The Black Mamba

[Glenn]

With the success of the Bomarc project, Boeing developed a larger rocket, but this time, a manned project. Still launched from a platform the Black Mamba was designed purely to intercept Tu-4's and later Tu-16's flying over US airspace. Most were housed in silo's in Alaska guarding NORAD.
Seen here as part of the test program after it's launch from Edwards.

Model : Revell Bomarc IM-99 (1/52nd sc.)

Finished : 1/72 SAC interceptor.

Rocket burn, Adobe to remove the wire holding the model.

[Shasper]

Sweet Action!



Ves B)  

[Captain Canada]

Sweet !

I hear that Bomarc kit is rare and quite pricey...nice to see her chopped up built proper !

     

[Tophe]

Nice model , and incredible photograph as usual. In a trial, this could stand as a very proof: "look, it actually exists"...
Green question: why is the smoke for the above engine only? chemical rocket there and simple turbojet below? or afterburner above?

[nev]

Sweet!!      

[Swamphen]

why is the smoke for the above engine only? chemical rocket there and simple turbojet below? or afterburner above?

Evan can correct me if I'm wrong    but the rocket is in the tail; underneath is a ramjet, which only starts up after the rocket burns out.

Great model Glenn!!      

[John Howling Mouse]

Two for me, please.  Just like yours----LOVE it!

 

[Gary]

Very neat conceptually. Kinda reminds me of the Natter.

[Shasper]

Da, I agree w/ Wook.



Ves B)  

[TsrJoe]

sweet   ...have you been looking through circa late 1950's issues of 'Flight'? i recall one issue actually showed a speculative design virtually identical to what youv realised in model form...really cool

happy what'iffing, cheers, joe    

[WeeJimmy]

That's why Deifenbaker bought them...  someone reneged on the full deal  

[Swamphen]

I think Nev's right about the ramjet

Oi!    

[elmayerle]

why is the smoke for the above engine only? chemical rocket there and simple turbojet below? or afterburner above?

Evan can correct me if I'm wrong    but the rocket is in the tail; underneath is a ramjet, which only starts up after the rocket burns out.

Great model Glenn!!    

You're correct.  Take the Bomarc, it has two ramjets, one under each wing, but launches with the rocket housed internally.

[Tophe]

the ramjet - like pulsejets - need forward motion to be able to start.  You can't start "cold" as it were, hence all the Luft '46 ramjet projects having a rocket engine for takeoff.

Uh, should I look in my books, or will JCC have all in his mind? The French Griffon prototype (or Griffon II, I don't remember) was having a turbo-ramjet, able to start by itself (tiny turbojet inside, if my memory is right) then using ramjet only (turbo stopped?) for supersonic cruise...
Somehow, this may be just a word-game, I don't know, as a classical afterburner is a kind of ramjet behind a turbojet...
More interesting: a missile (from Aérospatiale?) used a rocket and central chemicals tanks for it, to start and increase speed, then when all the chemicals had burnt, air intakes opened and the disappeared chemicals had made room for a ramjet pipe. I don't remember the name of this device (statomixte in French? combi-ramjet?), nor the missile name (ASMP?) but I remember that the engineers were very proud of it.  

[elmayerle]

the ramjet - like pulsejets - need forward motion to be able to start.  You can't start "cold" as it were, hence all the Luft '46 ramjet projects having a rocket engine for takeoff.

Uh, should I look in my books, or will JCC have all in his mind? The French Griffon prototype (or Griffon II, I don't remember) was having a turbo-ramjet, able to start by itself (tiny turbojet inside, if my memory is right) then using ramjet only (turbo stopped?) for supersonic cruise...
Somehow, this may be just a word-game, I don't know, as a classical afterburner is a kind of ramjet behind a turbojet...
More interesting: a missile (from Aérospatiale?) used a rocket and central chemicals tanks for it, to start and increase speed, then when all the chemicals had burnt, air intakes opened and the disappeared chemicals had made room for a ramjet pipe. I don't remember the name of this device (statomixte in French? combi-ramjet?), nor the missile name (ASMP?) but I remember that the engineers were very proud of it.

The Griffon II (the Griffon I was a tail-sitter of similar concept) used a turbojet (ATAR 101, I believe) for take-off, landing, & low-speed flight and converted to ramjet power in flight; the ramjet in this case wrapping around the turbojet.  The Republic F-103 would've used a similar concept, though it had the two engines in parallel.  I believe the missile you're discussing is the ASMP, though the Russians have several similar ones including the Kh-41.  All of these are integral-rocket-ramjets where the initial launch impetus is provided by rockets which bring the missile up to a speed where the ramjet can function for the remainder of the flight.  Generally the "rocket-only" portion of the propulsion section is a solid fuel mix of fuel and oxidizer which transitions to a mix of fuel with a little oxidizer for ramjet operation, the fuel that doesn't burn with the oxidizer being burned with the incoming air for propulsion.  The US has conducted tests of this concept, the Vought ALVRJ for example, and it has figured in some proposals like Northrop's stealthy ND-1 which carried a submunitions dispenser.