Arocket sled is a test platform that slides along a track (e.g. set of rails), propelled byrockets.
A rocket sled differs from arocket car in not using wheels; at high speeds wheels would spin to pieces due to the extreme centrifugal forces. Apart from rare examples running on snow or ice (such asMax Valier's RAK BOBs of the late 1920s[1] and Harry Bull's BR-1 in 1931[2]), most rocket sleds run on a track. Although some rocket sleds ride on single beams or rails, most use a pair of rails.Standard gauge (1.435 m / 56.5 in) is common but sled tracks of narrower or widergauge also exist. The rail cross-section profile is usually that of aVignoles rail, commonly used for railroads. Sliding pads, called "slippers", are curved around the head of the rails to prevent the sled from flying off the track. Air cushions and magnetic levitation have also been used as alternatives, with potential benefits including reduced sled vibration.
A rocket sled holds the land-based speed record for a vehicle, atMach 8.5.[3]
Rocket sleds were used extensively early in theCold War to accelerate equipment considered too experimental (hazardous) for testing directly in piloted aircraft. The equipment to be tested under high acceleration or high airspeed conditions was installed along with appropriateinstrumentation, data recording andtelemetry equipment on the sled. The sled was then accelerated according to the experiment's design requirements for data collection along a length of isolated, precisely level and straight test track.Testingejection seat systems and technology prior to their use in experimental or operational aircraft was a common application of the rocket sled atHolloman Air Force Base. Perhaps the most famous, the tracks atEdwards Air Force Base were used to test missiles, supersonic ejection seats, aircraft shapes and the effects of acceleration and deceleration on humans. The rocket sled track at Edwards Air Force Base was dismantled and used to extend the track at Holloman Air Force Base, taking it to almost 10 miles (16 km) in length.
Unmanned rocket sleds continue to be used to test missile components without requiring costly live missile launches. Aworld speed record of Mach 8.5 (6,416 mph / 10,325 km/h) was achieved by a four-stage rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base on April 30, 2003, the highest speed ever attained by a land vehicle.[4]
Murphy's law first received public attention during a press conference about rocket sled testing.[5]
| Name | Location | Co-ordinates | Country | Length | Gauge | Rail Type | Welded/ Segmented | Opened | Renovated | Closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT) Rails 1&2 | Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, NM | 32°53′17″N106°09′01″W / 32.8881°N 106.1502°W /32.8881; -106.1502 | USA | 50,971 ft (15.536 km) | 84 in (2.1 m) | 171 | Welded | 1950[6] | 1956, 1957, 1974, 2000, 2002 | Runs North-South | |
| Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track (SNORT) | NAWC-WDNaval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, CA | 35°42′17″N117°44′27″W / 35.7047°N 117.7408°W /35.7047; -117.7408 | USA | 21,550 ft (6.568 km) | 56.5 in (1.435 m) | 171 | Welded | 1953 | 2006 | North-South | |
| Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT) Rail 3 | Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, NM | 32°58′07″N106°09′25″W / 32.9687°N 106.15688°W /32.9687; -106.15688 | USA | 20,200 ft (6.157 km) | 26.3 in (0.67 m) | 171 | Welded | 1974 | North-South | ||
| Extended High-Speed Rocket Sled Track | Edwards AFB, Edwards, CA | 34°48′53″N117°54′30″W / 34.81485°N 117.9084°W /34.81485; -117.9084 | USA | 20,000 ft (6.096 km) | 56.5 in (1.435 m) | 171 | Welded | 1949 | 1959 | 1963 | Also known as South Base Sled Track (SBST). Rails used to lengthen HHSTT |
| Rail Track Rocket Sled Test Facility[7][8][9] | Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory Range, Ramgarh, Haryana | 30°38′29″N76°55′21″E / 30.641470°N 76.922399°E /30.641470; 76.922399 | India | 3.8 km (12,467 ft) | 0.7–4.86 m (28–191 in) | 1988 | 2014 | 5 rails North/South | |||
| Supersonic Military Air Research Track (SMART) | Aircraft Interior Products Propulsion Systems,Hurricane Mesa, UT | 37°14′18″N113°13′13″W / 37.2384°N 113.22037°W /37.2384; -113.22037 | USA | 12,000 ft (3.658 km) | 56.5 in (1.435 m) | 105 | Welded | 1955 | 1961* | *Now Privately Owned & Operational. North-South | |
| Sandia 2 | Technical Area III, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM | 34°59′57″N106°33′23″W / 34.9992°N 106.55646°W /34.9992; -106.55646 | USA | 10,000 ft (3.048 km) | 0.56 m (22 in) | 1966 | 1985 | North-South | |||
| Rocket rail track 3500, FKP GkNIPAS | Beloozyorsky | 55°29′12″N38°29′54″E / 55.48677°N 38.49836°E /55.48677; 38.49836 | Russia | 3.5 km (11,480 ft) | Segmented | 2014 | Formerly RD-2500. Used byZvezda for ejection seat testing | ||||
| RT-2650, FKP NII Geodeziya | Krasnoarmeysk | 56°07′08″N38°12′12″E / 56.11901°N 38.20345°E /56.11901; 38.20345 | Russia | 2,650 m (8,694 ft) | R-75 | 1956 | 1984 | ||||
| TsKP MIK ofRFNC-VNIIEF | Sarov | 54°49′16″N43°15′11″E / 54.8212°N 43.2530°E /54.8212; 43.2530 | Russia | 3.0 km (9,843 ft) | |||||||
| B-4 Transonic Test Track | NAWC-WDNaval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, CA | 35°42′23″N117°48′19″W / 35.7063°N 117.80516°W /35.7063; -117.80516 | USA | 6,800 ft (2,073 m) | 56.5 in (1.435 m) | 75 | Welded | 1940 | |||
| Martin-Baker Langford Lodge | Langford Lodge, Northern Ireland | 54°37′33″N6°17′56″W / 54.62581°N 6.29895°W /54.62581; -6.29895 | UK | 6,200 ft (1,890 m) | 30 in (0.762 m) | 80 | 1971 | Privately Owned & Operated by Martin-Baker | |||
| Pendine Long Test Track (LTT) | QinetiQ,Pendine, Wales | 51°44′17″N4°29′48″W / 51.73801°N 4.49680°W /51.73801; -4.49680 | UK | 1,500 m (4,921 ft) | 12 in (0.305 m) | 103 | 1956 | ||||
| Centre D'essais Des Landes Single Rail R1[10] | Biscarrosse | 44°20′47″N1°14′11″W / 44.34641°N 1.23640°W /44.34641; -1.23640 | France | 2.0 km (6,562 ft) | Monorail | Square Beam | Segmented | 1968 | 1974, ? | (Foundation for 2nd rail in place) | |
| G-4 Exterior and Terminal Ballistics Test Track | NAWC-WDNaval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, CA | 35°52′05″N117°43′51″W / 35.86793°N 117.73071°W /35.86793; -117.73071 | USA | 3,000 ft (914 m) | 33.875 in (0.860 m) | 171 | Welded | 1954 | |||
| ETTC KEMTF sled track | Test Area C-74,Eglin AFB, Ft. Walton Beach, FL | 30°41′06″N86°19′38″W / 30.68503°N 86.32713°W /30.68503; -86.32713 | USA | 2,000 ft (610 m) | 56.5 in (1.435 m) | 171 | Welded | 1956 | |||
