Project Mastiff, to create a missile for delivery for an atom bomb began immediately after the existence of the atomic bomb was revealed. Due to protracted security concerns of the Manhattan Project involving details of arming, fuzing, and detonating systems Project Mastiff was thwarted by security inhibitions invoked by the atomic weapons program. The Army Air Force's Project Mastiff became a years long "Fiasco" Despite the failure of Project Mastiff the Army Air Force started a group of programs intended to create atomic bomb carrying missiles. During the significant first decade of American strategic missile development the Air Force's attention was upon developing winged air-breathing missiles. The designations for individual programs changed numerous times due to changes in organizations, roles, fashion, and thus they are best known by their MX numbers. The guidance test missile was the Northrop N-25. Development of the heavy stellar navigation system intended for the N-25 Snark was very difficult and required many hundreds of hours of flight aboard aircraft. Twenty-one flights of the N-25 missile occurred at Holloman AFB, New Mexico between April 1951 and March 1952. A new requirement for intercontinental range required a new, larger missile the design of which was deemed the B-62. The Northrop N-69 development vehicle, was originally powered by a J71 engine and in later variants a J57. Facilities at Cape Canaveral were still being constructed and at the same time aerodynamic problems with the intended dive by the Snark on the target persisted, delaying development. Extensive flight testing, weight reduction efforts, an improved 24 hour stellar navigation system, and the addition of pylon fuel tanks below the wings to restore range capabilities eventually resulted in the N-69E Snark which became the prototype for the SM-62 Intercontinental Missile (ICM) By 1958, the celestial navigation system used by the Snark allowed its most accurate test, which appeared to fall wide of the target. However, even with the decreased CEP, the design was notoriously unreliable, with the majority of tests suffering mechanical failure thousands of miles before reaching the target. Other factors, such as the reduction in operating altitude from , and the inability of the Snark to detect countermeasures and perform evasive maneuvers also made it a questionable strategic deterrent. A total of 97 N-25, N69 and SM-62 Snarks tests were made between December 1950 and December 1960. SAC then changed requirements to require the launch of 20% of Snarks within 15 minutes of notification, 40% within 75 minutes, and all in four hours. A daunting requirement given the base design and requirements of the missile. In late 1957 SAC's 556 Strategic Missile Squadron launched its first N-69E to begin the Snark Employment and Suitability Test program. In December 1957 the 556th Strategic Missile Squadron was activated and began training to launch operational SM-62 Snark Missiles. In January 1958, SAC began accepting delivery of Snark missiles at
Patrick Air Force Base for training, and in 1959, the
702d Strategic Missile Wing was formed. Snark launches for developmental purposes continued through 1958 but the training activities of the 556th were reduced. Training of Snark missile men at the Cape continued until December 1959. From December 1950 until December 1960 118 N-25, N-69 and SM-62 test flights were made.
Technical description The
jet propelled, long Snark missile had a top speed of about and a maximum range of about . Its complicated
celestial navigation system gave it a claimed
CEP of about . The Snark was an air-breathing missile, intended to be launched from a truck-mounted platform by two
solid-fueled rocket booster engines. The Snark was propelled by an internal
turbojet engine for the rest of its flight. The engine was a
Pratt and Whitney J57, which was the first jet engine featuring a thrust of or more. Since the Snark lacked a horizontal tail surface, it used
elevons as its primary flight control surfaces, and it flew with an unusual nose-high angle during level flight. During the final phase of its flight, its
nuclear warhead would have separated from its
fuselage and then followed a ballistic trajectory towards its target. Due to the sudden shift in its
center of gravity caused by separation, the fuselage would have performed an abrupt pitch-up maneuver in order to avoid a collision with the warhead. The resulting break-up of the missile's structure added clutter which confused enemy radar. ==Operational history==