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Development of the Lark began in 1944 on a
schedule which was accelerated to accommodate for weaknesses in the Little
Joe program. This Lark is 9-feet long and has a diameter of 13-inches. The
missile weighs about 2,000 pounds. It could reach a maximum altitude of four
miles (over 20,000 feet) at a maximum speed of 600 m.p.h. The Lark was launched by two
solid-fueled booster engines and powered in flight by a tandem of two
liquid-fueled sustainer engines, one of the which was intended to be used
as a back-up if the missile failed to reach its desired speed. The Lark
had four fins and four wings, employed a radio-guided mid-course
correction system and a semi-active homing device. Although the Lark could
not be developed in time for use during WWII, it did continue to be an
active program following the war. In fact, Lark was one of the earliest
missile programs to be tested at Cape Canaveral, with Lark flights
beginning there in 1950.
In 1945, the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics commenced the development of the Lark as a rocket propelled ship-to-air guided missile. It was the first U.S. surface to air missile ever to intercept a moving air target. Its objective was to destroy enemy bombers that were flying up to speeds of up to 320 mph and altitudes of up to 25,00 feet, and could engage targets up to 40 miles away. A contract for the first experimental Larks was let with the Fairchild Engine and Aircraft Corporation. The initial need in WWII was in order to combat the Japanese Kamikazes. Because of slow progress a contract was also let with Volte Aircraft Company (Convair). Mockups were approved in August of 1945, but the end of the war decreased the projects priority and funding. In 1946, the development of a guidance system that allowed for a launching system with no human input was being tested on both powered and unpowered versions of the Ranger Lark and Convair Lark. We expect our Lark is possibly one of those mockups that was presented. Ours is a government mockup and appears totally real from the outside. In April of 1947, the Skylark was developed. The Skylark had both a ship-borne radar to track the missile and target, as well as a ground computer to transmit control signals to the missile's autopilot through an FM command link. This allowed the missile to home in on the reflected signals from the target once it was within 10 miles from it. Also at this time, a radar beam riding system entitled Wasp was in development for mid-course guidance, as well as an active radar homing system called APN-23 for terminal guidance. Within the next year, the Ranger Lark would use the Skylark system, while the Convair Lark would use the Wasp and APN-23. It was at this time, the Lark designation was changed to S.A.M. (surface-to-air-missile) thus giving the thought that this was one of the first S.A.M.s. The testing of Larks off the U.S.S. Norton Sound began in 1950, where the first interception in the world of a moving air target by a surface-to-air missile was achieved by a Convair Lark. This same year, both the Fairchld and Convair contracts were terminated. The knowledge gained by the testing of the Lark led to the U.S. Navy's development of more advanced ship-to-air guided missiles which were deployed with the fleet. In 1971, the U.S. Navy relocated the lark to NASM (National Air and Space Museum). This is a truly unique chance to own a piece of rocket history... $4995.00 To read more about Rockets and Missiles, check out the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website at www.nasm.edu and the Spaceline website www.spaceline.org Reference: www.spaceline.org and www.nasm.edu |
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