INDUSTRY ACCELERATES MISSILE PROGRAM USAF Will Spend 20 Per Cent of Funds For Missiles In Current Fiscal Year By Major General James F. Phillips, {USAF-Ret. ) Senior Coordinator, Guided Missiles Committee Aircraft Industries Association
The three military services and Nevertheless, as the threat of war other agencies of the United States changes, so must our defenses. To government, to gether with the air ?ay, in man ~ cases the only counter craft industry, are exploiting every m co mbat IS the o- uided missile.
possible eff ort in speeding up re Thi. s is becomin 0a in~rea s in 0o- ly true search and expanding development m combat air operations. As of missile weapons. manned fi ghters fl y far beyond the Evidence of the great progress speed of so und, bullets fi red from made in the development of this guns are ineffecti ve. Indeed there newest member in the military ar are aircraft already fl ying ' fa ster senal , as well as its impact on the than bullets. But, the o- uided mis U. S. military budget, can best be sile, .while . it is occup; ing an in Conquest of Space Is Speeded By Down-to-Earth seen by an examination of the creasmgly Important place in mili money one military service has spent tary affairs, so far, cannot do the job alone. It is only a part of a bal in buying missiles. In 1951, the anced military arsenal. Wind Tunnel Which Duplicates High Altitudes U. S. Air Force spent less than one While the history of rockets is Man's conquest of the formidable Another strange effect is that a per cent of its aircraft procurement money for missiles. In 1952, expen long - dating back to the 13th cen frontier called space is now being body traveling at an extremely high tury- the fearful portent of the ditures climbed to four per cent. By advanced by a new, unspectacular altitude gets hotter than it do es at rocket missile was not fully realized fi scal 1956, Air Force missile spend looking wind tunnel, 20 feet long the same speed in a lower altitude- until World War II. In 1944, the ing had climbed to 12 per cent of its and 3 feet high - which is bringing other conditions being equal. This Germans launched more than 3,000 the high altitudes down to earth. is due to the fact that even though aircraft procurement. During the current fi scal year 1957, Air Force V-2 . r~ c ket ~ ~the first long range Developed by the U. S. aircraft fri ction is greater at low altitude, ballisti c .mJ.ssile - mostly against estimates it will expend 20.3 per industry in order to explore the up friction heat cannot be conducted Great Bntam. Although only 1,050 cent of its aircraft procurement dol per reaches of the atmosphere and away as easily in high altitudes as in r e ~ c h e d and exploded on English the threshold of space, the low-pres low ones. lars on missiles and by fi scal 1959 so1l, they were far too fast for inter sure aluminum-nozzl e wind tunnel is Researchers have also learned that expenditures will climb to 35 per ception by Allied fighter planes and operated by steam jet pumps which if the air is not pre-heated then it cent of the total. too small a target for radars of the suck the air through the tunnel in will liquefy at speeds b e yo~d Mach Total Defense Department spend era. The only defense· was for the much the same way a perfume atom 6, a ~d take on a fog-like appearance. ing in the missile field during this Allies to destroy the launching sites. izer or paint sprayer works-except Helium- which do esn't- will be current fi scal year ·is expected to History records the V-2 as one o1 the wind tunnel pumps propel the used with a contemplated Mach 8 reach $1,276,000,000 - more than the greatest technological develop steam at 10 times the speed of so und. nozzle. twice the amount spent by both the ments of the war and that it very Air, which is drawn into the wind Air Force (then Army Air Corps ) nearly became the decisive weapon tunnel through an aluminum nozzle, and the U. S. Navy for military air that Hitler planned it to be. attains speeds up to Mach 6 (six craft and related equipment in 1941. Today's guided missiles are pro times the speed of sound). The size Airborne Radar Beacon Research and development in the p ~ ll e d by ramjet and turbojet en of the carefully-machined nozzle de intricacies of mi ssil e weaponry, gmes or by rockets- or a combina termines the speed of the air. Finds Tanker Planes from an almost negligible con sidera ti on of these devi ces. Each of these Midway down th e wind tunnel are ti on during late World War II years, engines has one thing in common two portholes through which the ob A new high powered ai rborne