Velvet Glove
Encyclopedia
The Velvet Glove was a short-range semi-active radar homing
air-to-air missile
designed by CARDE
(today DRDC Valcartier) and produced by Canadair
starting in 1953. 131 Velvet Gloves had been completed when the program was terminated in 1956, officially because of concerns about its ability to be launched at supersonic
speeds from the Avro Arrow then under design, but also from the design being overtaken by developments in the United States
.
Small scale work on what would become the Velvet Glove started in 1948 at CADRE, and by 1951 the plans were advanced enough to put forth the design as armament on the Avro CF-100
Canuck fighter that was then entering service with the RCAF. Canadair
was selected as the manufacturer, and Westinghouse was commissioned to build the radar
guidance unit. The final missile design was about ten feet long and just under a foot in diameter. It used four fins at the tail for steering, and was guided by a semi-active radar located behind a conical nose cone. Westinghouse's microwave radar
proximity fuze
fired the 60 pound (27 kg) warhead.
To test the aerodynamics of the missile, CADRE used Gerald Bull
's method of firing test shapes from sabboted artillery rounds instead of building an expensive supersonic wind tunnel
. The shapes were fired through a series of cards, and the position and shape of the resulting holes could be used to measure whether or not the missile was flying stable. This basic concept would be key to Project HARP
and many of Bull's later concepts.
In 1952 ground-launched testing started at the Picton Range, a small test site set up outside Picton, Ontario
near the RCAF base at Trenton, Ontario
. Air-launches from a CF-100 started in 1954, with the aircraft flying from Trenton to fire over Picton. The site was later used to launch models of the Arrow for aerodynamics testing. Testing of the Velvet Glove then moved to an operational setting at Cold Lake, Alberta
. By this point the Arrow was slated to replace the CF-100 within a few years, and the RCAF had always demanded that it fire the much more advanced active-radar Sparrow II missile under design for the US Navy. Interest in the Velvet Glove waned, as the Sparrow outperformed it in all ways.
The Sparrow ran into lengthy delays, and the Navy eventually gave up on the design, turning to the simpler semi-automatic Sparrow III. Options for the Arrow were studied, including taking over the Sparrow program at Canadair, turning to the Falcon
/rocket mix being used by contemporary USAF interceptors, or re-starting the Velvet Glove project. There were concerns that the Velvet Glove would be difficult to launch at supersonic speeds, likely due to its small control surfaces not having enough authority and therefore representing a risk to the aircraft. In the end Canadair was instructed to take over the Sparrow II, ending development of the Velvet Glove for good. When the Arrow project was later canceled, work on the Sparrow II also ceased. The Picton Range closed in 1957.
Semi-active radar homing
Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive detector of a radar signal – provided by an external ...
air-to-air missile
Air-to-air missile
An air-to-air missile is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft. AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid fuelled but sometimes liquid fuelled...
designed by CARDE
Cardè
Cardè is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 40 km southwest of Turin and about 40 km north of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,077 and an area of 19.3 km²....
(today DRDC Valcartier) and produced by Canadair
Canadair
Canadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was a subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers, then a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
starting in 1953. 131 Velvet Gloves had been completed when the program was terminated in 1956, officially because of concerns about its ability to be launched at supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
speeds from the Avro Arrow then under design, but also from the design being overtaken by developments in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Small scale work on what would become the Velvet Glove started in 1948 at CADRE, and by 1951 the plans were advanced enough to put forth the design as armament on the Avro CF-100
Avro CF-100
The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck was a Canadian jet interceptor/fighter serving during the Cold War both in NATO bases in Europe and as part of NORAD. The CF-100 was the only Canadian-designed fighter to enter mass production, serving primarily with the RCAF/CAF and in small numbers in Belgium...
Canuck fighter that was then entering service with the RCAF. Canadair
Canadair
Canadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was a subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers, then a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
was selected as the manufacturer, and Westinghouse was commissioned to build the radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
guidance unit. The final missile design was about ten feet long and just under a foot in diameter. It used four fins at the tail for steering, and was guided by a semi-active radar located behind a conical nose cone. Westinghouse's microwave radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
proximity fuze
Proximity fuze
A proximity fuze is a fuze that is designed to detonate an explosive device automatically when the distance to target becomes smaller than a predetermined value or when the target passes through a given plane...
fired the 60 pound (27 kg) warhead.
To test the aerodynamics of the missile, CADRE used Gerald Bull
Gerald Bull
Gerald Vincent Bull was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to launch economically a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he designed the Project Babylon "supergun" for the Iraqi government...
's method of firing test shapes from sabboted artillery rounds instead of building an expensive supersonic wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
. The shapes were fired through a series of cards, and the position and shape of the resulting holes could be used to measure whether or not the missile was flying stable. This basic concept would be key to Project HARP
Project HARP
Project HARP, short for High Altitude Research Project, was a joint project of the United States Department of Defense and Canada's Department of National Defence created with the goal of studying ballistics of re-entry vehicles at low cost; whereas most such projects used expensive rockets, HARP...
and many of Bull's later concepts.
In 1952 ground-launched testing started at the Picton Range, a small test site set up outside Picton, Ontario
Picton, Ontario
Picton is an unincorporated community located in Prince Edward County in southern Central Ontario, Canada. It is the county seat and largest community. Picton is located at the south-western end of Picton Bay, a branch of the Bay of Quinte, which is along the northern shoreline of Lake Ontario...
near the RCAF base at Trenton, Ontario
Trenton, Ontario
Trenton is a community in Southern Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the main population centre in Quinte West....
. Air-launches from a CF-100 started in 1954, with the aircraft flying from Trenton to fire over Picton. The site was later used to launch models of the Arrow for aerodynamics testing. Testing of the Velvet Glove then moved to an operational setting at Cold Lake, Alberta
Cold Lake, Alberta
Cold Lake is a city in northeastern Alberta, Canada, named after the lake it is situated near.-Geography:The city is situated in Alberta's "Lakeland" district, 300 km northeast of Edmonton, near the Alberta-Saskatchewan provincial border. The area surrounding the city is sparsely populated,...
. By this point the Arrow was slated to replace the CF-100 within a few years, and the RCAF had always demanded that it fire the much more advanced active-radar Sparrow II missile under design for the US Navy. Interest in the Velvet Glove waned, as the Sparrow outperformed it in all ways.
The Sparrow ran into lengthy delays, and the Navy eventually gave up on the design, turning to the simpler semi-automatic Sparrow III. Options for the Arrow were studied, including taking over the Sparrow program at Canadair, turning to the Falcon
AIM-4 Falcon
The Hughes AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force.-Development:Development of a guided air-to-air missile began in 1946. Hughes Aircraft was awarded a contract for a subsonic missile under the project designation MX-798, which soon gave way...
/rocket mix being used by contemporary USAF interceptors, or re-starting the Velvet Glove project. There were concerns that the Velvet Glove would be difficult to launch at supersonic speeds, likely due to its small control surfaces not having enough authority and therefore representing a risk to the aircraft. In the end Canadair was instructed to take over the Sparrow II, ending development of the Velvet Glove for good. When the Arrow project was later canceled, work on the Sparrow II also ceased. The Picton Range closed in 1957.