| RTV-A-2 Hiroc | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Supersonic Test Vehicle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Consolidated-Vultee |
| Designed | 1946 |
| No. built | 3 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,205 pounds (547 kg) empty, 4,090 pounds (1,860 kg) full |
| Length | 31.5 feet (9.6 m) |
| Width | 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) |
| Diameter | 30 inches (760 mm) |
| Engine | One XLR35-RM-1 engine with four chambers 2,000 pounds-force (8.9 kN) each |
| Propellant | Liquid oxygen as oxidizer Ethanol as fuel |
The RTV-A-2 Hiroc (high-altitude rocket) was a product of the United States' first effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The project was named MX-774. The project was canceled in 1947, but leftover funds were used to build and launch three of the planned 10 research vehicles designated RTV-A-2.[1][2] The design included several innovations; the gimbaled thrust chambers provided guidance control, the internal gas pressure was used to support the airframe and the nose cap was separable. All of these concepts were later used on the Atlas missile and the first two on the Viking rocket. Also developed as part of MX-774 was the Azusa guidance system which was not used on the Hiroc missile but did contribute to the Atlas missile as well as many other early guided missiles launched from Cape Canveral.[3]
- ^ Neufeld 1990, pp. 47.
- ^ Kennedy, Gregory P, “The Rockets and Missiles of White Sands Proving Ground 1945-1958,” Schiffer Military History, Atglen, PA, 2009 ISBN 978-0-7643-3251-7, p 63
- ^ Rosenberg, Max, “The Air Force and the National Guided Missile Program 1944-1950,” USAF Historical Division Liaison Office, June 1964, p 48