| AGM-28 Hound Dog | |
|---|---|
 AGM-28 in flight (showing the nose-high attitude) | |
| Type | Cruise missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | September 13, 1960 |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Unit cost | $690,073 |
| Produced | April 1959 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 10,147 pounds (4,603 kg) |
| Length | 42 feet 6 inches (12.95 m) |
| Height | 9 feet 4 inches (2.84 m) |
| Diameter | 28 inches (710 mm) |
| Wingspan | 12 feet 2 inches (3.71 m) |
| Warhead | 1,742 pounds (790 kg)W28 Class D nuclear warhead |
Detonation mechanism | Airburst or Contact |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney J52-P-3 turbojet; 7,500 lbf (33 kN). |
Operational range | 785 miles (1,263 km) |
| Flight ceiling | 56,200 feet (17,100 m) |
| Flight altitude | 200 to 56,000 feet (61 to 17,069 m) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 2.1 |
Guidance system | Astro-inertial guidance |
Launch platform | B-52 Stratofortress |
TheNorth American AviationAGM-28 Hound Dog was asupersonic,turbojet-propelled,nuclear armed,air-launched cruise missile developed in 1959 for theUnited States Air Force. It was primarily designed to be capable of attackingSoviet ground-based air defense sites prior to a potential air attack byB-52 Stratofortress long rangebombers during theCold War. The Hound Dog was first given the designationB-77, then redesignatedGAM-77, and finallyAGM-28. It was conceived as a temporarystandoff missile for the B-52, to be used until theGAM-87 Skyboltair-launched ballistic missile was available. Instead, the Skybolt was cancelled within a few years and the Hound Dog continued to be deployed for a total of 15 years until its replacement by newer missiles, including theAGM-69 SRAM and then theAGM-86 ALCM.
During the 1950s the US became aware of developments regarding theSoviet Union'ssurface-to-air missiles (SAMs), notably at large installations being constructed aroundMoscow. At the time, the entirenuclear deterrent of the United States was based on crewedstrategic bombers, both with theU.S. Air Force and theU.S. Navy. The deployment of large numbers of SAMs placed this force at some risk of being rendered ineffective. One solution to this problem is to extend the range of the bomb, either throughglide bomb techniques, or more practically, by mounting them in a short-to-medium-range missile. This allows the weapon to be fired while the bomber remains outside the range of the enemy's defensive missiles.
Since the Soviet air-defenses were static and easy to spot fromaerial reconnaissance orsatellite reconnaissance photos, the Air Force planned to use a long-rangecruise missile to attack the air-defense bases before the bombers got within their range. TheSA-2 Guideline missile had a maximum range of about 30 kilometers at that time. Since the bombers would be approaching the sites as the weapon flew towards it, their ownguided missiles would have to be launched well before it entered this range. The weapon needed to fly fast enough and far enough that the bomber was at a safe distance when the weapon reached the target. If the American missile was to be used to attack enemyair bases as well, an extended range of several hundred kilometers would be needed due to the much longer range of the fighters compared to the SAMs.
