Togetherness "The IM-99A Missile"

[Dave Monroe]

"Airlifting the IM-99A missile, like marriage, demands
a certain amount of 'togetherness' between Air Force
and contractor. Two birds per airlift are onloaded by
Boeing people and offloaded by Air Force people; in
between is an airborne MATS C-124. One loading
operation is a mirror-image of the other, and similar
accidents can happen at both places. Let's look at a
few of the safety hazards that have to be taken into
account when Bomarcs are shipped...." (Togetherness)


"the IM-99A missile"

The supersonic Bomarc missiles (IM-99A and IM-99B)
were the world's first long-range anti-aircraft
missiles, and the first missiles that Boeing mass
produced. The program also represented the first time
Boeing designed and built launch facilities. It used
analog computers, some of which were built by Boeing
and had been developed for GAPA experiments during
World War II.

Authorized by the Air Force in 1949, Bomarc was the
result of coordinated research between Boeing (Bo) and
the University of Michigan Aeronautical Research
Center (marc).

The missiles were housed on a constant combat-ready
basis in individual launch shelters in remote areas.
The alert signal could fire the missiles around the
country in 30 seconds. The Model A had a range of 200
miles, and the B, which followed, could fly 400 miles.
Boeing built 700 Bomarc missiles between 1957 and
1964, as well as 420 launch systems. Bomarc was
retired from active service during the early 1970s.

http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/bomarc.html

The Bomarc was the only surface-to-air missile ever
deployed by the U.S. Air Force. All other U.S.
land-based SAMs were and are under the control of the
U.S. Army.

In 1946, Boeing started to study surface-to-air guided
missiles under the USAAF project MX-606. By 1950,
Boeing had launched more than 100 test rockets in
various configurations, all under the designator
XSAM-A-1 GAPA (Ground-to-Air Pilotless Aircraft).
Because these tests were very promising, Boeing
received a USAF contract in 1949 to develop a
pilotless interceptor (a term then used by the USAF
for air-defense guided missiles) under project
MX-1599. The MX-1599 missile was to be a
ramjet-powered, nuclear-armed long-range
surface-to-air missile to defend the continental USA
from high-flying bombers. The Michigan Aerospace
Research Center (MARC) was added to the project soon
afterwards, and this gave the new missile its name
Bomarc (for Boeing and MARC)....

... In August 1955, the USAF discontinued the use of
aircraft-like type designators for missiles, and the
XF-99A and YF-99A became XIM-99A and YIM-99A,
respectively. Originally the USAF had allocated the
designation IM-69, but this was changed (possibly at
Boeing's request to keep number 99) to IM-99 in
October 1955. In October 1957, the first YIM-99A
production-representative prototype flew with full
guidance, and succeeded to pass the target within
destructive range. In late 1957, Boeing received the
production contract for the IM-99A Bomarc A
interceptor missile, and in September 1959, the first
IM-99A squadron became operational....

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-10.html

Cf., e.g., ...

"A screaming comes across the sky." (GR, p. 3)


"marriage"

See ...

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0005&msg=45575


"an airborne MATS C-124"

MATS = Military Air Transport Service

http://www.vrc-50.org/MATShistory.htm

The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, also fondly called
"Old Shakey," could carry more than 200 troops. It had
clamshell-type loading doors, built-in double
hydraulic ramps and an elevator under the aft
fuselage. It could load tanks, field guns, bulldozers
and trucks....

http://www.boeing.com/history/mdc/globemaster.htm

And see as well, e.g., ...

http://members.aol.com/SamBlu82/c124.html

http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/c124.asp

http://www.globalaircraft.org/planes/c-124_globemaster_ii.pl

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/c-124.htm

http://www.mcchordairmuseum.org/REV%20B%20MAM%20COLLECTION%20C-124%20BORDER.htm


"a mirror-image"

Cf., e.g., ...

"doppelganger" (MMV, p. 2)

"as if it had passed through the surface of a mirror"
(V., p. 47)


		
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