Hound Dog

Hound Dog. . Named for the Elvis Presley song, "You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog", the Hound Dog was Strategic Air Command's first air-launched missile. A forerunner of the cruise missile, this jet-propelled supersonic missile was launched from a B-52 bomber and then flew to its target carryin a nuclear warhead. It was designed to attack and destroy enemy air defenses, thus clearing the way for U.S. manned bombers to penetrate enemy airspace., One was carried under each wing of the B-52G Stratofortress. A unique feature of the Hound Dog was that its under-slung turbojet engines could be run while the the missile was still attached to the carrier aircraft, auolmenting the thrust of the B-52 at take-off or for high-speed cruise., Each missile had a J52 jet engine. In addition to its own fuel tank, the missiles were integrated with the Stratofortress fuel system. One Hound Dog missile located under each wing was actually ignited as takeoff, providing extra thrust for the bomber itself. The Hound Dog engines were then shut down, and the missiles were re-fueled directly from the B-52's own-tanks during flight. , Once re-fueled, the missiles were ready to be fired again and sent on their way, after the proper guidance and target information could be entered and verified., The missile was powered by a turbojet engine which could produce, a thrust of 7,500 pounds. This allowed the Hound Dog to cruise at altitudes which ranged from tree-top level to 55,000 feet. It had a range of 350 miles and a speed of Mach 2 at over 55,000 feet., Guided by an inertial guidance system, the Hound Dog could carry a four-megaton nuclear payload., The Hound Dog was declared operational at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida in early 1961 for use on the B-52G bomber. Hound Dog production ceased in 1963 and was completely removed from active service in 1976., Although amazingly accurate despite its large warhead, Hound Dog was plagued by two problems: Reliability was a constant concern and the weight of the two five-ton missiles degraded B-52 flight performance., Hound Dog was first tested at White Sands Missile Range in 1961. Between 1961 and 1973, a total of 31 were launched here. Most were air-launched from Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, and terrain-guided to White Sands with airborne controller backup., Length: 43 feet , Diameter: 28 inches , Wingspan: 12 feet , Weight: 10,000 pounds , Range: Over 500 miles , First Firing: 1960