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36-519: The McDonnell ADM-20 Quail was a subsonic , jet powered, air-launched decoy cruise missile built by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. The Quail was designed to be launched by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber and its original United States Air Force designation was GAM-72 (GAM standing for Guided Aircraft Missile). Quail contained electronics and radar reflectors intended to make it indistinguishable from

72-399: A panic button to release all of the weapons. A rotary launcher is a rotating suspension equipment mounted inside the bomb bay. Rotary launchers have stations of their own and offer the ability to select certain stores within the bomb bay for release. Advantages include the selection ability for different weapons and easier loading for the ground crew. The disadvantage of a rotary launcher

108-542: A B-52 approaching at low altitude. This would force Soviet defenses to divide their missiles and interceptors between multiple targets, reducing the chance that a bomber would be targeted. Design of an improved version of Quail began in January 1968, with the system being termed the Subsonic Cruise Aircraft Decoy. This program incorporated several significant changes to the starting design before

144-713: A B-52. The first glide flight of the XGAM-72 occurred in November 1957. Three test launches were completed in 1957. The first successful powered flight of the XGAM-72 occurred in August 1958. This flight lasted 14 minutes and covered 103 nautical miles (191 km). A total of ten test flights occurred in 1958, seventeen flights in 1959, with the final four flights being completed in 1960. Operational testing then moved to Eglin Air Force Base , Florida , United States where

180-429: A battle. The principal reason for the change is to use stealth technology to make aircraft more difficult to detect on radar. Military fighters are now designed to have the smallest possible radar cross-section , which has decreased very substantially since attention was paid to this feature. Large racks of missiles and bombs hanging below the wings return very distinct radar signatures which can be eliminated by bringing

216-541: A bomber. On January 18, 1956, the USAF released General Operational Requirement (GOR) 139. McDonnell Aircraft Corporation submitted a design which included a cropped-delta-wing decoy constructed largely of fiberglass and carried internally within a B-52. The following month on February 1, 1956, the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was awarded a contract to develop Weapon System 122A which included

252-496: A rapid increase in drag. The wings of fast subsonic craft such as jet airliners tend to be swept in order to delay the onset of these shock waves. In theory, induced drag is at its minimum when the span wise distribution of lift is elliptical. A number of factors influence induced drag, however, and as a practical matter a wing of elliptical planform, like that of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter of World War II,

288-424: A shorter span and, consequently a less efficient wing. Small, low-altitude general aviation planes typically have aspect ratios of six or seven; airliners of 12 or more; and high-performance sailplanes of 30 or more. At speeds above the critical Mach number, the airflow begins to become transonic , with local airflow in some places causing small sonic shock waves to form. This soon leads to the shock stall , causing

324-532: A slightly smaller wing area reduced the maximum range of the GAM-72A to 402 statute miles (647 km). The first production GAM-72A flight was in March 1960. The final GAM-72A was delivered by McDonnell Aircraft on May 28, 1962. A total of 585 GAM-72A missiles were produced by McDonnell Aircraft. The inventory of GAM-72As in the USAF peaked at 492 in 1963. During 1963 all remaining GAM-72A missiles were modified to

360-522: A small jet engine in the 2,000 lbf (8.9 kN) thrust class with a high thrust-to-weight ratio of 10:1. On November 28, 1954 General Electric was awarded a USAF development contract to construct the XJ-85-GE-1 . The USAF designated the XJ85 project MX-2273. During April 1955, the USAF began a program to develop a short range air-launched decoy missile to simulate the radar cross section of

396-502: Is best for aeroplanes of less than 6,000 pounds gross weight. Bomb bay The bomb bay or weapons bay on some military aircraft is a compartment to carry bombs , usually in the aircraft's fuselage , with "bomb bay doors" which open at the bottom. The bomb bay doors are opened and the bombs are dropped when over the target or at a specified launching point. Bomb bays were born of necessity. Early military aircraft suffered severe aerodynamic drag (which would further slow down

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432-431: Is not necessarily the most efficient. The wings of jet airliners, which are highly optimized for efficiency, are far from elliptical in shape. The ratio of tip chord to root chord is called the taper ratio. Taper has the desirable effect of reducing the root bending stress by shifting the lift inboard, but it has been argued by some noted designers, including John Thorp and Karl Bergey, that an untapered rectangular planform

468-489: Is related to the production of lift , and the profile drag , largely due to skin friction which is contributed to by the whole wing area. It is therefore desirable for a wing to have the least area compatible with the desired lift characteristics. This is best achieved with a high aspect ratio, and high-performance types often have this kind of wing. But other considerations such as light weight, structural stiffness, manoeuvrability, ground handling and so on often benefit from