has climbed at an amazin g rate. the jet thrust concept. Equating . ect in the tunnel can be seen and radar beacon usin g a coded signal Today, research and development from Sir Isaac Newton's third law of J hoto"raphed. The air itself is at now insures th at fu el-hungry Air acti vities in this fi eld are already in moti on - " for every action, there is w ; -ess ure, du plicating th e con Force planes will. locate tanker air th e same order as R&D spending for an equal and opposite reaction" f aircraft ; and gui.ded mi ss il es, oper d~ti o n s which would be fo_u nd at craft for mid-air refu eling. th e jet-type engine utilizes a fun c .tudes from 4.0 to 100 m1les up. Developed jointly by the U. S. air atio nall y speakin g, are still in their ti on di scarded by men in their devel lt a J earchers can exc1• te t h e a1. r el ec- craft industry and th e USAF, the infancy. opment of other engine devices. For R es· Jly intro d uce mt· n·c oxi' de t o radar device enables long-range mili The transition in the development most operati ons the action of an u·Ica , . l . l k roduce a glowm g gas w 11c 1 rna es tary aircraft to locate each oth er of aerial weapons and their com engine is required for operational P flo w pattern visible. and pinpoint the exact position in pletely automatic operations are acti vi ty. In the case of jet propul thE eriments have already revealed space of tanker planes, regardless defi nitely under way to pilotl ess air sion, the reaction is requi red . ' xp f the oddities of high-altitude of darkness or weather. craft, foreshadowin g leth ally precise, Guided missil es. as we know them s ~m; °For one thing, the rarified air T his assured mid-air refueli ng can surface-to-surface gui ded mi ssiles. to day, use liquid or solid propel f]1 g t.,t hit a shape in the tunnel triple the effective reach of USAF's But it will be a great ma ny years, lants. The turbojet or ramjet pow d ~e s n a solid force; instead the in long- range aircraft , as well as ex if ever, before the transition is com ered engines burn their li quid fuels w_I t ~ ld 1 molecules of air spatter on tend the operational range of many pleted and piloted combat aircraft by usin g oxv2:en from the atmos- VI ua l'k . are outmoded in mil itary operations. 3) d1 11 objects J e ram. other airborne missions. (S ee PILOTED, Page sma PLANES Planes is published by the Aircra ft Industries Associa tion of America, Inc., the n a tiona l tra de association of the manufacturers of military, t ransport, a nd personal aircra ft, helicopters , flying missiles a nd their a ccessories, instruments and components. The purpose of Planes is to: F ost er a better public understanding of Air Power a nd the r equirements essential to preserva tion of American leader ship in the a ir; Illustrate a nd expla in the special problems of the a ircr a ft industry and its vital r ole in our nationa l security. Publication Office: 610 Shore ham Building, Washington 5, D. C . ON~ AIRCRAfl eOMPANY New York Office : 150 East 42nd Street, Ne w York 17, New York. Los Ange le s Office: 7660 Beve rly Boulevard, Los Angeles 36, California. MANUF'AC11JRIH6 LAR~ U.S. ALL MATERIAL MAY BE REPRODUCED-MATS OF ALL CHARTS M,L,TARY AIRCRA~ CONTAINS ARE AVAILABLE FREE • 76 ACRES OF FLOOR SPAC£ AND ~V:z. MIL.fS OF INTER CONNeGTING TWO-lANe Key To Ai•· Powe•· HIGHWAYS. Soviet air weapons - backed by a massive scientific and industrial eff ort- are such as to give this nation and the free world cause for serious :. ~'ltCRAFT PARIS MAKI£R MAS thought about the future. LT A• Eil-liGTRONte G~UGe 1t. liST TIMV PARTS DELICATE The factors supporting this judgment include their emphasis on a 8 HOUGH TO MEASURE THE o&Pn4 thorough technical training of a large number of carefully selected per OF A MoUS& FOOTPRINT ON A sonnel ; the widening va riety of advanced aircraft under development and NDOFWIU. in production ; and the rapid rate of progress the Soviets have shown during the last few years along all fro nts in aeronautical research and develop ment.
