruise Missile Returns," National Defense (September

1981), 38 ; Bruins, 212, 306, 332, 346; Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 1958-59, 411 ; Jane's All The

World's Aircraft : 1959-60, 430; Jane's All The World's Aircraft : 196"1, 448

79 Zumwalt, 81 .

80 Fahmey manuscript, 1114, 1194, 1205, 1209 ; Admiral J . H. Sides, "US Navy Guided Missile

Program," lecture Air War College, 9 December 1952, 10 [AFSHRC-K239 .16252-65] ; Bruins,

236-339,415 .

81 . Characteristics Summary, "Chance Vought 'Regulus Il,' " 28 February 1958 [NAVAIR] ;

"Regulus II-An Appraisal," 3, 8 [NASM]; Chance Vought, "Regulus II : The Mobile Supersonic

Long Range Surface to Surface Missile and Producibility," August 1958, 3 ; Jane's All The World's

Aircraft : 1958-59, 411, 412 ; RDB Project Card Continuation Sheet, "Regulus II, XSSM-N-9," I July

1954 [NAVAIR] ; Bruins, 319, 416 .

82 . "Regulus II-An Appraisal," 1, 5, 8 ; "Brief History of Program," n .d . [NAVAIR] ; Bruins,

303, 328, 331, 501 . Regulus was also considered for a ground launch role In May 1953 the Army

expressed interest but was thwarted by the USAF. Four years later, Regulus II was considered for the

same role by some of the NATO Allies Bruins, 204, 205, 211, 328, 329 .

83 . Bruins, 517 .

84 . "Standard Missile Characteristics : XGAM-67 Crossbow," April 1956 [AFM]; Aircraft and

Aircraft Missile Testing, June 1963 [AFSHRC-Film #32,235, Frame 250] ; Historical Data, GAM-67

(AFSHRC-Film #31,754, Frame 856] ; Test Report on GAM-67, March 1956 [AFSHRC-Film #31,754,

Frame 856] ; Test Report on GAM-67, March 1956 [AFSHRC-Film #31,794] ; History of Holloman Air

Development Center, January-June 1955, 126-128 (AFSHRC-K280 .10-52 January-June 1955] ; ARDC

History, July-December 1956, 333, 336; ARDC History, January-June 1957, 227 ; ARDC History,

July-December 1957,11, 198, 199

85. Tulsa Division, North American Rockwell, untitled, re Hound Dog [NASM] .

86. Ibid . ; North American Aviation, News Release, Hound Dog background [NASM].

87. North American Aviation, News Release ; Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 1961-62, 406;

"Standard Missile Characteristics, AGM-28B Hound Dog," January 1977 [AFM].

88. Tulsa Division, untitled ; North American Aviation, News Release ; History of Air Force Missile

Center, January-June 1962, I, 89 and January-June 1963, 1, 56 [AFSHRC-K280 .10-60 January-June

1963] ; Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 196"5, 464; Del Pappa and Goldberg ; Huisken, 19 .

89. Del Pappa and Goldberg; Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 1963-64, 411 ; Bohn, 81, 88, 97, 106,

113, 119, 126, 132, 138, 142, 148, 155, 160, 167, 172, 177, 184 . '

90. Bohn, 172 ; Del Pappa and Goldberg ; The U.S . War Machine (New York, N.Y . : Crown, 1978),

219; Huisken, 18 . The British put a similar weapon into operation in the 1960s, the Hawker Siddeley

Dynamic Blue Steel measuring 36 feet in length with a 13 foot wing span . A rocket engine propelled the

11,000-pound canard-configured missile 200 to 400 miles at Mach 1 .6 . Jane's All The World's Aircraft :

1961-62, 395 ; Jane's All The World's Aircraft : 1963-4, 388-89; Jane's All The World's Aircraft:

1969-70, 580 ; Derek H. Wood, "Sky Bolt, Blue Steel and the 'V' Bombers," Interavia, #7, 1960,

814.

91 . "Standard Aircraft Characteristics : XGAM-71 Buck Duck," October 1955 [AFM]; Mende (et

al .), "Tactics and Techniques ofEmploying Unmanned Decoys to Protect Bomber Streams," 2, ACSC,

1956 [AUL-M35582-5-5 1953] ; Huisken, 62; Holloman AFB, "Report on Phase I Testing of Duck,"

July 1955, 2-4 [AUL-M33663-3-S 1955 #8]; ARDC History, January-June 1956, 172 .

92. ARDC History, July-December 1957, 221 ; History ARDC, January-June 1956, 174 ; Directorate

of Management Analysis, Weapon System Summary SM-73 (Goose), August 1958, 3, l3 [AULM40074-10-C] .

93 . Jane's All The World's Aircraft: 1959-60, 438; "Standard Missile Characteristics XSM-73 Bull

Goose," July 1958 [AFM] ; G. C. White "WS 123A Program History," December 1958 [NASM];

Fairchild, "Weapon System No. 123A," September 1956 [NASM]; "Goose Missile Engine Contract is

Cancelled," Washington Evening Star (3 January 1959) ; ARDC History, July-December 1957, 11, 223 .

94. Del Pappa, 49; Del Pappa and Goldberg ; "Standard Missile Characteristics : ADM-20B Quail,"

February 1965 .

13 3
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

95 . "Standard Missile Characteristics, ADM-20B" ; "Standard Missile Characteristics, XGAM-72";

Del Pappa, 48; McDonnell Aircraft Co., "GAM-72 Effectiveness Report," March 1958 [AUL-M-30737

#5996] .

96. "Standard Missile Characteristics, ADM-20B"; "Standard Missile Characteristics, XGAM-72";

History Air Force Missile Development Center, July-December 1960, I, 128, 129 [AFSHRC-K280 .10-

57 July-December 1960, I] .

97. Bohn, 106 ; Del Pappa, 49; Del Pappa and Goldberg ; GAM-72 Quail [NASM] .

98. McDonnell, GAM Effectiveness ; B . K. Holloway to John D. Ryan, 6 October 1971 [AFSHRC168 .7085-106 19711 .
CHAPTER V

US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

The connection between the Hound Dog and Quail of the 1960s and 1970s and

the cruise missile of today remains vague and complex to the uninitiated .

Superficially, there appears to be little direct connection since the present cruise

missile is a new and substantially different weapon system. Yet, the present cruise

missile does have certain historical and intellectual antecedents . The transition from

past to present is through evolving technology, Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV)

successes in Southeast Asia, USAF's decoy (SCAD), and the Navy's antiship

(Harpoon) program.

Advancing Technology

Advancing technology transformed the large, unreliable, inaccurate cruise

missile of the 1950s and 1960s into the much different cruise missile of the 1970s

and 1980s. Improvements in engines, fuels, materials, and guidance account for

this change. With the possible exception of guidance, all were evolutionary

developments; that is, the technology grew slowly and in predictable steps .

Of all the technologies associated with the cruise missile, the most crucial is, and

has always been, guidance . As has been amply demonstrated, one of the constant

problems throughout the cruise missile program has been its inaccurate and

unreliable, large and heavy guidance systems . But significant incremental

improvements in inertial systems and computers, and the development of terrain

contour matching (TERCOM), yielded radically new capabilities .

In 1958, inertial systems had an inherent inaccuracy (drift) of about .03 degrees

per hour. By 1970, this had been cut to about .005 degrees or one-third nm per

hour. Concurrently, the size, weight, and power requirements of inertial systems

shrank, decreasing weight from about 300 pounds in 1960 to 29 pounds a decade

later .' The total cruise missile guidance package, including computer, radar

135
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

altimeter, and inertial systems, now measures one and one-third cubic feet and

weighs 115 pounds . Therefore by 1970, a smaller inertial guidance system had

achieved much better accuracy, on the order of one-third nm per hour (about one

nm for a 550-knot vehicle traveling 1,650 nm) .

Perhaps even more amazing than the remarkable size/weight/power reduction of

inertial guidance systems was the even greater impact ofthe computer . Engineers in

the 1950s measured computer size by the number of rooms its components

occupied ; within a quarter century, the computer had shrunk to the size of a loaf of

bread . Accounting for this improvement were the transistor and magnetic disc in the

mid-1950s, followed in the mid-1960s by microcircuits with solid state memories .

In the early 1970s, microprocessors and semiconductor memories on chips became

available . Thus, computers became much smaller with greatly increased

capabilities .'

Along with these advances, a new type of navigation system emerged. The early,

mostly unsuccessful, attempts with radar matching systems in the Mace and Triton

in the mid-1950s have already been described . In 1958, the LTV-Electro Systems

Company patented a system called TERCOM* as part of the "fingerprint"

guidance for Chance Vought's strategic attack missile called SLAM (Supersonic

Low Altitude Missile), a system cancelled the following year. Efforts in the 1960s

to put TERCOM into Hound Dog missiles also failed .'

In the TERCOM system, engineers divided a terrain map into a matrix of cells

which have ranged in size from 100 feet to 3,200 feet on a side . Thus, each map

measures a number of miles . (See figure 5.) The E-Systems matrix consists of 64

cells, each 400-feet on a side, yielding a 4.9 nm strip map. Engineers assign each

cell an average elevation derived from a contour map or satellite reconnaissance

map, and this information is stored in the system's computer . In flight, a radar

altimeter measures the actual elevations and then at checkpoints matches that

sequence with the digital map stored in the computer. (See figure 6.) Here,

"voting" takes place; that is, the system checks three maps and if one is found to

disagree with the other two, the odd reading is disregarded . To date, no false update

has resulted from three TERCOM fixes . The system is based on assumptions that

the mapping information is available and accurate, unique land contours can be

used, and the radar altimeter and computer can do their jobs . 4

TERCOM is mated with an inertial system-the two sometimes known as TAINS

(TERCOM Aided Inertial System), which describes the system, but more

commonly and simply, just TERCOM. The inertial guidance system navigates the

missile to the first TERCOM checkpoint and between subsequent checkpoints en

route to the target . At each checkpoint, the computer updates the inertial guidance

system and corrects the missile's course . Theoretical accuracy of TERCOM is .4

times the size of the cells, which are progressively reduced in size the closer the

map set is to the target . The overall accuracy of the system depends upon the

distance between the target and the last TERCOM fix and the size of the cell : the

less distance and smaller cell size, the greater the accuracy . The open literature

states that the system's accuracy is normally between 100 and 600 feet, with a

-Other names associated with the system included LACOM (Low Altitude Contour Matching) and RACOM (first Rapid Contour

Matching, later labeled Recursive All Weather ContourMatching).

136
MISSILE

GROUND,

EN ROUTE

TERCOM MAP

TRACK

WP

" WAYPOINTS (WP) DENOTE

ACTION POINTS FOR

CHANGING DIRECTION,

ALTITUDE, SPEED.

Figure 5 Cruise missile operational concept After launch, the missile's inertial navigation system is corrected (updated) by numerous en route TERCOM fixes .

The last (terminal) TERCOM fix is a short distance from the target .

a

n

c

c-m

z

a

d
I

I

I

i

ALTITUDE MAP

(STORED ON BOARD)

MEASURED TERRAIN

ALTITUDE DATA

Figure 6. Terrain correlation (TERCOM) process . The missile's computer compares the altitudes observed by its radar altimeter (right) with the altitudes of

the desired flight (left) .
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

165-foot accuracy supposedly demonstrated in 1960. Whatever the precise figure, it

is significantly more accurate than existing inertial systems .

Some claim that difficulties with mapmaking, and problems caused by seasonal

changes (snow and foliage) and flatlands, invalidate the system. Others assert that

these problems have been surmounted and that the present system can operate

successfully, regardless of weather or season. Despite patent problems, TERCOM

has been extensively tested beginning with Beech tests in 1959, and further tests on

T-29s, Pipers, C-141 s, A-7s, B-52s, drones, and the cruise missiles themselves. As

ofFebruary 1982, the TERCOM system had logged over 2,300 test hours on a total

of 946 test flights, involving over 4,800 fixes . These tests used at least 212 maps in

16 states and 2 Canadian provinces .6

Another important feature of the cruise missile, indirectly linked with guidance,

is its ability to fly at extremely low altitudes . USAF first employed terrainfollowing devices, using radar altimeters and forward looking radar, in FB-1 l is and

B-52s. These devices permit very low flight that follows the contour of the ground,

making detection and interception extremely difficult . The offensive-defensive

cycle has seen radar and surface-to-air missiles force aircraft from high speed, high

altitude operations to low altitude, high subsonic speed operations . Here, limited

radar range, ground clutter, and terrain-masking greatly complicate the defender's

task by curtailing both range of detection and tracking, and, thus, reaction time.

The next defensive move was toward an airborne warning and control system

(AWACS) for detection and interceptors with a look down/shoot down capability.

At this point, the cruise missile enters.

The cruise missile can make even better use of low flying than can a manned

aircraft . First, it flies a known track, presumably over known obstacles and

elevations. Second, lacking a pilot, the cruise missile can withstand more Gs and

thus maneuver better than a manned aircraft . Finally, since man is not at risk, more

chances can be taken.

The terrain-following system on the cruise missile consists of a downward

looking radar altimeter (also used by the TERCOM) linked to the missile's controls.

The planners set a preplanned separation altitude that is a tradeoff between flying

very low (making detection and tracking more difficult) and flying at a higher

altitude (with less risk of hitting the ground) . 7 The addition of forward looking radar

(such as fitted on the B-52 and FB-111) could further lower these altitudes, but

would also add weight, increase complexity, and radiate a signal that defenders

could detect.

Advances in guidance technology were the most important developments in the

evolution of the cruise missile. New manufacturing processes and materials did

reduce weights and costs, but neither was a major factor in the overall success ofthe

missile . There was another major technological development, however: the

evolution of a small fuel-efficient jet engine.

Design of smalljet engines began with the Navy's Gorgon IIB and I1IB projects

in 1945 . Their designers planned to power these air-to-surface surface missiles with

a 9-inch diameter Westinghouse engine. By 1960, the French had developed the

139
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Not quite James Bond! In the late 1960s, the Williams Company built the engine for this "jet

belt ." This engine was the predecessor of a family of small efficient engines that power current

American cruise missiles . (Williams International)

140
US CRUISEMISSILES REVITALIZED

Microturbo series with engines as small as 12 1/2 inches in, diameter, producing 175

pounds of thrust .'

In the United States, small engines for the cruise missiles can be traced back to

Sam Williams, who worked on Navy turbojets and gas turbines for Chrysler and, in

1954, organized the Williams Research Company. His first engine, the WR-2, ran

in 1962 with 70 pounds of thrust and powered the Canadian AN-USD-501

reconnaissance drone and the US MQM-74 target drone. Williams' work led to a

significant step, the development of a small fanjet . * In 1964, the Williams

Company proposed a turbofan engine for ARPA's (Advanced Research Projects

Agency) "flying belt," a device strapped on a man's back, propelling him up to 10

miles at 60 mph . The initial tests of the WR-19, completed in 1967, demonstrated

that a 12-inch diameter (24-inch length) engine, weighing 68 pounds, could

produce 430 pounds of thrust at a fuel consumption rate of .7 pounds of fuel per

hour per pound of thrust . So an engine with very good performance and about onetenth the size of the next largest available engine existed . By late November, the

WR-19 had successfully met 36 hours of hot testing to the almost complete

satisfaction ofthe military. 10

At this same time, USAF was considering a 2,000 nm Mach .85 SCUD (Subsonic

Cruise Unarmed Decoy), or SCAM (Subsonic Cruise Attack Missile), but responses

from major engine manufacturers as to the feasibility of these missiles ranged from

skeptical to pessimistic . A 1968 Williams report also concluded that such ambitious

performance could not be met by using conventional fuels . But, with high energy

fuels under development, it would be possible. Shelldyne seemed the best bet,

promising an increase ofup to 30 percent in range . I

I

In April 1969, USAF awarded Williams a contract for preliminary design and

preparation of engine specifications for a version of the WR19 engine. A second

contract followed, in November 1969, for component development of the engine,

and for design, construction, and testing of these engines . Thus, as the 1960s

closed, Williams had a lead in the field and the Air Force potentially had a small,

high performance, turbofan engine ." Therefore, the development of a number of

different technologies at about the same time made a small, very accurate, lowflying, long-range missile possible . Decreases in the size and weight of both

guidance and engines, along with markedly enhanced capabilities, were key

developments . Finally, the miniaturization of nuclear warheads made the cruise

missile a very potent war machine .

*Air enters and is compressed in both the turbojet and turbofan engine . But while all air passes through the combustion process in the

former, part is diverted and bypasses combustion in the latter . A turbojet is simpler, less expensive (1/3 to 1/4), and has a relatively smaller

diameter (therefore, less frontal area and drag) than a turbofan The turbofan, however, is more efficie$t (15 to 20 percent less fuel

consumption at subsonic speed), and leaves a smaller acoustical and infrared signature than does the turbojet
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs)

Another line of the current cruise missile's genealogy extends through RPVs .

As already described, the first practical unmanned missiles served as radiocontrolled anti-aircraft targets prior to World War II . More diverse uses emerged

with the appearance of the Ryan Firebee (BQM-34A). This drone sprang from a

joint Army, Navy, Air Force project which began with vehicle glide tests in March

1951 . The first BQM-34A flew in December 1958. Powered by a 1,700-poundthrust engine, it was 22.9 feet long and had a 12.9-foot span. Weighing 2,500

pounds, the BQM-34A could fly up to 600 knots with an endurance of one hour at

altitudes between 300 and 50,000 feet . It was about one-third the size and onetwentieth the weight of the standard fighter of the day (the F-4). 13

Development of the Firebee accelerated during the 1962 Cuban Missile crisis

when Ryan produced 147 within 3 months of receiving an Air Force request ; but

although ready, the Firebee was not used. The weapon flew its first operational

The USAF flew over 3,400 RPV sorties over Vietnam. C-130s carried, launched, and directed

the drones This OC-130A carries AQM-34H and AQM-34J drones over Nellis AFB in

November 1971 (USAF)

'RPVs differ from cruise missiles in that they are designed to be recovered and some are controlled in flight by outside (real time)

direction . otherwise, the vehicles themselves are very similar, and could be the same . See the discussion in SALT, below .

142
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

Recovery of a Firebee II target drone by a H-53 in September 1972. A variety of Firebees flew

as reconnaissance RPVs in the Vietnam war (USAF)

143
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

sortie as a reconnaissance vehicle over Red China in August 1964 . Some were lost

over China, presumably to mechanical failures as well as to hostile actions . By May

1965, the Chinese Communists claimed to have downed eight-and they displayed

three American drones . In tests against US air defenses, the missiles proved

undetectable at low altitude .

'4

The BQM-34's extensive use in Vietnam revealed not only the RPV's promise,

but its overall operational reliability and low-vulnerability in combat. The most

used version was the AQM-34L ("SC"), which measured 29 feet in length and 13

feet in span. Of the 1,651 SCs launched in Southeast Asia, 87 .2 percent returned .

The drones flew more than 3,400 sorties in Southeast Asia, the majority over North

Vietnam . Unclassified sources state that in 1971 and 1972, the Communists

downed 81 drones on 743 sorties . ' 5 The low loss rate was due in part to the fact that

Soviet radar in North Vietnam could not detect drones flying below 300 feet . One

AQM-34L, "Tom Cat," flew 68 missions before being downed on its 69th on 25

September 1974. Considering the dense antiaircraft defenses in North Vietnam, and

that the drones flew in the most dangerous areas, this record is outstanding . Also,

the Israelis used Model 1241 Firebees as decoys in the 1973 Mid-East War and at

least two types of drones in their 1982 invasion of Lebanon . '6

If new technology pushed the development of the cruise missile, then the combat

performance of RPVs indicated some of the potential of low-flying, unmanned

vehicles in combat. Concurrently, new requirements evolved, producing a feasible

and visible, but not, as we shall see, viable program .

SCAD,* SCAM, SCUD

In the 1960s, the major powers showed little interest in the cruise missile. Rather,

these nations rapidly added ballistic missiles to their inventories ; and these weapons

dominated strategic thinking . Meanwhile, cruise missiles served as weapons on

both American and Soviet bombers, and as decoys on American bombers. In the

early 1960s, USAF believed that successful bomber operations entailed the use of

low-level tactics, ECM (Electronic Countermeasures), defense suppression, and

decoys. Toward the end of the decade, the Air Force sought a replacement for the

Quail, which a 1967 Strategic Air Command (SAC) study considered obsolete

because it had limited range at low altitudes and because of its size could be carried

only in limited numbers. Improvements in Soviet radar, the impending Soviet

deployment of AWACS and advanced interceptors, the cancellation of the B-70,

the Vietnam experience, and the appearance of new technology were also factors in

the Air Force push for a new decoy ." In 1966 and 1967, Air Force contractors (The

Institute for Defense Analysis and RAND) and the Defense Science Board Task

Force studied the situation and suggested possible successors to the Quail. Two

concepts put forth were a more advanced decoy (SCUD) and an armed version

(SCAM) .'e

-Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy.
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

RAND suggested a lower speed, longer-range missile that could be used in the

B-52's rotary SRAM (Short Range Attack Missile) launcher . The basic concept

was no longer to evade, confuse, and dilute enemy defenses, but to overwhelm the

defense with great numbers of SCAMs which would "MIRY the bomber." The

Defense Science Board Task Force report recommended a missile (dubbed

MILAM, for Multiple Independently Aimed Low Altitude Missile) with an

effective range of 2,000 nm. Also in 1967, a report by the West Coast Study

Facility foresaw the possibility of a decoy with the same volume as the Quail flying

ten times as far. It recommended a supersonic missile (ASALM, Advanced

Supersonic Air-Launched Missile), the same size as the Quail, as an air-to-air

missile, but conceded that a subsonic decoy missile would be a much lower risk ."

The Air Force wanted a longer-range decoy missile, but considered arming some of

the new missiles, apparently between one-tenth and one-third, to enhance their

credibility. 2° The air arm has identified with the bomber for the majority of its

history, from the B-17 through the B-29, B-36, B-47, and B-52 up to today's B-1B

and tomorrow's stealth bomber. In SAC, many believe that future wars will be

fought and wonby men flying bombers into the enemy's airspace and destroying the

enemy's homeland. In the minds of cruise missile advocates, this viewpoint has had

a negative and important influence on USAF's treatment of the cruise missile . In the

minds of cruise missile critics, however, such a position is unfounded. 2 ' In fairness

to the Air Force flyers, it should be noted that naval aviators were also leery of

cruise missiles, which they feared threatened carrier aviation, prompting Admiral

Zumwalt to suspect the opposition of an "aviator's union" when he was Chief of

Naval Operations .22

Nevertheless, General Glenn Kent, Commanderof Air Force Systems Command

(AFSC), initially proposed putting a warhead and a 20-pound ECM package on a

missile called SCAD, but later suggested two missile programs, one armed and the

other not. The issue of arming or not arming the new missile remained unresolved

for the next number ofyears, and proved critical to the SCAD's ultimate fate .23

On 12 January 1968, Headquarters Air Force issued a Requirements Action

Directive to Air Force Systems Command for a subsonic, armed cruise missile,

superseding a document issued only three weeks earlier that called for a pure decoy.

Strategic Air Command issued a Required Operational Capability (SAC ROC 68-1)

for an improved unarmed decoy on 19 January .2°

As a consequence, the Air Force initiated in-house studies of SCAD and

contractor studies of SCAM. The contractor studies (awarded to Beech, Boeing,

and Lockheed) concluded that the SCAM was technically feasible, requiring no

technological breakthroughs. In addition, these studies found that SCAM could not

only be made compatible with the SRAM launcher, but that it would provide

increased flexibility to the bomber force in three roles: decoy, armed decoy, or

attack missile . These studies identified propulsion, guidance, and possibly the ECM

decoy payload, as critical areas in any such missile program. They recommended

inertial navigation with TERCOM as the guidance system. Finally, the three

contractors noted that for ranges of 1,500 to 2,000 nm, the missile would probably

14 5
EVOLUTION OFTHECRUISE MISSILE

be restricted to external carriage. USAF could not resolve the basic question,

however, "Should the missile be a SCAD, SCAM, or SCUDT' Nevertheless, the

Air Force established a SCAD (not SCAM or SCUD) project office headed by

Lieutenant Colonel Robert B . Shaw in October 1968 . 11

The Air Force also debated the question internally . SAC pushed for short-range

decoy missiles, while AFSC advocated a long-range armed missile. In early 1969,

Secretary of the Air Force Robert C . Seamans, Jr., set out the official USAF

position in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee . He supported

the SCAD primarily as a decoy, with an arming option, although personally the

Secretary was not enthusiastic about the cruise missile. The battle lines were drawn

between the Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) at these

hearings as Dr. John S. Foster (Director of Defense Research and Engineering)

pushed for an armed SCAD . In short, SAC wanted the cruise missile to assist the

bomber's penetration while OSD saw the missile as a standoff weapon, reducing if

not eliminating the need for penetration . OSD cut the Air Force fiscal 1970 SCAD

budget from the $30 million requested to $17.1 million.l 6

The government contracted for two additional sets of studies . Completed in

1969, the studies by Beech, Boeing, and Lockheed confirmed the findings of their

1968 studies that a SCAD was technologically practical, while those by Raytheon

and Philco-Ford concluded that a credible decoy was possible . In response to an Air

Force request on how an austere decoy could be built, Beech, Boeing, and

Lockheed proposed a new airframe, McDonnell proposed a modification of the

Quail, while Northrop, North American, and Ryan proposed a modification of their

drones . 11

Meanwhile, in September 1969, SAC affirmed its position in SAC ROC 20-69

that it wanted a decoy . But the missile had already outgrown the low cost decoy

with which SAC had begun. Probably because of the pressures of SAC, Congress,

and OSD, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force divided the program into two distinct

parts : a low-cost, low-risk decoy for the B-52, with an early service date and

warhead option ; and a modular missile that could be either decoy, armed decoy, or

attack missile for the B-1 . In December, the Air Force established a Special Projects

Office."

1970s

In June 1970, General Ryan approved the austere, modular, low-cost SCAD,

primarily as a decoy for internal carriage for the B-5219 (with a later arming option) .

This was the weapon that SAC wanted, although OSD continued to see three

options: pure decoy, armed decoy, and attack missile. In July 1970 the Deputy

Secretary of Defense, David Packard, approved the USAF concept-an unarmed

decoy .

146
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

Congress, however, evidenced less enthusiasm for the program, cutting fiscal

year 1970 funds from $17.1 million to $9.1 million, and cutting out all fiscal year

1971 funds. The congressmen also picked up on the standoff concept ; Senator

Thomas McIntyre of the Committee on Armed Services repeatedly raised this point.

At a hearing in March 1971, McIntyre suggested improving the accuracy of the

SCAD, arming it, and using it as a standoff weapon, thereby possibly eliminating

the B-1 .

USAF responded unfavorably to the committee recommendations . First, the

airmen emphasized the failings of the cruise missile . They argued that the cruise

missile was inaccurate, could carry only a small warhead, and could be stopped by

terminal defenses, a SAM barrier (a line of surface-to-air missiles), or AWACS .

Second, the airmen advocated the advantages of a mixed (cruise missile and

manned penetrator) force. The mixed force would cost Soviet defenders more than

would a defense against either a standoff or penetrating force. The Air Force

insisted that penetration was better than standoff tactics and that man must be kept

in the loop. Meanwhile, OSD cut the fiscal 1972 request for SCAD from USAF's

original $45 million to $10 million- I'

Some advocates of the cruise missile suspected that the Air Force was dragging

its feet on the guidance system. For decoy purposes, simple guidance would be

adequate, which is exactly what USAF wanted. OSD pushed for more precise

guidance, as did Congress . The Senate Committee on Armed Services advocated

that USAF give the highest priority to increased accuracy and a dual role for the

missile . Despite these prods, the Air Force spent little on guidance as compared to

much more spent on decoy equipment."

Adding to the impression that USAF was ignoring the weapon's potential

(perhaps in this case unfairly) was that service's insistence that the SCAD fit the

B-52's rotary SRAM launcher. This insistence would have far-reaching

consequences because the dimensions of the B-52 SRAM rotary launcher

constrained the design of the SCAD and, as we shall see, its descendant, the ALCM

(Air-Launched Cruise Missile) . The rotary SRAM launcher not only determined the

size (length and diameter) ofthe SCAD but also fostered its triangular or trapezoidal

cross section (for greater volume in the pie-shaped compartment of the launcher)

and the initial "duck bill" nose shape on the Boeing SCAD (to clear the launcher's

rotary mechanism).

Substantial arguments existed for continued use of the rotary launcher. (1) The

B-1's planned offensive armament consisted of three SRAM launchers ; changing it

would upset the entire design ." (2) The penetrating bombers needed SRAMs (for

defense suppression), which could best be carried in the rotary launcher . (3)

Interchangeable SCADs and SRAMs gave SAC planners maximum flexibility . (4)

Both the SRAM and SCAD require a launcher . Neither can bejust dropped from the

bomber; both must be ejected within certain limitations of velocity and attitude,

otherwise they will not function properly. (5) Costs preclude a new launcher. (6)

SAC had a considerable investment in its inventory of both SRAMs and SRAM

launchers .

147
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Therefore, in July 1971, the -SCAD Project Office released letters to potential

contractors, but it was not until February 1972 that Dr. Foster approved release of

the RFP (Request For Proposal) for the various components (airframe, engine,

decoy, and navigation-guidance) to 64 companies . Congressional insistence (also

recommended by the comptroller general) on competitive prototypes, "fly-beforeyou-buy," presented one complication . 33 The Air Force argued that such action

would increase the missile's costs and the time to initial service, and that much had

already been accomplished . The airmen's view essentially prevailed, but there

would be parallel development oftwo engines. 34

In May 1972, USAF gave Teledyne and Williams a total of $7 .4 million in

contracts for engine development ; and in June, awarded Boeing a $43 .4 million

contract for engineering the interface between the SCAD and the B-52. In July, the

government announced the other contracts: $66.6 million to Boeing for the

airframe, $5 .2 million to Litton for navigation-guidance, and $14 .2 million to

Philco-Ford for a decoy package . The next month, the Deputy Secretary of Defense

approved full-scale development engineering of the SCAD. 3 s

But basic problems did not go away magically with the award of contracts. Air

Force Magazine wrote in 1972 that USAF leaders "categorically deny" the claim

of foot-dragging on the project ." The article went on to quote these leaders

(partially from congressional testimony) that it "makes no sense to substitute a

small, subsonic, relatively inaccurate missile for the ballistic missile" and that

SCAD was too small to be a standoff missile ." Conveniently, the article failed to

mention that USAF was responsible for the SCAD being small and inaccurate . The

article ended: "The Air Force is determined to make SCAD meet these [decoy]

goals, but SCAD is not, and never was meant to be, a new strategic weapons

family."" In short, USAF meant it only to be an adjunct to the bomber, not a

replacement.

Senator Proxmire, in June 1971, was the first publicly to make the charge of Air

Force obstruction to protect the B-1 . Cancellation of a number of DSARC (Defense

Systems Acquisition Review Council) meetings and the feeble effort to extend

SCAD range did not help the USAF case. (The Air Force insisted that it did not

need extended range for a decoy-that extended range was needed only for the

armed version .) The engineers took two approaches to extend the missile's range:

lengthening the missile's fuselage, and adding a belly tank. But as neither of these

missiles would fit the SRAM launcher, both had to be carried externally. The Air

Force opted for the less aesthetic belly tank arrangement, which they claimed

offered longer range than the extended fuselage version, because six could be

carried externally on pylons versus only three of the extended fuselage types and

because the SRAM launcher could still be used with the standard missiles . 39 The

specifics of SCAD range are still shrouded by classification but we know that the

belly tank SCAD would degrade bomber performance more than the extended

fuselage version, and today's pylons carry six extended-range missiles each .

Even more damaging to the Air Force position were two studies released in early

1973 . A Government Accounting Office study criticized the SCAD program for a

148
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

number of reasons, but its most telling point dealt with schedule slippages . It noted

that the SCAD would not be operational until two years after the threat it was

designed to counter . Even more damning and embarrassing was an Air Force study.

After requests from the Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDRE) on

12 January, Headquarters Air Force ordered an examination of both bomber tactics

and the role of SCAD in the 1980s . A little over one month later, USAF briefed the

study, Saber Penetrator V. It concluded that while SCAD was vital to the B-52,

increasing the Boeing bomber's probability of penetration by 50 percent, SCAD

was not vital to the B-1, whose probability of penetration increased only one

percent .°°

It soon became evident that the Air Force had been less than candid with

Congress concerning the SCAD and the aircraft that would employ it . Since 1971,

Air Force spokesmen had insisted that the missile would be used to aid both the

B-52 and the B-1, and that the missiles carried on the two bombers differed only in

their electronic decoy package. Later testimony indicated that in fact the two

versions would also have different airframes . In May 1973, an Air Force General

admitted to a Senate Committee that : "SCAD would exactly be the wrong shape,

size, and [too] sharp cornered . . . to provide a standoff vehicle .' 141

At a DSARC meeting on 13 April 1973, Dr. Foster found the Air Force plan

unsatisfactory because it did not call for simultaneous fielding of the decoy and the

armed, extended-range versions of SCAD. In addition, the DSARC participants

were not convinced of the absolute value and urgency of a B-52 SCAD. Foster

requested that USAF return within two weeks with additional rationale for the

device and a plan for simultaneous IOCs (Initial Operational Capability) . The Air

Force insisted that it wanted a minimum cost decoy and did not comply. The

inevitable came in short order. On 20 June, Foster directed USAF to submit a plan

for simultaneous IOCs for the armed and unarmed versions. The resulting plan of

28 June left Deputy Secretary of Defense Packard unimpressed, as he ordered

cancellation of full-scale engineering development of the SCAD on 30 June . The

cancellation orders went out in July. Thus the Air Force did not get its decoy missile

replacement .

A number of factors killed the SCAD project . First, costs appeared to exceed

benefits . Development costs skyrocketed, more than doubling in six months, from

$285 million to $700 million . Procurement costs of $604.7 million must be added,

pushing total costs to $1 .3 billion .°z Second, the failure of the Soviets to deploy

AWACS and look-down/shoot-down fighters (the antidote to low-flying aircraft) as

rapidly as feared represented another factor in SCAD's demise because the existing

defensive threat did not justify SCAD. Other factors involved late availability,

marginal capacity to penetrate, and ineffective ECM.

Air Force reluctance to support the armed version of the missile, however, was

probably the key . The airmen simply did not want SCAD; at the very best, they

appeared to be lukewarm. Insistence on the decoy version, simple guidance, and

restrictions on SCAD's dimensions, and hence range, indicated the Air Force's

position . This position ran directly counter to that of both OSD and Congress . A

congressional report sharply concluded:

149
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

The Air Force has proceeded with this program solely as a decoy, not withstanding the

direction of the Congress . It is generally recognized that the Air Force has resisted pursuing

SCAD with an armed warhead because of its possible use as a standoff launch missile This

application could jeopardize the B- I program because it would not be necessary to have bomber

penetration if a standoff missile were available as a cheaper and more viable altemative . 43

The final question concerned mission : Why build SCAD to help the soon-to-be

retired B-52, a device not needed by its successor, the B-1?44

SCAD was finished. But the decisionmakers continued development of its

technology to keep the SCAD option open if the Soviet threat materialized .

Congress directed that the two similar cruise missile programs, Air Force and Navy,

be merged .43

Harpoon

The US Navy never put a high priority on the cruise missile either . One reason

was that naval aviators had dominated the sea service since their glory days in

World War II . They championed their weapon, and saw little need for cruise

missiles. In contrast, the Soviets compensated for their lack of carrier aviation by

developing a large family of cruise missiles . Another factor accounting for this

imbalance was the difference in the size of the two fleets ; the Soviets had many

more ship targets than did the US Navy. Although the American Navy knew of

Russian cruise missiles and the potential and feasibility of cruise missiles, it was not

until the sinking of the Israeli destroyer Elath in October 1967 by Soviet Styx

antiship missiles that the US Navy moved purposefully into this area.

Fortunately for the Navy, McDonnell-Douglas had already initiated antiship

missile studies in 1965 so that the company was ready in late 1967 for a Navy study

contract for ship- and air-launched antiship missiles . The Navy wanted a 40-nmrange missile to carry a 250-pound conventional warhead that could use existing

naval missile (Talos, Tartar, and Terrier) magazines, hoists, and launchers . 46

To meet this objective, the US Navy established the Harpoon program in 1969. In

November 1970, DSARC approved the development of two versions of the missile,

AGM-84A air-launched and RGM-84A-1 ship-launched . In June 1971,

McDonnell-Douglas won the airframe contract and the next year Teledyne beat out

Garrett for the turbojet contract .47 In January 1972, the Navy added submarines to

the two other launch platforms .

Powered tests began in July 1972, the first flight occurring in December of that

year." The basic missile can carry a 500-pound warhead 60 nm . In June 1974, the

DSARC authorized pilot production of 150 missiles and in July 1975 the Harpoon

received production go-ahead. Two years later, the Navy approved a deployment

150
decision. McDonnell-Douglas delivered the 1,000th missile in late 1979, and by

early 1980 had a further 1,735 on order.

49 The Harpoon's importance to this study is

that it provided the basis for bigger and better things. But the transition between

Harpoon and follow-on cruise missiles went through a number of confusing naval

programs in the early 1970s.

STAWS and SCM to SLCM

US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

The concept of an underwater-launched cruise missile did not receive serious

consideration until 1970, when a study by the Center for Naval Analysis concluded

that such a missile was indeed feasible . The Systems and Analyses Section within

OSD initiated discussions of fitting cruise missiles into ten old Polaris boats with

three missiles in each ballistic missile tube Meanwhile, the CNO (Chief of Naval

Operations) established a panel with an unwieldy title, Submarine-Launched AntiSurface Ship Interim Missile Ad Hoc Panel, which recommended an encapsulated

Harpoon* as the quickest way to achieve a submarine-launched cruise missile

capability . In April 1971, Naval Air Systems Command took a different tack when

it proposed a new class of nuclear-powered submarines armed with 20 vertical tubes

to launch 30-inch diameter, 300- to 500-mile-range cruise missiles, a concept

referred to as the Submarine Tactical Antiship Weapons System (STAWS) .S1

Thus, by late 1971, the Navy had two parallel cruise missile programs going: the

encapsulated Harpoon short-range missile, and STAWS, sometimes known as

ACM (Advanced Cruise Missile), a somewhat longer-range missile. At this point,

intraservice politics entered in the person of the hard-driving maverick, Admiral

Hyman Rickover, who saw the latter concept as a way to advance nuclear-powered

submarines. In 1971 and 1972 he repeatedly told the congressmen of the system's

great value, testifying that it was the "single most important tactical development

effort the Navy must undertake ."" In essence, Admiral Rickover, never popular

with the Navy brass, proposed to siphon off Navy money for nuclear submarines.

The negative reaction to Rickover's initiative is evident in the Navy's fiscal year

1973 budget request: only $4 million for ACMISTAWS but $16 million for the

encapsulated Harpoon.

The Navy's revived strategic cruise missile program really begins in January

1972 with a memo from the Secretary of Defense to the DDRE to start a Strategic

Cruise Missile (SCM) with Fiscal Year 1972 supplemental funds . The CNO ordered

that priority be given the encapsulated Harpoon . 5 z

It was an outside event, however, that pushed the strategic cruise missile program

forcefully forward . The May 1972 signing of the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitations

Treaty) agreement (see below), instead of limiting the cruise missile, nurtured it .

For within a few weeks of the signing, in a move that seemed to contradict the spirit

-The missile is encased in a metal capsule for protection and ease of handling . The firing sequence is described in Figure 7 .
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

FIN CONTROL ACTIVATION,

FIN ERECTION

SHROUD SEPARATION

INLET COVERJETTISON

WING PLUG JETTISON -

START CRUISE ENGINE

BOOSTER JETTISON

CLOSE WING DOORS

DEPLOY WINGS

DEPLOY INLET AND

OPEN WING DOORS

Figure 7 Submarine launch sequence . The SLCM launch procedure requires approximately 20 minutes

to align the missile's guidance, and check out the missile's system Then the submarine's torpedo tube is

flooded, the internal missile's pressure equalized with the tube, and the outside torpedo tube door

opened . When fired, a hydraulic device propels the missile inside the capsule and the torpedo tube . (The

capsule is later ejected .) Thirty feet from the submarine, a lanyard ignites the booster which pushes the

missile toward the surface, guided by four jet vanes around the booster's nozzle . The Tomahawk emerges

from the water with an escape velocity of about 75 fps . Once clear of the water, covers from the wing

slots and the booster-missile junction fly off, permitting springs to deploy and lock the four cruciform

configured (+ shaped) tail fins into position . These fins roll the missile 180 degrees . When the booster

bums out after 12 seconds, it is jettisoned and the wings deploy. At this point the missile is 1,100 to

1,300 feet over the water and above flying speed . Meanwhile, the air intake beneath the fuselage extends,

and a gas cartridge fires to start the turbofan engine which powers the missile in the cruise phase .

and promise of the newly concluded treaty, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird

requested an additional $1 .3 billion from Congress for strategic weapons . He

reasoned that the United States needed the increase in defense spending as both a

hedge against a breakdown of detente and as a bargaining chip for future discussions

with the Soviets . (Some insist that Laird used the move to win the support, or at

least acceptance, of both the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and conservative politicians

for SALT in the critical senate ratification hearings .) The request provided

primarily for the bomber (B-1) and Trident SLBM (Submarine-Launched Ballistic

Missile) programs, but included $20 million for SCM . Apparently Laird had not

intended to push the cruise missile, but the Navy convinced him that the United

States could get both strategic and tactical weapons at a relatively low costs'

152

PULLOUT M= 0.70
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

SALT I introduced another twist into the cruise missile's story due to the agreed

limits on SLBMs. The overall ceiling on nuclear weapons meant that as the newer

Poseidon-armed nuclear submarines became operational the older Polaris-armed

boats would have to be retired. But the Americans saw an opportunity in this

situation, for the treaty did not mention cruise missiles . (The Soviets would not

seriously discuss them, as only they had the weapon.) Therefore, putting cruise

missiles aboard these older subs had considerable appeal by keeping these boats

operational, increasing the number of strategic weapons, and, incidentally, closing

out Admiral Rickover's bid for a new submarine. In addition, administration

officials noted that the Russians had cruise missiles aboard their submarines,

neglecting to mention that these missiles were large, short-range weapons, vintage

early 1950 technology, mostly on diesel-powered boats. Finally, the proponents

asserted that the new weapon, called yet another name, SLCM (Sea-Launched

Cruise Missile)* by Laird, would stress Soviet air defenses. 5a

But up to this point, SLCM was just a vague idea ; the Navy did not know

precisely what it wanted. They considered four launch options: vertical from

converted SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic submarines), horizontal from SSNs

(nuclear-powered attack submarines), horizontal from SSBNs, and vertical from a

new SSN. Laird and OSD liked the first option, the CNO the second, and Admiral

Rickover and his submariners the fourth .

