LBD-1 Gargoyle

Infobox Weapon
name= LBD-1 Gargoyle


caption= Gargoyle on display at NASM in target colors.
origin= United States
type= anti-ship missile / guided bomb
is_ranged=
is_bladed=
is_explosive=
is_artillery=
is_vehicle=
is_missile=yes
is_UK=
service= never used operationally
used_by=
wars= World War II
designer=
design_date=
manufacturer=
unit_cost=
production_date=1945
number=
variants=
weight= 1650 lb (750 kg)
length= 9 ft 10 in (3 m)
part_length=
width=
height=
diameter=
crew=
filling= amatol
filling_weight= 1000 pounds (454 kg)
detonation=
yield=
armour=
primary_armament=
secondary_armament=
engine= 8AS1000 JATO bottle
engine_power= 990 lbf (4,400 N) static thrust
transmission=
payload_capacity= 1000 pounds (450 kg)
fuel_capacity=
pw_ratio=
suspension=
clearance=
vehicle_range= 4 nm (8 km)
speed= 600 mph (960 km/h)
guidance= radio command

The McDonnell LBD-1 Gargoyle (later KBD-1) was an American air-to-surface missile developed during World War Two. It was one of the precursors of modern anti-ship missiles.

Following German success with the Hs-293 and Fritz-X, the U.S. began work on a series of similar weapons. These included Bat, Felix, GB-8, and Gargoyle.

Gargoyle had a 1000 pound (450 kg) warhead (M65 general purpose {GP} or M59 semi–armor piercing {SAP}), intended to be launched from carrier-borne aircraft in conditions of good visibility, against maneuvering targets. Launched from 15,000 feet (4,500 m), it had a range of almost four miles (eight kilometers), and could be controlled at up to 24 miles (45 kilometers).

A launch speed of at least 200 mph (320 km/h) was necessary, so its low wings would not stall; a 990 pound-force (4,400 N) static thrust 8AS1000 jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) bottle in the tail boosted it to a maximum speed of 600 mph (960 km/h).

Operated by radio command guidance, Gargoyle was tracked visually by means of flares in the tail, much as Fritz-X was; this limited its maximum range to how far the flares could be seen. Gargoyle relied on simultaneous or separate operation of the elevators and rudder on the weapon's butterfly tail; it was capable of 4"g" (40 m/s²), for a turning circle of 2,550 ft (780 m).

Production by McDonnell Aircraft began in 1944, but the war ended before it entered operational service.

ources

* Fitzsimons, Bernard, editor. "Gargoyle", in "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons and Warfare", Volume 10, p.1090. London: Phoebus Publishing, 1978.

ee also

* Fritz X
* Azon
* Razon
* Henschel Hs 293
* List of anti-ship missiles

External links

* [http://www.vectorsite.net/twbomb_04.html Allied & German guided weapons of WW2]
* [http://www.ausairpower.net/WW2-PGMs.html The Dawn of the Smart Bomb]
* [http://www.1jma.dk/articles/1jmaarticleshardware.htm Guided weapons of WW2]
* [http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/gb.html GB series weapons]