The Zhukovskii Air Engineering Academy in Moscow, founded in 1918, is perhaps most illuminating of the emphasis placed by the Russians upon research and development. The student body is drawn directly from the officer ranks of the Soviet Air Force; and in standpoint of physical size and the breadth and depth of its curriculum this Academy is unique among the world's professional military institutions. The co urse lasts five years; the student enrollment is 2,500. · The age-range for entrance is 24-32 years and candidates are required to have at least fi ve years of prior service with th e Air Force and the rank of First Lieutenant to Major. Several things about this engineering academy are impressive. Besides the obviously good quality of their instructors is the equi pment available for training. It is very good ; there is a lot of it, and it is varied. Recently, visiting technical experts were surprised that the Soviet Air Force possessed the resources to put so much specialized equipment at the disposal of a training institution. They have an unusually fine collection of laboratory cameras for very high speed photography, and their metallurgy department compares favorably with the highest United States standards. Runway Comes to Plane Air Quote This Russian air .engineering academy where the USSR trains its most In Ice Landing Test "The minimum military strength promising talent in the air sciences and engineering, is but one of an exten we can aff ord must give us the sive network of insti tutions, both within and outside the Soviet Air Force. unquestioned ability to retaliate You've heard about the mountain comi ng to Mohammed. Now the against any enemy that attacks This academy, and other scho ols like it in Russia, provides the answer us or our A llies. This requires, as to how the Communists have managed to make great strides in the versatile aircraft industry is bring ing the runway to the plane in a fi rst of all, a force in being of improvement of their position in atomics, aeronautics and electronics. the most modern aircraft- a force Through modernization of their entire educati onal system and emphasis on series of experiments designed to insure th e safety of our a ircraft in able to take the air with atomic the physical sciences and ind ustrial technology, they have geometrically icy Arcti c climates. bombs within minutes after an increased th eir technical and scientific potential. As a result they are gradu The tests are being conducted in alarm is sounded. This forc e ating t: ngineers and scientists at more th an twice the rate of this country. order to determine what material must be scattered over hundreds will best protect the underbelly of bases, far too many for an Fortunately, our government has recognized this situati on and action is fu selage of a cargo and troop car enemy to paralyze with a single being taken. President Eisenhower's recently established Nati onal Com rier plane from ice mounds so com blow. mittee for the Development of Scientists and Engineers is even now search mon in the Arcti c, as it operates off "Second, it requires research, ing for positive sol utions to the problem. The establi shment of the United and onto short, unprepared fields. development and industrial de States Air Force Academy is evidence by our government and nation of the An icy rough landing fi eld is centralization programs that will increased specialization which is required to maintain U. S. superiority in simul ated by a 40- po und block of improve the eff ectiveness of our future weapons and reduce our the air sciences and engineering. ice suspended from a steel brace on a speeding automobil e. T he auto vulnerability. R esearch and de· However, as currently regards the relative quality of aeronautical mobile dri ven at 100 feet per sec velopment are absolutely essen products in the United States versus those of the USSR, this nati on can be ond (to duplicate the landing speed tial if we are to maintain maxi· of the plane ) scrapes the ice again st mum po wer at minimum cost. reassured that our priva te, highly competitive, aircraft_ industry still leads W e need better accuracies, more in th e race for, and development of, superior air weapons. But the United the underbelly fu selage of the plane. The fu selage section is secured in reliability, fas ter missiles, smaller States must protect this qualitative lead by a continuing heavy inves tment a frame to mainta in the exact angle launching sites and a wider in research and development. it wo uld have in a landing aircraft. spread economy. From now on, Before each test "land in g," th e all of our planning should be P resent spending on research and develop ment, according to Ai r Force fu selage secti ons are overla id with based on a policy of locating im Ch ief of Staff, General Nathan Twining, is not onl y fu ll y j ustifi ed but such materials as fi breglass, tefl on, portant establishments, so fa r as in crease a re wa rranted both directly to the aircraft indus try and to the and vinyl foam plastic. These ma practicable, outside o / major tar nation's schools and uni ve rsities. It is upon the latter and their student terials are being tested sin gly and get areas."