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Can anyone ID this jet with booster underneath?


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Topic started on 30-4-2008 @ 11:09 PM by Badge01


On the UFO Hunters program on tonight, they show a plane at the very beginning and then a 44 minutes into the program.

It looks like the X-3, but a bit stubbier and then underneath is a single booster, which is was painted orange and had a canted nozzle.

I had a model airplane kit which I built in the 1960s of this plane.

It came with a carrier on wheels, and the plane had a dark blue top and a white underbelly, and short stubby wings.

The booster had a catch on it which you could push with your thumb and the booster would drop off. We pretended it was a bomb, of course, and it was fun playing 'army men' with it.

The program on tonight was about Edwards AFB and 'The Incident' which occurred in 1965, so I presume this experimental boosted jet/plane was probably from the early 60s.

I'd be happy to draw a pic of the booster if it would help. For the plane, again, consider the X-3 but a stubbier nose.

Edit: here's the booster.



TIA!



[edit on 30-4-2008 by Badge01]



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reply posted on 30-4-2008 @ 11:30 PM by WestPoint23


Was it the MGM-13A Missile?


The Mace was a development of the TM-61 Matador missile, and as such was initially designated TM-61B Matador B. The main reasons for the new development were the Matador's radio-controlled guidance system, which was limited in range and easily jammable, and the fact that the Matador missile system was very cumbersome to move and set up for firing.

The Mace missile had redesigned airframe, with smaller wings and a longer fuselage. The larger internal volume increased range to about 1300 km (800 miles). Additionally, the missile was transported fully assembled (except booster) on its zero-length launch trailer.



Link


[edit on 30-4-2008 by WestPoint23]



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reply posted on 30-4-2008 @ 11:58 PM by MBF


Could this be what you are looking for?

Link



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 12:11 AM by anti us gov


The whole thing looks like a huge flying rocket.



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 12:16 AM by _Del_


Sounds like the old Bomarc..



external image


Also the old Hound Dog was similar..



external image

[edit on 1-5-2008 by _Del_]



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 07:47 AM by Canada_EH


reply to post by _Del_



I'll agree that with him describing it as similar to the X-3 the Bomarc and Hound dog would seem to be up the right ally.



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 09:19 AM by Badge01


Hi,

Thanks for the links.

Unfortunately it's none of those.

The booster is not on the tail, protruding aft, but is mid plane.

I'll try to get a better picture. Perhaps someone will digitize the broadcast of the UFO Hunter show 'Code Red' about the incident at Edwards AFB that showed a pic of it at the beginning and again, boosting off at the 44 min mark.

Here's a pic I posted on the forum about that show. I used the Starfighter as the body. I'm not entirely sure the article was a manned plane or a rocket, or a missile.



Thanks again, guys!


[edit on 1-5-2008 by Badge01]



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 09:33 AM by _Del_


reply to post by Badge01



Well, if you could get us a pic, that'd be great! There was great interest in zero-length launchers around that time, so there are a slew of projects.

There was even a F-104 project that utilized ZLL.


EDIT: Ok, it's bugging me. I need a pic! Maybe the Snark or Mace? Or Blue and white two tone: Maybe Navy? Regulus II?
I'm pretty familiar with ZLL. I think I could identify it with a picture.


[edit on 1-5-2008 by _Del_]



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 12:30 PM by waynos


"like an X-3 but with a stubbier nose" is actually a pretty good description of the F-104, it was also tested with a rocket booster for zero-length take off trials, is this what you are referring to?




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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 12:43 PM by waynos


or on second thoughts could it be the X-15?
complete with boosters?





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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 02:06 PM by _Del_


I thought about the X-15, but figured if he knew about the X-3, he'd know about the -15. Both are as good a guess as anything I've got though...



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 02:13 PM by Badge01


Waynos,

I'm doing my best to get a picture. Since those History channel UFO hunter shows are often digitized and at least replayed, I'll keep on it.

I'll post when they replay that show and remind you. Since the first shot of it (out of Edwards in the mid-60s) is within a minute of the start of the show, it will be easy to see.

Just to reiterate, the craft comes with it's own trailer, which is recessed to fit the booster, which is mid-plane and has a downward canted nozzle. It's a single booster.

The quick shot of it in the last few minutes of the show depicts it actually lifting off the trailer using the nozzled booster to start the flight. IOW, it didn't use a runway, but went off right from the trailer.