504-577: The AGM-86 ALCM was created. In 1955 the USAF started a major effort to construct decoy missiles . The goal of this effort was to improve the ability of strategic bombers to penetrate air-defense systems . The projects initiated under this effort included the MX-2223, which produced the XSM-73 Goose , a long range ground-launched jet-powered, decoy cruise missile; and MX-2224, which produced

540-786: The XGAM-71 Buck Duck , an air-launched rocket powered decoy missile to equip the Convair B-36 . The USAF was at the same time developing the XQ-4 as a supersonic target drone to support the Bomarc Missile Program . A requirement was established by the USAF Power Plant Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to support follow-on production of the XQ-4. This requirement called for

576-639: The 4135th Strategic Wing launched a GAM-72 on June 8, 1960. McDonnell Aircraft received a production contract for the GAM-72A on December 31, 1958. Reliability problems encountered during testing resulted in McDonnell replacing the J85-GE-3 with the J85-GE-7 engine in the production GAM-72A. The GAM-72A was also about 200 lb (90 kg) heavier than the GAM-72. This increase in weight when combined with

612-477: The GAM-72 Green Quail missile. In June 1956 General Electric was selected as the engine contractor for the GAM-72. Guidance components were built by Summers Gyroscope and the countermeasures equipment by Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation . The GAM-72 was designed with a high-mounted delta wing and no horizontal stabilizer . A slab-sided fuselage and two sets of vertical stabilizers contributed to

648-464: The GAM-72 using a retractable arm from the airplane's weapons bay into the slipstream below the aircraft. The wings and stabilizers of the GAM-72 were unfolded, the jet engine was started, and the missile was launched. Flight testing of the XGAM-72 began in July 1957 at Holloman Air Force Base and the adjacent White Sands Missile Range . Initially testing involved the XGAM-72 being captively carried by

684-623: The GAM-72B configuration. In 1963 the GAM-72 was re-designated the ADM-20 Although originally planned for deployment with the B-47 and the B-52, the GAM-72A was only deployed with the B-52. The first production GAM-72A was delivered to the 4135th Strategic Wing , at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida, on September 13, 1960. Initial operational capability was reached on February 1, 1961, when

720-515: The GAM-72s ability to simulate the radar cross section of a bomber . Initially the GAM-72 was powered by a YJ85-GE-1. This jet engine produced 1,900-2,100 lbf (8.5-9.3 kN) of thrust with a thrust-to-weight ratio goal of (4.6:1) to (5:1). The GAM-72s guidance system could be pre-programmed on the ground to execute two turns and one speed change during a flight time of 45 to 55 minutes. Flight duration depended on altitude . The GAM-72

756-796: The Quail was only slightly better than nothing." The last ADM-20C operational test was flown at Eglin Air Force Base on July 13, 1972. On June 30, 1978, the last ADM-20C came off alert status. The last ADM-20C was removed from the United States Air Force inventory on December 15, 1978. The number of GAM-72A s in service, by year: Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Subsonic aircraft Although high speeds are usually desirable in an aircraft, supersonic flight requires much bigger engines, higher fuel consumption and more advanced materials than subsonic flight. A subsonic type therefore costs far less than

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792-406: The air cause the air to flow away from areas of high dynamic pressure to areas of lower dynamic pressure, leaving the static pressure and density of the surrounding air constant. At high subsonic speeds, compressibility effects begin to appear. The propeller is one of the most efficient sources of thrust available and is common on subsonic aeroplanes and airships . Sometimes it is enclosed in

828-417: The aircraft. Up to 100 lb (45 kg) of payload could be accommodated internally by the GAM-72. This internal space could be used to house a radar repeater or a chaff dispenser. An infrared burner in the tail could produce intense heat to simulate the heat signature of a bomber. The GAM-72 was not armed. Eight GAM-72A decoys could be accommodated in the B-52's weapons bay but the normal decoy load

864-822: The already lumbering bomb-laden aircraft) with bombs hanging from the wings or below the fuselage, so military aviation designers moved the bombs inside the aircraft. Before the introduction of stealth technology bomb bays were mostly used by dedicated bomber aircraft; in fighters and attack airplanes bombs and rockets were hung from the wings or fuselage on pylons . Notable exceptions are the F-101 , F-102 and F-106 interceptor aircraft , all of which had bays used to store missiles, or other weapons stores. Today many designers have moved previously "external" stores into internal multifunction "weapons bays" capable of carrying air-to-air missiles , air-to-ground missiles , drop tanks , and other military "stores" and deploying them rapidly in

