Author Topic: Northrop Grumman test fires first GEM-63XL motor for ULA’s Vulcan  (Read 11232 times)

Offline JetProp

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Can you please tell me why this thermal insulation (2:22 at video) on the outer surface of the supersonic nozzle is needed?.. There is no such thermal insulation on other nozzles (for example, Vega rocket)...

Offline Zed_Noir

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Looking at the 'heritage' of the GEM-63XL, there's a notable claim at https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/sentinel/icbm-over-65-years-of-technical-leadership stating Thiokol produced the world’s first solid-fuel missile. I don't doubt the existence of the TX-18 missile; is there any available technical information about it? And maybe it's obvious from context but this excludes powered solids, right? (Chinese use of gunpowder rockets in 1232, etc. etc.)
Perhaps they mean guided solid propellant missiles, though the AIM-4, a heat-seeker, didn't "guide" very well.  (Thiokol only made the motor.  Hughes made the missile.)

 - Ed Kyle
IIRC the AIM-4 Falcon/Super Falcon has both semi-active radar homing and infra-red homing variants. Was intended to take out slow high altitude Soviet bombers.

AFAIK the main deficiency of the Falcon missiles was the lack of a proximity fuse!

Raythoen later use the AIM-4F Super Falcon airframe for the much more successful AGM-65 Maverick series of tactical air to ground missiles that is still in the USAF inventory.

Offline sdsds

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Has NG said anything at all about the recent GEM-63XL "observation" during the VC Cert-2 mission?
— 𝐬𝐝𝐒𝐝𝐬 —

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