Crow ( missile ) The Creative Research On Weapons or Crow program was an experimental missile project developed by the United States Navy ' s Naval Air Missile Test Center during the late 1950s . Intended to evalulate the solid - fueled integral rocket / ramjet ( SFIRR ) method of propulsion as well as solid - fueled ramjet engines , flight tests were conducted during the early 1960s with mixed success . Development and RARE . Studies of the rocket - ramjet and solid - fueled ramjet concepts begain at the U . S . Navy ' s Naval Air Missile Test Center - later the Naval Missile Center - at Point Mugu , California in 1956 , with the intent of increasing the range of small air - to - air missiles through using the combined ramjet and rocket propulsion system with solid fuels only . Following extensive ground testing , the concept was considered promising enough for a flight - test vehicle to be constructed to fully evalulate the new engine . The first flight test vehicle , known as Ram Air Rocket Engine or RARE , was developed by the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake , California . RARE was constructed using a conventional five - inch ( 127mm ) rocket tube , in length and weighing . Rocket - sled tests conducted during 1956 indicated that the rocket - ramjet configuration would be stable ; three flight tests were conducted between 1959 and 1960 , with the RARE rocket reaching speeds of Mach 2 . 3 . Crow I . Even as testing of RARE was undertaken , the Naval Air Missile Test Center was developing their own test vehicle . Known as CROW , or Creative Research on Weapons , the NAMTC vehicle was intended to demonstrate that a solid - fueled rocket - ramjet was capable of delivering a reasonable payload . A simple unguided rocket , the first Crow vehicle , known as Crow I , was intended for aerial launch at low supersonic speed and an altitude of . After launch , the booster acted as an ordinary solid - fueled rocket ; however upon burnout of the booster stage , the rocket ' s casing acted as the duct for a ramjet engine , with remaining solid fuel being mixed with the incoming air to provide thrust . The first flight test , from a Douglas F4D Skyray launch aircraft , was undertaken on January 19 , 1961 ; due to a flaw in the launch mechanism , the rocket failed to ignite , and the test was a failure . Modifications were made , and that November two successful flights of the Crow I vehicle were conducted . Controlled Crow . With the ballistic Crow I having proved the propulsion concept sound , follow - up work on a modification of the vehicle to provide guidance was undertaken . The missile was fitted with a simple autopilot , utilising infrared horizon - scanning to maintain the missile ' s attitude in flight . Captive flight tests of Crow began in February 1963 aboard a F - 4B Phantom II carrier aircraft ; on May 29 , the first test launch was attempted , with three further launches taking place through May 1965 . None of first three attempted flights were successful , however ; malfunctions in the rocket motor , autopilot , and controls plagued the program . The fourth flight test proved more successful , and Crow was considered to have met the project goals . The Crow project successfully established the solid - fueled rocket - ramjet as a viable method of propulsion ; consideration of Crow for use as an air - to - air missile or target drone was undertaken , but this was not pursued .