ADM-20 Quail
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The ADM-20 Quail, originally known as the GAM-72, was a drone developed by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation for use as a decoy to be carried by the B-52 bomber.
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[edit] Overview
In the 1950s the US was becoming concerned about the ability of its strategic bombers to penetrate Soviet air defense systems and reach their targets in the face of rapidly improving radar, jet fighters and surface-to-air missile systems. A major effort to develop decoy missiles was begun; if each bomber could launch several such missiles, each of which looked like another bomber on enemy radar, then the defences would have to deal with a far greater number of targets and would thus be diluted, giving the real bombers a much higher chance of getting through.
The projects included the GAM-71 Buck Duck, a rocket-powered vehicle which was intended to equip the Convair B-36, the SM-73 Bull Goose, a ground-launched long-range jet-powered decoy, and the GAM-72 Green Quail, a turbojet-powered air-launched decoy to equip the B-52 Stratofortress force.
In February 1956, McDonnell Aircraft was chosen as the major contractor for the GAM-72, which by now was known simply as the Quail. Aerodynamic testing of unpowered missiles began 1957, with the first powered flight in 1958. In September 1960 the US Air Force began to receive production version of the missile, and the first operational deployment took place in February 1961.
The missile was powered by a General Electric J85-GE-3 turbojet. Before launch the wings and tail were folded to reduce the overall size, allowing up to eight missiles to be carried in the bomb bay of a B-52 - though normally only four were actually carried. The missile would be lowered out of the bay and the wings and tail unfolded and engine started before it was dropped clear. It would then follow a course which had been pre-programmed before the bomber took off; the course could include one speed change and two turns covering a range of 825 kilometres (510 statute miles). The Quail carried an ECM package including a radar repeater, with later versions also carrying chaff dispensers and a heat source intended to simulate the B-52 signature in infrared sights. The fuselage was designed to produce a large radar cross section similar to that of the B-52.
Although effective during the 1960s, more advanced radars began to reduce the effectiveness of the Quail. In an Air Force test carried out in 1972, radar operators were able to tell the difference between a B-52 and a Quail in 21 of 23 cases. As a result the Air Force began to phase the Quail out of service, and by 1978 the last missile had been retired. A total of about 600 Quail missiles had been built.
[edit] Variants
The original Quail suffered from serious problems with the turbojet engine, and eventually a modified engine was fitted. These missiles were known as the GAM-72A. The A model was about 90 kg (200 lb) heavier than the original missile and had a slightly smaller wing, changes which reduced the maximum range to 650 kilometres (404 miles). The first of the new version flew in 1960, and eventually almost all of the Quails were rebuilt to this standard.
In 1963 the missiles were modified further to add a barometric switch in order to facilitate low level operations. These missiles were designated GAM-72B. Later that same year, all of the missiles were redesignated; the GAM-72 became the ADM-20A, the GAM-72A became the ADM-20B, and the GAM-72B became the ADM-20C.
[edit] Legacy
Although the Quail has long been forgotten as an operational missile, the engine that was originally developed for this very small cruise missile, the J85 found wide application in small business and military jets. The F-5 Freedom Fighter would find a wide export market. The F-5, made possible by this engine, was also the starting point for the F/A-18 Hornet series of fighters, now the backbone of naval combat aviation. A pair of the engines also powered the Scaled Composites White Knight aircraft.
The replacement for the Quail was the Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy, which also required new small jet engine technology. By the time the project had finished, it had evolved further into the highly successful AGM-86 ALCM cruise missile, which still serves as a nuclear deterrent, and as a conventionally armed cruise missile over Iraq.[1]
[edit] Service history
The number of quails in service, by year:
- 1960 - 93
- 1961 - 397
- 1962 - 436
- 1963 - 492
- 1964 - 477
- 1965 - 465
- 1966 - 457
- 1967 - 448
- 1968 - 445
- 1969 - 430
- 1970 - 430
- 1971 - 430
- 1972 - 417
- 1973 - 417
- 1974 - 415
- 1975 - 355
- 1976 - 355
- 1977 - 354
[edit] Specifications
(All figures for ADM-20B/C unless noted otherwise)
- Length: 3.94 m (12 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
- Height: 1.02 m (3 ft 4 in)
- Weight: 540 kg (1,200 lb) (for ADM-20A, 450 kg (1,000 lb))
- Speed: Mach 0.95
- Ceiling: 15,200 m (50,000 ft)
- Range: 650 km (350 nm) (for ADM-20A: 825 km (445 nm))
- Propulsion: General Electric J85-GE-7 turbojet; 10.9 kN (2450 lbf) (On ADM-20A, General Electric J85-GE-3 turbojet; 10.9 kN (2450 lbf))
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Experts Operators could tell Quail from B-52
[edit] Related content
Designation sequence
IM-69 - IM-70 - GAM-71 - GAM-72 - SM-73 - SM-75 - TM-76