The missiles for these platforms were as varied as the options and their

advocates ; 55 In mid-1972, the Navy considered five different cruise missiles, at

least three vertically launched, ranging in diameter from 19 inches to 36 inches, and

in weight from 1,850 pounds to 8,350 pounds, and two 19-inch diameter

encapsulated missiles . The variety of missiles expanded by January 1973. By then,

the Navy considered five SCM contractor proposals, each designed to fit three

missiles in a Poseidon tube . 56 In addition, there were five contractor proposals for

encapsulated vertical-launched missiles ."

During 1972 the choices narrowed as the Navy dropped STAWS, merged the

strategic and tactical cruise missile programs, and scuttled the proposed new cruise

missile submarine. In November, the Navy rejected the four options under

consideration in favor of a new option, a SLCM launched from a torpedo tube . This

mode of operation, however, restricted the missile to the 21-inch diameter and

246-inch length of the torpedo tube, and the 4,200-pound weight of the handling

equipment. This new missile would have both strategic and tactical versions,

although the Navy emphasized the former. The Navy insisted that these two

versions would be about 85 percent common. The proposed missile ensured

maximum versatility of launchers by retaining submarines as aplatform. In fact the

now missile would not be tied to aparticular launch platform, but would be suitable

for air, surface, and subsurface launch. It would employ existing technology :

boosters from the SUBROC program (a submarine-launched antisubmarine

weapon) and engines from SCAD, for example. Therefore the Navy assessed the

The acronym SLCM originally stood for "Submarine Launched Cruise Missile," but currently translates as "Sea Launched Cruise

Missile" to include both ship and submarine launchers .

15 3
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

program as a medium risk . After soliciting 12 companies, the Navy awarded design

contracts to five in December 1972. 58

The Navy and Air Force programs, already linked in some minds, officially

converged in the summer of 1973 . The Department of Defense (DOD) was in the

process of cancelling SCAD when SALT intervened again . On 11 June 1973,

Kissinger wrote Clements of the utility of the strategic cruise missile as a bargaining

chip in the SALT negotiations . He repeated this view a week after SCAD's

cancellation on 13 July. Secretary 'Clements responded to the Secretary of State

that there were two cruise missile programs, one Navy and one Air Force. So there

were. As we shall see shortly, the USAF Program received new life and a new

name on 20 July when it was reconstituted as ALCM . A memorandum from the

Deputy Secretary of Defense on 14 August 1973 set out in general terms the two

separate programs. The Navy would conduct competitive flights in 1973 to

demonstrate underwater, air, and surface launches. While DOD emphasized the

strategic missile, it also wanted to demonstrate the tactical missile. 59

DOD ordered the Air Force and the Navy to cooperate with each other in

developing the key components of cruise missile technology ; Air Force shared its

turbofan engine and high energy fuel, Navy shared its TERCOM guidance system.

DOD put this rather loose arrangement into a formal program decision paper on 19

December 1973, and DSARC approved it in February 1974.

Secretary Clements stressed missile commonality and interservice cooperation .

He believed deployment would be possible for the ALCM in late 1978, and for the

SLCM in 1980 . 60

The Navy Effort : General Dynamics Wins the SLCM Contract

In December 1973, the Deputy Secretary of Defense ordered the Navy to conduct

a flyoff to choose its SLCM contractor. The next month, Naval Air Systems

Command selected Convair (General Dynamics) and Chance Vought (LTV) as the

two finalists . These two companies proposed quite different designs to meet the

Navy's goals, which included a 1,300- to 1,400-nm range ."

The Vought missile's stainless steel fuselage measured 214 inches in length (plus

32 inches for the booster). The missile carried two unusual features : a three-piece

curved wraparound tail that extended in flight, and a one-piece fiberglass wing

which spanned 126 inches . From its stowed position atop the fuselage, the wing

pivoted 90 degrees around its center through narrow slots to the extended position .

Panels then closed over the slots (a modification to the original flyoff covers),

permitting both surface and air launching . A Teledyne CAE 471-IIDX turbofan

engine powered the Vought missile . 62

Convair took a different approach to the problem . A 1 1/4-inch steel capsule,

weighing about 1,000 pounds, enclosed the missile until it fired from the torpedo

154
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

tube . (See figure 7 .) The missile's welded aluminum fuselage measured 18 feet in

length, its wings 8'/z feet in span. Like the Vought missile's wings, the wings ofthe

Convair entry were also unconventional ; they were stored scissor-like, that is, one

above the other, which means that, deployed, one wing is higher than the other. A

Williams F-107-WR-100 turbofan engine powers the General Dynamics (GD)

missile."

The flyoff* competition required each contractor to qualify its missile with one

successful transition from underwater launch to inflight glide on two launches . GD

achieved success on both 13 and 15 February 1976 . Vought-did not do as well . On

the Vought missile's first test, the hydraulically actuated torpedo tube failed, a

failure correctly charged to the Navy. On the second attempt on 24 February, the

missile broached the surface but the wing did not deploy. The Navy scheduled

another test for 24 March, but on 8 March cancelled the program . Vought's cost

overruns and test failure, as well as GD's successes, were factors in the Navy's

decision . After rejecting a Vought proposal to finance a second test, on 17 March

the Navy awarded the missile contract to General Dynamics . Two months later, the

Navy named Williams as the winner ofthe engine contract . 64

Between 1973 and 1977, the Air Force and Navy cruise missile programs

continued to converge . A memorandum from DDRE in January 1975 ordered the

two programs restructured so that they would share common milestones as

mandated in December 1973. The services complied and presented their revised

program to a DSARC lA review on 18 March 1975, a program approved by the

Deputy Secretary of Defense in May. The DDRE memo instructed the Navy to

select a guidance contractor by October 1975, and scheduled the first ALCM flight

in February 1976, the first SLCM flight in May, and fully guided flights in

September and October, respectively . The memo urged maximum commonality for

the ALCM and SLCM with the goal of a common warhead, navigation-guidance

system, and powerplant . By April 1976, the Air Force would help the Navy begin

work to launch an SLCM from a B-52. 65

The Navy selected the guidance contractor in October 1975. E Systems, the

originator of TERCOM, designed a new system for the competition while its rival,

McDonnell-Douglas, used off-the-shelf components . The Navy aimed for an

average accuracy of .1 nm for its strategic missile. In the flyoff competition flown

in an Air Force C-141 over a 1,500-nm course, McDonnell-Douglas recorded five

successful flights, E Systems none. Therefore, the choice was not difficult. The

Navy awarded McDonnell-Douglas a $12 .8 million SLCM guidance contract and a

$1 .4 million ALCM contract . 6b

In February 1976, the Navy began its study of air launching an SLCM from a

B-52 and established a January 1980 IOC for ALCM . But in August 1976, this date

slipped to July 1981 . The Navy set July 1980 IOCs for the conventional land attack

and antiship Tomahawk, January 1981 for a surface-launched conventional variant,

and July 1981 for a land-launched nuclear missile. 67

"Evenbefore theNavy conductedthe flyoff in September 1975, theCNOapproved the name Tomahawk for theSLCM.

15 5
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

ALCM

On 19 December 1973, Secretary Clements established the ALCM program from

the SCAD program: "The ALCM will make maximum utilization of the terminated

SCAD engineering development program for a vehicle design and small turbofan

engine development ."" USAF went ahead with the existing weapon rather than

start over again with just the SCAD technology . After DSARC endorsed this move

in a February 1974 meeting, a change order went out to Boeing and Williams,

cancelling the stop order of the previous sumrwr. 69

But it was not long until some questioned the necessity of two cruise missile

programs . In 1974, DDRE (Malcolm Currie) favored the SLCM over the ALCM to

the extent of standardizing on the Tomahawk, even though the naval missile was

thought to be two years behind the Air Force one. An important factor against the

ALCM was the Air Force's lack of enthusiasm for it . USAF clearly maintained its

position that the ALCM was useful to assist the bomber (B-52) but, in the words of

the Chief of Staff, the ALCM ranked in importance behind the new Air Force

bomber (B-1) and the new Air Force ICBM (MX).'° The Air Force attitude toward

ALCM changed, however, as the naval cruise missile program began to pick up

technical momentum and, even more important, political momentum.

Congress also entered the fray. In late 1975, the House of Representatives

deleted all money from the ALCM program while retaining financing for the SLCM

program. Congress was aware of the Tomahawk's progress as well as the Air

Force's reluctance to support the ALCM program. Congress, however,

overestimated the similarity between the two missiles and considered the two

seemingly parallel programs unnecessary . In early 1977, the estimated saving by

using the Tomahawk as both ALCM and SLCM was thought to be about $300

million. While the Senate restored the ALCM funding, the trend was clear. USAF

reluctantly and, almost, belatedly hurried to "get on board" to avoid getting "a

torpedo rammed up its bomb bay . "" For a very real and growing possibility existed

that if the Air Force did not produce a suitable cruise missile, DOD and Congress

would see that the Navy did. (This is an excellent example of how civilian leaders

exploit interservice rivalry .) Little wonder then that the ALCM program took a

different turn in the mid to late 1970s. As a SAC internal document put it in early

1976, "SAC's position . . . has mellowed, because of the political atmosphere, and

is [now] in line with higher echelon thinking .

"7z

The ease of adapting the Boeing SCAD simplified that weapon's transformation

into ALCM . The two missiles looked the same, differing only in payload (nuclear

warhead substituting for the ECM package), removal of 21 antennas, and wing

construction (metal replacing fiber-glass) . It is most important to remember that

Boeing designed ALCM to fit the B-52's SRAM launcher, just as GD designed its

SLCM to fit a submarine torpedo tube. These factors constrained both missiles'

length and shape, thus their performance .'3

The Boeing AGM-86A had a trapezoidal cross section, elevon controls, and duck

156
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

The launch of the Boeing AGM-86A on its first powered flight on 5 March 1976. Dropped from

the weapon's bay at 10,000 feet, it flew 10 minutes and reached Mach .65 . (USAF)

AIR LAIC , . ~. UWISE

T1."ASSILE

FLIGHT TEST MISSILE N0.'

This view of the AGM-86A reveals the inlet above the fuselage and the "duck bill" nose.

(Boeing)

157
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

AGM-86A being uploaded into SRAM Rotary Launcher alongside SRAMs. Note the cruise

missile's size, nose, and folded tail fins . (Boeing)

One way to extend the range of the AGM-86 was to attach a belly tank No such missile was

built shown here is a 3/4 scale model (USAF)

15 8
249.00

(MODEL "B")

-86B GROSS WT.AGM 3207

Figure 8 . The Boeing cruise missile family . The Boeing's basic air vehicle (top) was the SCAD which became the AGM-86A. The requirement for longer range

led to the extended range vehicle (middle) and eventually to the AGM-86B (bottom) .

C

x

m

rm

m

ar

N

rrm

d

167.65

(BAV) 125.00 GROSS WT.

BASIC AIR VEHICLE 2082

(AGM-86A)

233.65 -

143.60 (ERV) GROSS WT.

EXTENDED RANGE VEHICLE 2738
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

A second way to extend the range was to extend the body of the missile . The difference in size

can be seen in this picture of mockups of the AGM-86B (left) and the AGM-86A (right) . Also

note the small swept back wings and negative dihedral tail . (Boeing)

AGM-86B (FTM-2) being launched from the

left pylon of a B-52 on 6 September 1979

during the flyoff competition (Boeing)

This 6 September 1979 flight was the AGM86B's second powered flight (Boeing)
FTM-2 flew 249 minutes and was

successfully recovered, even if in this rather

undignified position (Boeing)

US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

FTM-10 over Utah After this first low altitude

launch from the SRAM rotary launcher on

29 November 1979, the Boeing missile flew

265 minutes (Boeing)

Four key individuals involved in the ALCM program at the roll-out of the first AGM-86B on 20

March 1979 From left to right are: LTC Gene P. Burbey, Offensive Avionics Program Manager,

Mr Ray Utterstrom, Boeing Program Manager, Rear Admiral Walter Locke, Director of the Joint

Cruise Missiles Project Office, and Colonel Alan Chase, ALCM Program Manager (Boeing)
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

There were of course others involved in the development of the cruise missile. Shown taking

the oath of office from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (right) on 1 October 1965 are

(left to right) Norman S. Paul, Undersecretary of the Air Force, Thomas D. Morris, Assistant

Secretary of Defense (Manpower), Dr John S. Foster, Jr . Director, Defense Research and

Engineering, and Dr. Harold Brown, Secretary of the Air Force (and later Secretary of

Defense) The last two were directly involved with the cruise missile (USAF)

bill nose. (See figure 8.) The wings were stored switch blade fashion and, when

extended, were swept back 35 degrees, spanning 115 inches . The subsonic (Mach

.65 to .85) missile could fly 650 nm. The Air Force conducted the first jettison test

from a SRAM launcher in June 1975. Flight testing began in March 1976.'°

The Boeing AGM-86A flew its first powered flight on 5 March 1976. AGM-86A

flew successfully on its next two attempts, and on 9 September successfully

completed its first fully guided flight . The missile negotiated four TERCOM map

sets, demonstrating its terrain avoidance ability by flying at 180 feet above ground

level and as low as 30 feet above the ground during its 31-minute flight . But due to

an error in filling the fuel tank, the missile ran out of gas and crashed one mile short

of its target . That may have been an ill omen for the next two tests . On test number

five, 14 October ; the gyros tumbled after eight minutes of flight, resulting in a

crash . The last test of the series, on 30 November, also failed-this time because

the engine refused to run, flaming out three times. But the missile, released at 7,000

feet, glided for 75 seconds, climbed 1,000 feet to clear a mountain, and landed 10

miles from its release point . Because Boeing did not fit the missiles with recovery

equipment, only missile number seven remained .'S

162
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

Another key individual was William P Clements, Jr . then Deputy Secretary of Defense, later

Governor of Texas (USAF)
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Meanwhile, the Tomahawk program caught and passed the Boeing ALCM. The

GD missile's first flight on 28 March took place only three weeks after Boeing's

first free flight . But the Navy conducted its first fully guided test (lasting 61

minutes) in June, three months ahead of USAF. In 1976, the Navy new 16 flights,

amassing about 13 hours of flying time compared with the Air Force's six flights

and 1'/4 hours of flying time.

Two aspects help explain the Tomahawk's surge. First, the GD missile had fewer

failures, apparently only one . Second, the Tomahawk was reusable . Fitted with a

parachute and flotation gear, 80 percent of these first GD birds were recovered and

reused . 76 Hence, the Air Force and Boeing saw what many had thought in 1974 was

a two-year developmental lead disappear during 1976 as the Tomahawk swept on

by.
NOTES

CHAPTER V

US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

Data within the brackets indicate the location of the material and, in the case of the Air University

Library and Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center, their call numbers . Joint Cruise Missiles

Project Office, Washington, D.C . [JCMPO] ; Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C . [NHC];

Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, Nebr . [SAC]; Aeronautical Systems Division, Wright-Patterson

AFB, Ohio [ASD]; National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C . [NASM]; Albert F. Simpson

Historical Research Center, Montgomery, Ala . [AFSHRC) ; Air University Library, Montgomery, Ala .

[AUL].

l . Leonard Wainstein, "The Origins of the Cruise Missile : A Case Study in Technological

Innovation," IDA P-1386, 1980, 25,26 [AUL-M40381-11-S #13861; Doug Robinson, "The Cruise

Missile," Flight International (l October 1977), 965 ; James Fawcette, "Map-Reading Missile Takes on

Soviets and B-1," Microwave System News (September 1977), 57; Kosta Tsipis, "Cruise Missiles,"

Scientific American (February 1977), 24; F A. Tatum, "The Evolution of U.S . and Soviet Cruise

Missile Technology," Rand, 1978, 24, 25, 28 [AUL-MS30352-53 #1235]; McDonnell-Douglas,

"Cruise Missile Guidance System," n . d .

2. "Cruise Missile Takes Shape," Defense and Foreign Affairs Digest, VII, #7 (1979), 30; Tatum,

24; Wainstein, 40.

3 . Wainstein, 3, 5, 26, 28; Aeronautical Systems Division, "Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM)

Primer," 1977, 2-4 [AUL-M37052-22 1977 #611 ; Ronald Huisken, The Origin of the Strategic Cruise

Missile (New York, N.Y. : Praeger, 1981), 20; E. H. Conrow, G. K. Smith, A. A. Barbour, "The Joint

Cruise Missiles Project : An Acquisition History-Appendixes," RAND, 1982, 57. Hereafter cited as

Conrow, II .

4. "TERCOM Primer," 15 ; Philip J . Klass, "New Guidance Technique Being Tested," Aviation

Week (25 February 1974), 48-50.

5. Huisken, 9 ; "TERCOM Primer," 42 ; Tatum, 32 ; Wainstein, 29; Kosta Tsipis, "The Long Range

Cruise Missile," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (April 1975), 14, 18 ; Fawcette, 57; "Air Launched

Cruise Missile Competition Approaching Decision," Defense Electronics (October 1979), 65 .

6. "TERCOM Primer," 33, 34 ; Wainstein, 54 ; McDonnell-Douglas, "Terrain Correlation Flight

Test Areas," 4-11-78 ; McDonnell-Douglas, "Cruise Missile Guidance Set Flight Test Summary," 3

February 1982 . For criticism of the navigation system see : Andrew Cockburn, "Cruise: The Missile That

Does Not Work," reprinted Parameters, XI, No. 1, 92, 93 ; James Coates, "Flaws Found in Guidance

System of Cruise Missiles," Chicago Tribune (6 September 1981) ; Fred Kaplan, "Cruise Missile :

Wonder Weapon or Dud?," High Technology (February 1983), 26-34 ; Michael Gordon, "Pentagon's

Shift on Cruise Missile Leaves Big Contractors Scrambling," National Journal (26 March 1983), 645.

For support of the system, see Klass, 50; McDotmell-Douglas, "A Missile For All Seasons," n.d;

Conrow,11, 57.

7 . Wainstein, 40; Fawcette, 58; Tsipis, "Cruise Missiles," 24; United States Senate, Committee on

Armed Services, Research and Development Subcommittee, "Strategic Cruise Missile," 27 March

1973, 2667 .

165
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

8. D. S . Fahmey, "The History of Pilotless Aircraft and Guided Missiles," manuscript, n .d ., 510

[NHC]; Tatum, 14; Wainstein, 14 .

9 . Norman P. Byers, "Future Strategic Cruise Missile Employment and Requirements in Tactical

Scenarios," draft for Air University Airpower Symposium, February 1978, 11 [AUL-M42764-141 w];

Wainstein, 15 ; Tsipis, "Cruise Missiles," 26 ; Senate Armed Services R and D Subcommittee,

"Strategic Cruise Missiles," 2672, 2674.

10 . Tatum, 15 ; Wainstein, 15, 16 ; History, Directorate of Research and Development, July to

December 1970, II, 221 [AFSHRC-K140 .0111 Jan-Dec '70] .

11 . Shelldyne H has 33 percent more energy per unit volume than standard JP-4 fuel . While the fuel

initially promised an increase of 15 to 30 percent in range, later testing forced a 30 percent downward

revision of these estimates . Two problems with high energy fuels are their high viscosity at low

temperatures, which hampers starting at high altitudes, and higher costs . JP-9 costs from $35 to $105 a

gallon, in 1982 around $50 a gallon . Wainstein, 17, 22 ; Michael L. Yaffee, "High Density Missile Fuel

Research Grows," Aviation Week (7 May 1973), 67; Interview, Colonel Joseph Rutter, 29 March 1982 ;

Aeronautical Systems Division, Historical Report, ASD/YM 86, January-December 1976, Sect . 4, 9-15

October [ASD]; ASD Historical Report, ASD/YM, January-June 1977, Sect . 2, 28 May-3 June and

2-16 June [ASD].

12. Wainstein, 17, 18 ; AGM 86A Program Office, "AGM-86A (SCAD) Final Report," Vol . II,

Chapter 14, Engineering, SCAD Document No. 141, 9 July 1973, 12 [ASD] .

13 . Jane's All the World's Aircraft : 1981-82 (London : Jane's, 1982), 669, 670; Government

Accounting Office (GAO), "Department of Defense Use of Remotely Piloted Vehicle Technology

Offers Opportunities for Saving Lives and Dollars," April 1981, l ; William E. Krebs, "Did We Err in

the Development of Remotely Piloted Vehicles?" Air War College thesis, 1979, 14 [AUL-MU43117

K92d].

14 . GAO, "DOD's Use of RPVs," 1 ; Jane's All the World's Aircraft: 1975-76, 553; William

Wagner, Lightning Bugs and Other Reconnnaissance Drones (Fallbrook, Calif . : Aero, 1982), 42, 55,

74, 76, 115 .

15 . Wagner, 199, 200, 213 . -

16 . Jane's All the World's Aircraft : 1975-76, 553 ; Clarence A. Robinson, Jr., "Strategic Problems

Scrutinized," Aviation Week (31 March 1975), 13 ; GAO, "DOD's Use of RPVs," 1, 2 ; George

Rhodes, "Keynote Address," Proceedings of Aeronautical Systems Division Technical Symposium on

Unarmed Aerodynamic Vehicles Systems, 6-7 June 1978, November 1978, 4 [AUL-M37052-22-S

1978#31] ; Wagner, 199, 200, 213 ; Joe Tillman, "RPVs are Fearless," Air Force Magazine (April

1978), 51 .

17. Roger Linee, "SRAM and SCAD-New 'Tough' for Old Buff," Air Command and Staff

College thesis, 1973, 2, 8, 57 [AUL-MU35582-7 L7582s] ; Edgar Ulsamer, "SCAD-Electronics StandIn for the B-52," Air Force Magazine (November 1972), 43; Henry D. Levine, "Some Things to All

Men: The Politics of Cruise Missile Development," Public Policy (Winter 1977), 125 ; United States

Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Ad Hoc Research and Development Subcommittee,

"Department of the Air Force Fiscal Year 1972 Authorization Request . . . .," 30 April 1971, 3086 ;

Huisken, 19 .

18 . Levine, 139 ; Huisken, 64, 65; Wainstein, 51-53 .

19 . Wainstein, 52-55 ; Linee, 62.

20 . Wainstein, 54 ; Senate Armed Services Subcommittee, Air Force FY 1972 Authorization, 3102.

21 . World Armament and Disarmament SIRPI Yearbook 1974 (Stockholm : Almqvist and Wiksell,

1974), 119; Henry S. Rowen, "The Future of Cruise Missiles," 1980,7 [AUL-MU42906-1 ] ; Thomas J .

Canfield and Raymond A. Kellett, Jr ., "Cruise Missile : An Examination of Development Decisions and

Management," Naval Postgraduate School, 1978 ; Richard Burt, "New Weapons Technologies : Debate

and Directions," Adelphi Paper No. 126, 1971, 19 ; "SCAD Indifference," Aerospace Daily (25 June

1973), 305 ; "SCAD Turnabout," Aerospace Daily (2 July 1973), 1 .

22. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr ., On Watch (New York, N.Y . : Quadrangle, 1976), 81 ; Elmo Zumwalt and

Worth Bagley, "Cruise Missile Use Proving Challenge to Navy Strategy," Navy Times (7 March 1983),

20 .

23 . Wainstein, 55.

16 6
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

24 . Ibid ., 56; Jerry V. Poncar, "The Subsonic Cruise Decoy (SCAD) Program : An Analysis of

Systems Requirements and Program Direction," Air War College thesis, 1974, 16 [AUL-MS32983

P792s] .

25. Poncar, 17 ; History of Aeronautical Systems Division, July 1968-June 1969, Vol . I, 5

[AFSHRC-K243 .011, I, FY69] ; United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Research and

Development Subcommittee, "SCAD," 16 May 1973, 3326; ASD, SCAD Final Report, Vol. II,

Chapter 14, 10, 11 .

26 . "SCAD Seen in Danger of Cancellation," Aerospace Daily (5 April 1973), 201 ; "High Level

Activity on SCAD Prompts New Hope for Program," Aerospace Daily (13 August 1970), 241 ; Poncar,

18-20, 27, 28 ; Huisken, 65, 66; USAF Oral History Interview, Robert C. Seaman, Jr ., 1973-74, 64

[AFSHRC-K239 .0512-687A] ; "The Trouble With SCAD: Nobody is Sure What It Is," Aerospace Daily

(21 May 1970), 113 ; ASD History, Fiscal Year 1972, I, 109 .

27 . History of Directorate of Operational Requirements, Research and Development, July-December

1969, Vol. II, 78, 79 [AFSHRC-K140 .01 II Jul-Dec '69] . Hereafter cited as DOR History, although

Directorate renamed Development and Acquisition in 1972 .

28. Poncar, 20, 23; DOR History, July-December 1969, II, 80-81 ; Wainstein, 56, 57; ASD History

Fiscal 1972, 109, 113 .

29. The Air Force spokesman testified in congressional hearings in 1969 and 1970 that SCAD would

help both the B-52 and FB-111 . In 1971, the USAF no longer mentioned the FB-111 but did link SCAD

with both the B-52 and B-1 . DOR History, January-June 1970, II, 258-259; DOR History,

July-December 1970, II, 212, 213 ; US House of Representatives, Appropriations Committee,

"Department of Defense Appropriations Fiscal Year 1972," part 6, 27 May 1971, 293, 362; Senate,

Armed Services Subcommittee, "Air Force Fiscal Year 1972 Authorization," 3094; US Senate, Armed

Services Committee, "Authorization for Military Procurement, Research and Development Fiscal Year

1971 and Reserve Strength," part 1, 26 February 1970, 325 ; US Senate, Armed Services Committee,

"Authorization for Military Procurement, Research and Development, Fiscal Year 1970 and Reserve

Strength," part 1, 15 January 1969, 30, 31 ; ASD Historical Report, AGM-86 SCAD, July-December

19701 [ASD].

30 . DOR History, January-June 1970, II, 257, 259; DOR History, July-December 1970, II, 216,

217 ; DOR History, January-June 1972, II, 197 ; Canfield and Kellett; Huisken, 66, 68 ; Wainstein, 58,

59; "Urging Stand-Off," Aerospace Daily (10 August 1970), 217; US Senate, Armed Services

Committee, Ad Hoc Research and Development Subcommittee, "Fiscal 1973 Authorization for Military

Procurement . . . . ", part 4, 18 February 1972, 2370; US Senate, Armed Services Committee, "Military

Authorization, Fiscal Year 1972," 18 March 1971, 490; House Appropriations Committee, DOD

Appropriations Fiscal Year 1972, 360.

31 . DOR History, January-June 1970, 257, 259 ; DOR History, July-December 1970, 213 ; ASD

Historical Report, AGM-86 SCAD, RW 86, January-June 1971, 2, 3 [ASD].

32. Wainstein, 57.

33 . This concept had been with the air arm even before it was the Air Force, and had caused the

airmen numerous difficulties in the past .

34 . DOR History, January-June 1971, II, 209 ; DOR History, July-December 1971, II, 183, 186 ;

DOR History, January-June 1972, 11, 192, 194, 198 ; DOR History, January-June 1972, IV, 41, 42;

Poncar, 33-36; "New SCAD Contracts Awarded by USAF," Aviation Week (17 July 1972),15 ; "States

Urges Competitive Prototyping for F-15, SCAD and A-X," Aerospace Daily (15 July 1969), 63; ASD

Historical Report V, SCAD Document 107, AGM 86A, SCAD, January-June 1972, 1, 4 [ASD]. A

unique aspect of the SCAD program was overall Air Force management as compared with the standard

selection of a prime contractor . The SCAD Project Office would retain all these functions, acting as a

"systems integrator," the fast such use by Air Force Systems Command . Poncar, 39-11 ; DOR History,

January-June 1971, II, 209 ; "New SCAD Contracts Awarded," 15 ; Michael L. Yaffee, "USAF Seeks

Intergmtor Role," Aviation Week (10 May 1971), 14 .

35. Poncar, 35, 36; DOR History, January-June 1972, II, 194, 198 ; ASD Historical Report V, SCAD

Document 107, January-June 1972,1 . On 23 April 1973, Williams won the SCAD engine competition .

"Williams Research Beats Teledyne CAE for SCAD Engine Award," Aerospace Daily (24 April 1973),

307.

167
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

36 . Ulsamer, "SCAD," 47 .

37 . Ibid . ; US House of Representatives, Appropriations Committee, "Department of Defense

Appropriations Fiscal Year 1973," part 4, 22 March 1972, 360 ; House Appropriations Committee, DOD

Appropriations, Fiscal 1972, 361 .

38 . Ulsanter, "SCAD," 47; "SCAD is Only a Decoy, Not a Standoff Missile, AF Contends,"

Aerospace Daily (8 June 1971), 201 .

39 . Poncar, 44 ; DOR History, July-December 1972, 111, 10-11 ; DOR History, January-June, 1973,

11, 9; "SCAD is Only a Decoy," 201 ; Senate R and D Subcommittee, "SCAD," 3336, 3413 .

40. History DOR, January-June 1973, 11, 9-11 ; Huisken, 70, 71 ; Senate R and D Subcommittee,

"SCAD," 3405, 3411 ; US Senate, Armed Services Committee, Military Procurement Fiscal Year 1974,

26April 1973, 1139 .

41 . Senate R and D Subcommittee, "SCAD," 3392, 3383 .

42 . US Senate, Armed Services Committee, Research and Development Subcommittee, "Department

of Air Force," 21 May 1973, 3463 ; Levine, 126; DOR History, January-June 1973, 11, 11 ; Poncar, 56;

US Senate, Armed Services Committee, "Report Together With Separate and Individual Views. . . ,"

Report 93-385, 6 September 1973, 28 .

43. Senate Report 93-385, 28 ; US House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations,

Subcommittee, "Department of Defense Appropriations for 1975," Part 4, 29 April 1974, 933 ; US

House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee, "Department of Defense

Appropriations For 1974," Part 7, 488, 1018 .

44. "DOD Giving Navy Prime Role in Joint Cruise Missile Development," Aerospace Daily (I 1 July

1973), 50, 51 ; "Ray Utterstrom Talks About ALCM," BMA Manager (January-February 1979), 2, 4;

Poncar, 59, 60, 62, 69 ; "DOD Halts SCAD Development As Costs Rise, Need is Debated," Aviation

Week (16 July 1973), 22; "Anti-SCAD," Aerospace Daily (19 March 1973), 97 ; "SCAD Seen in

Danger of Cancellation," 201 ; "SCAD Indifference," 305.

45. DOR History, January-June 1973, II, 11 ; Senator Stuart Symington to William P. Clements, 6

August 1973 [JCMPO] .

46. Canfield and Kellett; Robert D. Colvin, "Aftermath of the Elath," United States NavalInstitute

Proceedings (October 1969), 62. The Indians sank one Pakistani destroyer and badly damaged a second

in 1971 with Styx missiles . William J . Ruhe, "Cruise Missiles : The Ship Killers," United States Naval

Institute Proceedings (June 1976), 46.

47. Ryan demonstrated an antiship version of their highly successful drone in March 1971, but to no

avail . Wagner, 177 . The tactical version of the cruise missile used turbojets because they were cheaper

and gave more power relative to the engine's weight than did turbofan engines, whose chief advantage

was more economical operation and hence greater range .

48. Brooke Nihart, "Triad to Become Quadrate?" Armed Forces Journal (December 1972), 31 ;

Wainstein, 68; Huisken, 29.

49. Levine, 127; Canfield and Kellett ; Jane's All the World's Aircraft: 1971-72, 556; Jane's All the

World's Aircraft : 1973-74, 608, 609; Jane's All the World's Aircraft : 1980-1981, 656; David G. Clark,

"Cruise Missiles : Offense in Breadth Added to Defense in Depth, " Naval War College thesis, 1977, 80 ;

Harpoon Weapons System, NCP #W-0555-SH, 13 March 1978 [JCMPO].

50. Canfield and Kellett ; Huisken, 30; Wainstein, 61, 69; "Navy's Sub Launching Cruise Missile

Moves Toward May Milestone," Aerospace Daily (13 April 1973), 249; "SLCM in Trouble?"

Aerospace Daily (30 April 1973), 337; Levine, 127, 128 .

51 . US Senate, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee, Department of Defense Appropriations

for Fiscal Year 1973, 10 May 1972, 42, 43.

52. Levine, 128 ; US House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee,

Department of Defense Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1972, part 6, 11 May 1971, 22; Secretary of

Defense Memo to Director of Defense Research and Engineering, 19 January 1972 [JCMPO-Briefing, 26

February 1972] ; US House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee,

Department of Defense Appropriations Fiscal Year 1973, 10 May 1972 ; part 9, 43.

53. Levine, 129 ; Huisken, 33 ; Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr and Jacquelyn K. Davis, The Cruise Missile :

Bargaining Chip or Defense Bargain (Cambridge, Mass. : Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, 1977), 7;

168
US CRUISE MISSILES REVITALIZED

John W. Finney, "US Missile Complicates Arms Talks," New York Times (16 June 1975), 16 ; Colin

Gray, "Who's Afraid of the Cruise Missile?," Orbis (Fall 1977), 519.

54. Levine, 129, 130 ; US Senate, Committee on Armed Services, "Military Implications of the

Treaty on the Limitations of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems and the Interim Agreement of Limitation of

Strategic Offensive Arms," 6 June 1972, 54, 20 June 1972, 141, 198 ; US Senate, Committee on Foreign

Relations, "Strategic Arms Limitation Agreements," 26 June 1972, 140 ; US Senate, Committee on

Armed Services, Fiscal Year 1973 Authorization for Military Procurement, . . . Addendum No. 1, 22

June 1972, 4297, 4340, 4353, 4354, 4358 ; US Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Report 93-385, 6

September 1973, 29; US Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Research and Development

Subcommittee, "Strategic Cruise Missiles," 27 March 1973, 263 1 .

55. Senate R and D Subcommittee, 27 March 1973, 2635, 2636, 2640, 2656.

56. They varied from the lightest, Convair's 31-inch diameter, 28-foot long, 7,775 pound, and

smallest Lockheed's 32-inch diameter, 26 1/2-foot long, 8,316 pound to the largest, LTV's 32 .7-inch

diameter, 29.3-foot long, 10,631-pound missile . JCMPO Briefing to Dr. Frosch, 14 July 1972 ; JCMPO

Briefing to AIR-05, 3 March 1973 [both JCMPO] .

57. These were even more varied than the SCMs, ranging from three to six per tube, and from the

smallest (McDonnell-Douglas) 23-inch diameter, 2,890 pound to the largest, (Convair's) 35-inch wedge,

weighing 9,610 pounds . JCMPO Briefing to Dr. Frosch, 14 July 1972 ; JCMPO Briefing to AIR-05, 3

March 1973 [both JCMP0].

58 . Huisken, 32 ; Levine 130, 131 ; JCMPO Briefing to General Phillips, 15 October 1973 ; Assistant

Secretary of the Navy Memo (Research and Development) to Director of Defense Research and

Engineering, 7 July 1972 [Sante Fe Doc . #1]; JCMPO Briefing to NADEC, 6 September 1973 ; Richard

S. Niemezyk, "Cruise Missile Program," 5 October 1973 [all 4 JCMPO]; Clarence Robinson, "Navy to

Act on Cruise Missiles," Aviation Week (13 August 1973), 13

59 . JCMPO Briefing to PMA-263, 21 August 1973 ; JCMPO Briefing to NADEC, 6 September 1973

[both JCMPO]

60 . Levine, 131 ; Wainstein, 78, 79 ; US Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Fiscal Year 1975

Authorization, part 7, 16 April 1974, 3695, 3704; "Air Force, Navy to Develop Cruise Missile,"

Aviation Week (20 August 1973), 24 ; William P Clements, Memorandum to Assistant Secretary of

Defense (Research and Development), Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research and Development),

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Research and Development), 21 December 1973 [JCMPO-Sante Fe

Document #131 .

61 . Senate, CAS, Fiscal 1975 Authorization, part 7, 3624 ; Huisken, 40; Doug Richardson, "The

Cruise Missile," Flight International (1 October 1977), 967 ; Robinson, "Navy to Act on Cruise

Missile," 13 ; JCMPO Briefing to Assistant Secretary of Army (Research and Development), Assistant

Secretary of the Navy (Research and Development), and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Research

and Development), 18 September 1973 [JCMPO].

62 . Senate CAS, FY 1975 Authorization, part 7, 3634; US House of Representatives, Committee on

Armed Services, Hearings on Military Posture, Fiscal Year 1977, part 5, 26 February 1976, 866 ;

"Industry Observer," Aviation Week (4 February 1974), 11 ; Michael Yaffee, "Cruise Missile Engine

Design Pushed," Aviation Week (7 July 1975), 43; J . Phillip Geddes, "The Submarine Launched Cruise

Missile," Interavia (March 1973), 261, 263 .

63 . Maurice Allward, "Cruise Missiles," Air Pictorial (January 1978), 12, 13 ; US House of

Representatives, House Committee on Armed Services, Military Posture Fiscal Year 1977, part 5, 20

February 1976, 866; Robinson, "Navy to Act on Cruise Missiles," 14 .

64 . CNO to COMNAVAIRSYSCOM OP-00: et set 00/125-75, 26 September 1975 [JCMPO-Sante

Fe Doc. #27]; "Navy Halts Vought Cruise Missile," Aviation Week (l5 March 1976), 203 ; "Next

Vought Cruise Missile Test Seen Critical," Aerospace Daily (2 March 1976), 9; "Navy Issues StopWork Order on Vought Cruise Missile Effort," Aerospace Daily (9 March 1976), 50; "Vought Plans

Second Tomahawk Test," Aviation Week (1 March 1976), 21 ; "Cruise Missile Award," Aviation Week

(22 March 1976), 24; E. H. Conrow, G. K. Smith, A . A . Barbour, "The Joint Cruise Missiles Project :

An Acquisition History," RAND, 1982 [I], 7 .

169
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

65. JCMPO Briefing, DSARC IA, 18 March 1975 ; William P. Clements, Memorandum for

Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, 13 May 1975 [Sante Fe Doc. #25], (both JCMPO].

66. Qeddes, "SLCM," 262; Clarence A. Robinson, Jr ., "Navy Spurs Cruise Missile Pace,"

Aviadon Week (24 November 1975), 13, 14 ; "E Systems McDonnell-Douglas to Develop TERCOM

Guidance for SLCM," Aerospace Daily,(13 June 1974), 242, 243 .

67 . CNO to CNM Ser 2241)/696020, 29 July 1976 ; Decision Coordinating Paper for Air Launched

Cruise Missile (ALCM) Fall-Scale Development Program DSARC 11, April 1976, 312 [Sante Fe Doc.

#281, [both JCMPO] .

68 . Clements Memo, 21 December 1973.

69 . Richard J . Art and Stephen E. Ockensen, "The Domestic Politics of Cruise Missile Development,

1970-1980," 370 [Richard K. Betts (ed.), Cruise Missiles (Washington, D.C . : Brookings Institution,

1981)1 ; DOR History, January through June 1974, II, 1 ; Historical Report, ASD/YG, YH, and YX,

January through June 1974, 17, 5-4 [ASD]; "DSARC Would Cancel AF ALCM Standardize on Navy

Cruise Missile," Aerospace Daily (6 December 1974), 194 ; 195 . for the testimony of two USAF

generals on the B-1 and the standoff missile see US Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Research and

Development Subcommittee, Fiscal Year 1975 Authorization . . . . 22 March 1974, 2724 and 26 March

1974, 2913.

70. "DDR and E, Said to Favor AF ALCM Cancellation ; Switch to Navy SLCM Version,"

Aerospace Daily (29 October 1974), 306, 307 ; US House of Representatives . Committee on Armed

Services, aFebruary 1976, cited in Colonel Buddy L. Brown to XP, 1 April 1976 [SAC].

71 . Interview, Ray Uttersirom, 1 March 1982 ; "Schlesinger Seeks Senate Restoration of $2 .5 Billion

for DOD," Aerospace Daily (7 October 1975), 204; "Senate Defense Panel Votes $51 Million for Air

Force ALCM," Aerospace Daily (30 October 1975), 312.

72. Colonel Buddy L. Brown to XP, 1 April 1976, 2 [SAC].

73. Unerstrom interview; Interview, D. J . Smith, 1 March 1982 .

74. Allwird, 13 ; "Flexible Missiles," Aerospace International (July-August 1977) 14 ; J . Phillip

Geddes, "The Air-Launched Cruise Missile," Interavia (June 1976), 581, 582; The U.S. War Machine

(New York, N.Y . : Crown, 1978), 218; ASD, SCAD Document No. 141, 3 .

75 . Richardson, 966; -DOR History, January through June 1976, Vol . III, 153 [AFSHRC-K140.01,

III, Jarturry--June 19761 ; History Directorate Operational Requirements DCS/R and D, July through

December 1976, Vol., 111, 99,' 100 [AFSHRC-K140 .01, III, January-June 761 ; History, Air Force

Systems Command, 976, 1976, Vol. 1, 204, 205 [AFSHRC-K243 .01, I, 761 ; Historical Reports

ASD/YM 69, YM 86, YMA, Sect . 4, January through December 1976, 4-17 (ASD].

76 : SLCM Tomahawk Flight Test History, 17 February 1982, 1 ; JCMPO DSARC II Briefing, 6

January 1977 [both JCMPO) ; Richardson, 968.
CHAPTER VI

1977 TO THE PRESENT

The movement toward a redefinition of the cruise missile program grew as the

weapon developed, its visibility increased, and political pressures inside and

outside the services built . The Air Force continued to insist that they needed only a

short range ALCM (Air-Launched Cruise Missile), a position. strongly criticized by

Deputy Secretary of Defense William P. Clements. Following a meeting on 21

December 1976, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked. E. C. Aldridge,

Director of Department of Defense Planning and Evaluation, and Malcolm Currie,

Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDRE), to write a plan for the

future of the cruise missile . The Secretary of Defense expressed special interest in a

ground-launched version of the cruise missile .'

The culmination of these discussions came in the Defense Systems Acquisition

Review Council (DSARC) meeting of 6 January 1977, probably the most important

decision point in the evolution of the weapon . Before laying out the conclusions of

that critical meeting, two factors that played major roles in the outcome require

emphasis . First, the US Government showed a marked reluctance to cancel any

military program on the eve of the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty)

negotiations . (See below.) Second, in the wake of Jimmy Carter's defeat of

President Gerald Ford in November 1976, many believed that any basic decision

should be postponed so that the incoming President would have maximum latitude .

