| JB-3 Tiamat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1945–1946 |
| Used by | United States Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hughes Aircraft Company & NACA |
| Designed | 1944 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Aircraft Company |
| Produced | 1945-1946 |
| No. built | 35 contracted for before program termination[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 625 pounds (283 kg) |
| Warhead | HE |
| Warhead weight | 100 pounds (45 kg) |
| Engine | Rocket |
Operational range | 9 miles (14 km) |
| Flight altitude | 50,000 feet (15,000 m) |
Guidance system | Semi-Active Radar Homing |
Launch platform | Douglas JB-26 Invader (tests) |
The JB-3 Tiamat was subsonic air-to-air missile program that began in January 1944 for the U.S. Army Air Force under project MX-570.[2] The prime contractor was Hughes Aircraft Company Electronics Division which developed the Tiamat with the assistance of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).[3][4]
Tiamat was propelled by a rocket motor of a boost-sustain dual-thrust type, providing 7,200 lbf (32 kN) of thrust for 3.5 seconds, followed by 200 lbf (0.89 kN) for 45 seconds of cruising flight at 600 miles per hour (970 km/h).[2] Tiamat used semi-active radar homing radar guidance to intercept the target aircraft,[5][6] with a proximity fuze to detonate the missile's 100 lb (45 kg) high explosive warhead when within effective range of an enemy aircraft.[2] The JB-3 program was quickly reduced in status following the end of WWII. Testing by NACA and US Army Air Force continued into 1946. Though the project was cancelled due to ongoing problems, missiles already under construction were used by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics for research during the next few years. During the program considerable research was conducted, including a test of then-novel swept wings. Existing during a period from where anything was tried, to limited development funding, the JB-3 had proven the limits of existing technology as well as providing much experience. With the appearance of more promising missile designs the JB-3 had gone from the cutting edge of technology to obsolete in just a few years time.
- ^ USAAF, "JB-3 Tiamat - Jet Bomb", Report X-135461-AA, Headquarters, Air Materiel Command, Wright Field, Ohio, 1 October 1945, page 1.
- ^ a b c Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.186.
- ^ Rosenberg, Max (1964). The Air Force and The National Guided Missile Program 1944-1950. UASF Historical Division. p. 7.
- ^ "JB Series". www.designation-systems.net.
- ^ Dryden, Hugh Latimer; Getting, I. A. (1946). Guidance and Homing of Missiles and Pilotless Aircraft. Headquarters Air Materiel Command, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. p. 21.
- ^ Parsch 2005