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Air-to-air missile. Year: 1950. IOC: 1950. Country: USA. Department of Defence Designation: AAM-N-1. Cancelled 1955 Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch Ryan AAM-A-1 Firebird In 1946 the USAAF awarded study contracts for several types of guided air-to-air missiles. These included project MX-799, which was assigned to Ryan Aeronautical, and which called for a fighter-launched subsonic AAM for use against bombers. In 1947, Ryan was awarded a development contract under project MX-799 for the AAM-A-1 Firebird missile, the first really viable air-to-air missile project of the U.S. Air Force. The first launch of an XAAM-A-1 prototype occurred in October 1947. The XAAM-A-1 prototypes were launched from DF-82C and DB-26B aircraft. The missile had a solid-propellant booster, which was in line with the rear fuselage. After booster burnout, it was dropped, and the liquid-fueled sustainer engine propelled the Firebird for another 15 seconds. For stability and control, the XAAM-A-1 used cruciform moving wings and fixed tailfins. It was directed toward the target by an operator using a radio command guidance system, and used semi-active radar guidance for terminal homing. The high-explosive warhead was detonated by a proximity and impact fuzing system. The Firebird tests continued until late 1949, when the AAM-A-1 program was cancelled. The mid-course command guidance made the missile a pure day-only clear-weather weapon, and while the possibility of a radar beam-riding guidance was studied, this option was not pursued because the liquid-fueled subsonic XAAM-A-1 was effectively obsolete in 1950. However, data obtained during tests of the SARH terminal guidance proved useful in the development of the GAR-1/AIM-4 Falcon missile. SpecificationsNote: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate! Data for XAAM-A-1: | Length (w/o booster) | 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in); booster: 0.56 m (1 ft 10 in) | | Wingspan | 0.91 m (3 ft) | | Finspan | 0.91 m (3 ft) | | Diameter | 15 cm (6 in) | | Weight | 120 kg (260 lb) | | Speed | Mach 0.85 | | Range | 13 km (8 miles) | | Propulsion | Sustainer: Liquid-fueled rocket; 2.7 kN (600 lb)
Booster: Solid-fueled rocket | | Warhead | 40 kg (90 lb) high-explosive | Main Sources[1] Bill Gunston: "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rockets and Missiles", Salamander Books Ltd, 1979
[2] Frederick I. Ordway III, Ronald C. Wakeford: "International Missile and Spacecraft Guide", McGraw-Hill, 1960
Manufacturer: Ryan. Total Mass: 270 kg (590 lb). Core Diameter: 0.24 m (0.78 ft). Total Length: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Span: 0.91 m (2.98 ft). Maximum range: 13 km (8 mi). Boost Propulsion: Solid rocket. Cruise Propulsion: Storable liquid rocket. Guidance: Beam rider or Semi-Active Radar Homing.
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