These factors gave the Boeing ALCM a respite, as some within the Department of

Defense (DOD) wanted to use the General Dynamics Tomahawk in both the airlaunched and sea-launched role.

Nevertheless, the DSARC meeting made significant recommendations that

markedly shaped the program. First, while stressing commonality between the two

missile programs, DSARC recommended continuing both the Navy's SLCM (SeaLaunched Cruise Missile) and the Air Force's ALCM programs at a more advanced

level termed "Full Scale Engineering Development" (FSED). As the Deputy

Secretary of Defense later stated, "a common airframe for all applications may

impose unnecessary and unwarranted performance compromises on both weapons

systems . "z However, this line of thought did not preclude a single cruise missile for

all launch modes . Second, to manage the two programs and ensure maximum

commonality, the council recommended establishing a joint office (Joint Service
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Cruise Missiles Project Office, (JSCMPO) with the Navy as the lead service and

Captain Walter M. Locke (USN) as director . Third, DSARC recommended that the

ALCM program concentrate on the long-range version (AGM-86B) having at least

1,500 nm range, rather than the short-range AGM-86 . (The AGM-86A option

however, would be maintained.)' USAF would strive for an ALCM initial

operational capability (IOC) date of July 1980, using the B-52 as the carrier .

Fourth, the council recommended refocusing the SLCM program from its previous

supposedly equal emphasis on both the conventional antiship and theater nuclear

versions, toward a long-range (at least 1,500 nm) nuclear land attack missile

capable of launch from submarine, surface ship, and the ground. DSARC also

recommended development of a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) from the

Navy's Tomahawk for the Air Force as a mobile theater nuclear weapon* with "an

expeditious IOC." Finally, the council recommended that the antiship Tomahawk

should also enter FSED and that the JSCMPO would explore ground-launched

antiship versions and initiate research and development for advanced cruise missile

technology. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Clements approved the DSARC

recommendations on 14 January 1977 . 4

The Joint Office played the major role in the development of the ALCM between

1977 and 1980, and continues to play the key role in the development of the GLCM,

MRASM (medium range air-to-surface missile), and SLCM . In late March, Navy

renamed the office JCMPO (Joint Cruise Missiles Project Office) . DOD did not

establish the office until the fall of 1977 due to the complications of setting up such

a structure and the jockeying for positions between the two services. As far back as

1973, the aviation press had speculated that the Navy would take over leadership of

the program; and the success ofNavy's Tomahawk clearly favored the sea service .'

Within the arena of a joint office, friction inevitably occurred . In general,

interservice cooperation is notable because it is so rare ; the historical record reveals

few successes and many failures of such efforts . The Navy and the Air Force have

different systems and styles of weapons acquisition, subjects beyond the scope of

this study, which increase the probability of problems .

Another difficulty arose from JCMPO's location in Washington D .C ., and

USAF's acquisition system location in Dayton, Ohio . At first, USAF detailed

airmen on temporary duty to the nation's capital, and only gradually brought the Air

Force complement up to strength after November 1977, a process taking a year.

Thus far, the joint program has been essentially successful.

Cruise Missiles and SALT

During the period the cruise missile matured as a weapon, it became increasingly

connected with arms limitations . Although these continuing discussions are a

*Unlike the ALCM, the SLCM andGLCM required a booster which General Dynamics already had well underdevelopment .

172
1977 TO THE PRESENT

separate subject which are only tangential to this study, nevertheless, the cruise

missile increasingly affected the talks and the talks (and agreements) increasingly

affected the cruise missile . At first the negotiators paid little attention to the infant

cruise missile although they discussed it early on, albeit without results . In April

1970, the United States proposed a limit on the number of SLCMs, other than those

of short range, as well as a ban on both GLCMs with ranges over 1,000 km and

additional medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles . The Soviets objected,

arguing that their weapons were tactical, and attempted to pull US carrier aircraft

into the discussions .6 The Americans came back in August with a proposal to

prohibit intercontinental cruise missiles but leave all other cruise missiles

unrestrained. Eventually, cruise missiles were not included in the provisions of

SALT I .

Yet as we have seen, following the 1972 agreement, the Secretary of Defense and

the Secretary of State pushed cruise missiles to placate the JCS (Joint Chiefs of

Staff) and use as bargaining chips in future arms talks with the Soviets .' Two years

later, at the November 1974 Vladivostok meeting, the negotiators apparently did

not seriously discuss the weapon. But following the meeting and the agreement

reached there, the cruise missile emerged as a contentious subject. An aidememoire to the agreement counted air-launched missiles with ranges greater than

600 km in the overall launcher ceiling . While President Ford offered to limit airlaunched cruise missiles to a range of 1,850 miles the preceding August at Helsinki,

the Americans maintained that the Vladivostok agreement applied only to ballistic

missiles, not air-breathing ones. As the only American bomber-launched missile

under development at this point was the cruise missile, the US interpretation was, at

best, strained .'

By 1975 the Soviets began to take the American cruise missile more seriously.

Now, the Americans linked the missile with an equally troublesome Soviet weapon,

the Backfire bomber, which the Russians began to deploy in 1974 . One American

proposal in September 1975 attempted to limit both weapons by excluding 200 to

400 of the supersonic, long-range Russian bombers from the Vladivostok ceiling,

for the exclusion of an equal number of American cruise missile carriers . The

Soviets rejected this offer in November. The United States regarded ALCMs as just

another piece of bomber armament and therefore not accountable under existing

agreements. On the other hand, the Soviets wanted to either ban all missiles over

600 km (which would not affect operational Soviet missiles as none of them exceed

this range in low-altitude flight), or to count them against the overall strategic

missile ceiling . 9

When the Russians did not make a counter offer, the Americans tried again, no

doubt eager to reach an agreement before the 1976 US presidential campaign heated

up and paralyzed action. The American proposal in January would permit the

Russians to deploy 275 Backfires apart from the 2,400 launcher limit between 1977

and 1982 and, from then until the expiration of the treaty, unlimited numbers. The

Soviets would be restricted, however, on how they operated the bomber . The

proposal banned Backfire participation in exercises simulating attacks on the United

173
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

States, Backfire deployment to bases from which they could reach the United States

unrefueled, and Backfire tankers . The Americans proposed to count each bomber

armed with 12 to 20 ALCMs of ranges greater than 600 km against the Vladivostok

ceiling of 1,320 MIRVed (multiple independent reentry vehicle) launchers and to

limit the range of the ALCM to a maximum of 2,500 km. The deal left the

submarine-launched SLCMs with no numerical limit but a range limit of 600 km

which, because of geography, would close them off as a viable strategic weapon

against Russia. Finally, the American proposal would not limit the surfacelaunched SLCMs in range, but would restrict their numbers to 250 missiles on 25

ships . 10

The Russians responded that Backfire should not be counted as a strategic

system, although they did indicate a willingness to restrict its basing . On the cruise

missile issue, the Soviets wanted each bomber carrying 10 or more ALCMs counted

against the 1,320 MIRV subceiling . In addition, they wanted ALCM range limited

to 1,000 miles (presumably statute miles) and all other cruise missiles limited to a

600 km range. So the differences between the two proposals came down to : (1)

Backfire numbers, (2) ALCM range, and (3) surface SLCM range. Most observers

believed that the two sides could quickly hammer out an agreement.

This consensus proved incorrect as these final issues remained unresolvable. The

Soviets insisted that the Backfire was a tactical bomber, and therefore should not be

counted against the strategic launcher ceiling . At the same time, they maintained

that all but a few ALCMs (accountable under the treaty) should be limited to a 600

km range . The United States stuck with its basic proposal. In February, President

Ford attempted to bypass the trouble spots by including the agreed-upon portions in

a SALT II agreement and leaving the bothersome cruise missiles and Backfire to a

separate protocol . The Americans offered not to deploy SLCM and GLCM with

ranges greater than 600 km, although they wanted the option of testing them up to

2,500 km. The Soviets rejected this proposal the next month . Thus, the SALT

process broke down as the American political system went its colorful, quadrennial

course ."

The fall election brought a new president and a new approach to SALT, for

Jimmy Carter campaigned to reduce nuclear weapons . When he first took office it

appeared that he would build on the Ford-Kissinger work, at least this could be

concluded from his remarks in his first formal press conference during which he

indicated a desire for a quick overall agreement and the relegation of the Backfire

and cruise missile issues to SALT Ill . But in March, Carter submitted a far-reaching

proposal to the Soviets ; indeed, in the context of the US-USSR negotiations, a

radical one. He called for major reductions in the agreed-upon ceilings of SALT I

and Vladivostok, reducing delivery vehicles from 2,400 to 1,800-2,000, the MIRV

limit from 1,320 to 1,100-1,200, and other changes . The President proposed that

the Soviet bomber not be counted as a strategic weapon if the Soviets provided

assurances that were not made clear in the open literature . Cruise missiles would be

limited in two ways . First, they would be limited to a 2,500 km range and second,

only heavy bombers (counted against the MIRV ceiling) would be allowed to carry

174
1977 TO THEPRESENT

cruise missiles capable of flying between 600 and 2,500 km. There would be no

restriction on cruise missiles with ranges under 600 kms . 'z

Why did Carter take this tack? From the President's point of view, such an

approach fulfilled his campaign promise of arms reductions, deflected conservative

criticism that the United States had been out-bargained at SALT I and Vladivostok,

and permitted the new President to be a formulator of policy, not just a follower of

the Ford-Kissinger line . In addition to these political considerations, the proposed

reduction would help relieve what American strategists considered the most serious

Soviet threat, the buildup of heavy missiles which increasingly imperiled American

ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missile) ."

But this strategy failed ; the Soviets rejected the initiative cold, without a serious

counterproposal and with harsh words . In addition to substantive objections, the

Soviets apparently resented the break from the Ford-Kissinger work, the public

style of the Carter administration, and Carter's emphasis on human rights . In

addition, the proposal would force the Soviets, with larger forces, to make greater

cuts than would the Americans .14 Therefore, the Carter proposal derailed the SALT

process .

To get the train back on the tracks, the United States proposed a three-tier process

in May consisting of an eight-year treaty containing agreed-upon areas, a three-year

protocol with temporarily agreed-upon areas, and a statement of principles to

provide guidelines for future negotiations . By September the Russians had accepted

this procedure and before 1977 was over, the two countries reached a number of

major agreements. The most important of these (pertaining to the cruise missile)

limited ALCM range to 2,500 kms, made ALCM-carrying bombers accountable

under the MIRY subceiling, and dealt with non-ALCMs. A protocol permitted

development and testing of GLCM and SLCM up to a range of 2,500 kms, but

banned their deployment.

15 A number of serious questions remained : (1) How

would the range of cruise missiles be measured? The Russians, attempting to limit

the weapon as much as possible, wanted to measure total range, while the United

States wanted range measured from launch to target, not including the ups and

downs of terrain-following, and the deviations from route . (2) What type aircraft

would carry ALCMs and how would this be verified? (3) How many ALCMs

would each aircraft be allowed to carry? (4) Apart from nuclear-armed missiles,

what provision would be made for nonnuclear-armed cruise missiles and

reconnaissance missiles? (5) Would third parties, specifically American allies, have

access to the weapon or technology?

The agreements signed by Chairman Brezhnev and President Carter in Vienna on

18 June 1979 seemingly settled all these issues .

(1) Range. The agreement defined range as the maximum distance in the

standard flying mode until fuel exhaustion . But the 2,500 km limit on ALCM did

not appear in either treaty or protocol . Apparently the Soviets dropped the ALCM

range restriction in exchange for other concessions .

16

175
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

(2) Cruise missile carriers . The agreement defined any aircraft equipped to

launch ALCMs of ranges greater than 600 km as a cruise missile carrier . Once any

aircraft is so equipped, all aircraft of that type shall be so regarded . But aircraft

fitted with "functionally related observable differences" which can be detected by

national technical means, in this case primarily satellite photography, were

exempted.

(3) ALCMs per carrier. As in most bargains struck over numbers, the end

result landed halfway between the starting position of each side . The Russians

began with a figure of 20, the United States with 36." The agreement limits the

number of ALCMs on present US aircraft (B-Is and B-52s) to 20, and on future

aircraft to a fleet average of 28.

(4) Nonnuclear cruise missiles. This agreement treats conventional and

nuclear cruise missiles the same . Once a missile flies beyond 600 km, it comes

under the provisions of the treaty . External observable differences must delineate

which cruise missiles have ranges of more than 600 km. In addition, reconnaissance

cruise missiles of ranges greater than 600 km count the same as armed cruise

missiles unless they exhibit observable differences . The treaty also prohibits the

conversion of cruise missiles to RPVs (Remotely Piloted Vehicles) and the

conversion of RPVs to cruise missiles above the 600 km threshold .

(5) Thirdparties. The signatories pledge to make no international treaties that

would conflict with the agreement.

Another provision of the treaty prohibits testing and deployment of multiple

warheads on ALCM. Finally, the protocol bans deployment of SLCM and GLCM

of ranges greater than 600 km, but not their development or flight testing .

The negotiators intended the treaty to remain in force until 31 December 1985

and the protocol until 31 December 1981 .' 8 While the two nations' leaders signed

both in June 1979, the US Senate ratified neither. Today the prospects of

ratification appear nonexistent, yet both sides continue to act as if the treaty (not the

protocol) is in force. Just as the SALT discussions were long and involved, so was

the connection between the B-1 and the ALCM.

The B-1

The drawn out and competing stories of the B-1 and the cruise missile came to a

conclusion, most thought, in the summer of 1977. Friend and foe alike saw the

cruise missile as an obstacle to the deployment of the B-1 . Therefore, some

supported the cruise missile as a counter to the B-1 and, conversely, some opposed

176
1977 To THEPRESENT

the cruise missile because of their support for the manned penetrating bomber.

In short order the argument between these two weapons focused on Modernizing

the Strategic Bomber Force, a 1976 Brookings study critical of the B-1 . Its authors

noted that the bomber failed to meet its original performance estimates, probably on

the average of 11 percent less, and suffered horrendous cost escalation, from $39

million per aircraft in 1969 to $84 million in 1975, and perhaps (as reported by the

authoritative Aviation Week), over $100 million . The study concluded that there

was "no reason to make a commitment to produce the B-1 although there was

considerable justification for exploring alternatives based on the use of standoff

missiles .

" ' 9

The Air Force responded with the Joint Strategic Bomber Study (JSBS)

completed in December 1974, essentially - a line-by-line critique of the Brookings

study. The outside observer encounters difficulty assessing the arguments of these

two different, complex, and detailed studies since they employ different basic

assumptions and costing rules. For example, Brookings used "equal

effectiveness" forces while the JSBS used "equal cost" forces . 2°

Partially as a result of these arguments, on 30 June 1977, President Carter

cancelled the B-1 project. According to Secretary of Defense Harold S. Brown, the

administration considered six air-breathing options : a modernized FB-111, a rebuilt

and upgraded B-52, a less expensive penetrating bomber, a standoff cruise missile

carrier, a reworked existing B-52, and the B-1 . The choices quickly narrowed to the

last two options . After considering how well each would survive preemptive attacks

and Soviet en route defenses, Brown concluded that "a B-1 force that would have

equal capability to B-52s with cruise missiles would have been about 40 percent

more expensive . " 2 ' Brown put the savings at $10 billion (fiscal year 1978) over the

next six years. While the B-1 could penetrate at a higher speed than the cruise

missile, it also penetrated at a higher altitude . Brown expressed more confidence in

the missile's small radar cross section (RCS) to confound the Soviet defenders than

in the B-1's ECM (electronic countermeasures) . Consequently, the administration

based its choice on cost and military effectiveness. Other factors influencing the

decision included the missile's growth potential, which simply meant the weapon

could easily and quickly be proliferated . The decisionmakers also considered the

impact the cruise missile would have on "the world's perception of the potency of

our forces." The United States would retain and demonstrate "clear technological

superiority" with a weapon lacking first strike capability. 22

Carter's B-1 decision shocked the top echelon of USAF. They had calculated that

the Air Force would probably get 150 B-1 s, and even in the worst case obtain 90.

Some of the impact of this decision can be sensed in the lead sentence in an Air

Force Magazine article : "The Strategic Air Command (SAC), with grim

professionalism, is picking up the pieces of a planned force structure and a doctrine

shattered by cancellation of the B-1 bomber."" Now the Air Force found itself

without its future penetrating bomber and with the cruise missile instead. Clearly,

this gave new impetus to the ALCM program177
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

ALCM Selection

The B-1 cancellation made the cruise missile more important than ever . For now

it, not a new bomber, would modernize the air-breathing leg of the Triad and ensure

the bomber's continued effectiveness in the face of increasingly potent Soviet air

defenses . The military establishment (most ofall, USAF) must now get to the issue,

take it seriously, and select an ALCM. Decisionmakers again carefully considered

adopting a common ALCM/SLCM. Such a selection would save $165 to $373

million. But the dollar savings had to be weighed against a loss of performance ; a

1976 study, for example, noted that SLCM was not optimal for the ALCM role . 14

By the time of the B-1 decision, the two American cruise missile programs

possessed distinct characteristics . While both evolved from the same basic

technology and utilized the same engine and guidance, they developed in somewhat

different ways. The General Dynamics missile could fly further than the Boeing

missile and had flown 16 tests while the ALCM A had flown only six times .

However, Boeing designed its missile specifically for the ALCM role, and from the

start built it to be integrated with a Boeing bomber. In addition, only six

Tomahawks could be carried in a B-52 rotary launcher versus eight Boeing

missiles . Finally, while all six ALCM A launches were "cold-launched" (the

engine ignited after the missile was dropped) as would be the operational procedure,

in all 14 of the SLCM's air launches from A-6s, the missile's engine was started

prior to the drop. Because ofthese unequal factors and the prospect that a flat choice

one way or the other would probably provoke a strong protest, if not a legal

challenge, DOD ordered a direct competition ."

On 30 September 1977, the Director of Defense Research and Development,

William Perry, set the wheels in motion with a memo to the Secretaries of the Air

Force and Navy. He came right to the point, opening the memo:

It is a matter of highest national priority, especially in the light of the B-1 decision, to develop an

air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) with optimum performance and minimum cost and schedule

delays . I believe we can best accomplish those program objectives by conducting a competitive

flyoff between Boeing and General Dynamics to determine which of their missiles will be the

ALCM to be flown on the B-52 and, as appropriate, other cruise missile carriers .Z6

Perry insisted that the emphasis on component commonality between the ALCM,

SLCM, and GLCM continue. The ALCM program would maintain an early 1980

target date for a limited IOC and receive the highest national priority . JCMPO

would continue to manage the program until DSARC approved the ALCM

production decision .

The Joint Office would conduct the competition, which would include

operational tests by SAC crews. The selection itself would be recommended by a

Source Selection Advisory Council consisting of equal numbers of senior Air

Force and Navy officers, one of whom, the Commander of Air Force Systems

178
Command, would serve as chairman . So the selection of a key weapon for the Air

Force would not only be assisted by the Navy, but the final recommendation would

be partially made by naval officers as well. The Secretary of the Air Force would be

the Source Selection Authority .27

The competition used three areas of selection criteria : operational design/utility,

adequacy of the program, and costs. The military subdivided the first and most

important area into six equally important parts: survivability, operability, accuracy

and time control, mission preparation, life cycle cost realism, and range. The

testers divided the second major area, program adequacy, into nine items of equal

importance . The third major area consisted of production and remaining research,

development, test, and evaluation costs ."

An important question for the testers was exactly what would compete. At first, it

appeared as if all but the common equipment (such as the missile engine and

guidance) would be involved. In due course, however, the government deleted the

test equipment, ground support equipment, and pylons, leaving only the two

missiles to compete. In February 1978, the government awarded full scale

engineering development contracts to the two companies . The schedule called for

the first test flight in February, a decision in October 1979, and a limited IOC in

March 1980 . 29

One area of conflict concerned the protection of proprietary data . General

Dynamics claimed that since Boeing Wichita was the contractor for integrating the

missile to the B-52 (pylon, wiring, etc .), it would be at a disadvantage .*

Conversely, McDonnell-Douglas built computers and inertial platforms for both

manufacturers . Since Boeing used only the McDonnell-Douglas hardware and its

own software, while General Dynamics got both from McDonnell-Douglas, Boeing

asserted that McDonnell-Douglas would gain more from a General Dynamics

victory than one by Boeing . Boeing objected in February 1978 that the arrangement

between General Dynamics and McDonnell-Douglas constituted a teaming

arrangement, making McDonnell-Douglas a competitor of Boeing, an objection

sustained by the military. 3 o

At least some of the Boeing people thought that Navy involvement in the

selection of the ALCM put Boeing at a disadvantage . They feared that the Navy-run

JCMPO would go through the motions of a competition before selecting General

Dynamics. In fact, the competition was well-run and fair ; neither the documents nor

conversations with involved individuals indicate any major problems.

At the same time, it should be noted that Boeing maintained two major

advantages going into the competition . First, it enjoyed a long and successful

association with the Air Force dating back to the 1920s and extending through such

stalwart USAF bombers as the B-17, B-29, B-50, B-47, and continuing with the

long-lived B-52 . In addition, that company built the SRAM . Boeing knew the Air

Force, and the Air Force knew Boeing ; in short, Boeing knew how to please

USAF."

Before the competition occurred, the military conducted another series of tests

consisting of seven Tomahawk flights flown against US equipment (such as F-14,

"Under the Boeing corporate structure, the manufacturer of the missile, Boeing Aerospace Company, Seattle, is essentially a different

company than that of the B-52 integrator, Boeing Military Aircraft Company, Wichita.

179

1977 TO THEPRESENT
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

F-15, AWACS, Chaparral, improved Hawk, Roland, Stinger, and Patriot) and

captured or borrowed (from third parties) Soviet equipment . The tests sought to

simulate Russian defenses present and future to answer some of the questions

regarding the cruise missile's ability to penetrate Soviet defenses . The military

concluded from the tests completed in September 1978 that current Soviet air

defenses were ineffective against cruise missiles .

These survivability tests revealed one major problem, that the radar altimeter, a

commercial instrument, could be detected up to 30 nm away. Therefore, the

military installed in later missiles a modified device which varies its power as

required, which, along with other features, greatly reduces its detectability . During

a test of the new device, operators at the receiver site asked: "Are you sure the

altimeter is turned on?""

According to William Perry (DDRE), the Soviets required 50 to 100 SUAWACS

(Soviet Airborne Warning and Control System), a fleet of 2,000 advanced

interceptors (look down/shoot down)33 equipped with new air-to-air missiles, and

500 to 1,000 SA-10 missile sites . Such a defensive effort, Perry estimated, would

require $30 to $50 billion and 5 to 10 years to build and yet would destroy only half

of the 3,000 cruise missile attack it might face. In February 1980, a general put the

figure at $90 to $100 billion ; nevertheless, a defensive effort which the cruise

missile would largely negate . Various sources put the ratio of defense spending to

offense spending at least at 10:1 . 3°

The government set the general conditions of the flyoff competition and allowed

the two companies to work out the specific details . The flyoff gave each contractor

10 flights to perform certain tests and to reach certain goals . The Air Force supplied

a B-52 to each company and, to ensure that both companies got a fair shake,

compartmentalized the operation ."

The GD Tomahawk enjoyed a considerable lead over the Boeing missile by the

time the flyoff competition began in July 1979, having successfully flown 36 times

on 43 flights for a total of 37 hours and 12 minutes . However, the Tomahawk

SLCM version differed from the Tomahawk ALCM, as GD had to adapt the BGM109 to the harsher environment of the air-launch from just above sea level to over

40,000 feet . The most obvious change removed the booster and capsule . In

addition, GD added oxygen for engine start, and changed the fuel from the safer TH

Dimer to less viscous and less dense fuel (JP-9) for operations at the oxygen-rare,

and colder, higher altitudes ,36

Meanwhile Boeing considerably changed its missile . As related above, USAF

took two approaches to extend the range of the AGM-86A. USAF cancelled the

first, the belly-tank version, in 1977, at about the same time it cancelled the AGM86A . 3 ' The other effort was to enlarge the missile . To do this, Boeing stretched the

AGM-86A, referred to by Boeing as the basic air vehicle (BAV), into the heavier

and longer extended range vehicle (ERV). 38 (See figure 8.) In time, the ERV

evolved into the AGM-86B which is almost 500 pounds heavier and almost 15

inches longer than the ERV, and has a rounded, rather than a duck-bill, nose. But

the ERV and AGM-86B share essentially the same wings and profile . 39 Similarly,

180
the fuselage of SCAD, the "A" model, and the fast eight "B" models are the

same, consisting of 28 welded forgings which required considerable time and skill

to properly machine and align . In early 1978, Boeing adopted bolted aluminum

castings which cut the number of pieces to four. Although the new process added 80

pounds to the airframe's weight, this procedure cut structural costs, which are

almost half the missile's cost, by one-third . Henry Runkel, Boeing's chief engineer

for the ALCM, gets special credit for this innovation!° These measures almost

doubled the range of the missile, to over 1,300 nm 41 But other problems remained :

the SRAM launcher could accommodate neither the new Boeing missile nor the

Tomahawk ALCM; finally, and most importantly, the AGM-86B had never flown.

The military rescheduled the flyoff for May, but poor weather and contractor

problems with support equipment, as well as problems with the B-52 carrier

aircraft, forced a postponement until the summer. The 20 competitive ALCM

sorties required a considerable organizational and logistical support effort . In

addition to the 20 free-flight sorties (54 hours of flying time), the flyoff competition

included 23 captive sorties (the missile retained aboard the carrier aircraft) and 17

jettison sorties (the missile simply dropped without the engine starting) . 42 (See

figures 9, 10, and 11 for air-launch sequence .)

VERTICAL DISTANCE FROM

STORED POSITION (FT)

FIRST MOTION (-10.8 ma)

ARM SEPARATES (O ma)

ELEVONS DEPLOY (150 ms)

- -3.1

Figure 9 . External (center position) air-launch sequence

FIN DEPLOYS (215 ma)

1977 TO THEPRESENT

t=0.020 sec

t=0.170 sec

20

--301- -30------------- t=1 .0208ec

90~ - 1 WINGS DEPLOY (1,250 ma)

-100 -97--___________ t=2 .270 sec
VERTICAL DISTANCE

FIRST MOTION (-10 .6 ms) FROM STORED POSITION (ft)

SEPARATION FROM ARM (0 ms) 0

t=0.020 sec-0.72-- - ---

ELEVONS DEPLOY (150 ms)

t=0.170sec--_-__-__2,2- -2--

FIN DEPLOYS (215 ms)

-6 _-

8

`10

t=1 .020 sec-__--_-_-_--_-_23-_-- 20 -

30

t=0.385 sec----------------5.5-

WINGS DEPLOY (1,250 ms) P0

t=2.270 sec 75_ - __-

80 -

Figure 1 0. External (shoulder position) air-launch sequence .
00

w - ___-9. g___

-__

6- - .

T

_ _ - - - - - - - - - - t=0 .320 sec

-8

0- - - t=0 .535 sec

23__ - __--____--__-_ t=1 .020 sec

~~0 WINGS DEPLOY (1,250 ms)

--75- - t=2.270 sec

80

Figure 1 1 . Internal air-launch sequence .

VERTICAL DISTANCE

FROM STORED POSITION (ft)

~0 FIRST MOTION (-10.6 ms)

SEPARATION FROM ARM (O ms)

_____2.3___ '=2_ t=0,145 sec

~-4 1 ELEVONS DEPLOY (150 ms)

-4.8.

-5.3 -

y t=0.295 sec
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The Tomahawk successfully flew its first free-flight on 17 July 1979. On its ten

flight attempts, GD logged a total of 22.2 hours while suffering four crashes . It

successfully flew its tenth and last flight on 8 February 1980 . GD recovered two of

its missiles on two attempts .

43

The Boeing missile also logged six successful flights'on its ten test flights, even

though it crashed after 44 minutes of its first test flight on 3 August. Despite

mishaps, however, the Boeing missile registered 31 .7 hours of free flight time

(almost one-third more than the GD missile) and logged 67 TERCOM (terrain

contour matching) updates . It also completed 9 jettison and 12 captive carry tests .

But Boeing had difficulties in recovering its missile, succeeding on only two of five

tries . ^ °

Both companies encountered problems with excessive oil consumption of their

common engine . Just as the survivability tests indicated a problem with the radar

altimeter, the flyoff confirmed what JCMPO already knew; the engine used too

much oil, or more specifically, its consumption rate exceeded engine

specifications . While the specifications called for an oil consumption rate of .014

gallons per hour, the Tomahawk averaged a consumption rate of .236 gallons per

hour on its ten flights while the Boeing missile's consumption rate ranged from .018

to a rate twice that figure . 45

The Source Selection Evaluation Board, consisting of 200 Air Force and Navy

officers, assessed the results of the competition and the Source Selection Advisory

Council, a joint board of senior Air Force and Navy officers, reviewed these

findings . They concluded that both missiles met the performance goals set by the

Air Force and differed little, but that these differences were significant . Although

each company lost four missiles, the testers regarded the Boeing crashes as less

serious . In contrast, the evaluators considered the causes of three of the four GD

crashes of a major nature . Therefore, the Boeing missile was recommended in a

unanimous decision .

46

Secretary of the Air Force Hans Marks announced his decision awarding the

entire contract of 3,418 ALCMs to Boeing on 25 March 1980. In a news

conference following his decision, Marks cited three reasons for selecting Boeing.

The Secretary first mentioned superior Boeing guidance performance, which meant

that since McDonnell-Douglas manufactured the hardware for both missiles,

Boeing's software was best. Second, the military believed that the AGM-86B

promised cheaper and easier maintenance than did the AGM-109. Finally, the

Boeing bird demonstrated lower terrain-following abilities and flew better over

rough terrain than did the Tomahawk. These advantages may stem from the basic

design of the two missiles; after all, the Boeing effort is essentially a small

unmanned aircraft while the GD product is a winged torpedo . (The latter's small

fins and noncoinciding wingline undoubtedly complicate stability and control.)

DSARC III approved the decision on 17 April, as did Deputy Secretary ofDefense,

W. Graham Clayton, Jr ., on 30 April . Consequently, the ALCM returned to USAF

control. JCMPO retained authority over the cruise missile's common items

(guidance, altimeter, and engine), as well as over the SLCM and GLCM. This

184
1977 TO THEPRESENT

decision also authorized the production of up to 225 ALCMs in Fiscal Year 1980

and a buildup to a production rate of 40 per month .41

Testing, of course, continued after the flyoff, especially since that endeavor had

been less than an overwhelming success . Although the competition demonstrated

the missile's design, the crashes also damaged the missile's public image. Crashes

are bad publicity because, regardless of their cause or how much is learned from

them, the public views crashes as simple, clean, and dramatic evidence of failure .

William Perry expressed dissatisfaction with the missile's reliability, and expanded

the original 11 planned follow-on tests to 19 . Despite this expansion of the test

program, the ALCM's IOC remained as it was.4g

The tests began on 12 June 1980 and continued into 1982; by January 1982, 15

tests had been conducted, accumulating over 481/2 hours of flying time. During

these tests, the AGM-86B suffered four failures, including one crash on 20

November 1980. Therefore Boeing's AGM-86B did better than it had in the flyoff,

crashing only once on 15 flights, compared with 4 on 10; and in addition, the testers

recovered 6 birds on 8 attempts, compared with only 2 out of 5 . 49

Nevertheless, USAF is less than overwhelmed by the results . In 1980, AFTEC

(Air Force Testing and Evaluation Center) stressed the limits of the tests and the

need to do more testing . It rated the cruise missile satisfactory in 13 areas, deficient

in 3 (test launch payload, technical data, and mission reliability), with results

inconclusive in 8 other areas .* The testers singled out as the most critical area the

lack of testing of the operational carriers, the OAS (Offensive Avionics Systems)-

modified B-52 . AFTEC's other two areas of concern focused on the lack of

complete testing of the support equipment, especially the ESTS (Electronic System

Test Set), and the reliability and maintainability testing . In spite of these

reservations, AFTEC gave an overall positive assessment to the ALCM. OSD's

director of defense test and evaluation concluded, in April 1980, "The ALCM air

vehicle is potentially capable of meeting operational requirements . There were no

major problems found in the basic design . . . [so that] there are no test related

issues which preclude commitment to production of the AGM-86B .

"so

A September 1981 AFTEC report, however, stated, "Based on testing to date,

operational effectiveness and operational suitability are both rated deficient when

measured against the test thresholds established by the user. "'1 AFTEC noted four

areas of particular concern : missile performance (especially terrain-following),

mission planning, reliability/availability, and pylon uploading . The evaluators

criticized the ALCM as too heavy for both its wing area and engine power which

contributed to two performance shortcomings : large turning radius and limited

climbing ability . A number of other areas such as terminal accuracy, launch

envelope, and time of arrival could not be assessed . AFTEC also lacked adequate

information on storing the missile and the resulting reliability, and thus

availability, 52

Understandably, testing continues . On 10 October 1982, USAF completed

ALCM test number 20 of the series begun in June 1980. The Air Force plans 15

"Overall operational effectiveness, terminal accuracy, terrain following, launch envelope, mission planning, software suitability,

weapon's system compatibility, and interoperability,.

185
BGM BGM * BGM * BGM 109B 109C 109A 109G

* NUCLEAR ARMED

* * AIRFIELD ATTACK ONLY

AGM AGM

109H 109L *

AGM

86B

GENERAL DYNAMICS BOEING

TOMAHAWK ALCM

Figure 1 2. US cruise missile family .

0

SEA- GROUND- AIRc

a

0

LAUNCHED LAUNCHED LAUNCHED z

SLCM LLCM MRASM ALCM 0

I

x

- ANTI-SHIP L -----LAND ATTACK---- t

__ DUAL LAND - c

1

I

MISSION ; ATTACK

rn
1977 TO THEPRESENT

integrated weapons system tests by SAC and AFTEC . These tests got off to a bad

start, with missile failures on the first two attempts on 19 December 1982 and 24

May 1983, the latter culminating in a crash which the Air Force attributed to an

isolated failure in the software. The next two test flights in June were successful .

Another series of 15 test flights is scheduled in Canada. 5 ' As Canadian terrain and

foliage resemble that of the Soviet Union, this test series will provide the most

realistic test of the system.S4 Thereafter, SAC will operationally test 12 cruise

missiles a year.

15

The first SAC unit equipped with the AGM-86B is the 668th Bombardment

Squadron, 416th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base, New

York. USAF selected it because of its location relative to Soviet targets and initial

TERCOM mapping restrictions . The unit received its first modified B-52G (sn 58-

0247) with nonjettisonable pylons on 15 August 1981 and received 13 ALCMs

on 3 September. The 668th became the first operational, ALCM squadron in

December 1982. 56

The first production missile (number 25) rolled off the line in November 1981,

varying slightly from the test (or preproduction) models. (See figure 12.) The most

noticeable changes are a new all-metal whale-shaped nose (reducing RCS, possible

flying object damage, and production costs) and the removal of the winged US

insignia and lettered "Air Force." Boeing made other changes to cut costs :

substituting an elevon housing machined from a titanium casting for a steel forging,

and graphite epoxy elevons for aluminum ones. In addition, USAF adopted a new

fuel . JP-4 powered the ALCM until the Air Force authorized the use of high density

fuel . But JP-9, the new fuel used in the flyoff, is very expensive, currently costing

about $45 to $50 a gallon . In April 1981, the Air Force began using JP-9 as a primer

and JP-10 ($15 to $20 a gallon) as the principal fuel in the AGM-86B . The two have

about the same energy, which is 20 percent more per unit volume than JP-4. 51

One last aspect of the missile deserves treatment . USAF adopted the unusual

"wooden round" concept of maintenance, essentially "store and forget," first used

by USAF with the SRAM, for the ALCM. The concept relies on the massive

electronic systems test set, originally designed for the SRAM, which tests the

AGM-86B for both factory and field acceptance. ESTS checks the guidance

system, altimeter, controls-everything except the engine and expendable

actuators . USAF stores the missiles, loaded on pylons, for 36 months before

another ESTS test and engine certification in the field Thirty months later, the

ALCMs return to the factory for further checks, an engine change, and a fuel

check. 58

Cruise Missile Carrier

For the immediate future the cruise missile carrier will be the OAS-modified

B-52, the first of which Boeing delivered in June 1982 . USAF considered other

187
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

aircraft as the cruise missile carrier but because of the B-52's availability, it was the

logical choice . The electronics modifications on these B-52s give the Boeing

bomber markedly increased capabilities, improving navigational accuracy perhaps

by a factor of four. This is very important because the more accurately the launch

point is fixed, the easier is the missile's task of navigation . In addition to doing the

basic job of navigation, the new system also increased reliability and supportability

while decreasing the aircrew's workload . 59

USAF will modify all but 67 B-52Gs to carry 12 ALCMs externally. SAC will

store the six ALCMs and pylon, which weigh about 25,000 pounds, as a unit to

facilitate rapid uploading and easy handling when not mounted between the

bomber's inboard engines and the fuselage . There is, of course, a performance cost

for carrying the weapons externally . Flying at 6,000 feet and Mach .55, the loaded

pylons increase drag by almost 12 percent . Following the modification of the "G"

and "H" fleet with these external missiles, USAF will fit these same B-52s with a

rotary launcher (carrying eight ALCMs) for internal carnage . USAF does not now

have such a rotary launcher for the AGM-8613 ; therefore in late 1980, it instituted a

competition involving eight contractors. The Air Force wants a rack compatible

with the B-1 to meet an October 1985 IOC. 60

There are of course structural differences on the cruise missile-carrying B-52. In

addition to the pylons and interface equipment, Boeing added a strakelet to satisfy

the unratified SALT II agreement regarding "functionally related observable

differences." (See above .) It can be described best as a rounded faring smoothing

out the juncture between wing and fuselage . Estimates in 1980 put the cost of these

modifications at $11 .5 million per B-52 ($5 .4 million for OAS, $5 .6 million for

carnage, and $.5 million for FROD) . 6 '

USAF considered a number of different airframes for the cruise missile carrier

following cancellation of the B-1 in 1977, beginning with wide-bodied commercial

transports . It wanted such a carrier to supplement or to replace the B-52 if the new

bomber failed, or if it needed to deploy more cruise missiles . Within a year, the

search widened to include quite diverse aircraft . In May 1978, USAF let study

contracts to Boeing (to examine the 707, 747, and C-14), to Lockheed (C-5, C-141,

and L-1011), to McDonnell (DC-10 and C-15), and later to Rockwell (B-1) .

Commercial aircraft offer a number of advantages as cruise missile carriers,

primarily ease of manufacture and cost . As these aircraft are in production and

service, they could be quickly bought and modified, presumably at considerable

cost savings . In this way, large numbers of cruise missiles could be rapidly

deployed.

While this option may look good at first glance, especially to the layman, it does

present serious problems . USAF wants a cruise missile carrier with good escape

characteristics (rapid takeoff and climbout), nuclear hardening, offensive and

defensive avionics, long range, and heavy payload . But commercial transports,

designed for an understandably more benign environment than military aircraft,

require extensive modifications for carrying and launching the ALCMs, for

increasing takeoff and escape performance, and for adding nuclear hardening and

188
1977 TO THEPRESENT

the required communications, command, and control equipment, and wartimecapable navigation equipment. But attempts by penetrating bomber supporters to

tag the wide-bodied transport costs (purchase plus modifications) at the same level

as that of the B-1 are ridiculous . From the Air Force's point of view, the biggest

problem with using wide-bodied transports is that such an aircraft would not be able

to penetrate Soviet defenses, an issue which, while relevant to this study, goes far

beyond its scope. Less controversial are two other criticisms of the civilian

transports . First, the transports possess poor escape characteristics relative to USAF

bombers. Second, the large aircraft create very lucrative targets . The 747 could

carry 48 to 90 cruise missiles, the C-5, 69 to 72, and the DC-10, 48 to 75, clearly

making them high value targets . Congress also criticized this idea and,

consequently, it died in August 1979. 62

Not surprisingly, the Air Force opted for the B-1 as the best cruise missile carrier

in a report dated November 1979 . As a strategic ALCM launcher, the B-1 requires

considerable modification to accommodate an eight-ALCM launcher internally and

14 missiles externally. USAF scheduled a flight demonstration for the second

quarter of 1982 to include two live ALCM launches . In 1980, the Air Force made its

pitch to Congress, stating if the air service were to design a cruise missile carrier

from scratch, the carrier would look like the B-1 . 63 In 1981, the Reagan

Administration restored the bomber as the B-1B .

Rationale for Multiple Cruise Missile Variants

Why then are cruise missiles being built? Throughout the 1970s, the question was

asked in this manner: "What is the mission of the cruise missile?" Critics

answered: "The weapon has none." Before we can answer, three factors must be

clarified .

First, those involved with the cruise missile regarded the different types of cruise

missiles differently even though these variants share the same technology. During

the years 1973-77, nuclear-armed strategic ALCMs and SLCMs were the two chief

actors . Since 1977, however, there has been a relative decline of interest in the

nuclear-armed SLCM. Meanwhile, the GLOM and MRASM and tactical versions

of Tomahawk became important, as we shall see. So one must specify which cruise

missile variant is being discussed .

Second, different groups had dissimilar views of the weapons. For example, the

Air Force hierarchy wanted most of all to restrict the ALCM in range so as not to

endanger the B-1 . On the positive side, USAF saw the cruise missile as a means to

extend the useful life of the B-52. On balance then, the resulting USAF attitude

toward the ALCM fell somewhere between hostile and ambivalent; favoring the

missile as a bomber aid, but resisting it as an independent weapon system.

The Navy developed cruise missile technology, but used the strategic cruise

189
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

missile as a stalking horse for the weapon it really wanted-the long-range, tactical

antiship weapon. There, too, the aviators, principally those on carriers, wanted the

weapon restricted or at least not emphasized .

DOD took an opposite view to that of the military . It saw cruise missiles as costeffective and flexible weapons with great promise, and therefore pushed both

SLCM and ALCM during this period, using competition to spur the missile

contractors and interservice rivalry to probe both the Air Force and Navy. High

officials in the executive branch initially saw cruise missiles as pawns in both the

arms control game and the propaganda game. Here too, the importance of cruise

missiles changed over time .

Third, the cruise missile must be set in the context of its times because the

missions, or purported missions, changed as part of the evolutionary process .