900-552: The bomb bays of modern aircraft; the missiles are dropped from the aircraft and then accelerate into autonomous flight while the bomber aircraft "stands off" at a safe distance from the target. There are multiple different bomb bay configurations, which can include: The more traditional, fixed bomb rack , a conventional bomb rack like that of the B-52 would have mounted stores in vertical columns making individual store selection and release impossible without releasing all stores ahead in

936-500: The column line. The advantage of a conventional bomb rack is a prompt release of all stores in short order. Bombers like the B-52 , the B-1 or the B-2 use custom designed bomb rack support structures with their own designation e.g. Common Bomb Rack (CBR), Common Bomb Module (CBM), or Smart Bomb Rack Assembly (SBRA). These bomb racks may have special store release control mechanisms. Aside from

972-410: The equivalent supersonic design, has greater range and causes less harm to the environment. The less harsh subsonic environment also allows a much wider range of aircraft types, such as balloons , airships and rotorcraft , allowing them to fill a much wider range of roles. Subsonic flight is characterised aerodynamically by incompressible flow, where dynamic pressure changes due to motion through

1008-460: The few notable aircraft to use semi-recessed bomb bays. Large-sized bombs, which may be nuclear , are dropped from hook-type releases or bomb cradles. When a bomber carries many smaller bombs (e.g. iron bombs , JDAMs ), the bombs are typically loaded onto mechano-electrical devices known as ejector racks , which allow for larger bomb loads to be dropped with greater accuracy. Guided missiles (frequently standoff missiles ) are often carried in

1044-419: The first squadron of the 4135th Strategic Wing was equipped with the GAM-72A. On January 1, 1962 B-52 aircraft carried the GAM-72A decoy on airborne alert for the first time. Full operational capability was reached when the GAM-72A was deployed with the fourteenth and final B-52 squadron on April 15, 1962. The operational version of the GAM-72 carried internal radar reflectors facing forward and to each side of

1080-409: The form of a ducted fan . At higher subsonic speeds and at high altitudes , such as attained by most airliners , the turbojet or turbofan becomes necessary. Pure jets such as the turbojet and ramjet are inefficient at subsonic speeds and not often used. The span and area of a wing are both important to the lift characteristics. They are related by the aspect ratio , which is the ratio of

1116-437: The missiles still hang outside. World War II saw the use of semi-recessed bomb bays which, being an uncommon variation of the fully recessed bomb bay, was a design compromise for aircraft that were intended to carry bombs but did not have sufficient fuselage space for a fully recessed bomb bay; such a design did not allow for the inclusion of bomb bay doors. Breda Ba.88 , Bristol Beaufort and Douglas TBD Devastator were among

ADM-20 Quail - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-548: The release options of a rack a pilot can select release mode for releasing one or multiple stores. Stores can be jettisoned selectively in single mode or ripple mode or salvo mode. The term ripple applies to the single- or ripple and single- continuous release mode from one or from mirror stations. Salvo release mode applies to a combination of several stations together e.g. adjacent stations. For multiple store release an interval timer can be set to release stores in fixed time steps. For an external store emergency release there may be

1188-412: The span, measured from tip to tip, to the average chord , measured from leading edge to trailing edge. The aerodynamic efficiency of a wing is described by its lift/drag ratio , with a wing giving high lift for little drag being the most efficient. A higher aspect ratio gives a higher lift/drag ratio and so is more efficient. The drag of a wing consists of two components: the induced drag , which

1224-557: The weapons inside the fuselage. This also improves aerodynamic performance and increases the payload which can be carried and the range of the aircraft. Examples of modern U.S. fighters with weapons bays are the F-117 Nighthawk , F-22 Raptor , and F-35 Lightning II . These stealth aircraft such as the Chengdu J-20 use retractable guided missile launchers which move out on rails allowing the weapons bay to be closed while

1260-409: Was designed to operate at altitudes between 35,000 ft (10,668 m) to 50,000 ft (15,240 m) at speeds between Mach 0.75 to Mach 0.9. Range varied between 357 nm and 445 nm (661 to 716 km), also depending on altitude. Two GAM-72s with folded wings and stabilizers were packaged together for mounting in the bomber weapons bay . Before launch the bomber's radar navigator lowered

1296-607: Was two. Ground radar continued to improve, and the effectiveness of the GAM-72B, redesignated in 1963 as the ADM-20C, decreased over time. The AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile (SRAM) allowed bombers to attack air-defense systems from a distance. By 1971, the USAF no longer considered the ADM-20C a credible decoy. The commander of the Strategic Air Command wrote the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force "that

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