A missile with these capabilities was called for in General Operational Requirement 148, which was released on March 15, 1956, known as WS-131B.[1][2] GOR 148 called for a supersonic air-to-surface cruise missile with a weight of not more than 12,500 pounds (5,700 kg) fully fueled and armed).[3] Each B-52 Stratofortress would carry two of the missiles, one under each wing, on a pylon located between the B-52'sfuselage and its inboard pair of engines.[4]
BothChance Vought andNorth American Aviation submitted GAM-77 proposals to the USAF in July 1957, and both based on their earlier work on long-range ground-launched cruise missiles. Vought's submission was for an air-launched version of theRegulus missile, developed for the US Navy,[3] while North American's was adapted from theirNavaho missile.[5] On August 21, 1957, North American Aviation was awarded a contract to develop Weapon System 131B, which included the Hound Dog missile.[5]
The importance of Hound Dog in penetrating the Sovietair-defense system was later described bySenatorJohn F. Kennedy in a speech to theAmerican Legion convention inMiami, Florida, on October 18, 1960: "We must take immediate steps to protect our present nuclear striking force from surprise attack. Today, more than 90 percent of our retaliatory capacity is made up of aircraft and missiles which have fixed, un-protectable bases whose location is known to the Russians. We can only do this by providingSAC with the capability of maintaining a continuous airborne alert, and by pressing projects such as the Hound Dog air-ground missile, which will enable crewed bombers to penetrate Soviet defenses with theirweapons".[6]
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The Hound Dog missile'sairframe was an adaptation of technology developed in theSM-64 Navaho missile, adapted for launching from the B-52.[5][7] The Hound Dog's design was based on that of the Navaho G-38 missile, which featured smalldelta wings and forwardcanards.[3] This layout had already been extensively tested with the smallerNorth American X-10, so the flying qualities of the larger but otherwise similar proposed layout were well understood.[6]
APratt & Whitney J52-P-3 turbojet propelled the Hound Dog, instead of Navaho'sramjet engine. The J52 engine was located in a pod located beneath the rear fuselage. The J52-P-3 used in the Hound Dog, unlike J52s installed in aircraft like theA-4 Skyhawk or theA-6 Intruder, was optimized to run at maximum power during the missile's flight. As a result, the Hound Dog's version of the J52 had a short operating lifetime of only six hours.[6] However, in combat, the Hound Dog was expected to self-destruct in less than six hours.
A derivative of the Navaho's NAAAutonetics DivisionN-6inertial navigation system (INS), the N5G, was used in the Hound Dog. Astar tracker manufactured byKollsman Instruments Co. and located in the B-52's pylon was used to correct inertial navigation system orientation errors withcelestial observations while the Hound Dog was being carried by the B-52.[3] The INS could also be used to determine the bomber's position after the initial calibration and "leveling" process, which took about 90 minutes. The Hound Dog had acircular error probable (CEP) of 2.2 miles (3.5 km), which was acceptable for a weapon equipped with a nuclear warhead.[8]
Thethermonuclear warhead carried by the Hound Dog was theW28 Class D.[6] The W28 warhead could be preset to yield an explosive power of between 70 kilotons and 1.45 megatons. Detonation of the Hound Dog's W28 warhead could be programmed to occur on impact (ground burst) orair burst at a preset altitude. An air burst would have been used against a large area,soft target. A surface impact would have been used against a hard target such as a missile site orcommand and control center.
The Hound Dog could be launched from theB-52 Stratofortress at high altitudes or low altitudes, but not below 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in altitude. Initially, three different flight profiles for the Hound Dog were available for selection by the commander and thebombardier of the bomber (though other options were added later):
The first air-drop test of a dummy Hound Dog was carried out in November 1958. 52 GAM-77A missiles were launched for testing and training purposes between April 23, 1959, and August 30, 1965. Hound Dog launches occurred atCape Canaveral Air Force Station, atEglin Air Force Base, Florida, and at theWhite Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.[3]
The Hound Dog missile's development was completed in only 30 months.[7] North American received a production contract to build Hound Dogs on October 16, 1958.[4] The first production Hound Dog missile was then delivered to the Air Force on December 21, 1959. 722 Hound Dog missiles were produced by North American Aviation before its production of them ended in March 1963.[3]
In May 1961, an improved Hound Dog missile was test-flown for the first time. This upgrade incorporated improvements to reduce itsradar cross-section.[9] The Hound Dog already had a low head-on radar cross-section because of its highly swept delta wings. This low radar cross-section was lowered further by replacing its nose cap, engine intake spike, and engine duct with newradar-absorbent material components that scattered or absorbed radar energy. It has been reported that these radar cross-section improvements were removed as Hound Dogs were withdrawn from service.
The GAM-77A version of the GAM-77 also included a new Kollsman Instruments KS-140star tracker that was integrated with the N-6 inertial navigation system. This unit replaced the star tracker that had been located in the B-52's wing pylon. The fuel capacity of the GAM-77A was increased during this upgrade. Aradar altimeter was added to the missile to provide (vertical)terrain-following radar capability to the Hound Dog. 428 Hound Dog missiles were upgraded to the GAM-77A configuration by North American.[10]
66 GAM-77A Hound Dog missiles were launched for testing and training up through April 1973.[6]
In June 1963 the GAM-77 and GAM-77A were re-designated AGM-28A and AGM-28B, respectively.