- Ma jor General E. J. productivity that our civil air economy, our mili tary air forces and our air in combinati on to determin e the best Timberlake, USAF Co mm ander. cra ft ind ustry must depend heavily in the years to come to contin ue the protective ice armor within the con Ninth Air Force, May 30, 1956. development and producti on of superior air power. fin es of li mited weight restricti ons. Piloted Combat Aircraft Not Outmoded by Progress of Latest Weapons (Continued from page l ) others. Listed elsewhere on this page, by category, are the names of phere and are limited therefore to both operational missiles and those fli ghts :"ithin the atmosphere up to still in various stages of research approximately a 20-mile altitude_ and development, togeth P. r with their The w cket engine can use either sponsoring service, and which have liquid or solid fu el. Unique char heen officially released by the De acteristi c of the rocket engine is fense Department. All but tw o of that it carries its own oxygen and these weapons have been designed therefore is independent of outside and d eveloped by the aircraft indus atmosphere for its operation. try. By the end of World War II, the The aircraft industry has spent a U. S. aircraft industry had applied great deal of money in private re electronic guidance to a series of search of all aspects of the auided simple airframes and had produced missile. The industry, worklna in the L oon, the Bat, the Pelican and a close liaison with military and ; ther series of glide bombs. After World government research agencies, has War II, virtually the entire aircraft developed hi gh thrust controllable industry became involved in guided missile engines, both air-breathina missile projects for one or more of and non-air-breathing; it has devef the three military services. ?ped. very accurate electroni c and Indicative of the long lead time mertJ al .guidance sys tems as well as required in the research, develop electromc computers which can con ment and ultimate production of trol the ballisti c missile fli ah t . it guided missiles is that several of has im proved as well as de;elo,ped the missile projects begun shortly new techniques of airframe construc after World War II have only re tion to withstand the areat stress cently come into operational use. and strains of ultrasonic ~ p ee d capa Among them are the Navy R egulus bilities of these new weapons. a nd S parrow; the Air Force Mata . Armed with our rapidly cumulat dor already deployed in Europe; mg knowl edge, the government has and the Army Nike and Corporal, rec~n tl y initiated Project Vanguard, the latter also deployed in Europe. which charges the aircraft industry This nation now has but nine with ~ e v~ l o pin g a rocket capabl e of guided missiles in operati onal status estabhshmg an artificial orbitina with Air Force, Army and Navy satellite in outer space_ It is c ur~ units, but many more are in fin al ren.tly. planned to propel the tiny stages of development and their pro artifiCJal moon to an orbital position duction tooling in our great aircraft, by a three-stage rocket. Its orbit aircraft engine, electronic and com ta l< e these tools fo r defense and a p according to the Defense Depart: ply them to the peaceful causes of Automatic Navigator ponents manufacture plants is well ment, will be such that it will de under way. corJl rnerce. The guided rocket can scribe an ellipse varying from 200 to do rnuch to enhance the nation's Studies Jet Stream The military categorize combat 1,000 miles from the earth. It will missiles according to their combat indeed the world's- standard of liv travel at an incredible speed of be ing through the rapid delivery of Aircraft industry ingenuity has mission. Surface-to-air missiles are tween 17,000 and 18,000 miles per cargo, passengers and mail trans r ec~ ntl y developed an automatic designed to destroy enemy aircraft hour, completely circling the earth in fli ght. The Army Nike and Navy cootinentally and int e rn a ti o ~ally to navi gator which will be used by the in about 90 minutes_ It is hoped to Terrier are currentl y operational eveP the most remote regions of the U_ S. Air Force in a new study of launch this mi ghty vehicle during for this task. Ai r Force also has the "Jet Stream" - a high speed th e 1957-58 geophysical year. world. surface-to-air missiles under devel U. S. Opera tional Missiles current of wind that fl ows from west opment designed to supplement its With Project Vanguard "in the to east at altitudes rangin g from works" it is only natural that our Missil e Servi ce fi ghter interceptors. 25,000 to 40,000 feet. research specialists and engineers In the air-to-air category, because A ir-to- Air ~h e study is being conducted at USAF they are designed to com prise the are looking even farther ahead. Falco n Wn ght-Patterson AFB Ohio where armament of piloted fi ghters and ~a n y are already talking and plan Sparrow Navy the jet stream will ' be cirecked, n_ mg how to hurtle the next aeronau bombers, mi ssiles are smaller. But Air-to-Surface c h a rt e ~ and probed by a medium ti cal frontier- establishment of a their mission, as with the surface Petrel Navy range Jet bomber equipped with the to-air missil e, is anti-aircraft . In mann ed space station. S urfac e-to-Air most modern instruments fof inves '!'he aircraft industry's ability to this area, Navy has a S parrow fam Nike Army ti gating the atmosphere. ily under development, one of which bUild an object that fli es throu ah Terrier Navy the air is not the main cri terion ~n The navi gator will be used to is already operational. Air Force Surface-to-Sur/ace (air breathing) chart the speed of the winds in and which its ability to build missil es is Matador USAF has a Falco n series for the same air ~bo ut the jet stream, and will be of based. An equally important factor Regulus Navy to-air mission. ~n v~ lu a bl e assistance to the Air Force is its ability in managing systems. Surface-to-Sur fa ce (ballistic ) A thi rd category of gui ded mis m Its efforts to obtain mo re data An airplane is a system. The air Corporal Army sil es is the air-to-surface group. a~o ut the elusive river of air - the These are weapons under develop craft manufacturer is aiven a basic Honest J ohn Army job and starts to work. He oft en U. S. R esearch and Development W I ~ d speeds in it, how it changes ment by both Air Force and Navy to altitude, course and di rection, and carry lethal warheads to an enemy do es not produce the aluminum, Missile Projects manu fac ture the engin e, make the Missile Service determining its future movements. target making it unnecessary for th e By attaining th ese goals, more man ned bomber to come under at landin g gear, co mmuni cati ons equip Atl as USAF ~ c cu r a t e method s of fo recasting the tack of heavily armed local defenses ment or hundreds of other co mpo nents that make up an airplane. Yet Bomare USAF Jet stream winds will be .developed, of the enemy. he manufactures th e airplane. This J upiter USA-USN a n ~! jet aircraft operating at these A fourth category, surfa ce-to-s ur Navaho USAF is .not . merely an assembly job. The a lt ~tud es will be able to utilize these face, is divided into two types Nike B Army the " ballisti c" which is rocket pow skill mvolved is in hi s ability to swift winds to increase their peeds. make all these intricate elements Ra ~ ~ USAF . By fl yin g the jet stream, jet air ered and possesses very hi gh veloci Redstone A ~· my work to gether to accomplish a spe cr.a ft. can actually extend ~h e range ties, and the "cruise" whi ch may use Snark USAF cific . t a s ~ . T~i s .is th e un ique quali or distance they can fl y without re turbojet an.d ramj et engin es. The Talos Navy fi catiO n m missile producti on. fu elin a ballisti cs famil y includes such mi s Thor USAF As of now th e guided missile pro With. the advent of commercial jet s.iles as the Army Co rporal and th e Titan USAF 5,000-mile A tlas and Titan missil es gram of this nation is directed and transportation, civilian air Jines h a~e oriented in such a manner as to as U. S: ~ e s e nr c h Missile Veh icles under development fo r the Air MJssile Serv ice ex pressed considerable int erest m Force. The cruise type missiles sure American leadershi p in this 1h e proj ec t, since th ey too will be incl ude Navy's R egulu.s and Air aspect of national defense. But tb e A ~ r ?b ee USN-USAF operating at altitudes where the Jet day is approaching when we can y ,kmg USN F orce'. Matador and Snark and stream exists. Piston Engines Are AIRCRAFT PROFITS BELOW U.S. AVERAGE Aviation Mainstay 1946 1955
