ASM-N-5 Gorgon V
Encyclopedia
The ASM-N-5 Gorgon V was an unpowered air-to-surface missile
, developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company
during the early 1950s for use by the United States Navy
as a chemical weapon
delivery vehicle. Developed from the earlier PTV-N-2 Gorgon IV
test vehicle, the program was cancelled without any Gorgon Vs seeing service.
, which used the company's earlier PTV-N-2 Gorgon IV ramjet test missile as a basis for the weapon's design. The Gorgon V was to be a long, slender missile, with swept wing
s and conventional tail. The Gorgon IV's ramjet
engine, slung underneath the missile's tail, was replaced in the Gorgon V with a X14A aerosol generator, developed by the Edo Aircraft Corporation
.
Operational use of the Gorgon V was intended to be based on two missiles being carried by a launching aircraft. These would be released at an altitude of 35000 feet (10,668 m), the Gorgon V would be piloted by autopilot in a high-subsonic dive. Upon reaching an altitude of 500 feet (152.4 m) or less, as measured by a radar altimeter
, the aerosol generator would be activated, dispersing chemical agent over an area of up to 20 km (12.4 mi) by 9 km (5.6 mi).
Development of the Gorgon V continued throughout the Korean War
; in 1953, it was projected that the weapon would be ready for operational service by 1955. However later that year, the Gorgon V was cancelled by the U.S. Navy; it is unknown if any prototype vehicles had been constructed before the termination of the project.
Air-to-surface missile
An air-to-surface missile is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both...
, developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
during the early 1950s for use by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as a chemical weapon
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
delivery vehicle. Developed from the earlier PTV-N-2 Gorgon IV
Gorgon (missile family)
The Gorgon was an aerial ram or air-to-air missile powered by a turbojet engine and equipped with radio controls and a homing device. The Gorgon, developed by the U.S...
test vehicle, the program was cancelled without any Gorgon Vs seeing service.
Design and development
The Gorgon V project was begun in 1950 as a project to develop an air-to-surface missile capable of dispersing chemical warfare agents over a combat area. The design of the missile was contracted to the Glenn L. Martin CompanyGlenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
, which used the company's earlier PTV-N-2 Gorgon IV ramjet test missile as a basis for the weapon's design. The Gorgon V was to be a long, slender missile, with swept wing
Swept wing
A swept wing is a wing planform favored for high subsonic jet speeds first investigated by Germany during the Second World War. Since the introduction of the MiG-15 and North American F-86 which demonstrated a decisive superiority over the slower first generation of straight-wing jet fighters...
s and conventional tail. The Gorgon IV's ramjet
Ramjet
A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, or an athodyd, is a form of airbreathing jet engine using the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air, without a rotary compressor. Ramjets cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed and thus cannot move an aircraft from a standstill...
engine, slung underneath the missile's tail, was replaced in the Gorgon V with a X14A aerosol generator, developed by the Edo Aircraft Corporation
Edo Aircraft Corporation
Edo Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturing company known primarily for manufacturing pontoons for floatplanes.-History:...
.
Operational use of the Gorgon V was intended to be based on two missiles being carried by a launching aircraft. These would be released at an altitude of 35000 feet (10,668 m), the Gorgon V would be piloted by autopilot in a high-subsonic dive. Upon reaching an altitude of 500 feet (152.4 m) or less, as measured by a radar altimeter
Radar altimeter
A radar altimeter, radio altimeter, low range radio altimeter or simply RA measures altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft or spacecraft...
, the aerosol generator would be activated, dispersing chemical agent over an area of up to 20 km (12.4 mi) by 9 km (5.6 mi).
Development of the Gorgon V continued throughout the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
; in 1953, it was projected that the weapon would be ready for operational service by 1955. However later that year, the Gorgon V was cancelled by the U.S. Navy; it is unknown if any prototype vehicles had been constructed before the termination of the project.