Lark

Lark. . , The Navy's Lark missile holds the distinction of being history's first missile to intercept and destroy a moving target, in 1950., Development of the Lark anti-aircraft missile began during World War II, when the U.S. Navy needed a new weapon against the serious Japanese suicide-bomber (Kamikaze) threat. Hostilities ended before Lark was ready, but testing was continued after the war., Lark featured cruciform wings and tailfins for stability and control, and the booster assembly used a peculiar "square" fin arrangement., A liquid-propellant main engine and solid-propellant booster powered Lark. Aniline and nitric acid fueled the main engine. These were "hypergolic fuels," which means that the instant they came in contact with each other, they produced violent explosions which gave the missile its 700-mile-per-hour speed. Both fuels are extremely dangerous., The Lark was armed with a 45 kg (100 lb) high-explosive warhead, which was detonated by a radar proximity fuze. Guidance was by radio command., After the tactical Lark was cancelled in 1950, the remaining missiles continued to be used as control test vehicles. The Lark came to White Sands Proving Ground in November 1951. Only two were fired that year before WSPG's Lark program ended., Length: 14 feet , Diameter: 25 inches , Weight: 1,200 pounds , Propellant: Liquid , Range: 15 miles , Speed: 700 MPH , First Fired: 1951