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The Quail, originally designated the GAM-72, is an air-launched decoy missile carried by the B-52 strategic bomber. Designed to produce a radar image very similar to that of the B-52 and to fly at approximately the same speed and altitude, the Quail would be used during an actual bombing attack to confuse an enemy's defensive radar network. With both Quails and B-52s penetrating the enemy's air space, it would be difficult for him to distinguish one from the other on his radar.

In order to fit inside the B-52 bomb-bay, the Quail is equipped with folding wings. During launch, the wings unfold for flight.

The Quail on display was transferred to the Air Force Museum from Eglin AFB, Florida, in January 1961.

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 2 ft. 5 in. (wings folded) -- 5 ft. 5 in. (wings unfolded)
Length: 12 ft. 11 in.
Height: 2 ft. 2 in. (wings folded) -- 3 ft. 4 in. (wings unfolded)
Weight: 1,198 lbs.
Armament: None
Engine: General Electric J85-GE-3 of 2,450 lbs. thrust

PERFORMANCE
Operating speed: 650 mph.
Range: 400 miles
Service Ceiling: Over 50,000 ft.

Courtesy Of The Air Force Museun

 

 

The GAM-72/ADM-20 Quail

 

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GAM-72 (ADM-20A)

The Quail was a bomber-launched decoy missile of the USAF, designed to appear on the enemy's radar screens as additional bombers, and thus confuse and degrade the air-defense system.

In 1955, the USAF started a major development effort for decoy missiles, which were intended to give almost identical radar images as real strategic bombers, and therefore confuse and saturate the enemy air defenses. The projects included the GAM-71 Buck Duck (See Below) (a rocket-powered air-launched vehicle to be carried by the B-36 Peacemaker), the SM-73 Bull Goose (See Below) (a ground-launched long-range jet-powered decoy), and the GAM-72 Green Quail. The latter was to become a turbojet-powered air-launched decoy for internal carriage by B-52 Stratofortress bombers. In February 1956, McDonnell was selected as prime contactor for the GAM-72, whose name had been shortened to Quail by that time (the names of the other two decoy projects are also often quoted without the "first name"). Captive tests with B-52s began in July 1957, and the first free glide flight of an XGAM-72 prototype occurred in November 1957. The first successful powered flight in August 1958 was followed by the initial production contract for the GAM-72 Quail in December 1958. In September 1960, the USAF received its first production Quails, and in February 1961, the first B-52 squadron with Quail decoys was operational.

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ADM-20C

The GAM-72 was powered by a General Electric J85-GE-3 turbojet engine. Its slab-sided fuselage and twin dorsal and ventral fins produced a large radar cross section similar to that of a B-52. The wings and fins of the Quail could be folded, reducing the overall dimensions to 3.94 m x 0.74 m x 0.66 m (155 in x 29 in x 26 in). This allowed the carriage of up to eight decoys in the B-52's weapons bays, although the operationally used quantity was four decoys per aircraft. The Quails were located in the extreme rear of the B-52's bay, and could be lowered out of the bay before launch for wing unfolding and engine start. The Quail could be preprogrammed on the ground to perform two turns and one speed change during its flight to a range of up to 825 km (445 nm). Additionally, it carried an ECM package including of a radar repeater, and later versions also had chaff dispensers and a heat source (to simulate the B-52's IR signature).

The J85-GE-3 engines of the original GAM-72 suffered from serious reliability problems, and the engine was therefore modified into the J85-GE-7 version. Quails equipped with the new engine were designated GAM-72A. The GAM-72A was also about 90 kg (200 lb) heavier than the GAM-72, and had a slightly smaller wing area, reducing the maximum range to about 650 km (350 nm). The first GAM-72A flew in March 1960, and almost all of the 550+ production Quails (except for the first 24 missiles only) were built as GAM-72As. During 1963, all available GAM-72As were modified for low-level operations by the addition of a barometric switch for terrain avoidance. In this configuration the Quail was re-designated as GAM-72B.

In June 1963, all Quail missiles were re-designated in the ADM-20 series as follows:

Old Designation	New Designation
GAM-72	ADM-20A
GAM-72A	ADM-20B
GAM-72B	ADM-20C

The ADM-20 was a relatively effective decoy against 1960s technology radars. However, in a USAF test in 1972, the Air Force radar operators were able to correctly identify the decoys in 21 out of 23 cases. Because the Quail was apparently no longer a useful decoy, the Air Force began its phase-out, and in 1978 the last ADM-20C had left the USAF inventory. A total of about 600 Quail decoys of all variants were built.

