SSM-N-6 Rigel
Cruise missile
Maximum speed Launch
platform
platform
The SSM-N-6 Rigel was a proposed United States Navy submarine-launched, nuclear-capable ramjet-powered cruise missile.
Etymology
The Rigel missile was named after Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation Orion.[1]
Development
In 1946 the US Navy sanctioned development of the Rigel missile as a sub-launched supersonic weapon to attack enemy shores, in parallel with development of the subsonic SSM-N-8 Regulus.[2] The SSM-N-6 was to be launched by means of 4 rocket boosters and a catapult, with two ramjets for the cruise mode of the flight.
Several Rigel test articles were built to test the planned ramjet system for the Rigel missile. They had a single ramjet and a single rocket booster.[2] Subsequently, scaled-down Flight Test Vehicles (FTVs) were built with a configuration similar to the full-scale missile, and the first FTV launch occurred in May 1950. Unfortunately, plans to build the SSM-N-6 missiles were cancelled because the failure of FTV flight tests, but also due to the fact that Rigel posed a problem for submariners by requiring a longer launch rail on submarines than the SSM-N-8 Regulus.[2]
Operators
United States
- United States Navy (planned)
See also
- List of missiles
References
- ^ Yenne, Bill (2018). A Complete History of U.S. Cruise Missiles. Forest Lake, MN: Specialty Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-58007-256-4.
- ^ a b c "Grumman SSM-N-6 Rigel". www.designation-systems.net.
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USN/USMC drone designations 1946–1962
- KDA
- KDB
- KD2B
1 Not assigned
See also: Target drones
See also: Target drones
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