Weapons Systems
Introduction
Velvet Glove Missile
Sparrow 2 Missile
Introduction
In 1952 AVRO submitted to the RCAF poposal C104/1 which had for armament 6 Hughes Falcon guided missiles and 24 Huges 2.75" rockets
For more flexibility, the armaments bay could hold 6 Hughes Falcon guided missiles and 24 Huges 2.75" rockets
or 4 Velvet Glove missiles
or 4 30mm canons with a capacity of 200 rounds and 56 folding fin rockets
or as a bomber, 4 1,000 pound bombs
or as reconnaissance, a camera pod
or to give the fighter a longer range, an extra fuel tank
When the airframe development began, the RCAF and the Defense Research Board began evaluating missiles and their fire control systems.
They looked at the following missiles:
- Douglas MB-1 Genie
- Hughes Falcon
- Sperry Sparrow I
- Douglas Sparrow II
- Raytheon Sparrow III
In mid 1955, the Douglas Sparrow II was chosen and the Hughes company would adapt their fire control system to other missiles.
RCA agreed to work to RCAF requirements - ASTRA, and on 28 Jun 1956, C.D. Howe tells the House of Commons work will soon begin on ASTRA.
In late 1956 the USN abandons development of the Sparrow II, the missile chosen for the Arrow.
The Canadian government brought the Sparrow II to Canada to continue development with AVRO as the System Manager, Canadair to build the missile airframes, and Canadian Westinghouse in Hamilton to work with Bendix-Pacific on the Radar Guidance System.
Velvet Glove Missile
diagram of velvet glove
The Canadian Armament and Research Development Establishment (CARDE) began the Velvet Glove programme 1 April 1951 and by the time the programme had been terminated in 1955, 300 Velvet Gloves had been built and fired. The Velvet Glove programme had spent $24 million.
Photos of the Velvet Glove at the RCAF Memorial Museum, Trenton Ontario
(click on photos for full size image)
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Sparrow 2
sparrow 2 diagram
Sparrow Links
Missiles... Intended to provide the long range clout for the Avro Arrow, the Sparrow II
Raytheon AIM/RIM-7 Sparrow: The Sparrow II
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Velvet Glove Missile
Sparrow 2 Missile
Introduction
In 1952 AVRO submitted to the RCAF poposal C104/1 which had for armament 6 Hughes Falcon guided missiles and 24 Huges 2.75" rockets
For more flexibility, the armaments bay could hold 6 Hughes Falcon guided missiles and 24 Huges 2.75" rockets
or 4 Velvet Glove missiles
or 4 30mm canons with a capacity of 200 rounds and 56 folding fin rockets
or as a bomber, 4 1,000 pound bombs
or as reconnaissance, a camera pod
or to give the fighter a longer range, an extra fuel tank
When the airframe development began, the RCAF and the Defense Research Board began evaluating missiles and their fire control systems.
They looked at the following missiles:
- Douglas MB-1 Genie
- Hughes Falcon
- Sperry Sparrow I
- Douglas Sparrow II
- Raytheon Sparrow III
In mid 1955, the Douglas Sparrow II was chosen and the Hughes company would adapt their fire control system to other missiles.
RCA agreed to work to RCAF requirements - ASTRA, and on 28 Jun 1956, C.D. Howe tells the House of Commons work will soon begin on ASTRA.
In late 1956 the USN abandons development of the Sparrow II, the missile chosen for the Arrow.
The Canadian government brought the Sparrow II to Canada to continue development with AVRO as the System Manager, Canadair to build the missile airframes, and Canadian Westinghouse in Hamilton to work with Bendix-Pacific on the Radar Guidance System.
Velvet Glove Missile
diagram of velvet glove
| Specifications: | |
| Length | 128 inches |
| Diameter | 8 inches |
| Span | 38 inches |
| Weight at Launch | 318 lb |
| Weight at Burn Out | 248 lb |
| Speed | Mach 2.3 when launched at Mach 0.85 |
| Range | 2,500 - 4,500 yards |
| Steering | Seeker head uses target as sole steering reference |
| Engine | Aerojet with solid fuel, 7,600 lb thrust |
| Burn time at 60o F | 1.9 seconds |
The Canadian Armament and Research Development Establishment (CARDE) began the Velvet Glove programme 1 April 1951 and by the time the programme had been terminated in 1955, 300 Velvet Gloves had been built and fired. The Velvet Glove programme had spent $24 million.
Photos of the Velvet Glove at the RCAF Memorial Museum, Trenton Ontario
(click on photos for full size image)
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Sparrow 2
sparrow 2 diagram
| Specifications | |
| Length | 151 inches |
| Diameter | 8 inches |
| Span | 40 inches |
| Weight at Launch | 389 lb |
| Speed | Mach 2 - 2.5 |
| Range | 5,000 - 8,000 yards |
| Steering | Small high-powered tracking radar that feeds
information into the missile auto-pilot |
| Engine | Aerojet with solid fuel, 7,800 lb thrust |
| Burn time at 60o F | 1.85 seconds |
| Operating Altitude | 400 - 50,000 ft |
| Warhead | 45 lb fragmentation type, proximity fuse |
Sparrow Links
Missiles... Intended to provide the long range clout for the Avro Arrow, the Sparrow II
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