| Corporal E | |
|---|---|
 Major General Gladeon M. Barnes (right) and JPL Acting Director Frank Malina (left) stand below the 39-foot Corporal E, which was launched in May 1947. | |
| Type | Experimental guided missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1947–1951 |
| Used by | United States Army |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Designed | 1946 |
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft |
| No. built | 11 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 11,700 lb (5,300 kg) |
| Length | 39 feet 2+3⁄8 inches (11.948 m) |
| Diameter | 30 in (760 mm) |
| Engine | Liquid fuelled rocket 20,000 lbf (89 kN) thrust |
| Propellant | Liquid fuel |
Operational range | 62.5 miles (100.6 km) |
| Flight ceiling | 24.5 miles (39.4 km) |
| Boost time | 60 sec |
| Maximum speed | 2,695 ft/s (821 m/s) |
The ORDCIT (US Army's Ordnance and California Institute of Technology) program to develop a ballistic missile called Corporal was a progressive one. The original design was called XF30L20,000 which envisioned a 30 in (760 mm) diameter liquid fueled missile with a 20,000 lbf (89 kN) thrust engine and was ventured in the summer of 1944. The WAC Corporal sounding rocket was developed in 1945, providing experience with liquid fueled ballistic rocketry. The second phase gave experience with a redesigned and refined rocket and engine the following year. What was learned was applied to the Corporal program.[1]
- ^ Bragg, James W. (1961). Development of the Corporal: The Embryo of the Army Missile Program (PDF). Redstone Arsenal, Alabama: Reports and Historical Office, Army Ballistic Missile Agency, Army Ordnance Missile Command. p. 113. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2019.