What then is the rationale behind the various versions of cruise missiles? The

ALCM will enhance the bomber. The principal question that arose was whether the

ALCM was required to maintain the viability of the penetrating bomber, which in

turn raised the issue of whether the cruise missile would be strictly an aid to the

penetrating bomber or simply a standoff weapon. Clements, in his December 1973

memo, merely called ALCM an "adjunct to the strategic bomber force" which

would "present a highly proliferated low altitude attack to avoid and/or exhaust the

defense system and provide improved penetrativity for manned strategic

bombers. "64 But the ALCM contribution, while significant, and perhaps even vital

for the B-52's penetration ability, was nearly inconsequential from the standpoint of

the B-1's penetration ability. Therefore, some believed that the B-52 could

substitute for the B-1 ; that is, a standoffmissile could replace a penetrating bomber.

The rationale for SLCM was much more complex and variable. As already

related, SLCM began officially as part of Secretary of Defense Laird's move in

1972 to bolster US strategic capabilities, to respond to domestic political pressures,

and to amass bargaining chips for future arms agreements . Three other reasons put

forth by missile proponents in June 1972 for pushing the weapon were that it was

not limited by SALT I, it was highly survivable when based on submarines, and it

would greatly stress Soviet defenses .

In March 1973, Naval officers stated that the cruise missile would provide a

credible deterrent and more diversified offensive mix . You will recall Kissinger's

two letters to Clements, in June and July 1973, emphasizing the value of cruise

missiles as a bargaining chip . On his own part, Clements, in his key December 1973

memo, saw SLCM providing "a new dimension to our strategic retaliatory forces. "

It not only "would provide an effective, low-altitude strategic penetrator from the

highly survivable launch base of our nuclear submarine force" but would "further

provide for proliferation of the submarine strategic force in that every tactical and

strategic submarine becomes [a potential SLCM carrier] .' °6s

The SLCM rationale shifted as the Navy replaced older nuclear-powered,

ballistic missile submarines as platforms with newer ones in 1974 . At a

congressional hearing in 1974, Admiral G. E. Synhorst noted that a few cruise

missiles aboard highly survivable attack submarines would multiply the number of

190
1977 TO THE PRESENT

American nuclear weapons . Moreover, Navy witnesses repeated that SLCM would

stress Russian defenses and would be a hedge against a successful Soviet

antiballistic missile . At this time, Synhorst, and the SLCM program manager,

Captain Walter M. Locke (USN), publicly introduced a new concept: submarinebased cruise missiles as a survivable, strategic reserve force.

Late in 1974, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program Analyses and

Evaluation wrote that, aside from being a SALT chip, there was no strong reason

for deploying SLCM beside compounding the Soviet's defensive problem . The

Secretary noted, however, that SLCM would be valuable as a flexible response in a

tactical situation ; that is, its one warhead was less ambiguous than the existing

option, Poseidon's 6 to 10 warheads . He also raised the advantages of SLCM's

better survivability and its use as a reserve force. 66

The next year, the Director of Defense Research and Engineering stated that

SLCM would be a desirable augmentation, giving an unambiguous, controlled

single weapon response and an invulnerable reserve force. Aviation Week wrote that

US SLCMs could prevent reloading of Soviet ICBM silos . At the same time,

because of the cruise missile's relatively long travel time to the target, it cannot

realistically be seen as a first strike weapon.61

Following President Carter's decision cancelling the B-1 in August 1977,

Secretary of Defense Harold Brown set out two issues beyond the actual US-USSR

military balance . He defined the first of these as a "hedge against the unexpected,"

such as a defensive breakthrough in antisubmarine or antiballistic missile

technology. Brown's second issue concerned the perception of American-Russian

strategic balance which had been moving away from US superiority . "We must be

sure," Brown told Congress, "that perceptions are such that no doubts as to our

capability or our will exists in the minds of the Soviet leaders, or in the minds ofour

allies, or even in our own minds should we be faced with a moment of deep

crisis .

"68

Since 1977, the concept of perception appears to have motivated American

decisionmakers . Two major studies of the cruise missile agree on this point. The

first attributes the cruise missile's overall development to this factor.

The proposal to develop the strategic cruise missile was, in essence, psychologically motivated : to

strengthen the signal to the Soviet Union that the United States would vigorously contest any

Soviet bid for strategic superiority, and to help alleviate internal anxieties that the United States

had lost its self-confidence and the will to compete . 69

The other study states that cruise missiles make an obvious contribution to US

strategic posture . They will somewhat offset Soviet strategic nuclear advantages

because of their newness, diverse platforms, and "alleged capabilities ." More

specifically,

at a minimum, the ALCM will mitigate the perception of US strategic inferiority by preserving the

role of the bomber leg of the triad . At a maximum, it will encourage the perception of a net

increase in capability that will help plug the window of vulnerability before more impressive

counterforce capabilities (the MX and D-5 ballistic missiles) become available .

70
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Perceptions ofAmerican strategic power at home and abroad surely are important

factors in the development of the cruise missiles. The perception of a shifting

strategic balance in favor of the Soviets became increasingly important in the late

1970s and early 1980s. Since the cruise missile has appeared in many variants and

has changed over time, no single factor can be identified as most important in its

development . The perception issue is just one of a number of factors that help

explain the missile's development . ,

Among these other factors, two basic characteristics of cruise missiles intrigued

planners and decisionmakers from the outset: its relatively low cost and the absence

of man. The first meant that a significant number of missiles could be procured, a

vital consideration in an era when costs increasingly preclude purchasing more than

a handful of machines. Absence of man meant that the weapon could be stripped of

redundant systems and flown in conditions where man could not safely operate .

Another factor is the "newness" of cruise missiles which appeals to the general

public and especially to Americans who have an enduring fascination with

technology. While cruise missiles are not really new, as the foregoing chapters

demonstrate, they are new weapons in the public's mind. The recent cruise missile

technology yielded enhanced characteristics and capabilities (small size, long

range, low altitude, and extreme accuracy) to be integrated into a new weapon.

The United States' commanding technological lead provided a powerful pull, just

as Soviet numerical superiority provided a powerful push, for developing the

weapon. Finally, two events played a major role in fostering the missile's

development . (That is not to say that without either event there would be no cruise

missile, only that they markedly changed both the direction and speed of the

missile's development .) The first event was the ongoing SALT discussions . The

cruise missile played various roles in SALT, including bargaining chip, loop hole,

and major component, if not a stumbling block, in those discussions . In short, it

evolved from a lever to force concessions from the Russians into an issue of almost

unmanageable proportions . The SALT process brought the cruise missile not only

to the attention of the public, but to the attention ofthe military as well . The second

major event was the cancellation ofthe B-1 in the summer of 1977. As a result, the

ALCM became vital to extend the effectiveness of the B-52 against improving

Soviet air defenses ; it evolved into a crucial weapon, not just a "nice-to-have" one.

SLCM

After its initial prominence, the SLCM's popularity with the military declined

during the 1970s, as that of the ALCM rose. The main argument against the SLCM

is that it ties down submarines from other missions and competes for scarce space

aboard the boats . Nevertheless, the numbers of SLCMs programmed increased from

192
193

1977 TO THEPRESENT

U.S . Navy's Harpoon being launched from an armored box launcher 12 December 1979 The

Harpoon program began in the early 1970s and was the Navy's short range tactical missile

(USN)

1,200 missiles in July 1977 (one-half nuclear, one-half antiship), to 3,994 in August

1981 . The IOC for submarine cruise missiles is September 1983 for the antiship

version and September 1985 for the follow-on land attack conventional version

(vertical attack capable) .

The naval Tomahawk (see below for GLCM Tomahawk) comes in a number of

versions, albeit all with the same airframe and engine ." (See figure 12 .) The first

SLCMs to join the fleet were the conventionally armed, land attack version and the

antiship variant fitted on the USS New Jersey in March 1983 . The former carries a

1,000-pound warhead 500 to 700 nm. The Tomahawk antiship missile carries the

same 1,000-pound warhead less than half the distance of the land attack version

since it requires more sophisticated guidance (seeker) equipment . 71 *

While some may question the military efficiency of the conventionally armed

land attack missile, the antiship Tomahawk is another matter. The success of the

1960 technology antiship missiles, the Soviet-built Styx against both Israeli (1967)

and Pakistani (1971) destroyers, and the achievements of the French-built Exocet

against British warships (1982) have shaken all navies . Compared to the Exocet, the

Tomahawk increases range tenfold and warhead weight fourfold, while adding

other features . The chief question may well be, are there enough hostile targets to

justify such a weapon?

The Navy scheduled the nuclear-armed, land-attack version as the last SLCM to

-The most difficult aspect of long-range antiship missiles involves target acquisition The US Navy first demonstrated its over-thehorizonsystem (Outlaw Shark) in January 1977 .
EVOLUTION OFTHECRUISE MISSILE

become operational, but this weapon has gained a higher priority as reflected in its

accelerated IOC (June 1984) for both submarines and surface ships. It will carry a

nuclear warhead, with many times the power of the Hiroshima bomb, up to 1,400

nm."

The launch mode and the renewed interest in vertical launch of the SLCM require

discussion. You will recall that the Navy considered vertical launch beginning in

1972 but cancelled it by 1974. A test in April 1976, however, showed such a

method to be feasible, reliable, 30 percent cheaper, and 25 percent lighter than a

horizontal launch system. Two basing schemes emerged, the first from submarines .

DOD and Congress considered arming the eight usable and retiring Polaris

submarines with vertically-launched cruise missiles, four to seven SLCMs per

ballistic missile tube. The Navy rejected the idea because of the cost ($2 billion),

the short remaining life of the boats, and its desire to use these boats as attack

submarines .

To select a strategic missile, the Navy conducted a flyoff between missiles built by Chance

Vought and General Dynamics. Here, the Chance Vought BGM-110 emerges from the sea.

(Vought Corporation)
1977 TO THE PRESENT

The BGM-110 had two unusual features, its wing and tail . An explosive sheds the shroud

(upper left) from the missile, permitting the three-piece, curved, wrap around tail to deploy

(upper right) Then, the one-piece wing pivots 90 degrees through thin slots in the fuselage

(lower left) toward the extended position (lower right) . (Vought Corporation)

The General Dynamics BGM-109 won the Navy's SLCM missile competition . (General

Dynamics)

195
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

BGM-109 Tomahawk in flight The major external differences between the Boeing and GD

missile are the location of their inlets and the sweep of their wings. (USN)

General Dynamics also competed for the USAF ALCM contract with its SLCM. A flyoff for that

contract was held between Boeing and GD in 1979-1980 . (USN)
AGM-109 being launched during the flyoff competition . Note the empty ALCM pylon on the B-52's left wing (USAF)

Boeing won the ALCM contract The first ALCM equipped B-52 unit (the 416th Bombardment

Wing) became fully operational with the weapon in December 1982. This photo shows a

Griffiss based B-52 with full pylon load of ALCM. Note the SALT faring of the bomber's wing

root (USAF)

197

1977 TO THE PRESENT
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

The present plan calls for initially fitting torpedo-tube launched SLCMs on the

new Los Angeles (688) class attack submarines . Later, the Navy will install up to

12 vertical tubes in the forward ballast tanks outside the pressure hull where they

will not interfere or compete with other weapons. In this way, the boats will serve as

a strategic reserve . The Navy plans to put 88 aboard 11 attack submarines by 1983 .

The Navy's other basing scheme will put both vertically-launched and

horizontally-launched Tomahawks aboard surface ships. These ships will include

destroyers (963 class), cruisers (CGN9/36/385 and CG47), and four Iowa class

battleships . The battleships will be taken out of mothballs and will initially be

armed with 32 cruise missiles, later with over 300 . The Navy completed initial

modernization for the first of these, the USS New Jersey, at a cost of $326 million in

December 1982 .'°

The GD Tomahawk can also be fired from surface ships . On 19 March 1980, the destroyer USS Merrill (DD-976) launched the first such missile from an armored box launcher that carries four missiles . (USN)
1977 TO THEPRESENT

A number of U.S . Navy ships will operate with the Tomahawk, including the renovated

battleship USS New Jersey Initially, the New Jersey will carry 32 Tomahawks (General

Dynamics)

Tomahawk tactical anti-ship missile scoring a direct hit with an inert warhead in January 1981 .

(General Dynamics)

199
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

Tomahawk squarely hitting and emerging from target at Tonapah Test Range, Nevada on 10

July 1981 The missile was launched from a submarine and flew 300 miles. (General

Dynamics)

First flight of BGM-109 GLCM on 16 May 1980. (USN)

200
GLCM

1977 TO THEPRESENT

The ground-launched cruise missile is the third major sub-division of the cruise

missile. As related above, USAF operated such land-launched weapons at both

European and Pacific bases during the 1950s and 1960s. The first consideration of

the new technology cruise missiles (SLCM) for a land-launched tactical nuclear

force role came in 1973 . Indeed, political and military considerations in the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization led to the present development of GLCM .'S

The military pressures on the alliance stemmed from the growing capabilities of

the Warsaw Pact Alliance during the 1970s which threatened the survivability of

western tactical nuclear forces. Clements wrote in his crucial December 1973

memo that cruise missiles could be deployed on land as "an effective potential

replacement for the existing forward based [theater] nuclear force which is

vulnerable to prelaunch attack.

"76 Because of the apparent shift in the nuclear

balance toward the communist bloc, NATO simply wanted more nuclear and

conventional firepower . By deploying nuclear-armed cruise missiles, the western

allies would enhance nuclear capabilities as well as release tactical aircraft

committed to the nuclear role.

Growing political considerations superseded these military pressures . Some of

the NATO allies viewed with alarm not only the communist buildup but also the US

reaction or, better put, inaction. The war in Southeast Asia and the development of

detente fed the lingering European suspicion that the United States could not be

relied upon . The former stripped men and machines from American forces stationed

in Europe, while the latter restricted the Europeans from acquiring certain

equipment and limited American cruise missile deployment . (See SALT above .)

The Europeans sensed a growing imbalance of theater forces even before the

Soviets began deploying their new mobile ballistic missile, the SS-20. After that,

the defense issue took on new life, also becoming one of perception of modernity,

balance of forces, and political resolve and thus a priority issue . In this context the

GLCM seemed an effective way to help bolster the western military and political

cause.

In October 1977, West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt spoke of the need to

deal with the imbalance of East-West tactical nuclear weapons and specifically

urged the United States to meet the challenge of the Soviets' new, three warhead,

SS-20 intermediate-range ballistic missile . It is not surprising that in a January 1979

meeting in Guadeloupe, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and the United

States agreed to President Carter's proposal to deploy Pershing II ballistic missiles

and GLCMs to NATO. The allies linked the missile deployment with a

simultaneous US offer to begin negotiations with the Soviets on limiting

intermediate-range missiles in Europe. NATO unanimously approved this two-track

proposal in December 1979."

The GLCM possessed many military advantages . First, the mobile GLCM is

20 1
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

General Dynamics GLCM fired from its TEL (Transporter-Erector-Launcher) . (General

Dynamics)

202
1977 TO THE PRESENT

Mockup of GD Tomahawk MRASM in front of a B-52 at March AFB. MRASM will give US aircraft

a standoff capability against heavily defended targets . (General Dynamics)

much better able to survive prelaunch attack than either aircraft on the ground or

stationary missiles. Second, its deployment will release aircraft now assigned to

tactical nuclear roles for other tasks . Third, the device potentially has extraordinary

accuracy.* And most important, compared to other tactical nuclear weapons

(Pershing and Poseidon), it is more cost effective, perhaps three times that of the

Pershing 11 in the nuclear role . 11

The political advantages are even more striking . Unlike the Poseidon, the cruise

missile is a high visibility weapon that vividly demonstrates US resolve and

commitment. It also permits the United States to capitalize on its technological

superiority, as the Soviets presently lack this new generation of cruise missiles.

Some maintain that deploying GLCM in a number of NATO countries will bind the

alliance closer together as these countries and the United States mutually share the

burden of defense . But 4pmonstrations in 1,993, protesting missile deployment, cast

some doubt on this conclusion. The cruise missile will help arrest the swing in the

theater balance of power away from the west that has come increasingly to bother

western Europeans . Certainly GLCM will give the NATO military more

capabilities- 19

.Whilethe cruise missiledemonstrated outstanding inflight accuracy, them is no indication in the open literature that thedevice has been

tested for terminal (into thetarget)accuracy.

203
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

As with the other cruise missile variants, GLCM's support came from a strange

coalition . First, the US Army had little to no interest in the weapon. Prior to 1977,

the ground service considered using cruise missiles from Lance launchers, one

missile per launcher . But the precedent of the Matador/Mace, the prospect of

deploying a manpower intense weapon, and the allure of the Pershing led the Army

to withdraw from the cruise missile project. Some, particularly in the State

Department, proposed the Pershing II as the theater nuclear weapon. The cruise

missile's support came mainly from within DOD and NATO . Except in Tactical

Air Command, which had the tactical nuclear mission, USAF demonstrated little

interest in the weapon. 80

As DOD could not choose between the Pershing and GLCM, it used a traditional

bureaucratic solution, adopting both with the rationale that they complemented each

other . In December 1979, NATO accepted the American plan to base 464 GLCMs

(160 in Great Britain, 112 in Italy, 96 in West Germany, 48 in Belgium, and 48 in

Holland) and 108 Pershing Its in Europe. The first weapons became operational in

December 1983 . Quite vocal support for the cruise missile in general and the

GLCM in particular emanates from the Reagan administration, especially from

Secretaries Weinberger and Carlucci."

Three factors inhibit implementing this decision . First, an active antinuclear

movement is forcing western politicians to rethink the NATO deployment decision,

if only for political effect . For example, in December 1982 the Danes suspended

money intended to support deployment of the GLCM and Pershing II . Despite the

election of conservatives in Germany and Great Britain in 1983 who support the

NATO nuclear buildup, clearly there is deep public sentiment on both sides of the

Atlantic to at least slow, if not stop or reverse, the arms buildup . The second major

pressure is the intense Soviet reaction. The Russians appear to be genuinely fearful

of the missile, especially in German hands, sometimes calling GLCM the

"German-launched cruise missile ." The third major pressure is cost. In early 1983,

DOD announced the cost of 560 GLCM missiles and associated equipment to be

$3 .6 billion . These rising costs, coupled with the need to trim defense budgets, may

very well adversely affect the weapon's future .

As of this date (August 1984), the cruise missile and GLCM seem secure as the

Reagan administration continues its plans to carry out the NATO cruise missile

deployment despite opposing pressures . However, the situation must be considered

against the background of arms reduction talks such as the dramatic Reagan nuclear

cutback proposal for a complete withdrawal of all tactical nuclear weapons from

Europe. Arms reduction talks resumed in the spring of 1982. President Reagan

responded to a Soviet call for a freeze on nuclear arms with a counterproposal to cut

long-range missiles on each side to a common ceiling of 850 . In November 1981,

Reagan also proposed foregoing the planned GLCM and Pershing II deployment if

the Russians would withdraw their present force of medium-range missiles. The

New York Times reported that the Soviets are willing to accept the latter deal with

certain reservations, including "strength restrictions on all future cruise missile

deployments .

"as Soviet and American negotiators worked out a possible

204
compromise in Geneva in July 1982, limiting GLCMs and SS-20s in Europe to 75

on each side . While this gave the Soviets a superficial advantage in matching

three-warhead ballistic missiles against single-warhead cruise missiles, the

agreement permitted the British and French to retain their 162 missiles. However,

neither Washington nor Moscow would go along with this proposal . The new Soviet

leader, Yuri Andropov, made a counterproposal in December 1982 to reduce the

number of SS-20s aimed at NATO to 162 (to match the 162 French and British

missiles) if the United States would not deploy the Pershing Its and GLCMs . The

diplomatic and political sparring continued until the Soviets broke off the talks

when the United States began the initial cruise and Pershing missile deployments in

December 1983 . A negotiated settlement seems most unlikely in 1984 as both sides

seek public favor and political advantage, and as the American election

approaches.$'

In contrast to the complicated diplomatic maneuvering, USAF organization and

concept of operations for the GLCM are rather straightforward . A mobile

transporter erector launcher (TEL) carries four missiles, organized four TELs to a

flight . Each flight has two launch control centers (LCCs), a primary and a backup .

The Air Force normally will base the GLCMs in sites hardened against nonnuclear

weapons on well-protected bases . When necessary, USAF will disperse the GLCMs

into the countryside in convoys consisting of 22 vehicles and 69 personnel . In the

field, the units will be capable of self-contained operations for a period of time . 8°

Meanwhile, the missile itself continues to progress . (See figure 12 .) It

successfully completed its first platform launch in February 1981, and its first

successful launch from its TEL a year later . By June 1983, GLCM had completed

its ninth test, all but one successfully. Although initial deployment began as

scheduled in December 1983, doubts remain . For example, a March 1980 USAF

report on the ALCM noted problems with terrain-following, accuracy, and

reliability . It also commented on mapping problems, namely that, while 86 percent

of the terrain in the European operational area has little roughness, only 26 percent

of the test terrain was of a similar roughness ; specifically, while only 7 percent of

the European terrain has roughness exceeding 200 feet or more, half of the test

terrain has such roughness . The report also raised questions on the number of test

crashes and the possible deleterious effects of long term storage on the missiles . 85

MRASM

1977 TO THEPRESENT

The last subdivision of the cruise missile is the medium-range air-to-surface

missile (MRASM) . Essentially parallel programs began as studies by USAF in 1975

and Navy in 1977; the Air Force's Advanced Conventional Standoff Missile and the

Navy's Supersonic Tactical Cruise Missile . In the late 1970s, Congress made clear

to the Navy that only a joint program with the Air Force would suffice . In June

205
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

1978, Aviation Week mentioned the cruise missile's ability to carry submunitions.

Before the year ended, the aviation press reported a successful demonstration of

MRASM neutralizing airfields . In May 1978, a modified Tomahawk flew 403 miles

from its launch point to the Dugway Proving Ground, guided by TERCOM and

scene-matching area correlator (SMAC) terminal guidance, and dropped 11 of its

12 bomblets dead on its runway target . It then returned over the target, simulating a

photo reconnaissance run .86

The United States assigned little priority to the program until March 1980. In the

wake of the ALCM decision, Under Secretary of Defense Perry wrote: "It is a

matter of national importance that a joint tactical medium range air-to-surface

missile (MRASM) be added to our strike warfare systems as soon as possible .""

Interest emerged at this point probably because of the successful demonstration of

the strategic cruise missile and its maturing technology. Perry went on to state that :

"Only by taking advantage of the BGM-109 conventional land attack cruise missile

development and the AGM-109 assets can an early IOC be attained and can

minimum cost be achieved ."" Some suspect that General Dynamics got the

contract because of its loss of the ALCM contract. The fact that MRASM

underwent no competition, as did the ALCM, fed these speculations . This

overlooks the fact that competition takes time and money and that Perry's emphasis

was on speed. In addition, many of the MRASM's subsystems had already been

competed for within both the SLCM and ALCM programs . 89

The MRASM differed from the strategic cruise missile in three ways: requiring

much less range, a terminal guidance system, and a different munition . The

demands of range and accuracy appear to be well in hand . The technology to get a

cruise missile hundreds of miles within hundreds of feet of a target, with TERCOM,

and then within tens of feet of the target, with terminal guidance (DSMAC or

SMAC), is both available and demonstrated . The developer's biggest problem

centers on the munition, which according to the aviation press is the reason for the

conservative schedule The concept is to crater the runway and taxiway at 2,000-

foot intervals . The MRASM can carry 50 to 80 submunitions totaling up to 1,000

pounds of payload . 90

Beginning in 1976, the United States and Great Britain jointly developed such a

munition, the JP-233 runway buster. "Was" is the key word, because in early 1981

Congress decided the United States should withdraw from the program, primarily

because of cost, much to the chagrin ofthe Air Force . The JP-233 contains cratering

and delayed action mines as well as antipersonnel devices . The RAF used it in the

1982 Falkland Islands campaign. 91

Other runway-busting munitions under development included the Lawrence

Livermore Laboratory's tactical airfield attack munition (TAAM). It is a 3 .35-inch

diameter, 13-pound, two-charge munition fitted into mortar tubes . The cruise

missile discharges 60 to 80 of these devices, each retarded by a parachute before

detonation. But the US military cancelled TAAM because of technical problems in

July 1982. The Germans demonstrated the same type of weapon, the STABO, to

American authorities at Eglin AFB in September 1982. The German STABO also

206
uses a two-charge system, as does a similar munition-the boosted kinetic energy

penetrator (BKEP)-under development by the Air Force Armament Division .

After release from MRASM, a rocket charge in the BKEP drives a steel spike

through the runway concrete where it explodes and creates a large crater . The Air

Force MRASM can carry 28 BKEPs or 30 STABOs . 9z Other munitions considered

for this role include the 70-pound BLU-81 Grasshopper, the 16-pound Martin Dual

Charge, and the 45-pound cluster airfield denial munition (CADM). But to knock

out a 240-foot-wide runway may require multiple sorties (the kill probability of a

15-shot load of BLU-81s is .5, a 40-shot load of Martin Dual Charge is .6, and a

20-shot load of CADM is .3) . The Air Force narrowed its attention to the STABO

and BKEP, and conducted a direct competition in September 1982 to choose

between the two. In February 1983, the JCMPO recommended purchase of the

BKEP .93

While runway-busting has received the most attention, USAF envisions other

missions for the conventionally armed cruise missile . These include defense

suppression, antiarmor, ECM, and reconnaissance roles . (See above for antiship .)

Another submunition linked with the cruise missile is the BLU-97B combinedeffects bomb. It weighs 3 .2 pounds and measures 6.6 inches in length, 2 .5 inches in

diameter. The device has three modes of operation : fragmenting, armor-piercing,

and incendiary . The baseline Tomahawk (219 inches in length) can carry 320 BLU97Bs. 9° A number of the other munitions considered as a payload on the cruise

missile against unprotected vehicles, structures, and personnel include the .4-pound

M-42, .9-pound BLU-63B/M-74, 1 .3-pound MK-118, 2.7-pound BLU-61, 14-

pound BLU-87/BLU-49B, and 990-pound Bullpup fragmenting warhead. Finally,

unitary warheads, a 90-pound BLU-73 fuel air explosive, and a 13-pound shapedcharge hard structure munition are also possible conventional cruise missile

payloads . 95

Just as the warhead for the MRASM differs from the baseline strategic missile

around which this study centers, so does the vehicle . (The commonality between

the MRASM and SLCM is put at 15 percent .) The Air Force and Navy are building

two different missiles based on a GD Tomahawk guided by TERCOM and DSMAC

with strapdown inertial ring laser gyros. (See figure 12.) US Navy ammunition

elevators and the safe return weight of its primary attack aircraft, the A-6E, restrict

missile weight and length ; therefore, its versions, the AGM-109C, I, L, and J,*

weigh 2,200 pounds and measure 192 inches in length . The Navy variants carry a

unitary warhead of 650 pounds and are distinguished by the 15 degree sweep of

their wings . An F109 turbofan powers the "C" model which is slated for operation

in fiscal year 1983, to be followed the next year or two by the "J," a low cost

model . In July 1980, Secretary of Defense Brown cancelled the "I" which would

use a low cost TERCOM and imaging infrared (I1R) terminal guidance and a

warhead from the Condor program . A Teledyne J402 turbojet engine powers both

the Navy 109C and J and the Air Force's 109H. 96

In contrast to the 192-inch, 2,200-pound Navy missile, the Air Force's AGM109H measures 230 inches, weighs 2,700 pounds, and has a straight wing. Like the

*The BGM 109A is the nuclear land attack version, the MEantiship, andthe Gis the GLCM. Seefigure 11

207

1977 TO THEPRESENT
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

AGM-109C, it is guided by TERCOM and DSMAC, and is scheduled for IOC in

fiscal year 1984 to 1985 . USAF is also considering a "K" model (with IIR) as a

land and sea attack missile . Unlike the H's 1,200-pound multiple payload, it will

deliver a unitary 1,000-pound warhead ." The Navy plans to fit four MRASMs on

the A-6E, F-18, and P-3, while the Air Force will load eight externally on the B-52,

two (possibly four) on the F-16, and is considering using the F-111 as well . 98

Cancellation of the Navy's low cost "I" version, what they really wanted,

encouraged that service to investigate an IIR sensor mounted on a Harpoon missile.

While MRASM would be perhaps 1'/z to 4 times as expensive as such a weapon, the

MRASM will carry a heavier warhead (1,000 versus 510 pounds) further (over 300

miles versus 60 nm) . Left with two missiles it did not want and a USAF missile too

big for its purposes, in February 1981 the Navy withdrew from the joint project with

the approval of DOD . 99 But the incoming Director of Defense Research and

Engineering, Richard D. Delauer, promised congressmen at his confirmation

hearing, in his words, "to revisit" that decision . He did just that . Within a few

months the Navy rejoined the program, although it continued to develop the HR

Harpoon . USAF also wanted to kill the joint project during that same time frame.

But after initially approving such action, the Department of Defense retained the

program, to some degree because of strong congressional support. 100

But the problems in the joint MRASM project remain unresolved . In 1982, the

press published reports that DOD planned to allow the Navy to withdraw from the

MRASM program and considered cancellation of the program. The Navy insists

that the improved Harpoon is adequate for its needs and less costly than MRASM.

In addition, the Navy is also looking at Norway's Penguin and the 20- to 25-milerange Standoff Attack Weapon (SAW) as alternative systems . Estimates are that

MRASM will cost $ .9 to $1 .5 million each, Harpoon $.78 million each, and SAW

$.1 million each . Congress maintains its support for a joint effort while the aviation

press continues to report that neither Air Force nor Navy want the weapon . 101

Since 1978, the United States has planned a total buy of 3,500 MRASM missiles,

with about three out of four going to the Air Force . By 1981, the press reported a

total buy ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 MRASMs with an IOC scheduled for

1987 or 1988 . Escalating costs, however, continue to be a factor . Estimates of the

total costs of the MRASM program are now $3 to $6 billion . 101 *

The quest for improved cruise missile performance continues, even as the

services deploy the initial weapons . These efforts have essentially gone along three

lines .

The evolutionary line began in late 1980. US studies indicate that big

'MRASM was cancelled m 19X4

ALCM "C," ASALM, ATCM

z08
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE 1977 TO THE PRESENT

performance gains could be derived from increasing engine performance and

decreasing observability . The press reported that an upgraded Williams engine

would be fitted into the ALCM, beginning with the fiscal 1984 buy . There are no

present plans to retrofit ALCM B missiles with the improved engine . The new

engine, scheduled to be installed in the SLCMs and GLCMs beginning in fiscal

years 1986-87, will have 50 percent more thrust and yet have a specific fuel

consumption 6 percent less than the engine in the "B" model . Such improved

engine performance is quite an accomplishment, exceeding the goals of increasing

thrust 35 percent and decreasing fuel consumption 5 percent . In addition, the new

engine will extend the time between engine certifications from three years to five . 101

The press claims revised software will be fitted to the ALCM C. Other changes

offer little performance gains, although extending the fuselage will permit longer

range; and lengths of 304 to 315 inches have been proposed . 104

In February 1983, the Air Force reoriented its ALCM program by reducing the

planned ALCM buy from 4,348 missiles to about 3,000. The USAF now plans to

field about 1,715 ALCM Bs and about 1,300 new generation cruise missiles, called

advanced cruise missiles (ACM) . This missile, with the modifications already

discussed, may have double the range of the ALCM B . Further, stealth technology

will greatly reduce the defender's chances of detecting and intercepting the missile

by significantly reducing RCS. Unclassified reports also mention the incorporation

of a "passive" TERCOM system that would reduce or eliminate the ALCM's

electronic emissions . The result is a much longer range, less vulnerable, more

accurate missile, albeit a much more expensive one . In April 1983, the Air Force

awarded the ACM contract to General Dynamics. In view of the company's

manufacturing difficulties (see below), this selection surprised some observers . "I

Why the change to a more sophisticated cruise missile? Most of the unclassified

reports attribute the move to improved Soviet defenses. These relate that the

Russians deployed their AWACS, their MiG-25s with look down/shoot down radar,

and their SA-10s faster than had been anticipated. But Secretary of the Air Force,

Verne Orr, testified that Soviet defenses did not drive the change . Others advance

more sinister motives . Representative Norman Dicks is reported as suspecting that

the Air Force made the change to assure the development of the B-1B bomber and

the Advanced Technology Bomber. It should be noted that Representative Dicks is

from Washington, the home of Boeing, which builds the ALCM B but neither the

ACM nor B-1B. Some Boeing proponents claim that the ACM move was the

Pentagon's response to Boeing's attempts to overturn the government's decision in

the purchase of the C-5A transport, another aircraft not built by Boeing . A third,

Xess consplratortal reason for the ACM decision may be technological determinism .

Students of technology have noted that frequently something is built because it can

be built . 106

USAF awarded design study contracts for the Advanced Strategic Air Launched

Missile (ASALM) in 1971, ramjet engine study contracts in 1971 and 1972, a

propellent contract and guidance contracts in 1972, and ASALM integration,

propulsion, and guidance in 1974.'°' In late 1977, the military restructured and

209
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

accelerated the program. In March 1980, it validated the propulsion unit after seven

test flights . The ASALM guidance will be an updated inertial system coupled with

both passive antiradiation and active radar homing devices for its air-to-air role . By

1980, Raytheon and McDonnell-Douglas were teamed for ASALM development

while Martin Marietta and Hughes were collaborating for guidance subsystems. 101

Another line of development is the ATOM (Advanced Technology Cruise

Missile). The Air Force restricted the ATCM in two ways . The B-52's bomb bay

and eight-missile rotary launcher dictated a maximum diameter of 19 inches while

its external tandem carriage dictated a maximum length of 249 inches . The resulting

paper designs emphasized survivability and missile ranges of 2,300 to 2,600 miles .

According to the press, General Dynamics, Boeing, and Lockheed were competing

for a full scale development contract beginning in the spring of 1983 .'° 9

Another concept that need not detain us is the Long Bow, a cruise ballistic

missile, underway since at least 1979 . It is intended to be vertically launched from a

Minuteman silo, then transition to a cruise missile configuration, cruise toward its

target, loiter if necessary, and finally fly a ballistic path into the target .

Unclassified accounts describe it as the size of a Boeing 727 with a 88-foot wing

span . In early 1983, Vought won a $12 .1 million contract to study this concept . "°

Three rapidly developing technologies (computers, airfame, and engine/fuels)

promise the next generation cruise missile increased capabilities . Greatly increased

computer capacities will enhance guidance, maneuver, and ECM opportunities with

no weight and volume penalties. The resulting cruise missile will do much more

than just terrain-follow to the target ; it will be more accurate, and be able to respond

to hostile defenses. In 1983, USAF will test a satellite updating navigational

system, using the NAVSTAR GPS (Global Positioning System) .

Stealth technology will be incorporated into cruise missile airframe designs .

Although less-than-ideal from an aerodynamic standpoint, stealth technology will

make the individual cruise missile much more difficult to detect and track . The

prospects of hundreds, if not thousands, of such weapons must give defenders

sleepless nights.

The third and perhaps most critical technology centers on engine and fuels .

Greater efficiency permits greater range, to outreach expanding Soviet defenses,

and greater power compensates for the weight and drag penalties produced by

adding the improvements to the cruise missile. Because engine and fuels appear as

key elements to future cruise missiles, considerable effort has gone into their

development . A 1979 study reported that substituting ceramics in the F107 turbine

would offer over 50 percent greater thrust as well as 8 percent lower fuel

consumption . It went on to state that redesigning the engine would reduce fuel

consumption by almost 27 percent for 1985 and that 1995 technology offered a

reduction of46 percent ."'

A number of new engine designs being tested provide even better performance .

In the Williams Research recuperative design, hot engine gases recycle through the

engine to boost iplet temperatures and thus significantly increase thrust . Garrett

Corporation's compound turbine cycle consists of a high bypass ratio engine driven

21 0
by a high speed, supercharged diesel engine. A third new engine type is Teledyne's

eccentric turbine engine with a third spool mounted perpendicular to the engine

shaft . 111

Final Words

1977 TOTHEPRESENT

In August 1982, the Navy replaced Rear Admiral Locke (Director of JCMPO)

with Rear Admiral Stephen Hostettler. Locke learned of his removal only one day

before the Navy informed the press; and Hostettler took over a mere week later .

Locke's operation was under review at the time, but contrary to normal practice,

JCMPO had not yet received a written report (it had not been written) and hence had

not been able to respond to it .

The press used words such as "relief," "firing," "dismissal," and "ouster," to

describe the action. For its part, the Navy insisted that the change was appropriate

as the missile moved from,development and testing into production. In any event,

the reader should recall not only Locke's long connection with the program, but

most especially the considerable progress the weapon made under his command.

The press speculated that two major reasons accounted for the move. Most

frequently mentioned were the problems with the missile's reliability . The Navy

considered Tomahawk's 68 percent test success rate inadequate compared with their

standard of 90 percent . While some claim there was nopattern to the failures, others

focus on quality control. General Dynamics received a series of warnings from

JCMPO on the issue of quality control, including a "Method D" in June 1982, the

strongest measure possible short of a stop work order, and the only such "Method

D" issued since 1945 . JCMPO went so far as to take award fee funds away from the

San Diego firm. Secretary of Defense Weinberger told the House Appropriations

Defense Subcommittee that quality control was a central issue to Locke's removal.

The second problem area mentioned by the press involved the schedule delays for

the conventionally armed land attack and anti-sbip missile which failed to make the

scheduled IOC in the summer of 1982 .

To be sure, Lockeand the joint program had a number of opponents . Neither

service liked the idea of a joint program. Some in the Navy apparently feared that

Locke might become another Admiral Rickover . After all, he had been with the

cruise missile program for over 10 years and had become popular with the civilian

leadership in the Pentagon and with congressmen. GD reportedly made a strong

effort early in the year to displace Locke, after the government granted a second

source contract for the Tomahawk to McDonnell-Douglas ."'

The direction the program takes under Admiral Hostettler may explain much of

the story of this personnel change. The two areas to be especially watched are the

concepts of commonality and second sourcing . Both of these gave the joint

program its particular character as well as many of its problems . These were also

two of the main items pushed by Locke.
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

Since the change in command, a number of events have taken place . In

December 1982, the Navy lifted the "Method D" from General Dynamics. In

1983, the Tomahawk's test failures were less visible . While some problems

continue, the program appears to be coming along . In June 1983, for example, the

Navy recorded the fifth straight successful Tomahawk flight . "°

The point is that there are problems with the cruise missile, but how serious

remains to be seen. The most prominent of these is reliability . In view of the

weapon's long history, these problems should not be unexpected.

Nevertheless, the future of the cruise missile is bright . The first generation

missile is in production and in service . Its performance has exceeded expectation

while its schedule and costs are consistent with major systems developed during the

1970s. I II A second generation missile is on the way. While there are questions as to

the impact arms limitations agreements might have on the entire family of cruise

missiles (one senator recently suggested limiting SLCM deployment" 6

), the cruise

missile appears secure at this moment. Improvements of the present generation

missile are well underway and are being incorporated into later versions of the

ALCM production run .

Technology for the future generation cruise missile is also well advanced. At this

time the key areas appear to be electronics, engines, and fuels . These promise to

produce reliable and markedly improved performance in short order. Therefore,

these next generation cruise missiles should maintain the lead the present ones enjoy

over current enemy air defenses . This prospect of continued technological

superiority ensures that the cruise missile will be vital to American security in the

foreseeable future . As such, the cruise missile will come to occupy an increasingly

important place in the weapons arsenal ofthe West.

Artist's conception of a MRASM attack on a hostile airfield with runway-busting submunitions

(General Dynamics)

212
213

1977 TO THEPRESENT

Artist's conception of a follow on to the cruise missile . This is a view of ASALM (Advanced

Strategic Air Launched Missile) . (USAF)

Artist's conception of the delta-shaped, advanced technology cruise missile . (USAF)
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

NOTES

CHAPTER VI

Data within the brackets indicate the location of the material and, in the case of the Air University

Library and Simpson Center, their call numbers. The following abbreviations are used : Aeronautical

Systems Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio [ASD]; Air University Library, Montgomery, Ala .

[AUL]; Joint Cruise Missiles Project Office, Washington, D.C . [JCMPO]; Albert F. Simpson Historical

Research Center, Montgomery, Ala . [AFSHRC] ; Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB,

Nebr . [SAC]; Air Staff, Strategic Aircraft Division, Washington, D.C . [RDQB].

1 . Pre-DSARC Cruise Missile Briefing to Dr. Currie, 21 December 1976 ; Memorandum for the

record of meeting with Under Secretary of the Navy, 21 December 1976 [both JCMPO] .

2. Deputy Secretary of Defense William P. Clements, Memorandum for the Secretary of the Air

Force, Secretary of the Navy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of Defense

Research and Engineering, 14 January 1977 [JCMPO-Sante Fe #35].

3. At the January 1977 DSARC meeting, the USAF pushed for the AGM-86A for internal carriage in

the B-52's SRAM launcher and a June 1980 IOC, and for the AGM-86B (three per pylon) for external

carriage with a June 1981 IOC. History Directorate of Operational Requirements, January-June 1977,

Vol. V, 82 [AFSHRC-K140 .01 V Jan-Jun 1977] .

4. Clements Memo to the Secretary of the Air Force, et al ., 14 January 1977.

5 . "DOD Giving Navy Prime Role in Joint Cruise Missile Development," Aerospace Daily (11 July

1977), 50; Harold Brown to President Jimmy Carter, 26 January 1978 [JCMPO] . The best study of the

JCMPO is E. H. Contrw, G. F. Smith, A. A. Barbour, "The Joint Cruise Missiles Project : An

Acquisition History," RAND, 1982, 2 volumes . Hereafter cited as Contrw .

6 . Raymond L. Garthoff, "Soviet Perspectives," 341, 342 [Richard K. Betts, (ed .), Cruise Missiles

(Washington, D.C . : Brookings Institution, 1981)] ; for a slightly different version see Gerald Smith,

Doubletalk (New York, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1980), 190. Also see Charles A. Sorrels, U.S . Cruise Missile

Programs: Development, Deployment and Implications for Arms Control (New York, N.Y. : McGrawHill, 1983) .

7. Most sources contend that Kissinger intended to trade the cruise missile for the Backfire, but the

military grew to like the missile . Kissinger, however, states that the United States created the cruise

missile to aid the strategic bomber and never intended to give it up entirely . "Kissinger Critique," The

Economist (3 February 1979), 21 . Thomas W. Wolfe, The SALT Experience (Cambridge, Mass. :

Ballinger, 1979), 352; Harry D. Levine, "Some Things to All Men," Public Policy (Winter 1977), 151,

155 ; Colin S . Gray, "Who's Afraid of the Cruise Missile?" Orbis (Fall 1977), 519; John W. Finney,

"U.S . Missile Complicates Arms Talks," New York Times (16 June 1975), 16 ; Robert L. Pfaltzgraff,

Jr . and Jacquelyn K. Davis, The Cruise Missile (Cambridge, Mass . : Institute for Foreign Policy

Analysis, 1977),7 .

