The North American AGM-28 Hound Dog (formerly designated GAM-77) was an American long-range air-to-surface guided stand-off bomb developed during the 1950's and first air launched in 1959, becoming standard equipment fitted to B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft. The AGM-28B was 12.95 metres long, 72 cm in diameter, weighed 4350 kg, had a range of 9765 km and flew at a speed of Mach 2. Research AGM-28
The Rockwell B-1B Lancer is an American multi-role, long-range bomber, designed as a replacement for the B-52 and capable of flying inter-Continental missions without refuelling, then penetrating present and predicted sophisticated enemy defences. It can perform a variety of missions, including that of a conventional weapons carrier for theatre operations. It has a speed over 900 mph and a ceiling of 9000 metres. It carries a crew of four (aircraft commander, pilot, offensive systems officer and defensive systems officer). The B-1B carries armament of up to 84 Mark 82 conventional 500-pound bombs and 30 CBU-87/89/97. It can also be reconfigured to carry a wide range of nuclear weapons. Research B-1B
The Northrop B-2 (Spirit) is an American multi-role stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. Along with the B-52 and B-1B, the B-2 provides the penetrating flexibility and effectiveness inherent in manned bombers. Its low-observable, or 'stealth,' characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defences and threaten its most-valued, and heavily defended, targets. The B-2 has a crew of two pilots, an aircraft commander in the left seat and mission commander in the right, compared to the B-1B's crew of four and the B-52's crew of five. The B-2 is powered by four General Electric F-118-GE-100 engines.
The B-2 carries all its weapons internally and is fitted with two separate weapons bays in the central section of the aircraft body. The B-2 has the capacity to carry up to 40,000 lb of weapons, including conventional and nuclear weapons, precision guided munitions, gravity bombs and a range of maritime weapons. Each weapons bay is equipped with a rotary launcher and two bomb rack assemblies capable of carrying the B-61 and B-83 nuclear and Mk 84 conventional bombs from the rotary rocket launcher, and Mk-82 and CBU-87 conventional weapons from the bomb rack assemblies. The B-2 can also carry the AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile. The aircraft is fitted with a GATS/GAM weapon system which consists of a GPS-Aided Targeting System (GATS), used with the GPS-Aided Munition (GAM), developed by Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. Sixteen satellite-guided JDAM missiles can be carried. The aircraft is also intended to be fitted with the JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon) and Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) when these enter service. Research B-2
The Boeing B-52 is the US Air Force long range, large payload multi-role bomber and is known as the Stratofortress or the Buff (Big Ugly Fat Fellow). It is the USAF's principal strategic nuclear and conventional weapon platform, and also supports the US Navy in anti-surface and submarine warfare missions. It is the longest serving combat aircraft in the world - 104 B-52H's were built and the last was delivered in 1962. The B-52, with a weapons payload of more than 70,000 pounds, is capable of carrying the most diverse range of weapons of any combat aircraft. The nuclear weapons capacity includes 12 AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missiles (ACMS), 20 AGM-86A Air Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM) and eight bombs. The conventional weapons carriage capability is eight AGM-84 Harpoon missiles, four AGM-142 Raptor missiles, 51 x 500 lb bombs, 30 x 1000 lb bombs, 20 AGM-86C Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missiles (CALCM), twelve Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW), twelve Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and sixteen Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD). The B-52 can also deliver 51 500lb, 30 1000lb and 20 2000lb navy mines. The B-52H is powered by eight Pratt and Whitney type TF33-P-3 turbofan engines each providing more than 17,000 pounds of thrust. The engines are mounted in pairs on sharply raked forward pods under the 185 feet wing. The aircraft has ten internal plus two external fuel tanks with a capacity of over 181,000 litres, which gives a non-refuelled range of more than 8,600 miles. The operational range with one air refuelling is 7,500 nautical miles. Research B-52 Stratofortress
The Northrop/NASA M2-F2 was an American wingless lifting-body re-entry research vehicle of the mid-1960's, first produced in 1965 and first flown in 1966, forming part of the research which was to develop the later Space Shuttle.
The M2-F2 was of a basic delta plan-form with a curved underside and flat top, resembling a rotated letter D, and was constructed mainly of parts from other aircraft including the nose unit of a North American CT-39 Sabreliner, albeit modified, and the underside of the fuselage of an HL-10.
Generally unpowered, the M2-F2 had provision to be fitted with a Thiokol XLR11 liquid-propellant rocket-engine to enable the aircraft to be air-launched from beneath the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress.
In 1967 the M2-F2 crashed on landing at the Rogers Dry LakeEdwardsAFB in California at the end of its sixteenth flight resulting in severe damage to the aircraft. Research M2-F2
The Martin Marietta SV-5P Pilot (USAF designation X-24A) was an American single-seater rocket-powered lifting-body research aircraft developed during the 1960's after the basic design was proved by the unmanned X-23A model, and ordered by the USAF in 1966.
The Martin Marietta SV-5P Pilot was powered by a Thiokol XLR11-RM-13 four-chamber liquid-propellant rocket-engine providing a speed of Mach 2. The Martin Marietta SV-5P Pilot was designed to be carried to an altitude of 13700 metres under the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress and released at a speed of Mach 0.6. The pilot then igniting the rocket engine and boosting the Martin Marietta SV-5P Pilot to an altitude of 30500 metres and a speed of Mach 2 before being manoeuvred to a landing, with a total flight time of about fifteen minutes.
A turbo-jet powered model, the SV-5J was also produced and first exhibited at the 1967 Paris Air Show. The SV-5J was identical to the Martin Marietta SV-5P Pilot but powered by a Pratt and Whitney J60 turbojet. Research Martin Marietta SV-5P Pilot
The North American Valkyrie (USAF designation XB-70) was an American large tail-first delta-wing aircraft designed as a strategic bomber to replace the B-52 Stratofortress. The North American Valkyrie was first flown in public in 1964. The North American Valkyrie was powered by six General Electric YJ93-GE-3 turbojet engines providing a cruising speed of mach 3. The North American Valkyrie was designed to carry a crew of four comprising a pilot, co-pilot, bombardier-navigator and defensive system operator, the prototype carried a crew of two. Research North American Valkyrie
The B-52 Virus is a VCL generated computer virus which infects .COM files including COMMAND.COM. The virus is loaded into memory by executing an infected program and then affects the computer's runtime operation and corrupts program files. Research B-52 Virus
Abbreviations
Research AGM-28
