- GAM-67 Crossbow
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GAM-67 Crossbow Type Anti-radar missile Production history Manufacturer Northrop Specifications Weight 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) Length 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m) Height 4 ft 6 (1.37 m) Engine Continental J69 turbojet Wingspan 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) Operational
range300 miles (480 km) Flight altitude 40,000 ft (12,200 m) Speed 675 mph (1,090 km/h) Launch
platformAircraft or RATO The GAM-67 Crossbow was a jet-powered anti-radar missile built by Northrop's Ventura Division (successor to the Radioplane Company).
Development
In the late 1940s, the Radioplane Company developed a set of prototypes of the Q-1 target series, which used pulsejet or small turbojet engines. Although the Q-1 series was not put into production as a target, it did evolve into the USAF RP-54D / XB-67 / XGAM-67 Crossbow anti-radar missile, which was first flown in 1956. It was also considered as a platform for reconnaissance, electronic countermeasures, and decoy roles.
The Crossbow had a cigar-shaped fuselage, straight wings, a straight twin-fin tail, and an engine inlet under the belly. It was powered by a Continental J69 turbojet engine, with 4.41 kN (450 kgf/1,000 lbf) thrust. Two Crossbows could be carried by a Boeing B-50 Superfortress bomber, while four Crossbows could be carried by a Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber.
Only 14 Crossbows were built before the program was cancelled in 1957, in favor of a more sophisticated system that ended up being cancelled in turn. However, it did point the way to the range of missions that would be performed by UAVs in later decades.
References
- This article contains material that originally came from the web article Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.
1955-1962 United States Air Force rocket and missile designationsAir-to-air missiles Other missiles - See also:
- Alpha Draco
- Bold Orion
- High Virgo
- Pye Wacket
- Sky Scorcher
- United States tri-service missile and drone designations post-1962
USAAS/USAAC/USAAF/USAF bomber designations 1924–1962 Bomber XB-1 · B-2 · B-3 · B-4 · B-5 · B-6 · Y1B-7 · XB-8 · YB-9 · B-10 · YB-11 · B-12 · XB-13 · XB-14 · XB-15 · XB-16 · B-17 · B-18 · XB-19 · Y1B-20 · XB-21 · XB-22 · B-23 · B-24 · B-25 · B-26 · XB-27 · XB-28 · B-29 · XB-30 · XB-31 · B-32 · XB-33 · B-34 · YB-35 · B-36 · B-37 · XB-38 · XB-39 · YB-40 · XB-41 · XB-42 · XB-43 · XB-44 · B-45 · XB-46 · B-47 · XB-48 · YB-49 · B-50 · XB-51 · B-52 · XB-53 · B-54 · XB-55 · XB-56 · B-57 · B-58 · XB-59 · YB-60 · B-61 · B-62 · B-63 · B-64 · B-65 · B-66 · B-67 · XB-68/SM-68 · RB-69 · XB-70 · SR-71
Light bomber Heavy bomber XHB-1 · XHB-2 · XHB-3
Long-range bomber Types of missile By platform - Air-to-air missile (AAM)
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Categories:- Anti-radiation missiles of the United States
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