8. "Pact with Soviets on Missile Curbs Reported in Peril," New York Times (16 October 1975), 1, 9 ;

Ronald Huisken, The Origin of the Strategic Cruise Missile (Nbw York, N.Y. : Praeger, 1981), 181 ;

Johan J . Hoist and Richard Burt, "Technological Change and Arms Control," 180, 185 (Uwe Nerlich

214
(ed .) BeyondNuclear Deterrence (New York, N.Y . : Crane and Russak, 1977)] ; Gerald Ford, A Time To

Heal (New York, N.Y . : Harper and Row, 1979), 303.

9. Wolfe, 201 ; Alexander Malzeyev, "Soviet Air-Launched Cruise Missiles-Irrelevant to SALT

II," International Defense Review (January 1978), 44.

10. Wolfe, 212, 213; Ford, 357, 358.

11 . Robert J . Art and Stephen D. Ockenden, "The Domestic Politics of Cruise Missile

Development," 396 [Betts] ; Wolfe, 214-217.

12 . Wolfe, 219-222.

13 . Art and Ockenden, 397.

14 . Wolfe, 220, 223, 224.

15 . Ibid ., 226, 227; Art and Ockenden, 398 .

16 . Wolfe, 233 .

17 . Strobe Talbott, Endgame (New York, N.Y . : Harper and Row, 1979), 182, 183, 218 .

18 . United States Department of State, "SALT 11 Agreement," Selected Documents #12A.

19 . Alton H. Quanbeck and Archie L. Wood, Modernizing the Strategic Bomber Force (Washington,

D.C . : Brookings Institution, 1976), 93, 28, 29.

20. United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Fiscal Year 1977, DOD Authorization, part

2, 11 March 1977, 5960108 . For other defenses ofthe B-1 and criticisms of Quanbeck and Wood, see

Francis P. Hoeber, Slow to Take Offense (Washington, D.C. : Center for Strategic and International

Studies, 1977) and Elmo R. Zumwalt, "An Assessment of the Bomber-Cruise Missile Controversy,"

International Security (Summer 1977).

21 . United States Senate, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee, Supplemental

Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1978, 20 September 1977, 15 . The same remarks are in "Triad's Air

Breathing Systems," Air Force Policy Letter for Commanders: Supplement (October 1977), 8, and in

"TheB-1 Cruise Missile Decision," Commanders Digest (15 September 1977), 10 .

22 . See Brown's statement, footnote 21 . Also see Brown's press conference 1 July 1977 ; "The B-1

Decision," Air Force Policy Letterfor Commanders : Supplement (August 1977) .

23 . Edgar Ulsamer, "A Strategic Blueprint for the 80s," Air Force Magazine (September 1978), 47;

M. Heard, draft memo to S. Zeilberg, "A Review of the Air Launched Cruise Missile Program," 31

March 1978, 1 [JCMPO] .

24. Heard draft, 2, 3; Government Accounting Office, "Confusion and Uncertainty as to the Need for

and Use of Air Launched and Tomahawk Cruise Missile Programs," PSAD-77-36, April 1977, iii ;

"Clements Mismanages Cruise Missile Program, Proxmire Says," Aerospace Daily (2 May 1977), 3.

25 . Heard draft, 3; DSARC 11(6 January 1977) [JCMPO] ; Conrow, I, 7,14; Conrow,11, 61 .

26. William J . Pent', Memorandum for Secretary of the Air Force, Secretary of Navy, 30 September

1977, 2 [JCMPO]. On EXCOM, see Conrow, I, 13,14.

27 . Perry, 30 September 1977 memo, 2 .

28 . ALCM Source Selection Plan [JCMPO] .

29 . Interview, Colonel Cary Daniels, 7 April 1982 ; Aeronautical Systems Division, Historical

Report, July-December 1977, part 20, ASD/YY, 4 [ASD] .

30. Daniels Interview ; Heard draft, 4, 5 ; Executive Committee (EXCOM) 5 Minutes (10 March 1978)

[JCMPO, RDQB].

31 . Interviews with Boeing personnel, 4 March 1982 ; Daniels Interview ; Interviews with Griffiss Air

Force Basepersonnel, 31 March 1982 ; EXCOM 5 Minutes .

32. "Cruise Missile Radar Altimeter Deficiencies Found, Corrected," Aerospace Daily (3 May

1979), 17 ; Interview, Colonel Joseph Rutter, 29 March 1982 ; Interview, M. D. Mobley, 1 March 1982 ;

Minutes EXCOM 4 (17 January 1978), EXCOM 5 (10 March 1978) .

33 . In October 1978, Aviation Week reported that the Soviets successfully tested a look down/shoot

down fighter against a cruise missile or simulated cruise missile flying below 200 feet . The Department

of Defense vigorously denied the story . Later reports indicated that the Russian target was a drone the

size of a T-33, or about 20 times the size of the Tomahawk . In 1975, an American F-15 flying at 10,000

feet and Mach .72 downed a drone 22 miles away simulating a cruise missile flying at 50 feet and Mach

.75 . "Petty Hits Cruise Missile Report," Aviation Week (20 November 1978), 24; "Pentagon Confirms

215

1977 TO THEPRESENT
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

Look-Down Test," Aviation Week (1 January 1979), 17 ; "Cruise Missile to be Tested Against F-14,

Hawks," Aerospace Daily (4 November 1977), 28; "Soviet Anti-Cruise Missile Test Debate Heats

Up," Aerospace Daily (3 November 1978), 15, 16 .

34 . "Overtime Schedule Pressures Irk Cruise Missile Technicians," Aerospace Daily (7 November

1977), 37; "Current Soviet Defenses 'Inadequate' Against Cruise Missile Perry Says," Aerospace Daily

(15 November 1978), 64, 65; J . Phillip Geddes, "The Air-Launched Cruise Missile," Interavia (June

1976), 580 ; "U.S . Cruise Missile Briefing," Defense and Foreign Affairs Daily (20 November 1978),

1, 2 ; "Soviets Held Defenseless Against Cruise Missiles," Washington Post (2 June 1978), A6;

"Pentagon Officer Predicts Soviet Air Defense Effort," New York Times (22 February 1980), 5;

"Pentagon Official Outlines Latest Thinking on Cruise Missile," Interavia Air Letter (15 November

1978) ; "Pentagon Rebuts Criticism of Cruise Missile," Baltimore Sun (1 November 1977) ; Norman

Kempsten, Los Angeles Times (15 November 1978), 1 ; John Rhea, "Can Russia Catch the Cruise

Missile? ." Flight International (12 November 1977), 1411 ; "Cruise Missile Called Costly to Counter,"

Aviation Week (12 June 1978), 20

35. Daniels Interview .

36. July 1979 Program Managers Assessment, Executive Committee Briefing, #15, 7 July 1979;

DSARC II, Briefing, 6 January 1977 [both JCMPO]; Minutes EXCOM 2 (17 November 1977), 2.

37. History Directorate Operational Requirements, July-December 1977, I, 86 [AFSHRC-K140 .01

Jaw-Dec '77]; History, Aeronautical Systems Division, 1976, Vol. I, 204 [AFSHRC-K243 .01 1 '76] ;

Memo for the Record, Major W. E. Dermooy, Jr., SAC (XPHN), "Visit of Captain Walter M. Locke,

USN," 22 April 1977 [SAC History, 1977, Historical Study No. 166, Vol . VII AFSHRC-K416 .01-166,

'77, VII, Exhibit 53 S-78-214] .

38 . Wing area increased from 10 to 11 square feet, while the angle of the wing sweep decreased from

35 to 25 degrees . Boeing retained the BAV's nose shape, but fitted the ERV with a "bobtail" to reduce

drag.

39 . ASD, "AGM-86A (SCAD) Final Report," Vol . III, Chapter 14, SCAD Document #141, July

1973, 3 ; ASD Historical Report, JanuaryJune 1973, part 6, SCAD Document #138 [both ASD];

History Air Force Systems Command, 1976, I, 196, 197, 204 [AFSHRC-K243 .01 I '76] ; Boeing, "Air

Launched Cruise Missile," 11, 14; Doug Richardson, "The Cruise Missile," Flight International (1

October 1977), 967; "Ray Utterstrom Talks About ALCM," BMA Manager (January-February 1979),

4; Clarence A. Robinson, Jr., "ICBM Guidance Curbs Alarm Planners," Aviation Week (11 July 1977),

16; Dean Sampson to author, 10 June 1982 with chart "ALCM History," FAD 4403 .

40. Interview, Ray Utterstrom, 1 March 1982 ; Mobley Interview ; Interview, J . G. Galimanis, 1

March 1982 ; Interview, G. J. Knight, 1 March 1982; Marc C. Turner, "Air Launched Cruise Missiles,"

Combat Crew (March 1981), 22; Richard G. O'Lone, "ALCMs Delivered Ahead of Schedule,"

Aviation Week (17 January 1983), 103 .

41 . Jane's All the World's Aircraft: 1980-1981, (London : Jane's, 1979), 661 ; Jane's All the World's

Aircraft : 1978-1979, 652.

42. Each missile free-flight mission required the support of the B-52 carrier aircraft, three F-4 chase

Manes (for range safety), two T-38 photo chase planes, two KC-135 tankers, one advanced relay

Instrumentation aircraft (ARIA), a converted C-135 serving as a telemetry recording and relay aircraft,

and two recovery helicopters . During the duration of the competition and tests, the B-52s flew 129

sorties and 725~h hours, the F-413s, 152 sorties and 722 hours, the ARIA, 110 sorties and 608 hours, and

the KC-135s, 134 sorties and 541/2 hours . Air Force Testing Center, "AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise

Missile (ALCM), DT and E Competitive Test Program," 1980, Volume I, 1, 2 [AUL-M35260-23] ;

Strategic Air Command History, 1979, Historical Study #181, Vol . I, 412 [AFSHRC-81-I]; Irving

Levin, "The Challenge of Cruise Missile Flight Testing," Canadian Aeronautics and Space Journal

(First Quarter 1981), 62-65 ; ALCM Test Manager's Book 1978-1980, JCM-A-40 [RDQB].

43 . AFTC, "AGM-109 Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) Competitive Test Program," 1980,

Vol. II, 2-4, 2F, 9F, 10F, 35, Vol . III, 3 [AUL-35260-24-V II] .

44. AFTC, AGM-86,1, 1-3,11, 5T, 9F, 10F, III, 7, V, 9 : Minutes EXCOM 20 (23 January 1980) 5,

6; Isham Linder, Director Defense Test and Evaluation, Memorandum for Under Secretary of Defense

for Research and Engineering, et al ., 11 April 1980, 2, 3 [RDQB]

21 6
1977 TO THE PRESENT

45 . AFTC, AGM-109, III, 5; AFTC, AGM-86, III, 1 ; Minutes EXCOM 13 (13 April 1979), 5 ;

Minutes EXCOM 14 (25 May 1979), 5 .

46. Interview, Rear Admiral Walter Locke, 7 April 1982 ; Griffiss Air Force Base Interviews ; Jeffrey

M. Lenorovitz, "ALCM to Enter Inventory Next Year," Aviation Week (16 June 1980), 177 .

47. News Briefing by Secretary of the Air Force Hans Mark, Colonel Allen Chase, Rear Admiral

Walter Locke, 25 March 1980 [JCMPO]; "DOD's Clayton Approves DSARC-3 Recommendation on

Boeing Cruise Missile," Aerospace Daily (5 May 1980), 19; W. Graham Clayton, Jr ., Memorandum for

the Secretary of the Air Force, 30 April 1980 [JCMPO]; "Program Management Directive for Air

Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM)," 8 July 1981 [ASD-Historical Reports, Jan-Jun 1981, ASD/YY,

Vol . 15]; Richard Holloran, "Boeing Gets Control As the Major Builder of the Cruise Missile," New

York Times (26 March 1980), D5; History of the Directorate of Operational Requirements, January-June

1980, 26 [AFSHRC-K 140 .01 Jan-Jun '80] .

48. Minutes EXCOM 14 (25 May 1979), 3-6; United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services,

Department of Defense Authorization for Fiscal Year 1981, 21 February 1980, 525; United States House

of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee, Department of Defense

Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1981, 27 February 1980, 307 ; "Perry Says He Can't Solve Army's 'Bow

Wave' Procurement Probiem," Aerospace Daily (8 February 1980), 209.

49. Memorandums for the Secretary of the Air Force, 31 October 1980, 5 January 1981, 29 August

1980, 31 July 1980 [ASD-Semi-Annual Report, Jul-Dec '80, ASD/YY, Vol . 16] ; Semi-Annual

Historical Report, HAF-CHO (AR)-7101, July-December 1981 [ASD-Semi-Annual Historical Report,

Jul-Dec '81, Vol . 14] ; Boeing, "Air Launched Cruise Missile," 9, 10 .

50 . Isham Linder, Director of Defense Test and Evaluation, Memorandum for the Under Secretary of

Defense for Research and Engineering et al ., 11 April 1980, 8, 5 [RDQB] .

51 . AFTEC, "Air Launched Cruise Missile Operational Test and Evaluation," 1981, 14 [AULM43018-18eS].

52 . Ibid ., iii, 14,17.

53 . "Cruise Missile Tests Suspended," New York Times (2 June 1983), 12 ; "Cruise Missile Tests

Halted After Failures," Washington Post (2 June 1983), 11 ; "ALCM Fault Identified," Aerospace

Daily (16 June 1983), 257 ; "ALCM Successful in Fourth Test Flight," Aerospace Daily (20 June

1983),278 .

54 . Henry Ginger, "Canada to Allow U .S . to Test Cruise Missiles," New York Times (11 April

1982), 10 ; "Air Force Still Optimistic on ALCM Testing in Canada," Aerospace Daily (8 April 1982),

226

55. Grifss AFB Interviews; Colonel Joseph G . Rutter, ALCM Program Review, 23 July 1981

[ASD-Serni-Annual Historical Report, Jul-Dec '81, ASD/YYP, Vol . 14] .

56. Griffrss AFB Interviews ; Weekly Activity Report, 20 August 1981 [ASD-Semi-Annual Historical

Reports, Jul-Dec '81, ASD/YYA, Vol. 13] .

57. Rutter Interview ; Interview, Dean Sampson, 10 June 1982; ALCM Program Review, 23 July

1981 ; Lenorovitz, "ALCM to Enter Inventory Next Year," 183 ; Leonard Wainstein, "The Origins of

the Cruise Missile," IDA P-1386, 1980, 22 [AUL-M40381-11-S#1386] ; Minutes EXCOM 23 (2

October 1980), 6; Dean Sampson to author, 28 July 1982 .

58. Griffrss AFB Interviews ; Lenorovitz, "ALCM to Enter Inventory Next Year," 176-179 ;

"Upgraded Engine Slated for ALCM Beginning in FY '84," Aerospace Daily (8 July 1982), 35 .

59. Griffiss AFB Interviews .

60. The press reported difficulties and slippages with the launcher . Changes in the program (se

below) may also impact on the launcher. "Air Force Facing Advanced Cruise Missile Decisions,'

Aerospace Daily (16 March 1983), 92; Rutter Interview ; ASD Semi-Annual Historical Report

July-December 1980, YYL [ASD-Semi-Annual Historical Report, Jul-Dec '80, ASD/YY, Vol . 16] ;

Weekly Activity Report, 3-17 July 1981, YYH [ASD-Semi-Annual Historical Report, Jul-Dec '81,

Vol . 13, ASD/YYA] ; AFTC, "Performance and Flying Qualities Evaluation of the B-52G Cruise

Missile Carrier Aircraft," 1980, 25 [AUL-M35260-2-U, '80, #5]; House CAS Military Posture FY

1980, part 3, book 1, 22 February 1979, 645, 652; J . Philip Geddes, "The Cruise Missile Era Dawns,"

Interavia (September 1982), 920.

61 . United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Department of Defense Authorization for

Fiscal Year 1981, part 2, 21 February 1980, 522, 527 .

21 7
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

62. United States Senate, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee, Department of Defense

Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1981, 26 March .1980, 587 ; United States Senate, Committee on

Appropriations, Subcommittee, Hearings on Supplemental Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1978, 20

September 1977, 13 ; United States House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations,

Subcommittee, Department of Defense Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1980, 1 March 1979, 729;

"Booing, Lockheed, McDonnell-Douglas Get Cruise Missile Carrier Money," Aerospace Daily (15

May 1978), 82 ; "Dead As a Doornail," Aerospace Daily (30 June 1980), 329 ; Cruise Missile Carrier

Aircraft: Program Management Plan, June 1980 [ASD-Semi-Annual Historical Report, Jan-Jun 1980,

ASDIYYE, Vol . 171 ; Directorate Operational Requirements, III, July-December 1979, 20 ; "New

ALCM Carrier Not Planned If B-52 Proves Hardened," Defense Daily (16 July 1980), 75 ; United States

Congress, Fiscal Year 1981 Arms Control Impact Statement, 117-120; Richard G. O'Lone, "Boeing

Proposes 747 as Missile Launcher," Aviation Week (5 September 1977), 17, 18; "Three Programs Key

in Strategic Effort," Aviation Week (29 January 1979), 133-137 .

63. "B-1 CMC Mod Called 'Most Important' Air Force Initiative," Aerospace Daily (5 February

1980), 185 ; "Top Pentagon Officials Attempt to Stem Bomber Tide on Hill," Aerospace Daily (6

February 1980), 194; Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft : Program Management Plan ; Eugene Kozicharow,

"B-1 For Cruise Missiles Urged," Aviation Week (19 September 1977), 14, 15 ; United States House of

Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Hearings on Military Posture for Fiscal Year 1981, part

4, book 2, 4 March 1980, 1547, 1548 ; House Appropriations Committee, DOD Appropriations for FY

1981, 30 April 1980, 1039 .

64. William P. Clements, Memorandum for Assistant Secretaries (Research and Development) Army,

Navy, and Air Force, 19 December 1973 [JCMPOI .

65 . Ibid.

66. United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Fiscal Year 1975 Authorization, part 7, 12

April 1974, 3620-3622, 3628-3630; Leonard Sullivan, Jr ., Memorandum for Director, Defense

Research and Engineering, 25 November 1974 [JCMPO-Sante Fe #201 .

67. United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Hearings Fiscal Year 1976 Authorization,

part 6, 7 March 1975, 2700; Huisken, 47 ; United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services,

Research and Development Subcommittee, Fiscal Year 1976 and July-September 1976 Transition

Period, part 10, 10 April 1975, 5125 ; Clarence A . Robinson, Jr ., "Tentative SALT Decision Made,"

Aviation Week (16 February 1976), 14 .

68. Harold Brown, "The B-1 Cruise Missile Decision," Commander's Digest (15 September 1977),

3, 5; Harold Brown, "Triad's Air Breathing Systems," Air Force Policy Letter for Commanders:

Supplement (October 1977), 2-4.

69 . Huisken, 190 .

70 . Betts, 17 . A third major study implies that a concern with penetrating Soviet air defenses

prompted interest in the cruise missile . Sorrell, 5, 154 . I believe that the technological imperative was a

primary factor .

71 . United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Department of Defense Authorization for

Fiscal Year 1982, part 7, 27 February 1981, 4088; Clarence A. Robinson, Jr., "Cruise Missile Flight

Planned," Aviation Week (18 July 1977), 17 ; "Second-Source Contract Expected on Tomahawk,"

Aviation Week (31 August 1981), 61 ; "Guidance Commonality Eyed to Speed Cruise Missile

Development," Aerospace Daily (7 July 1977), 26; "Tomahawk Totals," Aerospace Daily (22 February

1982), 273 ; "Tomahawk Second Sources," Aerospace Daily (30 March 1982), 169 ; Paul G. Johnson,

"Tomahawk: The Implications of a Strategic/Tactical Mix," United States Naval Institute Proceedings

(April 1982), 28. Originally, the Navy considered two separate versions (with different engines and

wings) for the antiship and nuclear-armed land-attack SLCMs Captain Locke decided to standardize on

the more conservative approach for both versions, the F107 engine and 12 ft 2 wing area . Conrow, 1, 27.

72. Senate CAS FY 1982, part 7, 27 February 1981, 4088; JCMPO to author, 31 May 1983 .

73 . Jane's All the World's Aircraft : 1981-1982, 671, 672 ; William J . Rube, "Cruise Missiles: The

Ship Killers," United States Naval Institute Proceedings (June 1976), 46; Robert D. Colvin, "Aftermath

of the Elath," United States Naval Institute Proceedings (October 1969), 62.

218
1977 TOTHE PRESENT

74. Johnson, "Tomahawk," 29, 32; Rodney P. Rempt, "Vertical Missile Launchers," United States

Naval Institute Proceedings (October 1977), 86-88, and (December 1977), 105, 106 ; "Second Source

Contract Expected on Tomahawk," 61, 63 ; "Navy, JCMPO Study Vertical Launch of Tomahawk from

Submarines," Aerospace Daily (30 July 1980), 161 ; "Submarine Cruise Missile Plan Mulled,"

Aviation Week (16 June 1980), 119, 121 ; Joint Committee on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs of

Senate and House, Fiscal Year 1983 Arms Control Impact Statement, 1982, 154 ; William Perry

Memorandum for Secretary of the Navy, 17 December 1979 [EXCOM 20) ; "Navy Names IngallsAvondale Team to Reactivate Battleship Iowa," Aerospace Daily (15 July 1982), 78 ; "Battleship

Commander Minimizes Soviet Cruise Missile Threat," Aerospace Daily (9 November 1982), 53;

Geddes, "Cruise Missile Era Dawns," 921 ; Clarence A. Robinson, Jr ., "Navy Planning Tomahawk

Program Revisions," Aviation Week (3 January 1983), 15 .

75. Sullivan Memo, 25 November 1974 [JCMPO-Stnte Fe #20] .

76. Clements Memo, 19 December 1973 ; Strategic Cruise Missile PreBriefing for Research and

Developrilent Subcommittee, Senate Armed Services Committee, 1 March 1973 ; Strategic Cruise Missile

Briefing, Research and Development Subcommittee, Senate Committee Armed Services, 27 March 1973

[both JCMPO]; United States Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Fiscal Year 1973 Authorization for

Military Procurement, Addendum No. 1, 22 June 1972, 4297, 4340.

77. Interview, James Thompson, 1 March 1982 ; "Ironies of History," Time (9 May 1983), 51 .

78 . E. C. Aldridge, Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretaries of Defense,

DSARC Principals, 30 December 1976 [JCMPO) ; Clarence A. Robinson, Jr ., "New Tomahawk Test

Series Scheduled," Aviation Week (19 June 1978), 29; United States House of Representatives,

Committee on Armed Services, Military Posture for Fiscal Year 1979, part 3, book 1, 119 .

79 . The issue of dual control may be under discussion . "Cruise Missile Control May be Topic in

Thatcher-Reagan Talks," Aerospace Daily (27 April 1983), 335 ; "World Armament' and

Disarmament," SIPRI 1980 Yearbook, (New York, N.Y. : Crane and Russak, 1980), 181, 184, 185

80. "Land-Based Tomahawk," Aerospace Daily (26 October 1976), 254; "DSARC Principals Set

November 18 Cruise Missile Meeting," Aerospace Daily (9 November 1976), 43, 44; Senate CAS, R

and D, FY 1976 and July-September 1976 Transition, part 10, 10 April 1975, 5177 ; House CAS,

Military Posture FY 1980, part 3, book 2, 2 April 1979, 2525, 2526.

81 . Thompson Interview ; Daniels Interview; SIPRI 1980 Yearbook, 181-183 ; Lawrence J . Korb,

"The FY 1981-1985 Defense Program : Issues and Trends," AEI Foreign Policy and Defense Review,

II, #2, 1980, 51 ; William Perry Memorandum for the Secretary of the Navy, 17 December 1979

[EXCOM 20)

82 . Leslie H. Gelb, "Soviet Offer Cited in Geneva Talks on Nuclear Arms," New York Times (1

August 1982), 1, 10; "Major Weapons Costs Increase by $1 .2 billion, SAR Report Shows," Aerospace

Daily (17 November 1982), 91 ; "Denmark's Missile Action 'Unhelpful' State Department Says,"

Aerospace Daily (10 December 1982), 215; "SAR Program Summarized," Aerospace Daily (5 May

1983), 29.

83 . Bernard Gwertzman, "Words are Weapons as Talks Resume," New York . Times (23 January

1983), 4-1 ; Strobe Talbott, "Behind Closed Doors," Time (5 December 1983), 18-37 .

84 . Geddes, "Cruise Missile Era Dawns," 921-922 .

85. "GLCM DT and F/IOT and E Tests Begin Successfully," Aerospace Daily (26 February 1982),

307, 308; Government Accounting Office, "Most Critical Testing Still Lies Ahead for Missiles in

Theater Nuclear Modernization," March 1981, 13-16 [AUL-M41026-140-U#81-15] ; "GLCM is

Successful in First Air Force Launch," Aerospace Daily (21 May 1982), 120; "The Air Force/General

Dynamics Tomahawk," Aerospace Daily (15 November 1982), 76 ; "GLCM Completes Ninth of Ten

Test Launches," Aerospace Daily (8 June 1983), 212.

86 . "Carrier Launch Tests Planned for Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile," Aerospace Daily (19

September 1980), 105 ; John Newbauer, "U.S . Cruise Missile Development," Astronautics and

Aeronautics (September 1979), 29 ; Robinson, "New Tomahawk Series Schedules," 28, 29 .

87. William J . Perry Memorandum for the Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Air Force, and

Director, Joint Cruise Missiles Project Office, 27 March 1980 [JCMPO] .

88 . Ibid .

219
EVOLUTION OF THE CRUISE MISSILE

89. Daniels Interview ; Jeffrey M. Lenorovitz, "Other Tomahawk Application Explored by General

Dynamics, "Aviation Week (31 March 1980), 20.

90. Weekly Activity Report, YYH, 20 August 1981 [ASD Semi-Annual Historical Report, Jul-Dec

'81, ASD/YYA, Vol. 13] ; Jeffrey M . Lenorovitz, "New Applications Eyed for US Cruise Missile,"

Aviation Week (26 June 1978), 17 ; "New Tomahawk Applications Explored," Aviation Week (17

September 1979), 68 ; "Navy Moves Again to Drop MRASM," Aerospace Daily (6 August 1982), 201 .

91 . "Harriers, in Falklands Raids, Used JP-233 Airfield Attack Weapon," Aerospace Daily (19 May

1982), 101 .

92. Richard D. Delauer confirmation hearings [JCMPO]; "JCMPO to Select Hard Target Penetrating

Bomber for MRASM," Aerospace Daily (9 March 1982), 52; Conventional Cruise Missile Potential,

Presentation for Arms Controls Defense Agency, 11 January 1979 [JCMPO] ; "Navy Moves to Drop

MRASM," 202 ; "MW-1 Program Status," Interavia (October 1980), 884; "Improving the Cruise

Missile," Flight International (16 October 1982), 1116 ; "JCMPO Weighs Choice of MRASM

Submunition," Aerospace Daily (22 December 1982), 273 .

93 . Roger W. Mickelson, "Theater Cruise Missiles," thesis, Naval War College, 1979, 107-109

[AUL-M-41662-59-U]; "BKEP Nod," Aerospace Daily (22 February 1983), 285 .

94. "New Tomahawk Application Explored," 68; ACDA Presentation, January 1979 [JCMPO].

95 . Mickelson, 107, 108 .

96 . "Carrier Launch Tests Planned for Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile," Aerospace Daily (19

September 1980), 106 ; "Navy and MRASM" Aerospace Daily (2 February 1981), 153 ; JCMPO,

JCM-V Point Paper: "Tomahawk Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile (MRASM)," 19 June 1981 ;

Mark Hewish, "Multi-National Stand-Off Missile Development?," International Defense Review

(August 19$1), 979; Jeffrey M. Lenorovitz, "MRASM Development Program Pushed," Aviation Week

(7 April 1980), 15 ; David R. Griffiths, "Proposal Set on Air-to-Surface Missile," Aviation Week (29

December 1980), 24, 25 ; Harriet S. Hughes, "Competition Options for the Medium Range Air-toSurface Missile Program," unpublished MA thesis, American University, 1981, 9, 10 ; Arms Control

Impact Statement FY 1983, 241 ; Joint Committee, Fiscal Year 1982 Arms Control Impact Statement,

297, 299; EXCOM 21 Briefing (2 May 1980) [JCMPO]; "MRASM Seen Benefiting From Tomahawk

Restructuring," Aerospace Daily (9 June 1983), 217.

97 . "Carrier Launch Tests Planned for MRASM," 105 ; JCMPO Point Paper, "Tomahawk," 19 June

1981 ; Hewish, "Multi-National Stand-Off Missile Development?," 979 ; Griffiths, "Proposal Set on

Air-To-Surface Missile," 24, 25 ; Hughes, "Competition Options for the MRASM Program," 10; FY

1983 Arms Control Impact Statement, 243 .

98 . Lenorovitz, "MRASM Development Program Pushed," 15 ; FY 1983 Arms Control Impact

Statement, 242, 243 ; FY 1981 Arms Control Impact Statement, 298, 301 .

99 . "Navy and MRASM," Aerospace Daily (2 February 1981), 153 ; Senate CAS, Authorization for

FY 1982, part 3, 10 March 1981, 1443-1445 ; United States House of Representatives, Committee on

Armed Services, Military Posture for Fiscal Year 1982, 18 March 1981, 185, 20 March 1981, 478 ,480,

30 March 1981, 774 . Within the Navy there is dissent over MRASM. While the submariners and surface

sailors are for it, the tactical aviators are not. Likewise in the Air Force, TAC contends MRASM is too

heavy, while SAC wants the missile for 60 B-52Gs. Griffiths, "Proposal Set on Air-to-Surface

Missile," 23 ; "MRASM Seen Benefiting," 218.

100 . "Pentagon Seeks Another BMD Add-On: MRASM Survives," Aerospace Daily (29 September

1981), 153 ; Delauer Confirmation Hearings ; JCMPO Point Paper : "Joint Management of the Cruise

Missile Program," March 1981 [JCMPO] ; "Pentagon Plans Cruise Missile Consolidation Decision This

Summer," Aerospace Daily (3 June 1982), 177 ; "Air Force to JCMPO on MRASM: Prepare to DeScope or Terminate," Aerospace Daily (3 March 1983), 18 ; "As SAW Concept Changes, MRASM's

Status Gets Cloudier," Aerospace Daily (12 May 1983), 65 .

101 . "Navy Moves to Drop MRASM," 201 ; "Navy Sees MRASM as Money Problem," Aerospace

Daily (24 August 1982), 297, 298 ; "MRASM Uncertainty," Aerospace Daily (6 December 1982), 178 ;

"HAC Approves Merged CSW But Would Drop PLSS Strike Mission," Aerospace Daily (3 December

1982), 171 ; "As SAW Concept Changes," 65 ; "MRASM Seen Benefiting," 218 ; "Air Force Mulls

AXE, Wants SAW for Airfield Attack," Aerospace Daily (14 March 1983), 76.

220
1977 TO THE PRESENT

-102 . "Navy Moves to Drop MRASM," ' 201 ; "Pentagon Puts Cruise Missile Program Through

Extensive Review," Aerospace Daily (20 May 1981), 106 ; Griffiths, "Proposal Set on Air-to-Surface

Missile," 24; Hughes, "Competitive Options for the MRASM Program," 23,24; "Navy Sees MRASM

as Money Problem," 297; "JCMPO Weighs Choice of MRASM Submunition," Aerospace Daily (22

December 1982), 274 . See Sorrels, 120-122 .

103 . Minutes EXCOM 7 (12 May 1978), 3; "Upgraded Engine Slated for ALCM Beginning in FY

'84," 34, 35; Rutter Interview; Griffiss AFB Interviews ; Semi-Annual Historical Report, YYM

July-December 1980 [ASD-Semi-Annual Report, Jul-Dee '80, ASD/YY, Vol. 16] ; Semi-Annual

Historical Report, Strategic Projects and Planning, January-June 1981 [ASD-Semi-Annual Report,

Jan-Jun '81, ASD/YY, Vol. 15] ; SAC Day, Strategic Systems SPO [ASD-Semi-Annual Reports,

July-December 1980, ASD/YY, Vol . 16] ; "ALCM Successors," Aerospace Daily (3 December 1982),

217 .

104 . Semi-Annual Historical Report, YYKC, January-June 1981 [ASD-Historical Reports, Jaw-Jun

'81, ASD/YY, Vol . 15] ; Semi-Annual Historical Report HAF-CHO (AR)-7101, July-December 1981

[ASD-Historical Reports, Jul-Dec '81, 14] ; "Guidance Commonality Eyed to Speed Cruise Missile

Development," Aerospace Daily (7 July 1977), 26 ; "Improving The Cruise Missile," 1112.

105 . Mark Kaplan, "U.S . Cruise Missile Programs," Arms Control Today (May 1983), 5; "SAR

Program Summarized," Aerospace Daily (5 May 1983), 29; "The Cruise Missile Era : Opening

Pandora's Box," The DefenseMonitor, Vol . 12, No. 4, 1983, 2, 3 .

106 . "Defense Budget : The Uncuttables," New York Times (20 February 1983), 2E; "Cruise Missile

Changes to Reflect Soviet Air Defense Improvements," Aerospace Daily (2 March 1983), 13; Michael

Gordon, "Pentagon's Shift on Cruise Missiles Leaves Big Contractors Scrambling," National Journal

(26 March 1983), 644 .

107 . Advanced Strategic Air Launched Missile (ASALM), Program Management Plan, Document

No. 110, February 1979, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 [ASD Msc.] .

108 . History Directorate of Operational Requirements, July-December 1977, I, 84 [AFSHRCK140.01 Jul-Dec, I, '77] ; Government Accounting Office, "is there a Need for the Advanced Air

Launched Missile and, If So, Can We Afford It?" February 1980, 2 [AUL-M41026-7-S #80-16c] ;

Clarence A. Robinson, Jr ., "USAF Readies Advanced Cruise Missiles," Aviation Week (10 March

1980), 14, 15 ; "Rocket Ramjet Tests Meet Expectations," Aviation Week (30 June 1980), 52, 53 .

109 . Robinson, "USAF Readiness Advanced Cruise Missiles," 12-14 ; Boeing, ATOM Final

Technical Report, December 1978, 5, 17, 21, 23 [AUL-S-M29111-7-S#180-24765-1]; McDonnellDouglas, "Advanced Technology Cruise Missile Study," I, ii, 11, 13, [AUL-M42489-18-S#E2065,I];

"ALCM Successors," 217.

110 . US Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Department of Defense Authorization for

Appropriation for Fiscal Year 1981, Part 5, 5 March 1980, 2709; Leonard Famiglietti, "Cruise Ballistic

Missile," Air Force Times (14 June 1982), 23 ; "Vought to Evaluate Intercontinental Cruise Missile

Technology," Aerospace Daily (18 January 1983), 92.

111 . Rosemary E. Nelson, "Leader/Follower Second Sourcing Strategy as Implemented by the Joint

Cruise Missiles Project Office," thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, September 1980 ; Bryant H. Walker

and George W. Rourk, "Conceptual Design Study for Advanced Technology Cruise Missile Propulsion

Systems," October 1979, 172, 173 AUL-M42083-S#79-2085 ; "Improving the Cruise Missile," 1114 ;

Geddes, "Cruise Missile Era Dawns," 923; Robinson, "USAF Readies Cruise Missiles," 12 .

112 . Robinson, "USAF Readies Advanced Cruise Missiles," 12-14 ; Walker and Rourk, 5;

McDonnell-Douglas, Advanced Technology Cruise Missile Study, I, 14, 20.

113 . "Navy Replaces Locke with Hostettler at JCMPO," Aerospace Daily (16 August 1982), 252;

"Quality Control Concerns Prompted Locke Replacement : Weinberger," Aerospace Daily (18 August

1982), 268 ; "Cruise Missile Director Being Relieved and Reassigned," Defense Daily (16 August

1982), 248; Don Shannon, "Navy Ousts Tomahawk Cruise Missile Project Chief," Los Angeles Times

(14 August 1982), 6A; "Chief of Cruise Missile Program is Ousted by Navy," New York Times (14

August 1982), 7 ; "Navy to Replace Cruise Missile ProgramChief," Washington Post (14 August 1982),

All ; "Tomahawk Said to be 60°6 Successful in Unannounced Test," Aerospace Daily (10 August 1982),

219; "Cruise Split," Aviation Week (25 January 1982), 17 ; "Navy Removes Cruise Missile Project

221
EVOLUTION OFTHE CRUISE MISSILE

Director," Aviation Week (23 August 1982), 22-24; Mark Staff with David C Martin, "A Missile's

Ordeal," Newsweek (6 September 1982), 19; "Navy Silent on Tomahawk IOC as JCMPO Pushes

Quality Assurance," Aerospace Daily (14 September 1982), 65 ; "$195 Million Short on Tomahawk,

Navy Eyes Integration Contracts," Aerospace Daily (7 January 1983), 35 ; George C. Wilson, "Navy

Missile Project Beset by Test Problems, Delays," Washington Post (5 January 1983), 2 ; Robinson,

"Navy Planning Tomahawk Program Revisions," 14 . For the fullest discussion see Conrow, I, 56-59.

114 . David Wood, "Problems Delay Tomahawk Cruise Missile by Two Years," Los Angeles Times

(5 January 1983), 1 ; "GLOM Completes Ninth of Ten Test Launches," 212 .

115 . Conrow, I, 61-71, compares in detail the various cruise missiles with other systems .

116 . "Limit SLCM, Ban Militarization of Space, Mathias Asks," Aerospace Daily (6 December

1982), 182 ; "Replace ICBMs with Cruise Missiles, Former CIA Chief Says," Aerospace Daily (14

September 1982), 67 .
CHAPTER VII

CONCLUSION

The two major themes that emerge from an examination of the historical record

of the cruise missile are the impacts of technology and politics . From the early

American, British, and French experiments with the missile in World War I until

the 1970s, inadequate technology prevented the cruise missile from becoming an

effective military weapon . Since 1970, new technology improved the missile,

making it a potent weapon. At the same time, political considerations became

increasingly important, complicating deployment of the weapon . Today, politics,

not technology, tends to dominate the cruise missile story .

The missile originated with incorporation of gyroscope technology into existing

aeronautical technology. Gyroscopes permitted more-or-less stable, straight and

level, constant-heading flight for small biplanes powered by piston engines . Thus,

the first guided missiles were miniature, unmanned aircraft .

Despite numerous efforts, however, these early winged missiles achieved limited

success because severe problems of reliability hampered development . Taking man

out of the machine left it prey to many seemingly overwhelming technical

problems-and crashes resulted. Even when the missile worked as designed,

infrequently as that turned out to be, its accuracy was far more a dream than a

reality . Indeed unreliability and inaccuracy hindered the device from its inception

until recently .

In the next major technological advance beyond the gyroscope, engineers

installed radio control . While experiments conducted with this method during

World War I failed, designers achieved some success in the early to mid-1920s. But

the airman's options were restricted because a mother ship was required to escort

these radio-controlled missiles to their target.

World War II brought an outpouring of funds and a new urgency to the field of

unmanned powered weapons. Nevertheless, the United States could not produce a

militarily effective guided missile based upon existing guidance and propulsion

technology. Not that both the Army and the Navy did not try . The US Navy

produced a number of useful target drones, as well as several offensive devices .

Prior to Pearl Harbor, the Navy conducted a series of successful cruise missile

223
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

experiments, including one that launched a torpedo and another that crashed into a

moving target . The Army also reentered the cruise missile field with a device that

first flew just prior to World War II . But because this missile differed little in

performance from its predecessors of the previous two and one-half decades, the

Army Air Forces (AAF) cancelled the project . Both services employed guided

missiles in combat, but neither the Navy assault drone program in the Pacific nor

the essentially joint Army-Navy radio-controlled unmanned aircraft program in

Europe offered significant military advantages .

Concurrently, the Germans employed a cruise missile in combat : the V-1 or

"flying bomb." The V-1 differed from American cruise missiles in using a new

technology engine, the pulsejet . The cheap V-1 had relatively high performance for

its day.

But the V-1 bombardment of England, while politically, psychologically, and

diplomatically startling, had little military impact. First, the Allies devised a

formidable defense within a matter of weeks that destroyed most of the incoming

missiles . Second, competing priorities, such as the V-2, left the Germans with

inadequate numbers of V-1s. Third, poor German intelligence hindered their

operations. But perhaps most important, the V-1's technical failings (unreliability,

inaccuracy, and small warhead) limited its military effectiveness.

The Americans quickly built a copy of the V-1, shamelessly copied from

salvaged German pieces . Although the AAF's grandiose plans for massive

employment of this weapon against both the Germans and Japanese never came to

pass, the United States built over one thousand JB-2s, which provided both AAF

and Navy considerable missile experience . In addition to ground-launching the JB2, the AAF air-launched the device while the Navy sea-launched their V-1, the

Loon, from the deck of a submarine. Meanwhile, the AAF's other flying bomb

project, the Northrop JB-1, turned out to be an expensive failure, even after the

airmen fitted it with a pulsejet engine . Nevertheless, after numerous false starts, the

V-1/JB-2 got the US military establishment finally and firmly into the cruise missile

business .

American interest in missiles continued after the war, as did the technical

problems of reliability and accuracy . The Air Force's intercontinental range

Northrop Snark and North American Navaho dominated the winged missiles of the

late 1940s and 1950s. Considerably larger than the World War II V-1, the two

differed from the German missile in propulsion and guidance. A turbojet engine,

the same as those used in jet aircraft of the day, powered the Snark, but the major

innovation of the Northrop project was its inertial stellar guidance system. The

Snark went into service, but only for a few months because inaccuracy,

unreliability, and crashes fatally marred the program. In contrast, the Navaho was a

much bolder project: a missile pushed to supersonic speeds and intercontinental

range by ramjets . But Navaho encountered even greater technical difficulties than

the Snark, prompting the Air Force to cancel Navaho well before it entered service .

So despite considerable effort and expense, neither of these two cruise missiles

could successfully compete with either the tried and proven bomber or the new

intercontinental ballistic missile .

224
CONCLUSION

Unlike these dramatic, large, and unsuccessful intercontinental missiles, the

shorter-range Martin Matador and Mace and the Vought Regulus were much more

successful . The Martin missiles used various guidance systems from ground-based

radio control to radar map-matching systems, and served operationally for about 15

years. During the 1950s, the Navy got a similar missile, the Regulus, operational

from submarines, carriers, and cruisers . The Navy planned a number of follow-on

projects, but none, except the Regulus 11, flew.

