USN LBD-1 Gargoyle Guided Missle

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I found this information tonight, thought I would share it with you. Info from wiki.


The McDonnell LBD-1 Gargoyle (later KBD-1) was an American air-to-surface missile developed during World War II . It was one of the precursors of modern anti-ship missiles.

Following German success with the Hs-293 and Fritz-X, the U.S. began work on a series of similar weapons. These included Bat, Felix, GB-8, and Gargoyle.

Gargoyle had a 1000 pound (450 kg) warhead (M65 general purpose {GP} or M59 semi–armor piercing {SAP}), intended to be launched from carrier-borne aircraft in conditions of good visibility, against maneuvering targets. Launched from 15,000 feet (4,500 m), it had a range of almost four miles (eight kilometers), and could be controlled at up to 24 miles (45 kilometers).

A launch speed of at least 200 mph (320 km/h) was necessary, so its low wings would not stall; a 990 pound-force (4,400 N) static thrust 8AS1000 jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) bottle in the tail boosted it to a maximum speed of 600 mph (960 km/h).

Operated by radio command guidance, Gargoyle was tracked visually by means of flares in the tail, much as Fritz-X was; this limited its maximum range to how far the flares could be seen. Gargoyle relied on simultaneous or separate operation of the elevator and rudder functions on the weapon's butterfly tail; it was capable of 4g (40 m/s²), for a turning circle of 2,550 ft (780 m).

Production by McDonnell Aircraft began in 1944, but the war ended before it entered operational service.