Fairchild AUM-N-2 "Petrel" ( eng. Petrel - petrel ) - anti - ship missile torpedo of the US Navy . The first (and only adopted) in the Kingfisher series of rocket and torpedoes (eng. - kingfisher ) . It was developed from 1944 to 1955, from 1955 - the main US anti-ship missiles. It was not in service for long, only until 1959.
| Fairchild AUM-N-2 Petrel | |
|---|---|
 "Petrel" under the wing of the carrier | |
| Type of | anti-ship missile torpedo |
| Status | withdrawn from service |
| Developer | Fairchild engines |
| Years of development | 1944-1956 |
| Test start | 1951 |
| Adoption | 1955 |
| Manufacturer | Fairchild engines |
| Years of production | 1951-1956 |
| Years of operation | 1955-1959 |
| Main operators | US Navy  |
History
Work on missile torpedoes was launched as part of the SWOD program back in 1944, under the auspices of the US Navy Ammunition Bureau. The work started on several guided projectiles at once was later combined into a separate Kingfisher program. The future "Petrel" was designated in it as Kingfisher-C . All early US missile torpedoes were developed within its framework.
Design
Structurally, Petrel was a fairly simple system. Its main element was the Mk-21 homing acoustic torpedo , the first high-speed acoustic torpedo developed by the U.S. Navy. The speed of the torpedo (maximum) was about 33 knots at a range of up to 5800 meters, it could hit almost all existing types of surface ships.
A relatively simple wooden glider was attached to the torpedo hull, equipped with a lightweight turbojet engine and control surfaces. With the help of squibs , the glider could be easily shot, and the torpedo fell into the water, automatically starting the search for the target.
After starting from the side of the carrier aircraft, Petrel turned on the engine and gradually decreased to a height of 60 meters above sea level. Guidance of the rocket was semi-active - the equipment installed on the glider received the radar signal from the carrier aircraft reflected from the target ( Lockheed P-2 Neptune was assumed as such) and the autopilot kept the projectile on course. The maximum velocity of the projectile was about 600 kilometers per hour, the maximum effective range is 32 kilometers. Approaching a target at a distance of about 1400 meters, a rocket torpedo turned off the engine, shot off wings and steering planes, and fell into the water. An acoustic passive GOS torpedo picked up the noise of the propellers of the enemy ship, and the torpedo was aimed at the target.
TTX
- Length: 732 cm
- Wingspan (glider): 401 cm
- Diameter: 61 cm
- Weight: 1700 kg
- Speed: 604 km / h in air / 33.5 knots in water
- Range: 32 km
- Guidance system: semi-active radar on the march section / passive acoustic on the terminal section
- Warhead: Acoustic homing aircraft torpedo Mark 21 Mod 2
Deployment
After an extremely protracted development cycle, the missile was finally accepted for service under the designation AUM-N-2 . Since 1956, Petrel rockets have been deployed on Lockheed P-2 Neptune patrol aircraft.
Despite the original designation of AUM ( Eng. Air-to-Underwater Missile - anti-submarine aircraft (guided) missile), the practice of operating the Mk-21 torpedo showed that it is unable to effectively use against submarines under water. The reason for this was the high noise of the torpedo. Therefore, the functions of the Petrel were limited to the defeat of surface targets and submarines in the surface position.
The US Navy, for its part, has never attached much importance to the Petrel. It was considered solely as an auxiliary weapon. Its insufficient range and the need to illuminate the target with the radar of the carrier aircraft greatly limited the effectiveness of the application. The main drawback was the complete impossibility of using underwater targets. In the 1950s, the surface fleet of the USSR was not considered by the US Navy as a serious threat requiring the active creation of a specific anti-ship weapon. At the same time, the rapid increase in the Soviet submarine fleet with the introduction of the new Project 613 diesel-electric submarines , made it necessary to concentrate on the development of anti-submarine defense systems.
As a result, the Petrel deployed to the US Navy only in reserve squadrons. In 1959, the Petrel missile torpedo was withdrawn from service. The remaining shells were converted into AQM-41A flying targets, and were used in naval exercises until the mid-1960s.
Links
- Norman Friedman US Naval Weapons. - Conway Maritime Press, 1983.
- Frederick I. Ordway III, Ronald C. Wakeford. International Missile and Spacecraft Guide. - McGraw-Hill, 1960.
- Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Rockets & Missiles: a comprehensive technical directory and history of the military guided missile systems of the 20th century. - Salamander Books, 1979.- 264 p. - ISBN 0861010299 .
- Norman J. Bowman. The Handbook of Rockets and Guided Missiles. - Perastadion Press, 1963.