In the 1950s, the Air Force also worked with two other categories of missiles in

the cruise missile family : decoy and standoff missiles . Together these represent an

increasingly important additional theme in the cruise missile story, and a radical

departure from previous concepts ; these missiles were to aid, not replace, the

bomber. In the 1950s, USAF planned to deploy a family of decoy missiles to

deceive enemy air defenses . Three were tested but only the Quail went into service .

However, the Quail's size and weight cut the bomber's range, speed, and weapons

load while newer radar systems seriously diminished its effectiveness. By 1970, the

Air Force considered the Quail obsolete . During this same period, USAF tested two

standoff cruise weapons, and put the North American Hound Dog into service . It

gave the B-52 a standoff capability, but the Hound Dog's weight and drag cut the

bomber's performance ; and the missile's reliability and accuracy proved marginal .

Therefore, the American military made numerous efforts with winged missiles

during the quarter century following World War II, albeit with only meager

success . Because of the cruise missile's inherent technical limitations (inaccurate

and unreliable operation), more effective weapons pushed aside winged missiles .

The promise of cruise missiles seemed illusionary, their problems insurmountable,

and their value limited . So it seemed in 1970.

At this time, two technological breakthroughs transformed the cruise missile .

The first of these came in the area of guidance. Rapid technological advances not

only greatly reduced the size, weight, and cost of computers, but also dramatically

increased computer capabilities . Coupled with satellite mapping, these computer

developments permitted the emergence of a small, practically autonomous,

reliable, long-range, and highly accurate guidance system called TERCOM. The

computer also enabled the vehicle to fly very, very low, making it difficult to detect

and destroy .

The second major technical development came in the area of propulsion . The

small, efficient turbofan jet engine allowed use of a smaller airframe . Small is

beautiful, for the less weight, volume, and drag, the less power and fuel required .

This smaller size also reduced radar cross section (RCS) and costs, and increased

both the number of weapons that could be carried aboard aircraft or submarines and

the relative ease with which the land-launched version could be handled and

concealed . Development of high density fuels and miniaturized warheads also

assisted in this shrinking process . So, at the same time the missile's size

dramatically decreased, its capabilities markedly increased .

While these technologies coalesced, events in Southeast Asia laid the

groundwork for the emergence of the present cruise missile . The success of RPVs

225
EVOLUTION OFTHECRUISE MISSILE

(remotely piloted vehicles) in the Vietnam War indicated the promise of small,

unmanned, low-flying air vehicles against intense and advanced air defenses .

Concurrently, USAF required a replacement for both its bomber decoy and

standoff missiles. To fill this first need, the Air Force developed the SCAD

(subsonic cruise armed decoy), the first cruise missile based upon the new

technologies . Although intended by different groups for different ends, SCAD

emerged with remarkable performance and offered great potential for the future.

Small enough to fit into the B-52's SRAM launcher and yet fly 800 nm at low

levels, the missile could either deliver a nuclear warhead with astonishing accuracy

or confuse enemy air defenses.

Meanwhile the Navy's cruise missile emerged from its surface-to-surface antiship missile program, the Harpoon . When coupled with the new technologies,

SLCM too had nothing short of spectacular performance . Therefore, a long-range,

very accurate missile, flying low, and small enough to baffle air defenses, could be

based on and fired from essentially invulnerable nuclear submarines.

But while the engineers basically solved the device's technical problems in the

early 1970s, political consideration became increasingly important . Some in the

military opposed the new weapon. Resistance to the cruise missile centered around

aviators, both in USAF and USN. Air Force flyers saw the ALCM at worst as a

bomber replacement, at best an unneeded bomber aid . On balance, the airmen

perceived the cruise missile more as a menace to the B-1 than as a helpful bomber

decoy or standoff weapon. At the same time, naval aviators, primarily those aboard

carriers, viewed the cruise missile as unnecessary. Some in the military were, of

course, for the weapon; however, its most vocal and influential support came from

civilians within the Department of Defense . Additional support for the missile came

from others within the Executive Branch, who saw it as a bargaining chip for SALT

(Strategic Arms Limitation Talks), and Congress, intrigued by the potential cost

savings .

Technical progress continued after the redirection of the program in 1973 . The

Navy picked General Dynamics to build their missile, while the Air Force stayed

with Boeing, the manufacturer of SCAD . In 1976, both services first flew and

began testing their missiles.

Subsequently, a crucial event in the development of the cruise missile was a

Defense System Acquisition Review Council (DSARC) meeting held on 6 January

1977, The council recommended full-scale engineering development of the ALCM

and SLCM under the management of the Joint Cruise Missiles Project Office

(JCMPO) established under the leadership of the Navy. The Air Force would

emphasize the long-range missile version while the Navy would emphasize both the

anti-ship and nuclear versions of the Tomahawk. Finally, DSARC recommended

development of a LLCM derived from the Navy's Tomahawk.

Another major influence on the missile's progress was the arms limitation talks .

Initially, the negotiators thought little of the cruise missile and did not include it in

SALT I . Gradually, however, they realized the missile's importance . By 1973, the

United States regarded the missile useful for domestic and foreign political

226
CONCLUSION

purposes; and within two years the Russians, also .paid it attention . The SALT H

treaty and protocol, agreements signed in June 1979, banned deployment of the

GLCM and SLCM, and restricted the ALCM . While the treaty has not been

ratified, both parties are adhering to its terms .

Besides signing SALT II, President Carter cancelled the B-1 bomber. The

President's decision in June 1977 increased the importance of the cruise missile, for

ALCM now became the means by which the United States would maintain the

viability of the aging B-52s and the air-breathing leg of the Triad. Hence over the

short run, the various versions of the cruise missile will be the major new

technology to modernize the American military.

In the early 1980s, the cruise missile went into service. The first Air Force

squadron became operational with ALCMs in December 1982 . The Air Force

considered a variety of aircraft as the carrier of the ALCM, but chose the B-52 and

the B-1 . This decision and the adoption of the extended-range ALCM (AGM-86B),

which is not compatible with the B-52's SRAM launcher, means that both bombers

must be considerably modified. Initially, USAF will fit 12 ALCMs externally on

B-52s modified with improved offensive avionics systems . Once USAF configures

most of the B-52G and H fleet, it will install eight more ALCMs in an internally

mounted rotary launcher . The concept of operation with 12 missiles is to shoot and

then penetrate ; with the 20 ALCM load, it is to strictly standoff and shoot. Later,

the Navy fitted the modernized battleship USS New Jersey with the first of its

planned complement of ALCMs.

A recent and important event to impact upon the cruise missile program was the

Navy's release in August 1982 of Admiral Locke, the only Director of the JCMPO

and whose connection with the cruise missile program spanned over 10 years .

While the Navy maintains that the move logically followed the missile evolution

from development and testing into production, the press emphasized problems with

both the Tomahawk's reliability and General Dynamics' quality control . But more

important than why the Navy made this personnel change is what will result . What

happens to the cruise missile, the joint program, and to the concepts of

commonality and second-sourcing remain to be seen.

While there are clear military reasons for deploying the family of cruise missiles,

there is also a strong, if not predominant, political element involved as well. Cruise

missile deployment permits rapid expansion of US nuclear weapons and forcefully

demonstrates American will to friend and foe alike . Moreover, missile deployment

also seems to involve an element of technological determinism-taking advantage

of a technological lead .

Rationale for deployment differs for the cruise missile variants . The ALCM will

enhance the air-breathing threat . The reasons for the MRASM are about as

simple-to increase the conventional capability of western aircraft . But the reasons

for the GLCM are not quite as easy to follow . They include political symbolism,

releasing dual purpose aircraft for other tasks, and improving theater nuclear

capabilities . Probably the most complex and changing rationale involves the

SLCM. The emphasis on SLCM has now shifted to about equal attention to anti227
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

ship and nuclear versions, the latter justified as a secure strategic reserve force .

The US military continues to plan improvements in the cruise missile. The

ALCM "C" (AGM-86C) will have an improved engine and perhaps active and

passive defense devices . Later, this new engine will be fitted in both the GLCM and

SLCM . More advanced cruise missile designs are also on the drawing boards. New

types of engines and fuels promise greater power and less fuel consumption . Stealth

technology will decrease the cruise missile's visibility and diminish the enemy's

chance of detecting, engaging, and destroying it . Improved computers will increase

accuracy and permit lower flying; and they may allow evasive maneuvers . Present

trends indicate that the cruise missile will maintain its lead over the enemy's air

defense, thereby presenting a relatively cheap weapon that can foil much more

expensive enemy defenses . In short, the cruise missile is a cost-effective weapon

now and for the foreseeable future .

Having reviewed the evolution of the cruise missile, we have now arrived at the

time of reckoning . What are the explicit answers to the research questions posed at

the onset?

Question : What has changed and what has remained constant between the earlier

and current versions of the cruise, missile?

Answer: While at first glance today's cruise missile resembles its predecessor,

close examination reveals significant technical improvements. In one sense, the

cruise missile is like its ancestors, a miniature aircraft : it has the same type ofpower

plant and the same basic airframe as contemporary aircraft . But while inaccurate

and unreliable operations hobbled its predecessors for 50 years, today's cruise

missile is fundamentally different . Advances in computers, the evolution of the

TERCOM and terrain-following systems, and the development of small and

efficient jet engines as well as small nuclear warheads, give the weapon radically

increased capabilities . These developments enable the present cruise missile to fly

very far, very low, and very accurately. This marks the difference between the

aerial torpedo/flying bomb of yesterday and the cruise missile oftoday .

Question: What advantages and disadvantages are inherent to cruise missiles as a

class ofweapons?

Answer: The cruise missile attracted the attention of the military for a number of

reasons . Built for a one-time, one-way trip with no crew, the missile was relatively

cheap to build and operate . It could be used in large numbers, thereby increasing the

likelihood of successful penetration of enemy defenses ; and it could be employed in

the most hazardous of conditions since man was not put at risk . In addition, because

there was no crew to be inhibited by psychological factors, the weapon could only

be defeated by direct intervention. Certainly the missile's small size and crewless

flight made it less vulnerable than a manned aircraft .

Conversely, the cruise missile also has a common list of disadvantages

228
EVOLUTION OFTHECRUISE MISSILE CONCLUSION

throughout its history . Taking man out of the machine had a number of important

consequences. First, if anything went wrong, nothing could correct the situation .

Another result of removing man from the machine was that, once launched, the

missile followed its program and nothing more. And because it lacked both

flexibility and real time reaction capability, the cruise missile could be defended

against, and could be defeated.

Nevertheless, today's cruise missile offers a number of important and obvious

advantages over other weapons. Militarily, it offers excellent (if not unparalleled)

accuracy and a high probability of penetration . Also significant is the variety of

launch platforms available to the cruise missile, enhancing both flexibility and

survivability . Because of its high mobility, low cost, and high accuracy, the cruise

missile has potential to supplant today's more costly and less accurate fixed ICBMs.

At the same time, the cruise missile's low cost, high accuracy, ubiquitous

platforms, small size, and low flying ability challenge the manned penetrating

bomber. At the very least, the ALCM will be very important to preserving the airbreathing leg of the Triad. The relatively low cost permits many cruise missiles to

be deployed. Finally, the cruise missile has the potential of staying ahead of air

defenses. And it is a threat which will cost enemy defenders many times what it will

cost the United States. While other weapons equal or out-perform the cruise missile

in some areas, the cruise missile combines these advantages.

The cruise missile also offers a number of distinct political advantages. Its

newness demonstrates continuing American technical superiority . Cruise missile

deployment shows US will to both foes and allies, and should help assuage

domestic political groups demanding a rapid and massive arms buildup . If need be,

the cruise missile can be bargained against weapons the United States considers

most dangerous to its security . At the same time, it is not inherently a first strike

weapon ; and because it is not a first strike weapon, it is not destabilizing as are

ballistic missiles.

Question : Why were cruise missiles not successfully introduced on a large scale

into military inventories before? What obstacles has the weapon encountered?

Answer: Throughout its development, technical problems have hindered the

cruise missile . This resulted, in part, because designers did not sufficiently

recognize the impact of removing man from the machine, especially the crew's

ability to respond to unforeseen problems, to correct them immediately, and to

report back the results . Neither guidance nor reliability received adequate

attention . In short, the developers just did not do their homework patiently and

systematically in designing, testing, and then integrating the required components.

Therefore, the cruise missile could not deliver on its promise because of technical

failings and could not compete with other strategic weapons. In the one large-scale

use of the cruise missiles in combat, the V-1 failed as a militarily effective weapon.

Similarly, American cruise missiles developed between 1945 and 1970 left much to

229
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

be desired. The record of American missiles range from disastrous (Navaho), to

failures (Snark), to mediocre (Matador, Mace, and Regulus), to helpful (Hound

Dog and Quail) . In brief, aircraft and ballistic missiles could deliver more

ordnance, more accurately, more reliably than could the cruise missile.

In general, the development of the cruise missile has been a sideshow. That is, a

small group of military men, an individual, or a company have pushed it, but, with

the exception of the Snark and Navaho in the early 1950s, until recently cruise

missiles have never had massive national support similar to that received by

ballistic missiles and bombers . While some within the military enthusiastically

championed the weapon, the services as a whole never have.

Until recently, the cruise missile's sorry record certainly justified skepticism .

The military repeatedly tried the device over a long period of time, but it never

delivered on its promise; instead, the cruise missile proved unreliable and

inaccurate . Technological breakthroughs in the late 1960s, however, seem to have

overcome most of the weapon's technical difficulties .

Unfortunately, military attitudes have not changed. If anything, they seem to

have hardened as the improved missile threatened existing force structures . As a

result, today's problems with the cruise missile are more in the arena of politics

(numbers, costs, and modes of deployment) than in the area of technology . The Air

Force's reaction to the ALCM in the 1970s is a classic, if tragic, example of service

parochialism . Indeed, the services can take little credit for fostering the cruise

missile's recent development. If anything, the machine developed in spite of their

opposition or apathy . More recently, the staunchest supporters of the missile were

civilians within the Department of Defense.

Question : Overall, what lessons can be gleaned from the historical record of the

cruise missile? What are the useful parallels?

Answer: It would appear that there are at least five . First, although the cruise

missile looks like a miniature aircraft, may perform somewhat like one, and has

often been treated like one, it is, in fact, quite different. The obvious, basic, and

key difference between aircraft and winged missiles is man . The military must

recognize from the outset that the cruise missile is not just a small aircraft, and that

taking man out of the machine makes a considerable impact upon both the positive

and negative sides of the ledger. To get the most out of the weapon, and at the same

time not overestimate its potential, this fact must be fully appreciated by all hands

from the design phase all the way through deployment of the missile. In other

words, the cruise missile requires different handling than aircraft .

Second, the cruise missile possessed a number of basic characeristics throughout

its history.* Its principal advantages continue to be its relative cheapness, compared

with aircraft, and the fact that it operates without putting man at risk . At the same

time, its main disadvantages also stem from taking man out of the loop:

inflexibility, unreliability, and inaccuracy .

*See AirWarCollegeSurvey . Appendix H, on the issue of advantages anddisadvantages.

230
Third, it must be emphasized and reemphasized that the technology which

emerged in the late 1960s radically improved the capabilities of the cruise missile,

giving the present day missile performance superior to its predecessor. Its small

RCS and low-flying ability ensure that the cruise missile has a high probability of

successfully penetrating enemy defenses . Moreover, its small size enables it to be

stored in numbers and launched from a wide variety of platforms. Another key

attribute is the missile's high accuracy . In sum, these enhanced and new capabilities

make the new cruise missile quite different, and far better, than its predecessors .

Fourth, the cruise missile case illustrates the difficulty of incorporating new

technology into military force structures . The missile story tells, in almost classic

fashion, how domestic and foreign politics, including complications introduced by

interservice and intraservice rivalry, can influence the introduction and deployment

of a new weapon .

Fifth, the historical record indicates that weapons must be rationally assessed or

there will be problems . Novelty by itself is not an adequate reason to deploy a

weapon. The examples of the V-1 and Snark illustrate missiles put into service well

before they were ready. Prior to 1970, the cruise missile was hampered more by

technological shortcomings than by policy or political considerations ; since then, an

influential number of individuals within the military have retained their negative

attitudes while the machine has considerably improved . The cruise missile should

be judged strictly on its merits-what it can do for national defense, not what it

might do to individuals' careers, services' missions, or contractors' profits.

Question : Finally, how important is the cruise missile? Is the cruise missile just

another weapon like so many others, or does it represent a revolutionary class of

weapon?*

Answer: If the estimates of today are close to the realities of tomorrow, the cruise

missile will be very important to the future of US security over the short run . In

shoring up the air-breathing leg of the Triad and increasing US capabilities vis-a-vis

the Soviets, the cruise missile will help close the much talked about "window of

vulnerability" if, in fact, such a vulnerability exists .

The influence of the cruise missile may be even greater over the long run, since

the missile has great potential for growth . By making use of advanced technology

such as computers, electronics, and small jet engines, the cruise missile represents

the cutting edge of new and better technologies . Greater flying performance will

result as new engines and new fuels are used. As engineers mate stealth technology,

ECM (electronic countermeasures), and real time reactive capabilities to the

machine, its detectability and vulnerability will decrease, thereby improving

military performance and putting greater stress on the defense. Other new

technologies will surely emerge and, in turn, will be added to the missile, further

increasing its already considerable capabilities .

-See Air War College Cruise Missile Survey, Appendix B, on the issue of the cruise missile as a revolutionary weapon .

23 1

CONCLUSION
EVOLUTION OF THECRUISE MISSILE

As a result of these developments, there remains the distinct possibility that the

penetrating bomber will be supplanted as a primary strategic delivery system.*

Improving enemy defenses make successful penetration increasingly difficult for all

but the most sophisticated bombers . At the same time, the rapidly escalating costs

of such aircraft compared with the costs and military effectiveness of ballistic and

cruise missiles raises serious questions about the cost effectiveness of the

penetrating bomber. At some point in the future, the penetrating bomber may well

be assigned to a standoff role, penetrating only in follow-on missions (after the

initial nuclear exchange) when the manned bomber's flexibility and real time

reaction are needed and enemy defenses are degraded . So there has been a shifting

in roles over time; the cruise missile which, at one point, was strictly an aid to the

bomber, may now become the bomber's chief weapon. The overall result will be a

more capable and credible bomber force .

The cruise missile also promises to be a carrier of conventional ordnance. Since

the machine has .the capabilities, the significant question is simply one of cost : can

the price of the device be lowered sufficiently so that a large number of the missiles

can be put into service? If so, the impact could be very important, and possibly

decisive, in a battle in western Europe . For in the first days of an intense war there,

NATO forces will require large numbers of air strikes to survive . Such airpower

could be provided, at least in part, by large numbers of highly accurate cruise

missiles . This mode of operation would conserve aircraft for later use when enemy

air defenses are dislocated, enemy forces are more vulnerable, and maximum use

can be made ofthe aircraft's advantages.

Another area of great promise in conventional operations is the use of the cruise

missile as an RPV. Coupling the aerial performance of the cruise missile with real

time direction will greatly enhance the missile's military impact. And if the

machine could be recovered, then the all-important question of cost could probably

be satisfactorily answered.

Therefore, the prospects are that the cruise missile will play an important role in

American defense over both the short and long run, and its impact on western and

American military establishments will be major. But since the missile performs

roles now primarily handled by the Air Force, the impact on that service will be

much greater than that on any other. If the cruise missile eclipses the ICBM and

penetrating bomber as a primary strategic weapon, and if in the fast days of a major

war the tactical aviation needs of the military are met largely by the cruise missile,

then that device will have a revolutionary impact on the Air Force.

But to play such a role, the cruise missile must prove itself so as to convince both

military and civilian leadership of its value . The cruise missile must demonstrate

that it can do the job not just as well, but better than alternative weapons . It must

deliver on its promise and live up to its press . The military must rationally assess the

cruise missile's worth, then accommodate the new weapon, adjusting both its

organization and strategy to make best use of the missile's advantages.

-See Air WarCollege Survey, Appendix B

232
CONCLUSION

Just as the military must properly assess the cruise missile, so must the

politicians . Civilian leaders must avoid the temptations of bartering the weapon

away for illusionary gains in arms limitations agreements, and of saving money by

not adequately funding it . This i5 not to say that the cruise missile should be blindly

built and protected, but that the device must be carefully assessed for what it can do

for national defense either as a deployed weapon or as a bargaining counter .

Having written a number of things that will certainly startle, upset, or irritate

many readers, I wish to make sure that these conclusions are put into the proper

perspective . All of these speculations are based upon the assumption that the cruise

missile will approach its potential ; that is, there will be no major political or

technical obstacles to prevent the cruise missile from achieving its promise .

The last note is one of optimism . The cruise missile is a weapon with great

potential for western defense . But to realize its potential, it must be properly

appreciated and skillfully handled . Those responsible or interested in national

defense must keep in mind that knowledge is the first step on the way to

understanding which, in turn, must come before adequate plans and decisions can

be made . One of the challenges the western defense establishment, especially the

United States, must meet in the 1980s and beyond is to know and to understand

cruise missiles so as to make optimum use of them. Hopefully, this study will assist

decisionmakers, planners, and operators to successfully meet this challenge .
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
APPENDIX A

SPECIFICATIONS OF VARIOUS CRUISEMISSILES

Namd

CoWany Designation

SP-

(Ft)

Length

(Ft)

Lash

Weight

(Lb)

Payload

(Lb) Powerplant HP

First

Successful

Flight Remarks

Navy-Sperry 25 15 1,000- OX-5- 100 Marc111918 ' .90 110.

KetleftBug 15 12.5 525 I80 35,45 October 1918 120 mph

Royal Aeaooauticd .

FsgbWbment 1921

Target 23 18 630 200 45 September 4924 103 mph

RAE Larynx 19.8 14.6 1,200- Lynx1V 200 September 1927 200 mph

1,400

Creae<alMotors

A-1 Bag 21 .1 16.3 1,400 500- 200 December-1941 200mptd400mi

F1eeenriegaXBQ-1 48.6 7,698 2,000 Franklin 2x225 May 1944 225 mph/1,717 mi"

Redwing% XBQ-2A 48.6 7,700 2,000 R-680 2x3.80 Same as XBQ-1-

except diterent

engine andjett;aonabk landing gear

Fairchild XBQ-3 52.8 31 15,300 4,000 V-770 2x450 July 1944 Converted AT-21

220mpb/1,5Mmi

Iatetatate XBQ-4 48 5,916 1,950 0-435 2x220 140 mph/425 mi

(USNTDR-1)

(Thn,st-Lb)

Fwwlw V-I 16 .4 25.4 4,762 1,830 Argus . 860 December 1942 373 mpb/146mi

(US V-1) JB-2 17 .7 23.6 5,021 2,100 PJ-31-1 850000 October 19" 350,425 mph/150 mi

Northrop JB-IA 29.2 11 .8 7,213 3,630 2x B-1 400 April 1945 400 mpb/200mi

Nmdrop JB-10 28.3 30.5 7,080 4,000 PI-31-1
N

W

APPENDIX A CONTINUED

Name/

CompanyDesignation

Span

(Ft)

Length

(Ft)

Launch

Weight

(Lb)

Payload

(Lb)

Thrust

Powerplant (Lb)

First

Successful

Flight Remarks

NorfW Snark 42.5 51 .9 28,000 J33 April 1951 Mach .85/1,500 mi

N-25

Northrop Shark 42 .3 69.9 49,603 6,230 J57 10,500 June 1954 561 mphat Target;

N-69A 5,200 mi; Booster

weighed 11,365 Lb

and produced

134,000 Lb thrust

Nod" Snark 42.2 67.2 49,000 7,000 J57 9,500 August 1957 524 mph at Target

N-69E 5,500 mi

North American 40 .2 87.3 120,500 7,000 2xRJ47 20,070 March 1957 Booster weighed XMS-64 Navaho 169,500 Lb,ptnduced

415,000 Lb thrust

Martin Matador 28 .6 39.7 11,550 3,000 J33 4,600 March 1949 620 ail TM-61A

Martin Mace 28.6 46.8 18,750 3,000 J33 5,200 1956 540 trti Low altitude,

TM-61B (TM-76) 1,288 miHigh

altitude

Chance Vought 21 33 14,522 J33 4,600 March 1951 600 mph/600 mi Regulus

Chance Vaught 20 67.2 22,564 2,920 J79 9,600 November 1957 Mach 2/800 tun

Regulus It (Afterburner, 15,000)

Radioplane 12 .6 19 .1 2,700 1,000 YJ69 1,000 March 1956 Mach .9 at Cross Bow XGAM-67 Target ; 247 tun

North American 12 .2 42.5 10,147 1,742 J52 7,500 April 1959 Mach 2/674 tun

Hound Dog AGM-28B

Fairchild Bull 24 .4 33.5 7,700 500 J83 2,450 Ju%e 1957 Mach .85/4,773 tun

Goose XSM-73

Consolidated Vultee 14 13 1,550 0 XLR-85 90 1955 Mach . 55/200 run Buck Duck XGAM-71

McDonnell Green Quail 5.3 12 .9 1,006 100 J85 2,450 August 1958 Mach . 95/445 ttm

XGAM-72 (ADM-20A)

McDonnell Quail 5.4 12 .9 1,198 94 J85 2,450 March 1960 Mach .95/347 tun

ADM-20B
APPENDIX B

DISCUSSION OF

AIR WAR COLLEGE CRUISE MISSILE SURVEY

In the spring of 1982, the author distributed a survey on the cruise missile to a

selected sample of one-third of the USAF students in the Air War College class of

1982. Of the 60 surveys distributed, 49 were returned and used. The two-part

survey included an eight-question quiz and a number of questions relating to

attitudes and opinions on the cruise missile and other weapon systems .

The level of knowledge shown by the group on the first part was not high. Over

two-thirds of the respondents (34/49) missed four or more of the multiple choice

questions .

On the attitude/opinion part of the survey, the consensus was that the most

important reasons why the US was building the cruise missile were, first, to add to

America's military capabilities and, second, to aid the penetrating bomber. These

were considered more important than political considerations . One set of questions

asked the respondents to rate six current US weapons systems** in order of their

importance in three time frames. The respondents believed that, of these new

weapons, the cruise missile will be fairly important in the short run (second to the

Trident-SLBM), but then decline in relative importance. The next question asked

was what were the most positive attributes of the cruise missile . High accuracy was

ranked most important, with small radar cross section (RCS) listed second. As to

what were the most negative attributes of the weapon, the respondents noted the

missile's long time to the target and that it had no recall capability . The entire group

was then asked what might prevent the cruise missile from being deployed. The

factors rated highest were arms limitation agreements and political action by the

president or Congress . A series of questions followed regarding the relative value

of various versions of the cruise missile (ALCM, GLCM, MRASM, and SLCM) in

three time frames. The group's rank order of their importance was ALCM, GLCM,

SLCM, and MRASM, with the first two declining in importance over time, while

the last two increased in importance. The next question asked: "In your opinion,

can the cruise missile replace the manned penetrating strategic bomber?" Of those

who answered this question, 14.8 percent responded yes, 23 .4 percent responded

maybe, and 61 .7 percent answered no. The last question asked what impact the

cruise missile will have on the USAF. While the majority (53 .1 percent) thought it

*See Appendix Cforthe questionnaire and theoverall responses.

'*Thesix systems were the B-IB, cruse missile, MX missile, spacesystems, stealth bomber, and Trident-SLBM .

237
would have considerable impact (similar to the MIRV), 28 .6 percent believed it

would have a major impact (similar to the ballistic missile), and 18.4 percent said it

would have only a minor impact (similar to weapons such as the SRAM and Hound

Dog).

The survey results were then cross-tabulated in a variety of ways.* First, those

who.missed the fewest questions on the eight question quiz (15 missed three or less

questions) were compared with those who missed the most (14 missed five or more

questions) . The second cross-tabulation compared those 34 respondents who had no

official contact with the cruise missile with the 15 who stated they had anywhere

from slight to considerable official contact with it . The third series of crosstabulations compared the responses of the 26 rated respondents with those of the 22

non-rated ones. The final cross-tabulation compared the responses of the 18

respondents who answered that the cruise missile could or might be able to replace

the bomber, with the 29 who answered negative to that question .

What impact did knowledge, or at least command of testable facts, have on

opinions and attitudes? Those respondents who had no contact with the cruise

missile and those who were rated (pilots or navigators), tended to miss more

questions than those who had some contact with the weapon and those who were

non-rated . The group that did best on the quiz rated the cruise missile as a weapons

system about the same as did the less successful group. There were few differences

between the two groups on each cruise missile variant. The informed group rated

ALCM, GLCM, and SLCM about the same as did the less informed group, but

rated MRASM higher in the period 1987-97 . Finally, the better informed group was

more likely to believe that the cruise missile could replace the bomber and that it

would have a major impact on the USAF than did the less informed group.

Similar to the better informed group, the group with contact valued the cruise

missile as a weapons system about the same as did the entire sample . As to the value

of the four cruise missile variants over these three time frames, the group with

contact put a lower value on MRASM in the period 1982-87, and rated SLCM

lower for the period 1982-92 than did the group without contact . The rest of the

time, the group with contact put about the same value on the variants as did the

other group . The group with contact was more likely to believe the cruise missile

could replace the penetrating bomber.

The survey does not indicate resistance by rated officers to cruise missiles. Rated

respondents ranked the cruise missile as a weapons system the same as did nonrated respondents over the entire period . The rated group also ranked the cruise

missile variants the same as the non-rated group, except for the GLCM which they

rated lower for the period 1992-97 . Yet the flyers answered yes or maybe to the

question of whether the cruise missile could replace the bomber only slightly less

(33 percent) than did the non-flyers (41 percent), and the entire group (38 percent) .

The subgroups which might be expected to show the widest difference of opinion

were those who believed the cruise missile either could, or perhaps could, replace

the bomber and those who believed it could not . But the results refute the

`See Dforbreakdown of the cross tabulation

238
expectations ; that is, the group that answered yes or maybe to this question thought

the same of the cruise missile, as a generic type, as did the group that answered no.

However, the group that answered yes or maybe thought less of the ALCM

(1982-87, 1992-97) and GLCM (1982-87) variants than did the group which

answered no. The two groups ranked all other variants and all other time frames the

same . The two groups put the impact of the cruise missile on the USAF at about the

same level .

Like most survey efforts, there is both more and less here than meets the eye .

There is possibly more that could be ferreted out both by a survey more detailed in

content and one distributed over a broader population . In other words, more and

improved research may be justified . Putting guesses and opinions, whether

educated or not, through a computer may tell us something about the respondents ;

but it tells little about the subject.
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
APPENDIX C

CRUISE MISSILE SURVEY

AIRPOWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE

AIR WAR COLLEGE

The Airpower Research Institute is chartered to study major issues confronting

the USAF now and in the future . One research project currently underway concerns

the cruise missile . While this study is intended to reach a wide audience, two key

groups are commanders and planners, groups with which you have already been, or

soon will be, a part . This survey is probing for information on: (1) how well AWC

students are informed about the cruise missile, (2) what value they place on the

cruise missile and why, and (3) what future they see for cruise missiles.

Instructions

This survey is divided into two parts. Part I deals with your knowledge of the

cruise missile and is mainly factual . Part II asks you to rate various aspects of

the cruise missile and is mainly opinion .

The term "cruise missile" is used in a generic sense referring to all versions

of the weapon (i .e . ; ALCM, GLCM, MRASM, and SLCM).

The term "military value" refers to both deterrence and to war-fighting

capabilities, conventional and nuclear .

After you have completed the 24 items, you are encouraged to add any

comments as to the context or structure of this survey. These comments will be

read and appreciated .

As with other surveys you have completed here, your identity will be

protected.

Please circle your responses.

Please return the completed form to the evaluation drop box no later than

1700 7 May.

NOTE This is the actual questionnaire used, except that theadded numbers in the left margin forquestions I-11 and 22-24 are frequencies,

for questions 12-21 the average score forthe entire group

24 1
Biographical Information '

1 . Have you had direct official experience with cruise missiles?

34 a. none

9 b. slight (infrequent contact)

4 c. some (occasional contact)

2 d. considerable (direct duty for 1 1/2 years or less)

0 e. great (direct duty for 1'/2 years or more)

2. Are you rated or non-rated?

Part I

3. How well informed do you believe you are on the subject of cruise missiles

relative to others in your class?

4. What type engine will power the cruise missile?

5. The ALCM, GLCM, and SLCM share the same:

7 a. airframe

242

1 a. way below

7 b . below average

34 c. average

5 d. above average

1 e. way above

1 [missing]

11 a. ram jet

3 b. rocket

21 c. turbofan*

12 d. turbojet

2 [missing]

24 a. pilot

2 b. navigator

22 c . non-rated

1 [missing]
6. The cruise missile uses what kind ofguidance system?

7 . The first version of the cruise missile to become operational is the:

8 . What company is building the GLCM airframe?

9. What company is building the SLCM engine?

10. What is the range of the ALCM?

4 a . 800nm

4 b. 1,000nm

" c«nw =w"

243

10 a. Garrett

13 b. General Electric

9 c . Teledyne

3 d. Westinghouse

8 e . Williams*

[missing]

2 a. inertial only

34 b. inertial plus TERCOM*

1 c. inertial plus stellar

9 d. TERCOM only

1 e. none of the above

2 [missing]

41 a. ALCM*

6 b. GLOM

0 c. MRASM

0 d. SLCM

2 [missing]

1 b . booster

19 c. engine*

9 d. all of the above

9 e. none of the above

4 [missing]

25 a. Boeing

16 b. General Dynamics*

1 c. McDonnell-Douglas

4 d. North American

3 [missing]
11 . How many missiles will the B-52 INITIALLY carry?

Part 11

Rate the following items by assigning a value to each. More than one item

may be assigned the same value.

The values are arranged from the lowest (or most negative) on the left, to the

highest or most positive on the right.

These are opinion questions .

12 . Please RATE the importance of each of these reasons for building cruise

missiles today, using the following :

1 . no importance 2 . low 3 . some 4. high 5. highest .

3 .71 a. bargaining chip

4 .43 b. add new military capabilities

3 .88 c . political signal to the Soviets

4 .04 d. aid the penetrating bomber

3 .65 e . force Soviet defence spending

3.20 f. increase the number of warheads

13. Please RATE the systems identified below in your view of their order of

military value for the period 1982-87 using the following:

1 . no value 2. little value 3 . some value 4. high value 5 . highest value

-Correct answer

244

I . 2. 3. 4. 5.

1 . 2. 3. 4. 5 .

1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

I . 2. 3 . 4. 5 .

I . 2. 3 . 4. 5 .

1 . 2. 3 . 4. 5.

3 .61 a . B-IB 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

4.22 b. cruise missile 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5 .

3.43 c. MX 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

3.18 d. space systems 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

5 a. 6

14 b. 8

20 c . 12*

2 d . 16

7 e . 20

1 [missing]

36 c . 1,500nm*

0 d. 2,000nm

3 e . 2,500nm

2 [missing]
2.69 e. stealth bomber 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

4.47 f. Trident/SLBM 1 . 2. 3 . 4. 5 .

14. Please RATE the systems identified below in your view of their order of

military value for the period 1987-92 using the following :

1 . no value 2. little value 3. some value 4. high value 5 . highest value

15 . Please RATE the systems identified below in your view of their order of

military value for the period 1992-97 using the following :

1 . no value 2. little value 3 . some value 4. high value 5 . highest value

16. The following are considered positive attributes of the cruise missile. Please

RATE each of these attributes in your view of their order of contribution to the

cruise missile's effectiveness using the following :

1 . no value 2. little value 3 . some value 4 . high value 5 . highest value

3.73 a. low cost (more affordable)

3.92 b . small size (carry more, conceal easier)

4.31 c. small radar cross section (less vulnerable)

4.54 d. high accuracy (military effectiveness)

3 .67 e. no man at risk (military effectiveness)

4.06 f. low altitude (less vulnerable)

17. The following are considered negative attributes of the cruise missile. Please

RATE how negative using the following scale:

245

3.55 a. B-113 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

3.92 b . cruise missile 1 . 2 . 3. 4. 5.

4.19 c. MX 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

4.63 d . space systems 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

4.18 e. stealth bomber 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

4.15 f . Trident/SLBM 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

4.00 a . B-113 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5 .

4.21 b. cruise missile 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5 .

4.18 c . MX 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

4.18 d. space systems 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

3 .60 e. stealth bomber 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

4.38 f . Trident/SLBM 1 . 2 . 3. 4. 5.

1 . 2. 3 . 4. 5 .

1 . 2. 3 . 4 . 5 .

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5.

1 . 2 . 3 . 4. 5.

1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

1 . Most negative 2. 3 . 4. 5. Least negative

3.64 a. vulnerability 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

2 .87 b. no recall capability 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

2.75 c. long time to target 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .
3 .02 d . inflexibility (no man in the loop) 1 . 2 . 3. 4 . 5.

2 .98 e. no post-strike target information 1 . 2. 3 . 4. 5 .

3.54 f . unreliability 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

18. Please RATE how likely the problems identified below will prevent the

successful deployment ofthe cruise missile? For rating use the following :

1 . not likely 2 . little 3 . somewhat 4. very 5. most likely

2.71 a. cost overruns

2.54 b . unreliability

3.44 c. arms limitations agreements

2.73 d . failure to meet performance goals

3.33 e. political (congress or president)

267. fcompetition . with other weapons 1 . 2. 3 . 4 . 5 .

19. Please RATE the military value the specific cruise missiles will have in

1982-87 using the following :

1 . no value 2. little value 3 . some value 4 . great value 5 . greatest value

20. Please RATE the military value the specific cruise missiles will have in

1987-92 using the following :

1 . no value 2 . little value 3 . some value 4 . great value 5 . greatest value

21 . Please RATE the military value the specific cruise missiles will have in

1992-97 using the following :

1 . no value 2. little value 3. some value 4. great value 5 . greatest value

22. How should the ALCM primarily be used?

35 a. standoff

246

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

l . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

1 . 2. 3 . 4 . 5 .

1 . 2. 3 . 4 . 5 .

4.32 a. ALCM 1 . 2. 3 . 4 . 5 .

4.09 b . GLOM 1 . 2. 3 . 4 . 5 .

2 .98 c . MRASM 1 . 2. 3 . 4 . 5 .

3 .67 d. SLCM 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

3 .94 a. ALCM 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

3 .90 b. GLCM 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

3 .43 c. MRASM 1 . 2 . 3. 4. 5.

3 .88 d. SLCM 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

4.25 a. ALCM 1 . 2 . 3 . 4. 5.

4.15 b. GLOM 1 . 2 . 3. 4. 5.

3 .42 c. MRASM 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.

3.90 d. SLCM 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5.
23 . In your opinion, can the cruise missile replace the manned, penetrating,

strategic bomber?

24 . What impact do you think the cruise missile will have on the USAF?

0 a. revolutionary (change the entire way ofthinking)

14 b. major (similar to the ballistic missile)

26 c. considerable (similar to the MIRV)

9 d. minor (just another weapon like the Hound Dog or SRAM)

0 e. little or none (it will not live up to its press reviews)

0 f . none of the above

Thank you very much for your help.

You are encouraged to add any comments regarding either the content or

structure of this survey .

7 a. yes

11 b. maybe

29 c. no

2 d. cannot tell at this time

11 b. shoot then penetrate

2 c. suppress enemy defenses

0 d. none of the above

1 [missing)
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
APPENDIX D

CRUISE MISSILE SURVEY CROSS TABULATION

Questions 13-15: Rate weapon system over time (1982-87/1987-92/

1992-97

Missed fewest :

Missed most

Some official

contact : None

Rated :

Non-rated

Replace/

Maybe replace

Bomber: Not

Replace

B-IB 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - -

Cruise Missile 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MX - - - 0 0 0 + 0 - 0 - -

Space System 0 - 0 0 + 0 + + 0 - 0 0

Stealth Bomber - - 0 + + 0 + + 0 - - -

Trident/SLBM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 + 0 0 0
Question 16: Positive Cruise Missile Attributes

Question 17: Negative cruise missile attributes

Missed fewest:

Missed most

Some official

contact: None

Rated :

Non-rated

Replace/

Maybe replace

Bomber: Not

Replace

Low Cost 0 0 + 0

Small Size 0 + 0 0

Small Radar Cross + 0 0 -

Section

High Accuracy + - + 0

No Man at Risk 0 0 0 0

Low Altitude 0 0 0 0

Missed fewest :

Missed most

Some official

contact: None

Rated :

Non-rated

Replace/

Maybe replace

Bomber: Not

Replace

Vulnerability 0 - + 0

No recall + 0 - +

Longtime to - 0 0 0

target

Inflexibility 0 0 - 0

No post-strike 0 0 0 +

information

Unreliability + - + 0
Question 18: Problems likely to preclude cruise missile deployment

Questions 19-21: Rank cruise missile variant over time (1982-87/1987-92

1992-97)

Missed fewest :

Missed most

Some official

contact : None

Rated :

Non-rated

Replace/

Maybe replace

Bomber: Not

Replace

Cost overruns - + 0 0

Unreliability 0 + - 0

Arms agreements 0 0 0 0

Failure to meet - + 0 -

performance goals

Political 0 0 + -

(Congress

or President)

Competition with 0 0 + 0

other weapons

Missed fewest: Some official Rated : Replace/

Missed most contact: None Non-rated Maybe replace

Bomber: Not

Replace

ALCM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 -

LLCM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 0 0

MRASM 0 + + - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SLCM 0 0 0 - - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Question 23: Will the cruise missile replace the penetrating bomber?

Question 24: Impact ofthe cruise missile on USAF

Missed fewest : Some official Rated : Replace/

Missed most contact: None Non-rated Maybe replace

Bomber: Not

Replace

Yes 2 :1 4:3 2:4

Maybe 5:2 2:9 6:5

No 7 :11 8:21 16 :13

Missed fewest: Some official Rated : Replace/

Missed most contact: None Non-rated Maybe replace

Bomber Not

Replace

Major 5 :1 4:10 6:8 5 :9

Considerable 5 :10 8 :18 15 :11 10:14

Minor 5 :3 3 :6 5 :3 3 :6
APPENDIX E

SNARK FLIGHT RECORD

Serial Duration

Item Date Number (Minutes) Remarks

Holloman AFB Tests - N-25

1 21Dec30 - Launcher failure .

2 8MWS1 - Ground radio control failure .

3 16Apr51 38 Recovered .

4 8May51 58 Recovered .

5 24May51 - Launcher failure.

6 26Jun51 81 Dynamic stability . Recovered .

7 17Jul51 73 Destroyed landing.