ADM-20B/C Specifications
Length	3.94 m (12 ft 11 in)
Wingspan	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Height	1.02 cm (3 ft 4 in)
Weight	540 kg (1200 lb); ADM-20A: 450 kg (1000 lb)
Speed	Mach 0.95
Ceiling	15200 m (50000 ft)
Range	650 km (350 nm); ADM-20A: 825 km (445 nm)
Propulsion	General Electric J85-GE-7 turbojet; 10.9 kN (2450 lb) ADM-20A: General Electric J85-GE-3 turbojet; 10.9 kN (2450 lb)

Main Sources

[1] Kenneth P.Werrell: "The Evolution of the Cruise Missile", Air University Press, 1985
[2] Bill Gunston: "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rockets and Missiles", Salamander Books Ltd, 1979
[3] Dennis R. Jenkins, Brian Rogers: "Boeing B-52G/H Stratofortress", Aerofax, 1990

In the early 1950s, Convair studied the concept of a small decoy missile to be carried inside the bomb bay of a B-36 Peacemaker bomber. This decoy was to be launched by the B-36 in enemy air space to confuse and saturate air defense systems. Convair actually built a prototype using company funds, and in August 1954 the USAF awarded an official development contract for the Buck Duck decoy under project MX-2224. The vehicle was subsequently designated GAM-71, and the name was sometimes shortened to plain Duck. Glide tests of XGAM-71 prototypes launched from a modified B-29 began in February 1955.

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XGAM-71

The GAM-71 was a small missile with straight wings which could be folded for stowage in the B-36's bomb bay. Reference sources quote an XLR85 liquid-fueled rocket engine as propulsion without giving further details. However, since other contemporary decoy missiles (GAM-72/ADM-20 Green Quail (See Above) and SM-73 Bull Goose) (See Below) used J85/J83 turbojet propulsion, and because source [2] mentions a report that the GAM-71 used in fact a small turbojet engine, it's at least possible (but in no way certain) that "LR85" is an error for "J85". The Buck Duck used radar reflectors to simulate the radar return of a B-36, and had a range of 370 km (230 miles) at a speed of Mach 0.55. Initially it was planned that one bomber in a formation carries the full load of seven GAM-71s, but using a mixed load of two decoys and a reduced bomb load on all B-36s would have been also possible.

There are no reports of any powered flights of the XGAM-71, and the Buck Duck program was cancelled in January 1956. The program had proceeded with low priority at Convair, and it was probably terminated because at that time the B-36 would not be in service for much longer anyway. The concept of a small bomber-launched decoy missile was eventually brought to fruition with the GAM-72/ADM-20 Quail (See Above) in the B-52.

XGAM-71 Specifications
Length	4.0 m (13 ft)
Wingspan	4.3 m (14 ft)
Weight	700 kg (1550 lb)
Speed	Mach 0.55
Range	370 km (230 miles)
Propulsion	XLR85 liquid-fueled rocket; 4.0 kN (900 lb)

Main Sources

[1] Kenneth P.Werrell: "The Evolution of the Cruise Missile", Air University Press, 1985
[2] Dennis R. Jenkins: "Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36", Specialty Press, 2001

 

 

 

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XSM-73

In the early 1950s, Fairchild studied the concept of a ground-launched long-range decoy missile to simulate B-36, B-47, B-52 and B-58 strategic bombers on radar. The U.S. Air Force awarded a study contract under project MX-2223 in July 1954, and Fairchild came up with a swept-wing, vee-tail design with a fuselage partially made of non-metallic composites. Radar reflectors in the fuselage and wing-tip pods would augment the radar return for realistic simulation of the larger bombers. This MX-2223 design was not further developed, but in December 1955, the USAF awarded a follow-on contract to develop the SM-73 Bull Goose decoy missile as part of Weapons System 123A (the MX-2223 project designator seems to have been retained for some time, too). The WS-123A requirement called for a missile with a range of at least 7400 km (4000 nm) at Mach 0.85. Because of the subsonic performance, simulation of the B-58 was not required. The first flight of an XSM-73 prototype occurred in June 1957.

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XSM-73

The XSM-73 was a delta-wing design of primarily non-metallic construction, using e.g. a fiberglass-resin bonded wing. It was powered by a Fairchild J83 turbojet, and used a solid-propellant rocket booster for take-off. The Bull Goose had a range of 8850 km (5500 miles) at a speed of Mach 0.85. The missile had an autopilot with an integrating-rate gyro for directional control, and the required accuracy was +/- 185 km (115 miles) at a range of 7400 km (4600 miles). The SM-73 was to carry a payload of radar reflectors and active electronic simulation and ECM equipment.

The Bull Goose flight test program during 1957/58 was plagued by troubles, including problems with the booster, the turbojet and the composite-structure wing, funding difficulties, and the inability of the XSM-73 to realistically simulate the B-52 on radar. The USAF had at one time planned to procure more than 2300 SM-73 Goose (the "Bull" prefix was officially dropped in May 1958) missiles until 1963, but in December 1958, the whole program was cancelled.

 

XSM-73 Specifications
Length	10.21 m (33 ft 6 in)
Wingspan	7.44 m (24 ft 5 in)
Height	2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Weight (w/o booster)	3490 kg (7700 lb)
Speed	Mach 0.85
Ceiling	15200 m (50000 ft)
Range	8850 km (5500 miles)
Propulsion	Fairchild YJ83-R-3 turbojet; 10.9 kN (2450 lb) Booster: Thiokol solid-propellant rocket; 222 kN (50000 lb) for 3 s

Main Sources

[1] Bill Gunston: "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rockets and Missiles", Salamander Books Ltd, 1979
[2] Kenneth P.Werrell: "The Evolution of the Cruise Missile", Air University Press, 1985
[3] Dennis R. Jenkins: "Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36", Specialty Press, 2001

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