Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles |
Cherokee |
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Copyright © 2003 Andreas Parsch |
The Cherokee research missile, built by Cook Electric Co., was used in the mid 1950s by the U.S. Air Force to test crew ejection seats at high speed and altitude.
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Photo: via Ordway/Wakeford |
Cherokee |
The Cherokee was air-launched at about 10 km (6 miles) altitude. It first descended by parachute to about 8 km (5 miles) before the solid-fueled rocket motor accelerated the missile to supersonic speed. After motor ignition, the test seat was ejected, and its descent path monitored by ground-based optical and radar tracking equipment. Maximum weight of the test payload was 136 kg (300 lb). The missile also had a telemetry link to transmit flight data to the ground.
Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!
Data for Cherokee:
Length | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
Diameter | 1.30 m (51 in) |
Weight | 2040 kg (4500 lb) |
Speed | Mach 1.5 |
Altitude | 8 km (5 miles) |
Propulsion | Solid-fueled rocket; 222 kN (50000 lb) for 3 s |
[1] Frederick I. Ordway III, Ronald C. Wakeford: "International Missile and Spacecraft Guide", McGraw-Hill, 1960
[2] Norman J. Bowman: "The Handbook of Rockets and Guided Missiles", Perastadion Press, 1963
Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4