8 8Aug51 90 Stall & stability tests . Recovered .

9 2lAug31 33 Autopilot malfunction.

10 30Aug31 - Booster misfired.

11 25W1 57 Erratic autopilot .

12 20ct51 76 Lost in stall test .

13 160ctS 1 38 Unintentional stall .

14 240ctS1 142 Dynamic stability tests . Recovered.

IS 13Nov51 127 Dynamic stability tests . Recovered .

16 29Nov51 153 Performance & stability tests,

Mach. 88, 33,000 ft . Recovered .

17 14Dec51 130 Performance tests, 1,000

miles . Recovered.

18 23Jan52 165 Airspeed calibration, stall tests .

Recovered .

19 1Feb32 34 Airspeed calibration.

20 20Feb52 66

21 28Mar32 146 Mach .97 in dive . Recovered.

253
Item Date Number

Snark Flight Record (Continued)

Serial Duration

(Minutes) Remarks

Atlantic Missile Range

254

22 29Aug52 Dynamic Model th2 1st Snark test at AFMTC

Stage I firing .

23 lOct52 Dynamic Model # 1 2nd test of N-73 launcher .

24 300ct52 Dynamic Model #3 3rd zero-length launcher test .

25 26Nov52 (N-25), GM-246 I st N-25 launch from

zero-length launcher.

26 19Dec52 (N-25), GM-972 2nd N-25 launch over AMR

27 6Feb53 (N-25), GM-974 Failed structurally during

terminal dive .

28 IOMar53 (N-25), GM-2337 Completed Stage 1 tests .

29 6Aug53 (N-69A),GM-3391 .4 1st N-69 launched AFMTC.

30 150et53 (N-69A), GM-3393 4.6 Lost wings & burst into flames

31 2Feb54 (N-69A), GM-3395 7 .7 Out of trim, pitch up,

N-3270 lost wings and exploded .

32 18Feb54 (N-69A), GM-33% .3 Dive brakes jam open.

N-3271 Impact 200 yds off shore.

33 26Apr54 (N-69A), GM-11111 .2 Electrical failure, impact

N-3272 3,000 ft from launcher.

34 3Jun54 (N-69A), GM-3394 211 1 st attempt to skid land missile

at Cape, rear skid not locked,

excessive sink rate, explosion .

35 21Ju154 (N-69A), GM-3392 168 .3 Last in aerodynamic test series .

N-3267 Engine surge after skids extended .

36 21Sep54 (N-6913), GM-1 1113 51 .5 Fuel transfer system malfunction .

N-3274 Missile return uprange for shallow

water dump.

37 120ct54 (N-6913), GM- I 1114 173 Lost telemetry at launch,

N-3275 became unstable after landing

skids extended impacted 28

miles off shore .

38 12Nov54 (N-6913), GM-11116 159 Carried North American guidance

N-3277 capsule . Stall after skids extended .

39 IODec54 (N-6913), GM-11115 31 Hydraulic system failure .

N-3276 Went out of control .

40 l3Jan55 (N-6913), GM-13097 4.9 Last of modified B type carrying

N-3278 N2C data recorder, engine fire .

41 IOFeb55 (N-69C), GM-13106 2.3 Start of Phase II testing .

1 st C model Snark, steep climb

at launch, stall .
Snark Flight Record (Continued)

Item Date

Serial

Number

Duration

(Minutes) Remarks

42 6Apr55 (N-69C), GM-13107 181 .8 1st terminal dive test,

insufficient control effectiveness,

broke up in terminal dive .

43 26Apr55 (N-69C), GM-13108 .3 Rudder trim failure, N-69C

N-3289 broke up at T+ 15 seconds .

44 13May55 (N-69A), GM-11112 110 .3 Collided with photo plane,

N-3273 T-33 OK, missile crashes .

45 13Ju155 (N-69C), AF 51-17579 1 .1 Engine fire, impact 5

GM-13112, N-3293 miles off shore .

46 9Aug55 (N-69C), AF 51-17580 88.9 Last of unmodified N-69C

GM-13113, N-3294 missiles.

47 260ct55 (N-69C), AF 52-1710 69 1st N-69C with modified

GM-52-10972, N-3296 ballistic nose .

48 26Nov55 (N-69D), AF 52-10977 257.5 1st unmanned flight with

GM-52-1715, N-3301 stellar-inertial guidance .

Guidance power failure, switch

to radio control . Skid off runway,

fire .

49 9Dec55 (N-69C), AF 52-10973 77 Ballistic nose performance

GM-52-1711, N-3297 excellent .

50 16Dec55 (N-69C), AF 52-10974 63 .3 Divergent oscillations due to loss

GM-52-1712, N-3298 ofpitch rate . Nose delivery

not satisfactorily demonstrated .

51 27Jan56 (N-69C), AF 52-10971 76 Fuel dump system failure .

GM-52-1709, N-3295 Nose delivery system failed

to operate .

52 8Feb56 (N-69D), AF 52-10978 1 .9 Stellar guidance test .

GM-52-1716, N-3302 Boosters do not eject.

53 17Feb56 (N-69C), AF 52-10975 19 Hydraulic failure, out of

GM-52-1713, N-3299 control . Nose test failed .

Flights suspended for

component qualification tests .

54 1OJul56 (N-69C), AF 51-17577 74 Ballistic nose test .

GM-13110, N-3291

55 26Ju156 (N-69C), AF 52-10976 60 Ballistic nose test .

GM-52-1714, N-3300 Engine oil starvation,

engine fails .

56 31Aug56 (N-69C), AF 51-17571 61 Nose test . First use of

GM-13104, N-3290R alternate impact area .

57 13Sep56 (N-69D), AF 52-10981 262 Stellar guidance test .

GM-52-1719, N-3305 Fuel leak, fuel starvation .

255
Snark Flight Record (Continued)

"Eaimutad

256

Item Date

Serial

Number

Duration

(Minutes) Remarks

58 26Sep56 (N-69C), AF 52-17578 63 Ballistic nose test.

GM-13111, N-3292

59 20ct56 (N-69D), AF 52-10979 262 1st successful recovery of

N-3303 Snark at Cape Canaveral .

60 310ct56 (N-69C), AF 51-17572 70 Completed ballistic nose

GM-13105, N-3286 test program, Phase II .

61 14Nov56 (N-69D), AF 52-10982 256 Stellar guidance test . Drag

N-3306 chute does not deploy, skid

off runway .

62 5Dec56 (N-69D), AF 53-8172 332 " Refused guidance and destruct

N-3309 signals . Landed in South American

jungles .

63 20Dec56 (N-69D), AF 53-8171 266 Stellar guidance test .

GM-52-2329, N-3308

64 11Jan57 (N-69D), AF 52-10983 287 Guidance test . Skid

GM-52-1721, N-3307 landed OK.

65 23Jan57 (N-69D), AF 53-8173 245 Guidance test . Drag chute

GM-52-2331, N-3310 fails, major damage

on landing .

66 5Feb57 (N-69D), AF 52-10983 276 Guidance test . Chute failed

GM-52-1721, N-3307 to deploy, major damage

on landing .

67 20Feb57 (N-69D), AF 53-8175 271 Guidance test . Skid landed OK.

68 12Mar57 (N-69D), AF 53-8174 270 Guidance test . Skid landed OK.

69 13Mar57 Inertial # 1 Mobile launcher test .

70 15Apr57 Inertial #2 Mobile launcher test .

71 16Apr57 (N-69D), AF 53-8176 274 Guidance test. Skid landed OK.

N-3313

72 3May57 (N-69D), AF 53-8178 4.3 Guidance test . Broke up

25 miles downrange .

73 28May57 (N-69D), AF 53-8177 223 Guidance test & initial pylon

GM-52-2335, N-3314 tank drop . Drag chute lost

in flight . Destroyed on landing .

74 20Jun57 (N-69E), AF53-8184 .1 1 st operational prototype .

N-3321 Rate gyro polarity reversed,

crashed .

75 12Ju157 (N-69D), AF 53-8176 229 Hydraulic failure . Crashed

3313(-2) into sea near station #5.
5narkFlight Record (Continued)

257

Item Date

Serial

Number

Duration

(Minutes) Remarks

76 16Aug57 (N-69E), AF 53-8186 107 1st N-69E to meettest objectives .

N-3323 Rudder failure, crashed near sta #9.

77 27Aug57 (N-69D), AF53-8180 370 1 st Snark flight to station

N-3317 #10 area . Completed Phase III

contractor guidance tests .

78 19Sep57 (N-69E), AF 53-8185 326 Flew to 1365 miles point

N-3322 and returned .

79 IOct57 (N-69D), AF 53-8179 357 1st all-military Snark

N-3316 launching by 6555th GMS .

Recovered .

80 310ct57 (N-69E), AF 53-8187 496 Entire flight with automatic

N-3324 celestial navigation . 1st

missile flight to station # 12,

Ascension . 6nm long .

81 20Nov57 (N-69D), AF 53-8179 286 Drag chute ripped, destroyed

GM-52-2337, N-3316(-2) in skid landing .

82 5Dec57 (N-69E), AF 53-8189 504 2nd flight to Ascension .

N-3326

83 25Jan58 (N-69E), AF 53-8190 493 Landed on target at 5,000

N-3327 mile range .

84 14Feb58 (N-69E), AF 53-8191 500 Impact in station #12 area .

N-3328

85 8Mar58 (N-69E), AF 53-8193 458 Loss of hydraulic pressure .

N-3330 Flew to station #12 area .

86 3Apr58 (N-69E), AF 53-8192 371 Ballistic warhead . Track lost

N-3329 between stations #9 and #12 .

Loss hydraulic pressure .

Destruct ordered .

87 7May58 (N-69E), AF55-3147 499 Nose released by radio control

N-3409 in station #12 area .

88 28May58 (N-69E), AF 55-3148 71 Last contractor programmed flight .

N-3410 Left pylon tank does not eject .

Crashed 615 nm downrange .

89 27Jun58 (N-69E), AF 55-3151 84.5 1 st E & ST launch by 556th

N-3413 SM Sq. assisted by 6555th GMS .

Possible electrical failure,

pylon doesn't eject . Crashed 635

run downrange .

90 25Aug58 (N-69E), AF 55-3149 33 Turbulent weather, structural

N-3411 failure . Contact lost at T+33

min. Destruct ordered .
Snark Flight Record (Continued)

258

Item Date

Serial Duration

Number (Minutes) Remarks

91 30Aug58 (N-69E), AF 55-3150 Turned around at sta. #9 & returned

N-3412 to sta . # 1 impact area for nose

release .

92 19Sep58 (N-69E), AF 55-3152 Completed Phase IV tests .

N-3414 Guidance system power failure .

93 230ct58 (N-69D), AF 53-8181 1st follow-on Phase V test

N-3318 using Airborne Parabolic Arc

Computer.

94 8Nov58 (N-69D), AF 53-8180 1st SAC training flight, used

N-3317(-2) recovered missiles . Again

recovered with slight damage.

95 11 Dec58 (N-690), AF 53-8182 2nd APAC test, crashed during

N-3319 landing approach .

96 16Dec58 (N-69D), AF 53-8171 2nd SAC training flight . Throttle

GM-52-2329, N-3308 stuck full open, turned

around at station #7 & ditched off

of Cape Canaveral .

97 12Feb59 (N-69D), AF 53-8175 556th SM Sq., 3rd SAC training

N-3312(-2) flight . False radar plot caused

destruct near sta . #5-

98 IOMar59 (N-69D), AF 53-8183 3rd APAC R&D launch . Returned

N-3320 and landed at Cape.

99 6Apr59 (SM-62A), AF 57-008 1st of3 extended Phase IV

N-3422 tests . First production model

SM-62A, 556th SMS launch .

2 mi long, 3 .71 mi left .

100 21Apr59 (N-69D), AF 53-8183 APAC R&D test . Missile recovered .

N-3320(-2)

101 5May59 (SM-62A), AF 57-009 514 Extended Phase IV test .

N-3423 Longest flight to date .

102 26May59 (SM-62A), AF 57-010 Last extended Phase IV test .

N-3424

103 2Jul59 (N-69D), AF 53-8183 3rd launch for this APAC vehicle .

GM-52-2341, N-3320(-3) Rear skid not locked down.

Accomplished 3rd landing .

104 25Sep59 (SM-62A), AF 57-001 1st production type Snark to

N-3415 carry APAC. Left booster failed

to ignite, crashed 200

yards from pad .

105 6Nov59 (SM-62A), AF 57-003 2nd APAC flight . Missile lost

N-3417 2,200 miles downrange . Destruct

by automatic flight termination

system (AFTS).
Snark Flight Record (Continued)

259

Item Date

Serial Duration

Number (Minutes) Remafks

106 11Dec59 (SM-62A), AF 57-002 Destroyed itself at 3,000

N-3416 mile range (AFTS) .

107 16Dec59 (N-69D), AF 53-8180 Last programmed N-69D flight .

GM-52-2338, N-3317(-3) Drag chute ripped . Missile

recovered .

108 12Feb60 (SM-62A), AF 57-011 1 st of I 1 APAC extended tests .

N-3425 Launched by 702nd SM Wing, SAC.

109 3Mar60 (SM-62A), AF 57-012 APAC extension test . 702nd SMW,

N-3426 SAC. Weather caused structural

failure .

110 6Apr60 (SM-62A), AF 57-013 APAC extension test. 702nd

N-3427 SMW, SAC. Impact Station #12.

111 16May60 (SM-62A), AF 59-1874 APAC extension test. 702nd

N-3444 SMW, SAC. AFTS. Impact

Station #12.

112 16Jun60 (SM-62A), AF59-1875 6 APAC extension test. 702nd SMW, SAC.

N-3445 Flight control failure stalled

and crashed .

113 8Jul60 (SM-62A), AF 59-1876 6th of 11 modified Category II

N-3446 APAC Extension Program . Launched

by 702nd SMW. Scheduled for

Sta #12 impact Telemetry lost .

Impact 2550 mi D/R attributed

to guidance failure .

114 26Aug60 (SM-62A), AF 59-1878 SAC launch crew, NORAIR tech

N-3448 support . 7th modified Category

II. Impact Sta # 12 area .

115 26Sep60 (SM-62A), AF 59-1882 SAC crew launch, NORAIR

N-3452 backup . 8th Category II .

Automatic ballistic nose

release at Sta #12 .

116 140ct60 (SM-62A), AF 59-1884 SAC launch crew backed up by

N-3454 NORAIR. 9th modified Category

II Extension missile . Electrical

failure .

117 14Nov60 (SM-62A), AF59-1890 SAC launch crew backed up

N-3460 by NORAIR . 10th modified

Category II Extension Program .

118 5Dec60 (SM-62A), AF59-1888 SAC launch crew backed up

N-3458 by NORAIR . 1 Ith andlast

modified Category II Extension

Program missile . Last SNARK

programmed for launch at AMR .

Programmed Sta # 12 . Lost .
SOURCES:

Northrop, Guided Missile Report GM 958 [N] .

Northrop, Missile Flight Test Pertinent Accomplishment of the XSM-62 and SM-62A Programs [N] .

Northrop, History and Development of SM-62 (WS 103A) Weapon System, 1961 [N-NOR 61-103] .

Northrop, Project Snark; XB-62 Pilotless Bomber, TL 55, 235 [N] .

Snark Chronology Jan 54-Oct59 [ASD].

Air Force Systems Command, "Index of Missile Launchings by Missile Program: July 1950-June

1960" [AFSHRC-K241 .04-1 July 50-Jun 60] .
APPENDIX F

X-10 LAUNCHINGS

Item Date

Serial

Number

Duration

(Minutes)

Remarks

(Speed andAltitude)

1 3Sep53 GM-19307 Taxi Test .

2 29Sep53 GM-19307 Taxi Test .

3 140ct53 GM-19307 31 .7 M.75, 20,900 feet .

4 5Dec53 GM-19307 35.3 M.73, 24,400 feet .

5 25Feb54 GM-19307 38.3 M.69, 18,900 feet .

6 lApr34 GM-19307 32.4 M1.47,38,700 feet .

7 SMay34 GM-19308 72.5 M.77,31,200feet.

8 4Jun54 GM-19308 34.7 Left tire fails on

takeoff, minor damage.

17,000 feet .

9 iJul54 GM-19308 8.3 M.6, 24,300 feet . Control

lost, crash .

10 12Aug54 GM-19310 39.6 M1 .3, 40,800 feet.

11 3Sep54 GM-19307 32 .8 M .52, 15,380 feet .

Landing gear malfunctions,

wheels up landing, minor damage.

12 28Sep54 GM-19310 36 .5 M1 .84,40,900feet .

Missile destroyed on

landing.

13 7Dec54 GM-19307 15 .7 M.54, 23,250 feet .

14 16Dec54 GM-19307 16 .5 M.55, 21,5(10 feet .

15 22Feb55 GM-19311 41 .8 M.99, 41,800 feet. Both

afterburners fail, radio

control problems . Crashed

on landing approach .

16 I IMar55 GM-19309 .4 Exploded on takeoff.

17 29M*r55 GM-19307 20.3 M.54, 17,580 feet .

18 19Aug55 GM-19312 1st test at AMR. Wrecked

in landing .

19 240ct55 GM-52-4 Wrecked in landing attempt .

20 3Feb56 GM-52-1 1st successful missile landing

onCape skid-strip .

21 29Feb56 GM-52-1 Completed aerodynamic and

takeoff tests .

261
X-10 Launchings (Continued)

SOURCE: Office of Information, "Index of Missile Launchings by Missile Program : July 1950-June

1960" (AFSHRC-K241 .04-1 July 1950-June 1960] .

Item Date

Serial

Number

Duration

(Minutes)

Remarks

(Speed and Altitude)

22 20Mar56 GM-52-1 Satisfied high-angle approach

landing test requirements .

23 24Apr56 GM-52-2 1st terminal dive test ;

missile lost prior to dive-in .

24 5Jun56 GM-52-5 1 st autonavigator test .

Missile landed on skid-strip.

25 l8Ju156 GM-52-5 Autonavigator test .

26 27Aug56 GM-52-1 Terminal dive test .

27 21Sep56 GM-52-6 Autonavigatortest .

28 240ct56 GM-52-6 Autonavigator test .

29 20Nov56 GM-52-6 Final X-10 program launch,

autonavigator test, &

terminal dive test .

30 24Sep58 GM-52-5 1st X-10 drone used as Bomarc

target . Failed to engage runway

barrier on landing . Ran off

end of skid-strip and burned .

31 13Nov58 GM-19313 Broke runwaybarrier and

burned on skid-strip .

32 26Jan59 GM-52-3 Final drone . Missile lost

57 miles down range .
APPENDIX G

NAVAHO LAUNCHINGS

263

Air Force Systems Command, "Index of Missile Launchings by Missile Program : July 1950-1960"

[AFSHRC-K241 .04-1 July 1950-June 1960] .

J . Allen Neal, "Development of the SM-64 Navaho Missile, 1954-1958," 101-107 [AFSHRCK243.042-4 II '54-58] .

History of the Air Force Test Center, I (July-December 1958), 161 ; I (January-June 1958), 142, 143

[AFSHRC-K241 .01 I date] .

Item Date

Serial

Number

Duration

(Minutes) Remarks

1 6Nov56 AF 52-10989 1st XSM-64 missile launched .

Missile # 1, Booster #3, Part 11 .

2 22Mar57 AF 52-10990 Missile #2, Booster #6, Part II

test . Impacted 25 miles downrange.

3 25Apr57 AF 53-8272 Missile #5, Booster #7, Part II

test . Fell back on pad and exploded .

4 26Jun57 AF 53-8270 Missile #3, Booster #8, Part II

test . Ramjets failed .

5 12Aug57 AF 53-8271 Missile th4, Booster th9, Part II

test . Ramjets failed at 230

mile range .

6 18Sep57 AF 54-3095 Missile #6, Booster #10, Part II

test . Completed 1/3 of 1500

mile flight .

7 13Nov57 AF 54-3096 Missile #7, Booster X11, Part II

test . Crashed 90 miles

downrange .

8 lOJan58 AF 54-3098 Missile #9, Booster #13 .

Flameout occurred after

turn around at Sta #9 .

9 25Feb58 AF 54-3097 Program final . Missile #8,

Booster #12 . Booster shut-off

T+20 seconds caused destruct .

10 11Sep58 AF 55-4223 Booster X14, 1st RISE launch .

Ramjets failed to ignite .

Crashed 82 miles downrange.

I l l8Nov58 AF 55-4222 Booster # 14, RISE program cancelled .

Broke up at 77,000 ft .

SOURCES:
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
APPENDIX H

TOMAHAWK LAUNCHINGS

265

Item Date

Missile/Flight

Number

Launch

Platform Type Remarks

1 13Feb76 T4:1 HTTL AF Launch and boost . S

2 15Feb76 T6:1 HTTL AF Launch and boost S

3 28Mar76 T7:1 A/C AF Integration of missile, S

engine and guidance

26Apr76 T8:1 A/C AF Flutter stability &

control . S

5 16May76 T8:2 A/C AF Flight envelope

expansion . S

6 5Jun76 T9:1 A/C LA Integration of missile,

engine and guidance . S

7 11Jun76 T8:3 A/C AF Flight envelope S

expansion .

8 16Jul76 T9:2 A/C LA Nav, TERCOM, and

terrain following S

9 30Jul76 T9:3 A/C LA Nav, TERCOM, and

terrain following . F

10 8Aug76 T8:4 A/C AF Airspeed calibration and

low-level flight . S

I I 27Aug76 T10:1 A/C LA Aero performance

buildup . S

12 ISep76 T8:5 A/C AF Terminal maneuver &

flight envelope expand . S

13 30Sep76 T10:2 A/C LA Simulated operational

mission . S

14 140ct 76 TI 1 :1 AfC AF Aero performance

buildup . S

15 15Nov76 T11 :2 A/C AF Aero performance

buildup . S

16 7Dec76 T12:1 A/C AS Expand over-the-horizon

(OTH) area search and

acquire target . S/S

17 29Jan77 T10:3 A/C LA Scene matching area

correlation (SMAC) S
Tomahawk Launchings (Continued)

266

Item Date

Missile/Flight

Number

Launch

Platform Type Remarks

18 11Feb77 T12:2 A/C AS Expand OTH area

search & acquire

target. S

19 24Feb77 T5:1 GRD AF 1 st Tomahawk cannister

launch . 1 st Truck launch,

transition boost to

powered flight . S/S

20 19Mar77 T10A A/C LA Free flight inland

route . SMAC. S/S

21 12Apr77 T12:3 A/C AS Project "Outlaw Shark"

OTH; expand flight

envelope . S/S

XXX 9Jun77 T6:4 HTTL AS Tomahawk anticircular

run capability demo. S/S

22 20Jun77 T3:1 HTTL AS Precursor to Ist

sublaunch . S/F

23 7Jan78 T10:5 A/C LA Survivability demo;

evaluate use of IFF. S/S

24 21Feb78 T4:2 SUB LA 1st submarine launch ;

Launch at scope depth;

demo tins launch S/S

25 2Feb78 T14:1 SUB AS Perform launch from

periscope depth . S/F

26 16Mar78 T11:3 A/C LA Demo eng st low level;

fly predetermined mission .

Survivability demo. S/S

27 18Apr78 T11 :4 A/C LA Survivability demo. S/S

28 24Apr78 T4:3 GND LA Launcher/booster, guidance

sys, and flight demo. S/S

29 26May78 T10:6 A/C LA Demo safe submunition

ejection/separation . S/S

Airfield attack .

30 21Jun78 T11 :5 A/C LA Fly pre-deterrtiined

mission . S/S

Survivability .

31 25Ju178 T13:1 SUB AS OTH search trajectory

demo and recover . F/F

32 25JuI78 T18:1 SUB AS OTH search trajectory

demo and recover . F/F

33 28Jul78 T11 :6 A/C LA Fly pre-determined

mission; eval terrain S/S

following . Survivability .

34 14Sep78 T4:4 SMS LA Surface launch from

dynamic platform . F/F

Survivability .
Tomahawk Launchings (continued)

267

Item Date

MissileMight

Number

Launch

Platform Type Remarks

35 300078 TI 1 :7 A/C LA Fly pre-determined

mission; eval terrain

following . S/F

Survivability .

36 13Dec78 TI l :8 A/C LA Fly pre-determined

mission ; teraiq

following . S/S

Survivability .

37 29Jan79 T20:1 GND AS Demo sealing sys ; pyro

sys ; engine start & trans . S/S

38 14Feb79 T18:2 SUB AS Demo sealing sys ; pyro S/S

sys ; engine start & trans .

39 22Feb79 T24:1 SUB AS DemoTASM at depths &

pressure vent system . S/S

40 13Apr79 T20:2 GND AS Validate quality test (QT)

erg start; evaluate flt

w/QTengine . S/S

41 21Apr79 T11 :9 A/C LA Verify new TERCOM/

terminal maps.

Survivability . F/F

42 7Jun79 T10:7 AC LA Verify new TERCOM/

terminal maps.

Survivability . F/F

43 28Jun79 T18:3 SUB AS Real time OTH.

1 st with MK 117

FCS . Survivability . S/S

44 17Ju179 AL2:1 A/C LA 1st ALCM flight .

Navigation . S/S

45 19Ju179 T24:2 SUB AS PL2 search & PI/DE

select attack . S/S

46 lAug79 ALH A/C LA Navigation .

47 8Aug79 T17:1 SUB LA DOE instrumented;

TERCOM update and

penetration . Fp1l

TLAM mission demo. F/F

48 9Aug79 T20:3 SUB AS Demo MK117 FCS,

PL2 search &

PI/DE select attack .

OTH. Survivability . F/F

49 9Sep79 T24:3

50 14Sep79 T18:4 GND AS 1st vertical launch;

utilize SWT mode. S/S

51 29Sep79 AL4J A/C LA Aero performance .
Tomahawk Launchings (Continued)

268

Item Date

Missile/Flight

Number

Launch

Platform Type Remarks

52 270ct79 AL2:2 A/C LA Target impact .

53 7Nov79 T17:2 SUB LA Verify DOE S-band

TNSM; warhead env

data rcd .

Full TLAM mission . S/S

54 15Nov79 AL6:1 A/C LA High altitude, high

Mach launch .

55 6Dec79 AL1 :2 A/C LA Aero performance .

56 27Dec79 AL4:2 A/C LA Minimum altitude launch .

Aero performance .

57 24Jan80 AL7:1 A/C LA High altitude, high

Mach launch . Target

impact :

58 8Feb80 AI-5 : 1 A/C LA SAC planned mission .

Aero performance .

59 13Mar80 T19:1 GND AS Demo launch from armored

box launcher (ABL); utilize

SWT mode. S/S

60 19Mar80 T27:1 SHIP AS 1st ship launch .

Demo ship/IWCS/ABL S/F

interfaces .

61 16May80 T16:1 GND LA l st transporter erector

launcher (TEL) launch .

Demo TEL ETU/AUR

mechanical interfaces . S/S

62 6Jun80 T;0:4 SUB AS MK 117 MOD (6T) ; OTH-T;

seeker guidance demo. S/S

63 8Ju180 T24:4 SUB AS Maximum depth, maximum speed

launch . Shaped trajectory

sequencing . F/F

64 16Aug80 T15:1 A/C LA Demo block I DSMAC/BLOCK

III CMGs system

operation . F/F

65 26Nov80 T16:2 GND LA Prim OBJ & demo vert align

and launch from Proto VLS. SIS

66 16Dec80 T27:2 SUB AS Maximum depth, maximum speed

launch . Eval prod MSL

hardware; demoshaped

trajectory F/F

67 15Jan81 T42:1 SUB AS Demo MSL performance in

PL2 search mode. S/S

68 21Jan81 T28:1 SUB AS Demo MSL performance

in BOL search mode. S/S
Tomahawk Launchings (Continued)

269

Item Date

Missile/Flight

Number

Launch

Platform Type Remarks

69 23Jan81 T43:1 SUB AS Demo performance in

PL4 seeker search mode. S/S

70 15Feb81 T17:3 SUB LA 1 st conventional land attack

mission . Make DSMAC scene

using prototype conv

strike sys . S/S

71 20Mar8I T40:1 SUB AS Demo MSL performance in

PL3 search mode S/S

72 28Mar8l T50: F SUB LA Demo TERCOM & DSMAC

nav update . S/S

73 I0Jul81 T51 :1 SUB LA Democonventional theater

mission planning system .

I st TLAM hit . S/S

74 30Ju181 T50:2 SUB LA Assist TWS, TMPS

for convnTLAM &

Eval LCS. S/S

75 2Aug81 T41 :1 SUB AS Demo MSL performance

PI-2 search mode. F/F

76 19Sep81 T17:4 A/C LA Ist night flight . Eval

DSMAC at night &

TMPS select &

generation . S/S

77 270ct8I T52:1 SUB LA TALM-C assessment . S/S

78 7Nov81 T54:1 SUB LA TALM-C assessment . F/F

79 14Dec81 T53 SUB LA TALM-C assessment .

80 28Jan82 T48 SUB AS

81 25Feb82 T72:1 GRD LA 2nd GLCM launch . (TEIJLCC)

82 25Mar82 773:1 GRD LA GLCM .

83 30Mar82 T56 SUB LA TLAM-C. Operations

Evaluation (OPEVAL) .

84 19May82 774:1 GRD LA GLCM.

85 21 May82 T55 SUB LA TLAM-C.

86 8Ju182 T60 SUB AS TASM OPEVAL.

Hit target .

87 18Jul82 T45 SUB AS TASM OPEVAL.

Hit target .

88 20Ju182 T46 SUB AS TASM OPEVAL.

Missed target.

89 26Ju182 T107 SUB AS TASM OPEVAL.

Missed target .
TYPE: AF(Airframe/Aerodynamic) LAUNCH: HTTL (Hvdraulic Torpedo Tube

AS (Anti-Ship) Launcher)

LA (Land Attack) A/C (Aircraft)

SMS (Ship Motion Simulator) GRD (Ground)

SUB (Submarine)

REMARKS: S (Success)

F (Failure)

SOURCE:

Tomahawk Launchings (Continued)

"SLCM Tomahawk Flight Test History,'' 17 February 1982 [JCMPO] .
APPENDIX I

BOEING AGM-86A AND AGM-86B FLIGHT TESTS

271

Item Date

Serial

Number

Duration

(Minutes) Remarks

r

BOEING AGM-86A FLIGHT TESTS

l 5Mar76 10 1st powered flight, SRAM

launch . 15,000, M.65,

flew as planned . S

2 18May76 25,000, M .77 . S

3 22Jun76 30,000, M.84 . S

4 9Sep76 31 1 st guided flight

(4TERCOM sets)

20,000, M.84 . S

5 140ct76 8 Inertial system failed, crashed . F

6 30Nov76 75 Three engine flame

outs, crash . F

BOEING AGM-86B FLIGHT TESTS

1 3Aug79 FTM-1 44 Angle of attack exceeded .

2 6Sep79 FTM-2 249 Recovery .

3 25Sep79 FTM-3 269 Missed recovery .

4 90ct79 FTM-6 107 Terminated due to test

equipment .

5 21Nov79 FTM-7 158 Engine failure . Rotary

launch .

6 29Nov79 FTM-10 265 1 st low altitude launch .

Rotary launch .

7 4Dec79 FTM-9 261

8 18Dec79 FTM-4 271

9 5Jan80 FTM-12 269 1st SAC planned mission .

10 22Jan80 FTM-5 19 l st high altitude launch .

Rotary launch .

Software error.

11 12Jun80 FTM-15 246 Rotary launch .
SOURCES:

Historical Reports, ASD, January-December 1976, ASD/YM69, YM86, and YMA, Volume 16,

[ASDI.

DSARC 11 Review, Air Launched Cruise Missile: ALCM, AGM-86, 6 January 1977, RDQ Portion

[JCMP0I.

Boeing, "AirLaunched Cruise Missile," 1982 [Boeing] .

Boeing AGM-86B Flight Tests (Continued)

Serial Duration

Item Date Number (Minutes) Remarks

12 22Jul80 FTM-13 205 Lost engine oil pressure .

13 21Aug80 FTM-8 64 Engine turbine bum through .

14 230ct80 AV- I 213 1 st production model. High

altitude launch .

15 12Nov80 FTM-14 210

16 20Nov80 FTM-9R1 00 Ejection failure.

17 19Feb8l AV-2 34 Engine fuel controller

failure.

18 25Mar8l FTM-14R1 232 1stproduction engine,

lost telemetry . Recovered.

19 16Apr81 AV-10 241

20 24Apr8I FTM-10R1 249 1st flight with JP-10.

21 30Apr81 FTM-12RI 245

22 25Jul81 AV-9 259 1 st OAS/ALCM mission .

23 13Sep81 F'rM-12R2 252 Recovery .
A

Accuracy : 19, 20, 47-50, 58, 62, 63, 65, 67,

73, 85, 93, 95, 96, 103, 109, 110, 112, 121,

132, 223-225, 228-231, 237, 245, 250. See

also Cruise Missile, accuracy

ACM . See Advanced Cruise Missile

Adjutant General : 27

ADM-20, See Quail

Advanced Conventional Standoff Missile : 205

Advanced Cruise Missile: 151, 209

Advanced Research Projects Agency: 141

Advanced Strategic Air Launched Missile : 209,

210

artist's conception: 213

Advanced Supersonic Air-Launched Missile :

145

Advanced Technology Cruise Missile : 210

artist's conception : 213

Aeolian Player Piano : 14

AGM-28. See Hound Dog

AGM-86A: 154-162,164,172,214

basic air vehicle: 180

belly-tank version : c158, 180

photograph : 158

cancellation, 1977 : 180

characteristics : 159, 162

compared with AGM-86B: 159, 180, 181

compared with Sea Launched Cruise Missile

(SLCM): 178

conversion from Subsonic Cruise Armed

Decoy: 156

crashes: 162, 271

Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council 1977

recommendation : 171, 172, 214, 226

drawing : 159

flight record : 271

Initial Operational Capability

1975, set in : 155

1977, set in : 214

launcher, rotary : 147, 156, 178

photograph : 158

photographs : 157, 158, 160

tests : 162

test summary : 164

AGM-86B: 172, 180, 181, 185, 187, 209, 214,

227

characteristics : 159, 186

compared with AGM-86A: 159, 180, 181

competition with AGM-109: 179-181, 184

contract, 1980: 184, 185

crashes : 184, 185, 187, 272

INDEX

273

Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council

1977 recommendation : 172, 214

drawing 159

flight record : 271, 272

Initial Operational Capability set in 1977 :

172,178,214

photographs : 3, 160, 161

problems: 185, 205

reasons for selection as Air Launched Cruise

Missile (ALCM): 184

recoveries: 184, 185

reliability : 185

test summaries : 184, 185

AGM-86C: 209, 228

AGM-109: 178, 180, 184, 267, 268

Airborne Warning and Control System : 139,

147,180

soviet : 144, 149, 180, 209

Aircraft board : 13

Aircraft type

A-613 :207,208

A-7:139

AD4-Q: c115

Advanced Technology Bomber: 145, 209,

n237, 245, 249

A.1:114

A31-I: 101

AT-21 : c31, 235

B-1 : 145-150, 152, 156, 167, 170,

176-178, 188, 189-191, 192, 209, 226,

227, n237, 244, 245, 249. See also B-1

B-17 :32,03,06,82,145,179

B-24:34,67

B-25:29

B-29:64, 82, 85, c124, 145, 179

B-36:97,123,024,145

B-45:82,85

B-47: n96, 125, 145, 179

B-50:179

B-52: 95, 121, 023, 124-128, 139,

145-150, 155, 156, 167, 172, 176-181,

185, 187-190, 192, 208, 210, 216, 220,

225, 227, 244. See also B-52

B-70:06,101,144

Backfire : 173, 174

Boeing 707: 188

Boeing 727 : 210

Boeing 747 : 188, 189

Bristol fighter: 17

C-5:188,189,209

C-14:188

C-15:188
C-130: 142

C-135:216

C-141 :139,155,188

Crutiss Robin (XC-10): 22

DC-10: 188, 189

D.H .9k 17

F-4 :142,216

F-14:179

F-15:180,215

F-16:208

F-18:208

F-89:86,02

F-108:101

Fairley IIIF: 20

FB-111: I39, 208

ailled by Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy:

167

versus B-1: 177

F6F5K: c115

H-53:c143

He 111 :60

KC-135: 216

L-1011 :188

Messenger: 21, 22

Meteor: 50, 60

Mosquito : 50, 55, 60, 74

Mustang: 50, 60, 74

N-9:9-13

P-3: 208

P-38: c66

P2V: 114

PB4Y-1 :67

Spent' Avio : 17

Sperry Messenger : 21, 22

Spitfire : 50, 55, 74, 75

Standard E-1 : 21

Stealth bomber. See Advanced Technology

Bomber

Stimson Junior: 22, 23

274

178, 180, 181, 214, 226, 271 . See also

AGM-86A

ALCM B: 159, 172, 178-181, 184-187,

209, 214, 227, 271, 272. See also

AGM-86B

ALCM C: 209, 228

B-1 . See B-I

B-52 See B-52

Basic Air Vehicle : 180 . See also AGM-86A

characteristics: 159

drawing : 159

common cruise missile : 178

competition, flyoff : 179-181, 184, 267,

268,271

contract award to Boeing : 184, 185

costs, 1983 : 2, 6

Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council decision, 1977 : 171, 172, 214, 226

design restrictions : 147, 156

Extended Range Vehicle : 180

drawing: 159

Initial Operational Capability

1976, set in : 155

1977, set in : 172, 178

launcher constraints : 147, 156, 178, 210,

227

numbers

1980: 184

1983 :2,6,209

photographs : 3, 157, 158, 160, 161

Strategic Arms Limitations Talks : 173-176

Air launching: 29, 56, 58-60, 65, 77, 120, 155 .