| Sandia 1 | Technical Area III,Kirtland AFB,Albuquerque, NM | 34°59′22″N106°32′39″W / 34.98955°N 106.54407°W /34.98955; -106.54407 | USA | 2,000 ft (610 m) | 56.5 in (1.435 m) | 1951 | North-South | ||||
| Edwards North Base Track "G-Whiz" | Edwards AFB, Edwards, CA | 34°59′47″N117°51′29″W / 34.99641°N 117.85798°W /34.99641; -117.85798 | USA | 2,000 ft (610 m) | Welded | 1944 | 1953 | Also known as North Base Sled Track (NBST). East-West | |||
| Redstone Test Center Sled Track 1 | Test Area 1,Redstone Arsenal, AL | 34°36′14″N86°38′42″W / 34.60375°N 86.64504°W /34.60375; -86.64504 | USA | 1,900 ft (579 m) | Monorail | 1956 | FormerlyRedstone Technical Test Center | ||||
| Pendine Impact Test Track | QinetiQ, Pendine, Wales | 51°44′29″N4°30′26″W / 51.74125°N 4.50728°W /51.74125; -4.50728 | UK | 400 m (1,312 ft) | 56.5 in (1.435 m) | ||||||
| Centre D'essais Des Landes Single Rail R2[10] | Biscarrosse | 44°21′11″N1°13′49″W / 44.35312°N 1.23039°W /44.35312; -1.23039 | France | 400 m (1,312 ft) | 0.60 m (24 in) | Square Beam | Segmented | 1967 | Former HB3 track, moved fromCIEESColomb-Béchar, Algeria | ||
| Redstone Test Center Sled Track 2 | Test Area 1, Redstone Arsenal, AL | 34°36′06″N86°38′22″W / 34.60173°N 86.63935°W /34.60173; -86.63935 | USA | 1,200 ft (366 m) | Monorail | Formerly Redstone Technical Test Center | |||||
| New Mexico Tech/EMRTC Sled Track | Socorro, NM | 34°01′25″N106°58′41″W / 34.02348°N 106.97819°W /34.02348; -106.97819 | USA | 1,000 ft (305 m) | Monorail | 171 | Privately owned & operated. North-South | ||||
| Pendine Short Test Track (STT) | QinetiQ, Pendine, Wales | 51°44′38″N4°30′33″W / 51.74375°N 4.50908°W /51.74375; -4.50908 | UK | 200 m (656 ft) | |||||||
| General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems | Rock Hill, FL | 30°36′54″N86°05′47″W / 30.61492°N 86.09640°W /30.61492; -86.09640 | USA | 656 ft (200 m) | I-Beam | Privately Owned & Operated | |||||
| Alkantpan Rocket Sled Range | Alkantpan Test Range,Copperton,Northern Cape | 29°56′50″S22°13′36″E / 29.94715°S 22.22665°E /-29.94715; 22.22665 | South Africa | 200 m (656 ft) | 0.5 m (19.7 in) | Single or Double I-beam | Segmented | 1985 | 1999 | Runs East to West Subsonic and supersonic testing | |
| Holloman Maglev Track | Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, NM | 33°01′11″N106°09′39″W / 33.01975°N 106.16086°W /33.01975; -106.16086 | USA | 2,100 ft (640 m) | North-South | ||||||
| Germany | Germany | I-Beam | |||||||||
| Bundeswehr WTD 91 rocket sled track | Meppen | 52°51′47″N7°24′30″E / 52.8631°N 7.4084°E /52.8631; 7.4084 | Germany | 830 m (2,723 ft) | |||||||
| AVIC ALI track[11] | Xiangyang | 32°23′38″N112°08′19″E / 32.3939°N 112.1386°E /32.3939; 112.1386 | China | 6.0 km (19,685 ft) | 1.435 m (56.5 in) | Welded | 1993 | 2006 | Also known as XB High Accuracy Rocket Sled Test Track. | ||
| Muroran Institute of Technology APReC HSTT[12] | Shiraoi | 42°32′09″N141°15′21″E / 42.5358°N 141.2558°E /42.5358; 141.2558 | Japan | 300 m (984 ft) | 1.435 m (56.5 in) | 2009 | |||||
| Muroran Institute of Technology APReC SSTT | Shiraoi | 42°32′09″N141°15′19″E / 42.5357°N 141.2552°E /42.5357; 141.2552 | Japan | 100 m (328 ft) | 0.128 m (5.04 in) | 2008 | |||||
| TÜBİTAK SAGE HABRAS | Karapınar | 37°37′16″N33°27′48″E / 37.6212°N 33.4634°E /37.6212; 33.4634 | Turkey | 2.0 km (6,562 ft) | 2017 |
Other former rocket sled tracks include those at the following locations:
