ASM-N-5 Gorgon V

Last updated
ASM-N-5 Gorgon V
Type Air-to-surface missile
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used by United States Navy
Production history
Designed 1950–1953
Manufacturer Glenn L. Martin Company
No. built 0
Specifications
Weight 2,600 pounds (1,200 kg)
Length 28 feet 10 inches (8.79 m)
Warhead Chemical warfare agents
Engine None
Wingspan 10 feet (3.0 m)
Operational
range
 34 mi (55 km)
Flight ceiling 35,000 feet (11,000 m)
Speed Mach 0.95
Guidance
system
 Autopilot

The ASM-N-5 Gorgon V was an unpowered air-to-surface missile, developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company during the early 1950s for use by the United States Navy as a chemical weapon delivery vehicle. Developed from the earlier PTV-N-2 Gorgon IV test vehicle, the program was cancelled without any Gorgon Vs seeing service.

Air-to-surface missile missile designed to be launched from aircraft against ground targets

An air-to-surface missile (ASM) or air-to-ground missile is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common propulsion systems for air-to-surface missiles are rocket motors, usually with shorter range, and slower, longer-range jet engines. Some Soviet-designed air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjets, giving them both long range and high speed.

Glenn L. Martin Company defunct aerospace manufacturer

The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the US and allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War. During the 1950s and 60s, the Martin Company moved from the aircraft industry into the guided missile, space exploration, and space utilization industries.

United States Navy Naval warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone, it is larger than the next 13 navies combined, which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations. with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, and two new carriers under construction. With 319,421 personnel on active duty and 99,616 in the Ready Reserve, the Navy is the third largest of the service branches. It has 282 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of March 2018, making it the second largest and second most powerful air force in the world.

Contents

Design and development

The Gorgon V project was begun in 1950 to develop an air-to-surface missile capable of dispersing chemical warfare agents over a combat area. [1] Designing of the missile was contracted to the Glenn L. Martin Company, which used the company's earlier PTV-N-2 Gorgon IV ramjet test missile as a basis for the weapon's design. [1] The Gorgon V was to be a long slender missile, with swept wings and conventional tail. [1] The Gorgon IV's ramjet engine, slung beneath the missile's tail, was replaced in the Gorgon V with a X14A aerosol generator, developed by the Edo Aircraft Corporation. [2] [N 1]

Swept wing

A swept wing is a wing that angles either backward or occasionally forward from its root rather than in a straight sideways direction. Wing sweep has the effect of delaying the shock waves and accompanying aerodynamic drag rise caused by fluid compressibility near the speed of sound, improving performance. Swept wings are therefore often used on jet aircraft designed to fly at these speeds. Swept wings are also sometimes used for other reasons, such as structural convenience or visibility.

Ramjet jet engine that uses the engines forward motion to compress incoming air

A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a flying stovepipe or an athodyd, is a form of airbreathing jet engine that uses the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air without an axial compressor or a centrifugal compressor. Because ramjets cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed, they cannot move an aircraft from a standstill. A ramjet-powered vehicle, therefore, requires an assisted take-off like a rocket assist to accelerate it to a speed where it begins to produce thrust. Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around Mach 3. This type of engine can operate up to speeds of Mach 6.

Edo Aircraft Corporation

EDO Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturing company known primarily for manufacturing pontoons for floatplanes.

Operational use of the Gorgon V was intended to be based on two missiles being carried by a launching aircraft. [2] These would be released at an altitude of 35,000 feet (11,000 m). The Gorgon V would be piloted by autopilot in a high-subsonic dive. [2] [N 2] Upon reaching an altitude of 500 feet (150 m) or less, as measured by a radar altimeter, the aerosol generator would be activated, dispersing chemical agent over an area of up to 12 mi (20 km) by 5.6 mi (9 km). [1]

A radar altimeter, electronic altimeter, reflection altimeter, radio altimeter (RADALT), low range radio altimeter (LRRA) or simply RA, used on aircraft, measures altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft or spacecraft by timing how long it takes a beam of radio waves to reflect from the ground and return to the plane. This type of altimeter provides the distance between the antenna and the ground directly below it, in contrast to a barometric altimeter which provides the distance above a defined datum, usually mean sea level.

Development of the Gorgon V continued throughout the Korean War. In 1953 it was projected that the weapon would be ready for operational service by 1955. [2] Later that year, the Gorgon V was cancelled by the US Navy. [5] It is unknown if any prototypes were constructed before the termination of the project. [1]

Korean War 1950–1953 war between North Korea and South Korea

The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border.

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ One source suggests that ASM-N-5 was intended to be a ramjet-powered, low-altitude, high-speed weapon. [3]
  2. ↑ One source indicates that the weapon may have been command-guided based on a television signal from the missile. [4]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Parsch 2005
  2. 1 2 3 4 Friedman 1982, p.201.
  3. ↑ Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.182.
  4. ↑ Fahey 1958, p.32.
  5. ↑ Gunston 1979, p.121.

Bibliography

James Charles Fahey (1903–1974) was an American author best remembered as the original compiler and publisher of the popular American reference The Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet.

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