Despite the increasing use of turbojet and turboprop engines, the piston engine rema!ns a mainstay in military, commercial and general aviation opera tions. ~PROFIT In Fiscal Year 1957, which started this month, the Air Force es t~mat es , 3.9% that reciprocating engines will ac count for 57 per cent of the total fl ying hours. In front line bomber and fi ghter operations, however, the AIRCRAFT AND PARTS - jet engines will a c c o ~nt ~or 75 per cent of the time fl own m F1scal 1957. Practically all U. S. airline opera "'(/) tions are powered by the piston 0 -J enaine which has been consistently im~ r oved over the years. The fi rst U. S.-built commercial jet transports 1947 1948 1949 1950 195 1 1952 1953 1954 1955 are scheduled to start operations late in 1958, but the piston-engine Th e U. S. aircraft industry has recovered from the severe losses following World War II and has since achieved an established position aircraft will continue for several in Am erican in dustry. But net profits of the aircraft industry remain years to d o mi~ a ~ e the o~e~ ati o n s ?f at a rate nearly half that ave raged by all other U. S. manufacturing commercial aulmes. A1rlmes still industries. During 1955, fo r example, aircraft and parts companies are placing orders fo r piston trans a ve raged a profit of only $3.90 for each $100 of sales, compare d with ports at a high rate. In general avia an ave rage of $6.70 for all other U. S. manufacturing industries.* tion, for example, ~h e jet engine ' NATIONAL CITY BANK O F NEW YORK -PLANES only recently made Its appearance, rut piston- engine aircraft will be used for most of the priva te fl ying in the U. S. for many years to come. U. S.-built aircraft continue to hold an overwhelming acceptance Television Becoming 'Star Performer' 'Three-in-One' Plane from the world's airlines. Of the 2 476 aircraft in service on world New Bomber Bargain airlines, 86.6 per cent are built by in Building U. S. Air Superiority U. S. manufacturers. This h1 gh One of the most expensive prob proportion is solid proof o~ the com lems in U.S. military aviation until petitive success of U. S. aucraft. Television is becoming increasing get a close-up "on the spo t" look at recently has been the modific ation of Air travel has grown spectacu ly important to the nation's aircraft the structure without danger of in combat aircraft to meet certain spe larly as the aircraft industry has industry in the manufac ture of j ury in case of structure failure. cialized requirements - bombing, provided faster and more luxurious fi ghters and bombers as well as lux Another aircraft company is using photo -reconnaissance, e l ectronic aircraft capable of carrying larger urious commercial transport planes. mission, and others. Often the Air loads over increasingly longer dis a cl osed circuit television system One aircraft manufacturer uses a specifically designed to help the Force, for example, has had to pur tances. In terms of passenger miles, chase a separate airplane type to the U. S. domestic and international television camera installed inside an company cut costs as well as to meet the specialized need. scheduled airlines increased from airplane wing so that engineers can speed production of supersonic 533;052,000 in 1938 to 24,463,158,000 see what is happening to the wing's fi ghter-bombers for the USAF. This Engineers of one large aircraft in 1955, an increase of almost 4,500 structure while the wing is subject device basically is an improvement company have developed capsule per cent. And pr ed i_c ~i on s all fore ed to various stretches and bending. on an "optical tooling" system wide like devices for bombers which can cast even greater actiVIty. This means that the engineer can ly used by the aircraft industry in be installed in the bomb bay, trans the making of aircraft production fo rming in a matter of minutes, the tools. This is an electronic "line of capability of the plane to meet any Pilots May Use Slurry or Exotic sight" technique which guides the of three vital military air missions. workers as they make many identi The capsul es, which can be in cal copies of aircraft parts or sub se rted in to the bomb bay almost as .~f- < Proper Cermets are Developed assemblies. ~ a s il y as a neon light is snapped UJ C Still ; nother company is using a mto a fix ture, are fuliy equipped for . raft technology is movin g so aircraft power plants believe that televisio n camera, reported to be th eir special tasks, press urized and present liquid or solid fu els may not air-co nditioned. Manned by two A;~lc that the English language is the world's smallest, fo r aerial tele be the fi nal answer. Researchers, mission experts, the capsules, de rap!. ~ inadequate for the expres vi sin g of planes undergoin g fli ght therefore, are worki ng on fu els pending upon whichever type is re· p_rovi;f ideas. As a result, new words test. For example, the camera, swn b in" coined and old ones are whi ch can provide the same or more quired, become a functi oning part are . e ;'econdary meanin gs in the thrust while weighing less and tak wh ich is only 5 inches long and 2 of the aircraft as lon