See also Air Launched Cruise Missile

(ALCM)

Air Ministry

British : 17, 20

German: 41

Air Staff, Army Air Forces : 79

Air Staff, Royal Air Force: 20

T-29:139

T-33:215,255

Air War College Cruise Missile Survey :

237-252

T-38: 126, 216 ALCM . See Air Launched Cruise Missile

Tempest : 50, 51, 55, 60, 74 Aldridge, E. C. : 171

Tiger Moth: 20 Allied Expeditionary Air Force : 64

Wittenman-Lewis : 12 Alloy Products : 63

Wolf: 17 Altimeter, radar : 24, 135, 136, 138, 139, 180

XP-79:69 Amber, G. H : 53

Air Force Magazine: 148, 177 Amityville, Long Island tests : 9, 12, 16, 17

Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM): 147, test summary : 17

154-156, 180, 189, 190, 192, 206, 209, AN-USD-501 : 141

226-229,237-239,242,243,246,251 Andropov, Yuri : 205

ATOM-109 : 178, 180, 184, 267, 268 APHRODITE: 32-35, 40, 79, 82

ALCM A: 154-160, 162, 164, 171, 172, combat tests : 32, 34, 35
photographs : 33, 34

problems : 35

AQM-34. See Firebee

Argus: 41, 42

Army General Staff: 15, 79

Army Ground Forces : 80

Army-Kettering Bug: 12-17, 26

characteristics : 235

costs : 15, 16

crashes : 14-17

photographs : 13-15

problems: 16, 17

Army Service Forces: 80

Army-Sperry: 21, 22

Arnold, Bion1 . : 15, 16, 37, 38

Arnold, Henry H. : 15, 26, 27, c28, 30, 37, 63,

64, 79, 129

photograph : 27

quoted : I

Askania : 41, 42, 50

Atlantic Missile Range: 86, 109, 124, 254-259

ATRAN. See Automatic Terrain Recognition

and Navigation

Automatic Terrain Recognition and Navigation :

110,111

Aviation Week: 177, 191, 206

B

B-1 : 145-147, 152, 156, 170, 176, 177, 188,

189, 209, 227, 244, 245, 249

B-52: 177, 190

cancellation : 177, 178, 188, 191, 192, 227

costs : 177

criticisms of. 177

launcher, rotary : 188

modifications for Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM): 189

restoration as B-1 B : 189

SALT II 176

Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy: 149, 167

179, 227, 244

aided by Cruise Missile : 156, 189, 190, 192,

227

aided by Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy:

146, 149, 150, 167

Bull Goose : 125

in flyoff competition : 180, 181, 216

275

Hound Dog: 121,c123,225

launcher, rotary : 147, 156, 178, 227

Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile

(MRASM): 208, 220

Offensive Avionics Systems modified: 185,

187, 188

Quail : 125, 128

restricts Advanced Technology Cruise Missile : 210

SALT 11 : 176

versus B-1 : 177, 190

Baker, Newton : 38

Ballistic missiles : 41, 98, 101, 103, 104, 005,

108, 144, 148, 173, 175, 191, 201, 203,

230, 232, 238, 247

Atlas : 93, 101, 104, 106

photograph : 106

Blue Steel : 133

D-5:191

MX: 156, 191, 244, 245, 249

Pershing : 112

Pershing 11 : 201, 203-205

Poseidon; 153, 191, 203

Polaris : n96, 119

photograph : 107

Redstone : 101

Short Range Air-to-Ground Missile : 123,

179, 187, 238, 247

photograph : 158

SS-20:201,205

Thor :101,104,105

photograph : 105

Titan : n96,104,c105

photograph : 105

Trident : 152, 237, 245, 249

V-2 41-,43, 62, 76, 77, 97

Ballistic nose, Snark: c87, 89, 255-257, 259

BANSHEE: 81, 82

Beech : 145,146

Bell, Gordon, quoted : 8

Berry, J . : 55

photograph : 55

BG-1 : 24

BGM-109. See Sea Launched Cruise Missile

(SLCM)

BGM-I10: 154, 155

Blair, P. : 53

Blue Steel : 133

Boeing : 145, 146, 148, 156, 162, 178, 179,

184, 188, 209, 210, 226, 243

Bomarc: c99

Bomber Command : 49

Bombertactics : 149

versus Cruise Missile: 147, 148, 150, 176,

226

versus FB-111 : 177

B-52: 95, 124, 139, 145, 148, 155, 172, 178,
276

penetration : 146, 147, 149, 232 Navy-Sperry: 9-12

standoff: 146-148, 150, 232 V-1 :42,45,50,65

Bombers: 103, 108, 120, 123, 144, 148, 230 . Center for Naval Analysis : 151

See also aircraft type Chance Vought : 113, 114, 119, 136, 154, 155,

Boojum:82, 130 210

Booster: 97, 114, n172, 243 Cruise Missile (BGM-110) : 154, 155

Bull Goose 124 photographs : 194, 195

Mace: 1 I 1 Chaparral : 180

Matador : 109, 144 Chase, Alan, photograph : 161

Navaho: 98, 100, 131 Chief of the Air Corps : 26, 27, 30

Regulus :114,116,117 Chief of the Air Service : 23

Snark : 86 Chief of the Air Staff (RAF) 19

SeaLaunched Cruise Missile (SLCM): 052 Chief of the Army Air Forces : 30, 63, 64, 79,

V-1: 72 129

BQM-34. See Firebee Chief of Engineering Division : 23

Braun, Wernher von 76 Chief of Naval Operations: 12, 23, 25, 67, 116,

Brezhnev, Leonid I . : 175 145, 151, 153, 055

British Air Ministry : 17, 20 Chief of Naval Operations, Vice: 24

British Cruise Missiles : 8, 17-20 Chief of Naval Ordnance : 10, 12, 13

British War Office: 8 Chief of Staff (USA): 15, 53, 80

Brookings Institution 1976 study, Modernizing Chief of Staff (USAF): 82, 103, 104, 121, 128,

the Strategic BomberForce: 177 146,156

Brown, Harold S . : 177, 191, 207 Chief of Staff (USAF), Vice : 130

photograph : 162 Chrysler : 141

quoted : 177, 191 Churchill, Winston: 17, 47

Buck Duck: 123, 124 photograph : 54

characteristics : 236 Clayton, W. Graham, Jr : 184

photographs : 124 Clements, William P., Jr . : 154, 156, 171, 172,

Bull Goose: 123-125 190

B-52: 125 photograph : 163

characteristics : 124, 236 quoted : 190, 201

costs : 125 CNO. See Chief of Naval Operations

numbers : 124 Collis, K. : 51

photograph 125 Commonality : 153, 178, 211, 227

problems : 124, 125 Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM)-Sea

Brueau of Aeronautics : 23, 24, 67, 113, 114 Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

Bureau of Engineering : 23 154-156,171,178

Bureau of Ordnance : 12, 23 Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile

Burls, J K . C . : 52 (MRASM)-Sea Launched Cruise Missile

(SLCM) : 207

Communist China, Firebee use against: 144

C Competition . See flyoff competition

Computer : 135, 136, 210, 225, 228, 231

Carlstrom Field : 16 Condor: 207

test summary: 16, 17 Congress : 2,146-150,152,156,167,189,190,

Carlucci, Frank : 206 191, 194, 205, 206, 208, 226, 237

Carroll, Lewis : 82 Consolidated-Vultee : 123

Carter, Jimmy: 171, 174, 175, 177, 191, 201, Costs . See Cruise Missile, costs

227 Crashes, Cruise Missile : 8-12, 14-19, 25, 28,

Catapult launching : 16 29, 50, 68, 85, 89, 95, 96, 98, c99, 101,

General Motors A-1 : 28 109, 010, 162, 184, 185, 187, 253-263,

Larynx : 18 271, 272 . See also Cruise Missile, crashes

Matador: 109, 132 Crossbow: 120, 121
characteristics : 120, 236

photograph: 120

Cruise ballistic missile : 210

Cruise Missile :

accuracy : 93, 103, 223, 224, 225, 228-231,

237,245,250

British, 1920s-1930s : 19, 20

Hound Dog: 121

JB-2:63, 65, 67

Matador: 109, 110, 112, 132

Snark: 85, 93, 95, 96

V-1:47-50,58,62,73

advantages

1916 :8

1950s : 103, 108

1960s :139

1970s :192

1980s : 225, 228-231, 237, 245, 250

Air Launched Cruise Missile . See Air

Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM)

Air War College Cruise Missile Survey :

237-252

B-1 : 147-150, 167, 176, 188, 189, 226,

227, n237 . See also B-I

B-52: 146, 149, 150, 156, 167, 188, 189,

190, 192, 227. See also B-52

characteristics : Appendix A

AGM-86A: 159,162

AGM-86B : 159,186

Boojum: 130

Bull Goose: 124, 236

Crossbow : 120, 236

Folland, 1917 :8

General Motors A-1: 27, 28, 235

Ground Launched Cruise Missile

(GLCM): 186

Hound Dog: 121, 236

JB-1:69, 235

JB-2:235

JB-10:235

Mace: 111, 236

Matador: 109, 236

Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile

(MRASM): 186, 207, 208

Navaho: 131, 236

Quail : 125,236

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

154, 155, 186

Snark: 82, 95, 236

277

Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM),

1983 : 2,6

Army-Kettering Bug: 15, 16

British 1930s : 20

fiscal 1947: 81

General Motors A-1: 28, 30

Ground Launched Cruise Missile

(GLCM): 2, 6, 204

Harpoon: 208

JB-1: 69

JB-2: 64, 76, 77

JB-10: 69

Mace: 11 I

Matador: 111

Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile

(MRASM): 2, 6, 208

Navaho: 100,104,108

1917-1920:16

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

2,6

Snark :82, 104, 108

Standoff Attack Missile: 208

U.S . Army, 1918 : 15, 16

U.S . Navy, World War11 : 25

V-1 : 61, 75, 76

crashes : 8

AGM-86A: 162, 271

AGM-86B : 184, 185, 187, 272

AGM-109:184

Army-Kettering Bug: 14-17

British : 8

General Motors A-l : 28, 29

1B-1 :69

JB-2:65

Loon: 68

Matador: c110

Navaho: 98-102, 261-263

Naval Aircraft Factory: 12

Navy-Sperry missiles : 9-12

Royal Aircraft Establishment Larynx:

18,19

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

184

Snark : c89, 253-259

U.S . Navy, World War11 : 25

V-1 :50

XBQ-1 : 30

Department of Defense attitude: 190

disadvantages

V-1:42,43,50,60,71,72,235 1916:8

cost effectiveness : 108, 147, 180, 228, 229, 1950s: 103, 108

232 1970s :147

costs : 2, 6, 245, 246, 250, 251 1980s :228-230,237,245,246,250
engines : 186, 228, 235, 236. See also individual missile

advanced : 210,211

propellar : 11, 18, 28, 37

pulsejet : 41-43, 46, c51, 69, c70, 72,

113,224

ramjet: 97,98,100,113,117,209,242

turbofan: 141, 154, 155, 209, 228, 242

turbojet : 69, c70, 82, 86, 89, 97, 109,

111, 113, 114, 121, 124, 126, 130,

141,150,224,242

evasive maneuvers : 228, 231

expectations, U.S . Navy, 1919 : 12

fuel : 141,154,166,180,187,210,225

guidance See guidance

low altitude operations : 139, 144, 228, 231,

245,250

missile requirements, U.S . Army,

1938-1939:27,28

missile type See also specific missile by

name

AGM-86A.

AGM-86B.

AGM-86C: 209, 228

Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM).

AGM-109: 156, 178, 180, 184, 267,

268

APHRODITE : 32-35,40,79,82

Army-Kettering Bug: 12-17, 26, 235

BANSHEE: 81, 82

BG-1: 24

BGM-I 10 : 154, 155

Boojum : 82, 130

British : 8, 17-20

Buck Duck: 123, 124, 236

Bull Goose: 123-125, 236

Crossbow : 120, 121, 236

F6F-5K :c115

Folland, 1917 : 8

French, 1917-1918 : 36

General Motors A-1 : 26-30, 235

Giles, 1918 :38

Ground Launched Cruise Missile

278

Mace: Ill, 112, 136, 204, 225, 230,

236

Matador: 81, 108-112, 114, 132, 204,

225,230,236

Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile

(MRASM): 2, 6, 172, 186, 189,

c203, 205-208, 220, 227, 237, 238,

243, 246, 251

Modisette : 38

Navaho: 81, 82, 93, 97-104, 108, 120,

123,131,224,236,261-263

Naval Aircraft Factory : 12

Navy-Sperry : 8-12, 14, 16, 17, 37, 235

PQ-8: 30

PQ-12A:30

Quail 123, 125-128, 135, 144-146,

225, 230, 236

Queen Bee: 20, 21, 23, 39

Regulus : 68, 114-119, 133, 225, 230,

236

Rigel : 117

Royal Aircraft Establishment, Aerial

Target 1917 : c9

Royal Aircraft Establishment, Larynx :

18, 19, 235

Royal Aircraft Establishment, 1920-22

photograph : 17

Royal Aircraft Establishment, 1921 Target Aircraft : 18, 235

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM).

Snark : 81-97, 101, 103, 104, 108, 130,

224,230,231,236,253-259

Soviet : 153

Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy: 135,

145-150,153,154,156,167,226

TAURUS: 114

TDN: 24-26, 39

TDR: 25, 26, 39

TDR-1 : 24, 26, 30, 235. See also

XBQ-4

TD2R:25,26,30,39

TD3R: 25, 26, 30, 39

TG-2: 24

(GLOM) .

Harpoon : 135,150,151,208,226

Tomahawk . See AGM-109; Ground

Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) ;

Hound Dog: 101, 121-123, 135, 136, Sea Launched Cruise Missile

225, 230, 236, 238, 247 (SLCM)

Italian, 1914 : 36 Triton: 117, 119, 136

JB-1 :68-70, 72, 224, 235 V-1: 41-62, 65, 71-77, 113, 116, 224,

JB-2: 40, 62-67, 69, c70, 76, 77, 79, 229,231

80, 113, 120, 224, 235 Winckley, 1918 : 38

J13-10 :69,00,78,235 XBQ-1 : 30, c31, 235

Loon 67, 68, 113, 224 XBQ-2A: 30, c31, 235
XBQ-3: 30, c31, 235

XBQ,4: 30, c32, 235 . See also TDR-1

XBQ-5: 30

XBQ-6: 30

numbers: 2

Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM):

2, 6, 184, 209

Bull Goose: 124

Ground Launched Cruise Missile

(GLCM): 2, 204

Harpoon: 150

Hound Dog: 121

JB-2:63-65

Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile

(MRASM): 2, 208

Quail : 128

(GLCM): 204, 205

Hound Dog: 121, c 123, 225

JB-2:64, 65

JB-10:69

Matador : 112

Navaho: 97, 98, 100, 101, 103

Navy-Sperry : 9, 10

1950s and 1960s: 225

oil consumption: 184

radar altimeter: 180

Quail : 225

Snark : 86, 89, 95-97, 101, 103

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

211,212

U.S ., World War I : 16, 17

U.S . Navy, World War II : 25, 26

range extension

belly tank: 148

fuselage lengthening 148

rationale : 189-192, 237, 244

recoveries : 85, 89-91, 95, 97, c99, 114,

117, 143, 164, 184, 185, 253, 256-259,

261, 262. See also specific missile

279

reliability: 103, 108, 117, 212, 223-225,

228-230,246,250,251

AGM-86B: 185

Hound Dog: 121

Matador: 109, 112

Navaho: 108

Quail: 128

Regulus : 117

Snark: 96, 97, 108

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

211,212,227

replace penetrating bomber: 237, 247, 252

revolutionary weapon: 2, 231, 232, 247

Soviet air defenses : 147, 149, 180, 192,

209, 212, 218, 225, 228

stress: 153, 190, 191

B-52:176,187,188

SALT 11 : 176

wide-bodied transports : 188, 189

Currie, Malcolm: 156, 171

Curtiss, Glenn: 9, c10, 13, 14

D

Dahlgren, Virginia tests: 12

Daniels, Josephus : 9

Dayton, Ohio

test summary : 16, 17

tests : 14-16

Dayton Metal Products: 14

Dayton Wright Aircraft : 14

Decoy missile : 120, 123-125, 144-146, 149,

150,225,226

arming : 124, 145-147, 149, 150

Defense Science Board Task Force : 144, 145

Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council :

148-150,154-156,178,184

recommendation January 1977 : 171, 172,

214,226

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM): standoff weapon 146, 147, 170, 190

2,193 Strategic Arms Limitations Talks: 151-154,

U.S . Navy, World War 11 : 24-26

operational concept, drawing: 137

171-176, 190-192, 212, 226, 227,

246-251

237,

politics: 223, 227, 229, 231, 237, 246, 251 tests : 7-26, 28, 29, 42, 50, 65, 67-69, 77,

Ground Launched Cruise Missile 85-92, 95-100, 109, 113, 121,

(GLCM): 201, 203 123-125, 139, 150, 162, 164, 179, 180,

V-1 :44,47,61 184,185,187,205,253-272

problems : 223-225 USAF attitudes towards : 103, 104, 120,

AGM-86B: 185, 205 145, 149, 156, 189, 220, 226, 230, 238

APHRODITE: 35 USN attitudes towards : 26, 116, 145, 150,

Army-Kettering Bug: 16 189,190,220,226

Bull Goose: 124, 125 Cruise Missile carriers : 176, 187-189

Ground Launched Cruise Missile B-1: 176, 188, 189
Delauer, Richard D. : 208

Department of Defense : 154, 156, 171, 178,

190,

establishes Joint Cruise Missiles Project

Office : 172

Dicks, Norman : 209

Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation :

206-208

Director of Defense Research and Engineering:

146, 148, 149, 151, 155, 156, 171, 178,

180,

Director of Department of Defense Planning and

Evaluation : 171

DOD. See Department of Defense

Doolittle, James H. : 35, 49

Dornberger, Walter quoted : 71

Douglas, James H. : 121

Drag chute : 82, c94, 256, 257, 259

Drone. See target missile

DSARC. See Defense Systems Acquisition

Review Council

DSMAC. See Digital Scene Matching Area

Correlation

Dugway Proving Ground: 206

E

F

F6F-5K: c115

Fahmey, Delmar: 23, 114

Fairchild : 30, 124

Fairley Queen: 20

photograph : 20

Fiesler: n41, 42

Firebee : 142-144

280

characteristics : 142

Israeli use : 144

photographs : 142,143

Fleetwings : 30

"Fly-before-you-buy" : 148

Flying bomb. See Cruise Missile

Flyoff competition

Boeing and General Dynamics for Air

Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM):

179-181,184,267,268,271

Chance Vought and General Dynamics for

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

155

Flying belt : c 140, 141

Folland Cruise Missile : 8

Folland, H. P. : 8

Ford: 63

Ford, Gerald : 171, 173-175

Ford, Hannibal : 12

Foster, John S. : 146, 148, 149

photograph 162

French Cruise Missile, 1917-1918 : 36

Functionally related observable differences : 176,

188

photograph 197

Full Scale Engineering Development : 148, 149,

quality control : 211, 227

General Electric : 243

General Motors: 13, 27-30

General Motors A-1 : 26-30

characteristics : 27, 28, 235

costs : 28, 30

crashes : 28, 29

photographs: 28, 29

General Staff (U.S . Army): 15

Giles 1918 Cruise Missile : 38

GLCM: See Ground Launched Cruise Missile

171, 172, 179, 226

E-Systems : 136, 155

Eaker, Ira C. : 81

Earle, Ralph : 10, 12, 13 G

quoted: 12

Echols, O. P. 30 GAM-67. See Crossbow

ECM . See Electronics Countermeasures GAM-71 . See Buck Duck

Edwards Air Force Base : 28, c118 See also GAM-72. See Quail

Lake Muroc GAM-73. See Bull Goose

Eglin Field tests : 28, c66, 69, c70, 72, 206 GAM-77. See Hound Dog

Electronics Countermeasures : 93, 126, 027, Garrett: 150, 210, 243

144, 145, 149, 156, 177, 210, 231 Gates, Thomas S. : 119

Electronic System Test Set : 185, 187 Gearhart, Guy L . : 16

Engines . See Cruise Missile, engines General Dynamics: 154-156, n172, 178-180,

Exocet, compared with Sea Launched Cruise 206, 209, 210, 226, 243

Missile (SLCM): 193 Method D: 211, 212
Global Positioning System : 210

GM A-1 . See General Motors A-1

Goodyear Aircraft Corporation: 110, 112

Goose. See Bull Goose

Gorgon (series) : 113, 139

Government Accounting Office : 148

Griffiss Air Force Base : 187, c 197

Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) : 171,

172, 178, 184, 189, 201-205, 226-228,

237,238,242,243,246,251

advantages: 201, 203

basing : 204, 205

characteristics 186

costs, 1983 :2,6,204

decision to deploy to NATO, 1979 : 201, 204

engine: 209

Iauncher :205

photograph : 202

numbers, 1983 :2, 204

operational concept : 205

photographs 4, 200, 202

politics : 201, 203-205

problems: 205

Strategic Arms Limitations Talks :

173-176,204,205,227

Grumman: 117

Guidance . Seealso Cruise Missile, accuracy

Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation

206-208

ground control

JB-2:65,67

Matador : 109

Regulus : 114, 116

Hound Dog: 121, 136

Imaging Infrared terminal guidance : 207,

208

inertial : 85, 95, 96, 101, 111, 121, 135,

145,210

accuracy : 95, 135, 136

weight : 135, 136

inertial stellar: 224, 243

over-the-horizon antiship : n193, 265-267

radar map matching

Matador: 109-111

Triton: 119

Scene Matching Area Correlator: 206, 268,

271

Shanicle : 109, 110

stellar : 85, 93, 95, 96

Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy: 147

Terrain Contour Matching 135-139, 145,

154, 155, 187, 207-209, 225, 228, 243 .

See also Terrain Contour Matching

281

tests : 65, 67, 85, 162

Trounce: 116

Guided Missile Committee of the Research and

Development Board : 108

Gyroscope : 7, 16, 21, 37, 43, 51, 162, 223

H

Harpoon : 135, 150, 151, 226

comparison with Medium Range Air-toSurface Missile (MRASM): 208

costs : 208

numbers : 151

photograph: 193

tests: 150

Hams, Arthur : 49

Hawk, improved : 180

Headquarters Air Force : 145, 149

Hewitt, Peter C. : 7

High energy fuels : 141, 154, 166

costs : 166

performance : 166

Shelldyne : 141, 166

Hill, Roderic H : 44, 52, 53

Holley, Irving B ., Jr ., quoted : 1

Holloman Field : c66, 82, c83, c85, 86, 109,

121, 124, 253

Homiqg missile : 19 . See also Crossbow

Hostettler, Stephen : 211

Hound Dog: 101, 121-123, 135, 136, 225, 230,

238,247

accuracy: 121,225

B-52: 121, cl23, 225

characteristics: 121, 236

guidance : 121, 136

name: n 121

numbers : 121

photographs : 122, 123

problems : 121, c123, 225

reliability : 121, 225

House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee :

211

Hughes: 210

Imaging Infrared terminal guidance : 207, 208

Initial Operational Capability

Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) : 155,

178,214

Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy: 149
Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM): 155,

193, 194

Institute for Defense Analysis : 144

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles n96, 98, 104,

108, 229. See also ballistic missiles

Interservice rivalry: 79, 114, 156, 172, 190, 231

British : 53

German: 42

Intraservice rivalry: 79, 151, 220, 231

Interstate 25, 30

Irvine, Clarence S . : 93

Israeli Firebee use: 144

Italian, 1914 : 36

J

Jack and Heintz: 63

1B-1 : 68-70, 78, 224

characteristics : 69, 235

crashes : 69

engine : 69, c70

photograph : 70

JB-2: 40, 62-67, 69, c70, 76, 77, 79, 80, 113,

120,224

accuracy : 63, 65, 67

advantages : 64

characteristics : 235

comparison with V-1 : 65, 235

costs : 64, 76, 77

crashes : c65, 67

disadvantages : 63

engine : 69, c70

launch methods: 65, 77

numbers : 63-65

photographs : 63, 65, 66

problems : 64, 65

J11-10:69,00,78

characteristics : 235

costs: 69

photograph : 70

problems : 69

Jet belt: c140, 141

photograph: 140

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) : 79, 152, 173

Joint Crossbow Committee : 50

Joint Cruise Missiles Project Office : 172, 178,

179, 184, 207, 211, 226, 227

Joint Service Cruise Missile Project Office : 171,

172

Joint Strategic Bomber Study: 177

282

K

Kennedy, John F. : 96, 97

Kennedy, Joseph P., Jr : 34

Kent, Glenn : 145

Kettering, Charles F. : 13, 14, 27, 38

photographs: 13,15

quoted : 27, 28

Kettering Bug: 12-17, 26, 235 . See also ArmyKettering Bug

Kindelberger, J . H. : 121

King, Emest J . : 24, 26

Kissinger, Henry : 154, 174, 175, 190, 214

Korean War: 108, c115

L

Laird, Melvin : 152, 153, 190

LakeMuroc tests : 28, 29

Langley Field tests : 22, 28

Larynx : 18, 19

photograph : 18, 19

Launcher, Ground Launched Cruise Missile

(GLCM): 205

photograph : 202 -

Launcher, rotary : 145, 147, 148, 162, 178, 181,

217, 226, 227

Advanced Technology Cruise Missile : 210

AGM-86B: 188

B-1 :188

need for: 147

photograph : 158

restrict Air Launched Cruise Missile

(ALCM): 147, 156, 210

Launching, air: 29, 56, 58-60

Launching, catapult : 9-12, 16, 18, 28, 42, 45,

50, 65, 109, 132 . See also catapult launching

Launching, vertical : 194, 198

compared with horizontal : 194

Launch sequence

Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM),

drawings 181-183

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM),

drawing : 152

Leigh Mallory, Trafford L. : 64

LeMay, Cuttis E. : 103

quoted : 80

LTV (Ling-Temco-Vought)-Electro Systems

Company: 136

Litton : 148
Locke, Walter: 172, 191, 211, 218

replacement : 211, 227

photograph : 161

Lockheed: 145, 146, 188, 210

Long Bow: 210

Longfellow, Henry W. : 92

Look Down/Shoot Down fighters : 139, 149,

180,209,215

Loon: 67, 68, 113, 224

crashes : 68

photographs : 67, 68

Lorin, Rene: 38

Lovett, Robert : 64, 79

Low, A. M. : 8

M

McDonnell : 125, 128, 146

McDonnell-Douglas : 150, 151, 155, 179, 184,

188, 210, 211, 243

Mace: I11,112,136,204,225,230

booster : 111

characteristics : 111, 236

cost: 111

engine: 111

guidance : III

McCook Field tests: 22

McCormick, B . B . : 12

McIntyre, Thomas: 147

McNamara, Robert : 97

photograph 162

McNamey, Joseph T. : 79, 82

McNamey memo: 79, 80

Madelung, G. : 41

Marks, Hans: 184

Marshall, George C. : 53, 80

Martin Company: 112, 114, 210

Matador : 81, 108-112, 114, 204, 225, 230

accuracy : 109, 112, 132

booster: 109, 114

characteristics : 109, 236

cost: 111, 114

crashes : 109, c 110

engine: 109

guidance : 109-111

launcher: 109, 112, 132

photographs: 109-112

problems : 112

reliability : 109, 112

requirement : 108

Method D: 211, 212

,Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile

283

(MRASM): 2, 6, 172, 186, 189, c203,

205-208, 220, 227, 237, 238, 243, 246, 251

artist's conception : 212

B-52: 208, 220

cancellation : n208

characteristics

USAF version : 186, 207, 208

USN version : 186, 207

comparison with Harpoon: 208

costs : 2, 6, 208

Initial Operational Capability : 208

numbers

1981 : 208

1983 : 2

photograph : 203

submunitions : 206, 207

Meyers, B. E. : 63, 64

Milch, Erhard : 42, 71

Military Liaison Committee to the Atomic

Energy Commission: 114

Milliken, Carl B . : 130

MIRY. See Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle

Missile type . See specific missile

Missile projects, postwar U.S . : 81, 97, 130

Missile roles and missions: 79-81

Mitchell Field : 22

Mitchell, William "Billy" : 23, 36, 39

quoted : 2, 39

Modernizing the Strategic Bomber Force: 177

Modisette Cruise Missile : 38

Monsanto: 63

Morrison, Herbert : 47

Mother aircraft : 19, 22, 24, 82, c92, c 115, 116

MRASM. See Medium Range Air-to-Surface

Missile

MQM-74:141

Multiple Independently Aimed Low Altitude

Missile : 145

Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle (MIRY):

145, 174, 175, 238, 247

N

N-25 . See Snark

N-69. See Snark

National Cash Register : 14

National Research Council : 27

Navaho: 81, 82, 93, 97-104, 108, 120, 123,

131,224

booster: 98, 100, 131

cost : 100, 104, 108
284

crashes : 98-102, 261-263 OSD. See Office of the Secretary of Defense

engines : 97, 98, 100, 131 Over-the-horizon antiship guidance: 093,

flight record 265-267

SM--64 : 263

X-10:261,262

"Fly Five" : 100 P

problems : 97,98, 100, 101, 103

Research in Supersonic Environment: 100, Packard, David : 146, 149

263 Patrick Air Force Base : 96

reliability : 108 Patriot : 180

SM-64: 97, 98, 100 Peenemunde: 42-44, 58, 73

characteristics : 131, 236 Allied bombing: 43, 73

flight record : 263 Penguin : 208

photographs : 101,102 Perry, Robert : 101

technology : 100, 101 Perry, William : 180, 185

X-10:97 quoted : 178, 206

flight record : 261, 262 Philco-Ford: 146, 148

photographs : 98-100 Pile, Frederick : 52, 53

recoveries : 97, 261, 262 photograph : 54

Naval Air Systems Command : 151, 154 Power, Thomas S . : 93, 96

Naval Aircraft Factory (Philadelphia) : 12, 24, PQ-8: 30

113 PQ-I2A : 30

Cruise Missile : 12 Presque Isle : 96

Naval Consulting Board : 8, 15 Proximity fuze : 53, 61, 74

Navigation . See guidance Proxmire, Edward William : 148

Navy-Sperry : 8-12, 14, 16, 17 Pulsejet engine: 41-43, 46, c51, 69, c70, 72

characteristics : 37, 235 Pylons, B-52: 121, 148, 187, 188

crashes : 9-12 performance cost : 188

photograph : 10 photographs : 160, 197

problems : 9, 10

Nimitz, Chester W. : 25, 26

Nellis Air Force Base : c 142 Q

von Neumann, John : 130

New York Times : 204 Quail : 123, 125-128, 135, 144-146, 225, 230

Norden, Carl L. : 10, 12 B-52:125,126,128

North American Aviation: 97, 121, 146, 243 characteristics : 125, 236

North Atlantic Treaty Organization : 201, numbers : 128

203-205,232 photograph : 127

Northrop : 63, 69, 82, 86, 89, 95, 146 problems : 225

Northrop, Jack: 82 reliability : 128

Nuclear submarines : 151-153 Queen Bee: 20, 23, 39

Nuclear warheads : 93, 104, 114, 119, 141, 225, photograph : 21

228

O

R

OAS. See Offensive Avionics Systems

Radar, forward looking : 139

Radar, ground : 120, 121, 123, 128, 139, 144

Offensive Avionics Systems : 185, 188, 227 Radar altimeter : 24, 135, 136, 138, 139

Office of the Secretary of Defense: 119, 146, problems : 180

147,149,151,153 Radar Cross Section : 177, 187, 209, 225, 231,

Orr, Veme: 209 237,245,250
N-69: 89-91, 95, 254, 256-258

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM): 164

Redman, Lieutenant : 22, 23

Regulus 1 : 68, 114-117, 133, 225, 230

booster: 114, 116

characteristics : 114, 236

engine: 114

guidance : 114, 116

Photographs : 115-117

problems: 116

reliability : 117

Regulus 11: 117-119, 133, 225

booster : 117

cost: 119

characteristics: 117, 236

Photographs: 118, 119

Remotely Piloted Vehicles: 135, 142-144, 225,

226,232

definition : nl42

285

Saber Penetrator V: 149

SALT: See Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

SCAD. See Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy

SCAM . See Subsonic Cruise Armed Missile

Scene Matching Area Correlator : 206, 268, 271

Schmidt, Helmut: 201

Schmidt, Paul: 41

SCM. See Strategic Cruise Missile

Scud. See Subsonic Unarmed Decoy

Seamans, Robert C., Jr . : 146

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM):

151-155, 172, 184, 189, 198, 201, 206,

226-228,237,238

adapted to Air Launched Cruise Missile

(ALCM): 180

Air WarCollege Cruise Missile Survey: 237,

238, 242, 243, 246, 251

antiship: 193, 218

armored box launcher : c 198

Radar map matching : 110, 111, 119, 225 SALT II : 176

Radcliffe, H.1 . R. J . : 53 Vietnam record: 144

Radio control : 22, 23, 223-225 Republic : 63

APHRODITE: 32 Research and Development Board : 115

Army-Sperry : 22 Rickover, Hyman: 151, 153, 211

British: 8, 17, 19, 20 quoted : 141

General Motors A-1: 28 Rigel : 117

Gorgon: 113 Rocket engine : 113, 133

JB-2:65 Rockwell : 188

Navaho (X-10) : 97, 261 Roland: 180

PQ-8: 30 Roles and missions: 79-81

PQ-12:30 Roosevelt, Franklin D. : 23

Regulus I : 116 Rotary launcher. See launcher, rotary

Remotely Piloted Vehicles : 142 Royal Aircraft Establishment

Snark (N-69) : 89, 255 Aerial Target, 1917, photograph : 9

Sperry : 22 Larynx : 18, 19

U.S . Army: 22, 28, 30, 32, 65 characteristics: 18, 235

U.S . Navy: 23, 34, 116 photograph: 18, 19

Ramjet engine: 98, 100, 117, 131, 209 target missile, 1921 : 18

RCA: 24 characteristics: 235

Radioplane:120 photograph : 17

Ramp, Simon: 130 Royal Aircraft Factory : 8

RAND: 144,145 Royal Air Force Air Staff: 20

Raytheon: 146, 210 Royal Naval Antiaircraft Gunnery Committee :

Reagan administration : 204 17

Recoveries RPV. See also Remotely Piloted Vehicle

AGM-86B: 184, 185 Rumsfeld, Donald : 171

AGM-109:184 Runkel, Henry : 181

Firebee : 142-144 Ryan, John D. : 146

Navaho (X-10): 97, 261, 262 Ryan, 142, 146, 168

Regulus I: 114

Regulus II : 117

Snark S

N-25: c85, 89, 253
booster: c152

characteristics : 154, 155, 186

compared with Exocet: 193

common Air Launched Cruise Missile

(ALCM)-Sea Launched Cruise Missile

(SLCM): 156,171

competition between Chance Vought and

General Dynamics: 154, 155

costs 1983 : 2, 6

Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council 1977 recommendation : 171, 172, 226

deployment plans (1983) : 198

design restrictions : 153, 156

disadvantages : 192

engine : 155, 209

flexible response : 191

flight record: 265-270

guidance . See Terrain Contour Matching ;

over-the-horizon antiship guidance

Initial Operational Capability

1976, set in : 155, 193, 194

1977, set in: 172

1980s, set in : 194

land attack: 193, 194, 218

launch options : 153

launch sequence, drawing: 152

name (Tomahawk): n155

numbers

1977: 193

1981 :193

1983 :2

over-the-horizon antiship guidance : n193,

265-267

photographs : 3, 194-196, 198-200

prevent Soviet silo reloading : 191

problems: 211, 212

rationale : 189-192

recoveries : 164

reliability : 211, 212, 227

restricted by submarine : 153, 156

schedule, 1975 : 155

Strategic Arms Limitations Talks: 173-176,

212,227

stress Soviet defenses : 191

test summary; 164, 180, 265-270

tests against simulated air defenses : 179, 180

Second sourcing: 211, 227

Secretary of the Air Force : 146, 177, 179, 184,

209

Secretary of Defense : 151, 153, 171, 173, 177,

190,191,204,207,209,211

Secretary of Defense, Deputy: 146, 148, 149,

154-156, 171, 172, 177, 184, 190, 201

286

Secretary of Defense for Program Analyses and

Evaluation, Assistant : 191

Secretary of the Navy: 9, 67, 119

Secretary of State : 154, 173-175, 190, 214

Secretary ofWar: 13

Secretary ofWar, Assistant : 64, 79

Senate Armed Services Committee: 146, 147

Shanicle guidance : 109, 110

Shaw, Robert B . : 146

Shelldyne: 141, 166

Shepherd aircraft. See mother aircraft

Short Range Attack Missile : 123, 147, 179, 187,

238,247

launcher . SeeLauncher, rotary

photograph: 158

Siemans: 41

Signal Corps : 7

skids : 82, 90-92, 254, 258

SLCM. See Sea Launched Cruise Missiles

(SLCM)

SM-62. See Snark

SMAC. See Scene Matching Area Correlator

Snark : 81-97, 101, 103, 104, 108, 130, 224,

230,231

accuracy : 85, 93, 95, 96

advantages : 93-95

ballistic nose : c87, 89, 255-257, 259

booster: 86

costs: 82, 104, 108

crashes : 89, 253-259

differences N-25 and N-69: 86

disadvantages : 93

engine: 82, 86, 89

flight record

N-25:253,254

N-69:254-259

N-25:82-86

accuracy: 85

characteristics: 82, 236

compared with N-69: 86

flight record : 253, 254

photographs : 83-85

recoveries : c85, 89, 253

N-69:86-96

accuracy: 85, 93, 95, 96

characteristics: 95, 236

compared with N-25: 86

flight record : 254-259

photographs: 86-92, 94-96

recoveries : 89-91, 95, 254-258

problems : 86, 89, 95--97, 101, 103

reliability : 96, 97, 108

requirement : 82, 85
Source Selection Advisory Council : 178, 184

Source Selection Evaluation Board: 184

Soviet air defenses : 147, 149, 180, 190-192,

209,212,218,225,228

stressed by Cruise Missile : 153, 190

Soviet Cruise Missile : 153

Spaatz, Carl : 35, 64, 80, 82, 129

quoted: 64

Space systems : 244, 245, 249

Spent'-Curtiss Cruise Missile . See Navy-Sperry

Sperry Aircraft Company: 21

Sperry Gyroscope Company : 7, 14, 21

Sperry, Elmer: 7, 11-14

photograph: 7

quoted : 12

Sperry, Lawrence: 7, 10, 21, 22, c22, 36

photograph : I 1

Squier, George O. : 7, 13, 15, 38

quoted : 13, 15

SRAM Launcher . See launcher, rotary

Standoff weapons: 146, 147, 149, 225-227

Standoff Attack Weapon: 208

Stanley, William H. : 23

State Department : 204

STAWS . See Submarine Tactical Antiship

Weapons System

Stealth technology : 209, 210, 228, 231

Stinger : 180

Strategic Arms Limitations Talks : 151-154,

171-176, 191, 192, 212, 226, 237, 246, 251

proposals

1970:173

1975 :173

1976 :173,174

1977:174,175

Reagan Administration : 204, 205

Soviet, 1982 : 204, 205

SALT 1 : 153, 173-175, 190, 226

SALT 11: 174-176, 188, 227

Vladivostok agreement : 173-175

Strategic Cruise Missile : 151-153, 169

Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee : 93

Styx : 150, 168, 193

Submarine-Launched Anti-Surface Ship Interim

Missile Ad Hoc Committee : 151

Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile : 152, 153

Submarine Tactical Antiship Weapons System :

151,153

SUBROC (Submarine Rocket) : 153

Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy: 135, 145-150,

153, 154, 156, 167, 226

bombers : 149, 167

conversion to Air Launched Cruise Missile

287

(ALCM): 156

costs : 149

fiscal 1970 budget : 146, 147

fiscal 1971 budget: 147

fiscal 1972 budget : 147

Subsonic Cruise Attack Missile : 141, 144-146

Subsonic Cruise Unarmed Decoy: 141, 144, 146

Supersonic Low Altitude Missile : 136

Supersonic Tactical Cruise Missile: 205

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary

Force : 61

Surface-to-Air Missile: 139, 147, 180, 209

SUWACS. See Airborne Warning and Control

System

Synhorst, G. E. : 190, 191

Systems and Analyses Section : 151

T

Target missile : 23, 24, 30, 130, 139, 142, 223,

262

British : 17-20

TAURUS: 114

TDN: 24-26, 39

TDR: 25, 26, 39

TDR-1 : 24, 26, 30. See also XBQ-4

characteristics : 235

TD2R: 25, 26, 30, 39

TD3R:25,26,30,39

Teledyne: 148, 150, 211, 243

Telemetry : 38, 254, 259

Television : 8, 24, 26, 29, 30, 34

TERCOM. See Terrain Contour Matching

TERCOM Aided Inertial System: 136

Terrain Contour Matching: 135-139, 145, 154,

187, 207-209, 225, 228, 243, 265, 267, 271

accuracy : 136, 139

competition, flyoff: 155

description : 136

operational concept, drawing: 138

Tests, Cruise Missile : 23

AGM-86A: 162, 164, 271

AGM-8613 : 184, 185, 271, 272

AGM-109:178, 180, 184, 267, 268

APHRODITE: 32, 34, 35

Army-Kettering : 14-17

Army-Sperry : 21, 22

BGM-110 : 155

British : 8, 17-20

Buck Duck: 123, 124

in Canada : 139, 187

car: 11
Chance Vought (BGM-l 10) : 155

combat, U.S . Navy, World War II: 26

General Motors A-1 : 28, 29

Ground Launched Cruise Missile (LLCM) :

205

guidance : 65, 67, 85, 139, 155, 162

Harpoon : 150

JB-l : 69

JB-2: 67

JB-10:69, 77

Loon: 67, 68

Navaho: 97, 98, 100, 261-263

Naval Aircraft Factory : 12

Navy-Sperry : 7-13

Royal Aircraft Estabishment Larynx: 18, 19

Royal Aircraft Establishment 1921 Target :

18

Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM): 155,

164,179,180,265-269

against simulated air defenses : 179, 180

Snark: 253-259

V-1:42,50,75

Test summaries

Army-Kettering : 16, 17

Navy-Sperry : 16

TG-2: 24

Tiger Moth: 20

TM-6 IA and C. See Matador

TM-61B . See Mace

TM-76A. See Mace

Tomahawk . See AGM-109; Ground Launched

Cruise Missile (GLCM); Sea Launched

Cruise Missile (SLCM)

Tonapah Test Range: c200

Towers, John H. : 24-26

photograph : 25

TRIAD: 178, 227, 229, 231

Trident program : 152, 237, 245, 249

Triton: 117, 119, 136

characteristics : 119

Trounce : 116

Turbofan engine : 141, 041, 154, 168, 225,

228,231

Turbojet engine : 69, 70, 82, 86, 89, 97, 109,

111, 113, 114, 121, 124, 126, 130, 141,

041,168

U

USAF, Chief of Staff: 82, 103, 104, 121, 128,

146,156

USAF, Secretary of: 146, 179, 184, 209

288

USAF, units

Air Force Armament Division : 207

Air Force Systems Command : 145, 146, 167

Air Force Testing and Evaluation Center:

185,187

Air Materiel Command : 64, 81, 82, 111

Air Research and Development Command:

93,96

numbered units

1 st Pilotless Bomber Squadron : 111

Eighth Air Force : 35, 49

38th Tactical Missile Wing: 111

58th Tactical Missile Group: 112

71 st Tactical Missile Squadron : 112

416th Bombardment Wing: 187, 197

498th Tactical Missile Group: 112

556th Strategic Missile Squadron : 96,

258

668th Bombardment Squadron: 187

702nd Strategic Missile Wing: 96, 97,

259

Strategic Air Command: 93, 95, 96,

120-123, 125, 128,144-147, 156, 177,

178, 187, 188, 220, 258, 259, 268, 271

Tactical Air Command : 132, 204, 220

U.S . Navy

Bureau of Aeronautics: 23, 24, 67, 113, 114

Bureau of Engineering : 23

Bureau of Ordnance : 12, 23

U.S . Strategic Air Forces: 34

Utterstrom, Ray, photograph : 161

V

V-1 : 41-62, 65, 71-77, 113, 116, 224, 229,

231

accuracy: 47,50,58,62,73

diagrams : 48, 49

advantages : 42, 62

air launch : 56, 58-60

booster: 72

British defenses

Allied bombing: 43, 44, 49, 50, 73

antiaircraft artillery : 44, 52-55, 73

balloons : 56, 73-75

deception: 47, 75

defensive shift: 52, 53

diagrams: 45, 46

fighters: 50, 51, 55, 60, 74

photographs : 51, 52, 56, 57

scores: 53-56, 60, 74, 75

casualties
British : 45, 47, c58, 60, 73, 75

continental: 61

catapult : 42, 45, 50, 65, 72, 73

characteristics 42, 43, 50, 60, 71, 72, 235

continental defenses : 61

against continental targets : 60, 61

cost effectiveness : 61, 62

costs : 61, 75, 76

crashes : 50, 73

designation : n4l

disadvantages 62, 224

engine : 41, 42, 46, c51, 72, 224

evacuation of London: 47

German plans : 44, 45, 73

against Great Britain : 45-58, 60

launch sites : 43, 44, 62, 72, 73

long range version : 60

numbers: 44, 46, 60, 61

photographs: 42, 47, 51, 52, 54, 57, 59

piloted version : 71

political pressure : 44, 47, 61

summary : 224

suspected radio control : 75

tests 42, 50, 75

V-2 41-43, 62, 77, 97

Vandenberg, Hoyt : 130

Vega: 27

Versailles Peace Conference : 38 `

Vice Chief of Naval Operations : 24

Vice Chief of Staff (USAF): 130

Vietnam War: 135, 144, 201, 226

Firebee use : 144

Vladivostok agreement: 173-175

Volkswagen : 50

Votey, S. E. : 14

W

Wachtel, Max: n44

WarDepartment : 26

Warsaw Pact : 201

Watson-Watt, Robert: 53

Weinberger, Casper : 204, 211

West Coast Study Facility : 145

Westinghouse : 243

Westover, Oscar : 26, 39

*U.S . GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1998-633-008182080

289

White, Thomas D. : 103, 104

quoted : 103, 104

Wiesner, J . B . : 130

Wilkinson, T. W., Jr . : 7, 8

quoted : 8

Williams, Sam: 141

Williams Company: c140, 141, 148, 155, 156,

210,243

Willis, C H. : 14

Willy, Wilford J . : 34

Willys-Overland : 63

Wilson, Woodrow : 38

Winckley 1918 Cruise Missile: 38

Wolfe, K. B . : 64

Wooden Round maintenance concept: 187

Wooldridge, Dean: 130

Wright, Orville : 14, 38

Wright Air Development Center: 112

Wright-Patterson Field: c29, 62

WS-123A . See Bull Goose

X

X-10. See Navaho

XB¢l : 30, c31

characteristics : 30, 235

XBQ-2A: 30, c31

characteristics : 31, 235

photograph : 31

XBQ-3: 30, c31

characteristics : 31, 235

photograph : 31

XBQ,4: 30 See also TDR-1

characteristics : c32, 235

photograph : 32

XBQ-5:30

XBQ-6: 30

XSM-64. SeeNavaho

XSM-73 . See Bull Goose

Z

Zumwalt, Elmo: 116, 145

quoted : 116