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XSM-74

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XSM-74

The Convair XSM-74 was a sub-sonic, jet powered, ground-launched decoy cruise missile.

Development

In March 1953, the United States Air Force released General Operaional Requirement (GOR) 16 which called for a long range decoy missile to increase the effectiveness of Strategic Air Command bombers by confusing and saturating a air defense system. Multiple XSM-74 missiles would be ground-launched from Strategic Air Command bases located in the United States. Fifty percent of the deployed XSM-74 missiles would be launched within the first hour after an alert and the remaining missiles would be launched one hour later. The requirement called for 85 percent of the decoy missiles to arrive at the target area within 100 nm (185 km). The XSM-74 was to fly 4,000 nm (7,408 km) at speed of at least 0.85 Mach at an operating altitude of 50,000 ft (15,240 m) with a payload of 500 lb (227 kg). After flying 2,500 nm (4,650 km), the XSM-74 would simulate the performance of the B-47 Stratojet or B-52 Stratofortress over the final 1,500 nm (2,778 km) of flight.

Study contracts were awarded to Convair and Fairchild in July 1954 by the United States Air Force under the project designation MX-2223.

The Convair MX-2223 design called for a non-metallic fuselage with swept wings and a v-tail. Radar reflectors were located in the fuselage and on pods positioned on the wing tips to simulate the radar return of a bomber.

Development of the XSM-74 was suspended in December 1955 when Fairchild was awarded a contract by the USAF to develop XSM-73 Goose.

Variants

  • MX-2223: Original U.S. Air Force Project Designator.
  • B-74: Original Bomber designation.
  • XSM-74: First designation applied to first prototypes.
  • SM-74: Production Missile designation.

Operator

References

  • SM-74, Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles - Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones, by Andreas Parsch [1]

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