In 1971, a Hound Dog missile was test-flown with a newly developedTerrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) navigation system. Reportedly, the designation AGM-28C was reserved for this version of the Hound Dog if development had been continued. While a Hound Dog with TERCOM was never deployed, this technology, with much better electronics and digital computers, was later used in both the Air Force'sAir Launched Cruise Missile and the Navy'sTomahawk.[11]
In 1972, theBendix Corporation was awarded a contract to develop ananti-radiation missilepassive radar seeker to guide the Hound Dog missile toantennas transmittingradar signals. A Hound Dog with this radar seeker was test-flown in 1973, but never mass-produced.[12]
On December 21, 1959, GeneralThomas S. Power, the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Air Force'sStrategic Air Command (SAC), formally accepted the first production Hound Dog missile.[4] Just two months later in February, SAC test-launched its first unarmed Hound Dog atEglin Air Force Base.
In July 1960, the Hound Dog reached initial operational capability with the first B-52 unit. In November 1960, the97th Bombardment Wing atBlytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas became the first combat wing in SAC to be equipped with the missile. The first test flight at the base took place on November 16, 1960.[13] The Hound Dog was used on airborne alert for the first time in January 1962. In 1962, SAC activated missile maintenance squadrons to provide maintenance for both the Hound Dog and theADM-20 Quail decoy missile. Full operational capability was achieved in August 1963 when 29 B-52 bomber wings were operational with the Hound Dog.
In 1960, SAC developed procedures so that the B-52 could use the Hound Dog's J52 engine for additional thrust while the missile was located on the bomber's two pylons. This helped heavily laden B-52s fly away from their airbases faster, before enemy nuclear weapons obliterated them. The Hound Dog could then be refueled from the B-52's wing fuel tanks.[10]
One Hound Dog missile crashed near the town ofSamson, Alabama, when it failed to self-destruct after a test launch from Eglin Air Force Base.[6] In 1962, a Hound Dog was accidentally dropped to the ground during an underwing systems check.[6]
In May 1962, operation "Silk Hat" was conducted at Eglin Air Force Base. During this exercise, a Hound Dog test launch was conducted before an audience of national and international dignitaries headed by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy and Vice-PresidentLyndon B. Johnson.[6]
On September 22, 1966,Secretary of DefenseRobert McNamara recommended retiring all of the remaining Hound Dog missiles within a few years. The Hound Dogs would be retained pending the outcome of the Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM)guidance system development program. Secretary McNamara's recommendation was not acted upon, and the Hound Dog remained in service.[6]
After thirteen years of service with the Air Force, the last Hound Dog missile was removed from alert deployment on June 30, 1975. The Hound Dog missiles were kept in dead storage[clarification needed] for a number of years. The last Hound Dog was retired for scrapping on June 15, 1978, from the 42nd Bomb Wing atLoring Air Force Base,Maine.[4]
No Hound Dog missile was ever used in combat, since it was strictly a weapon fornuclear warfare.
| GAM-77 | GAM-77A |
| 59-2791 to 59–2867 | 60–5574 to 60–5603 |
| 60–2078 to 60–2247 | 60–6691 to 60–6699 |
| 61–2118 to 61–2357 | |
| 62–0030 to 62–0206 |
The number of Hound Dog missiles in service, by year:
| 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
| 1 | 54 | 230 | 547 | 593 | 593 | 542 | 548 | 477 | 312 | 349 | 345 | 340 | 338 | 329 | 327 | 308 | 288 | 249 | 0 |
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All of the surviving missiles are located in thecontiguous United States.
Where it received the name Hound Dog has been the source of argument for decades. In recent years, however, people have given credit to fans in the Air Force ofElvis Presley's version of "Hound Dog".[3]When the missile was flying at low altitude (200 ft) in test flights using ground avoidance radar, it followed the terrain, often in a soft rise and fall pattern, much like a hound dog when chasing prey.
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
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