In the kit by Testor the craft had a dark blue top, and stubby wings, like the F-104 and a white underbelly. The booster, which as about 1/8th the diameter of the body of the craft looked relatively slim in comparison. It was orange in the kit, so I believe it was an orange color actually.

The booster was made to drop off after level flight was achieved.

I do believe it was a piloted craft and not a missile, but I didn't get a good enough look at it.

Thanks again!



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 02:16 PM by Badge01


I was not the Snark, which had long wings, at least in this config.

www.fas.org...

...not the F-15.

Thanks!



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 02:26 PM by _Del_


What you're describing is a Zero Length Launch. I don't think we did anything regarding F-88's or F-101's with ZLL but they also sport "stubby" wings and match the era it was common in.
Do you remember what service branch the plane/missle was from? The two tone sounds like old Naval colours. Have you seen Regulus II pictures?

If I throw enough at the wall something has to stick right?


First page of the image search for Regulus II:
www.ninfinger.org...

I think it's a winner? But I thought that about the Bomarc and Hound Dog as well



[edit on 1-5-2008 by _Del_]



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 03:14 PM by Badge01


We do, in fact, have a WINNER.

Thanks _Del_.



You can see how the slightly raised part of the fuselage in front looks a little like a cockpit. Obviously, this was no a piloted vehicle, but a forerunner of the cruise missile.

Here's some more links:

www.periscopefilm.com...

It mentions how the 'Regulus' program was run out of Edwards AFB in the 50s.

www.astronautix.com...

www.vectorsite.net...


Vector Site


The Regulus II, designated "SSM-N-9" and later "RGM-15", was a sleek, pretty dart of a missile, with swept wings and no tailplane like the Regulus I, but with the air intake under the belly ahead of the wings and small canard fins on the nose. The wings and tailfin folded for storage. Preliminary design work began in 1951, with Vought submitting a proposal to the Navy in late 1952, and the Navy awarding the company a development contract in April 1954, specifying construction of prototypes.

The initial prototypes were fitted with retractable tricycle landing gear and a drag parachute, allowing them to take off and land from an airstrip, and were powered in cruise flight by a Curtiss-Wright J65 turbojet, an American copy of the British Sapphire engine. The Sapphire was strictly an interim fit, however, since it could not support sustained supersonic flight, and production missiles were fitted with a General Electric J79 afterburning turbojet engine with 66.7 kN (6,800 kgp / 15,000 lbf) thrust.

Production missiles were launched off a rail by a solid-fuel booster rocket with 512 kN (52,160 kgp / 115,000 lbf) thrust. The Regulus II flew in continuous afterburner, operating at high altitude in supersonic cruise at Mach 2 plus. It had a large fuel supply to provide the required range and featured an automatic fuel trim system. The Regulus II was guided by an INS. The warhead separated during terminal dive to target. This made interception more difficult, and also eliminated the need to stress the airframe to tolerate a dive into the target.




Initial flight of a prototype was on 29 May 1956, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The first rocket-boosted launch was on 13 November 1957, also from Edwards.


Nice job. It's been a treat reading about my model on the web after all these years!!



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 03:23 PM by FredT


Nice work everybody I love this forum. Its like a massivly parallel computer, Its rare we can't get an answer in a few days



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 03:36 PM by _Del_


Here's another tidbit for you. It was also one of the first to use the Ferri "sugar scoop" intakes. Became very fashionable for awhile. F-8 Crusader III, F-103, F-105, etc..



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 03:53 PM by Badge01


Yes, nice job, kudos to everyone. At first the hits were of the same class, with guesses about the Bomarc, and other types (also includes the Matador, Snark, Atlas, and Rigel missiles).

Then _Del_ came through with the goods.

Here's a couple pictures of the box top of the model:





Also was on sale for $138 bucks on ebay Monogram Regulus II guided missile kit







[edit on 1-5-2008 by Badge01]



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reply posted on 1-5-2008 @ 04:11 PM by _Del_


I also came through with several wrong guesses too It was more shotgun than precision shooting!

But I'm glad we finally figured it out....



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reply posted on 2-5-2008 @ 09:56 AM by Canada_EH


Awesome work guys. Being busy at work sucks when you can't help out with these thing, but still great to be able to weed out that answer!



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