AAM-N-10 Eagle
| AAM-N-10 Eagle | |
|---|---|
home-on-jam terminal | |
| References | Parsch 2003 |
The AAM-N-10 Eagle was a long-range
fleet defense fighter, the Eagle program was cancelled before testing could begin, but the lessons learned were used in the development of the AIM-54 Phoenix
missile.
Design and development
Development of the AAM-N-10 began in 1957 with the definition of the
Douglas Aircraft was contracted to develop the F6D-1 Missileer fighter, and the Bendix Corporation received a contract that December for the AAM-N-10 Eagle missile.[1]
Eagle was of conventional design for heavy air-to-air missiles of the time, with very low-
high explosive warhead was standard, and Eagle was designed to be capable of carrying a W42 nuclear warhead.[1]
The Eagle utilized midcourse
home-on-jam guidance system for terminal homing.[3]
During 1960, a
Douglas A3D Skywarrior medium bomber was modified as a testbed for the APQ-81 and was intended to launch AAM-N-10s during the testing phase of the program; the modification, with an enlarged radome, led to the aircraft being nicknamed "Snoopy".[4] However, due to cost issues and concerns about the viability of the slow fleet-defense fighter concept, the Missileer program, including the Eagle, was cancelled in December 1961,[5] before any hardware had been built. Despite the cancellation, however, the design of the Eagle provided data that assisted the development of the AAM-N-11 (later AIM-54) Phoenix missile carried by the General Dynamics–Grumman F-111B and Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighters.[1]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Parsch 2003.
- ^ "Bird of Prey". Flight International, Volume 78 (1960). p. 610.
- ^ a b c Friedman 1982, p. 177.
- ^ Francillon, Lewis & Dunn 1991, p. 126.
- ^ Simonsen, 2016, p. 108
Bibliography
- Francillon, Rene J.; Lewis, Peter B. & Dunn, Jim (1991). Electronic Wizards: Crows, Zappers and Weasels. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-112-0.
- ISBN 978-0-87021-735-7.
- Simonsen, Erik (2016). A Complete History of U.S. Combat Aircraft Fly-Off Competitions: Winners, Losers, and What Might Have Been. Forest Lake, MN: Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-58007-227-4.
- Parsch, Andreas (6 January 2003). "Bendix AAM-N-10 Eagle". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones. Designation-Systems. Retrieved 2017-12-22.