MX-774 Credit - Ronald Wade Media Gallery

Project MX-774 inaugurated by AAF with Consolidated-Vultee to study rocket capabilities with an ICBM as a final objective. Limited funds permitted a few test launches. These rockets demonstrated technologies that woud later be applied to the Atlas.

The Air Force contracted for ten MX-774 vehicles, in three phases. Stage A, the Teetotaler, was a sub-sonic, self-guided cruise missile. Stage B, the Old Fashioned, was a test missile using V-2 technology but incorporating new concepts planned for the next phase. Stage C, the Manhattan, was to be an ICBM. The MX-774 was cancelled by the Air Force in 1947 due to budget restrictions and continued Air Force scepticism. Using residual contract and corporate funds, Bossart was able to launch three stage B test vehicles from White Sands after the cancellation.

While none of the launches were completely successful, they did demonstrate Bossart’s innovative design concepts including pressurized monocoque propellant tanks. Despite the heavy investment of company funds, the Air Force later directed Bossart to sell the MX-774 development package to TRW for a song. TRW in turn delivered it, in total, to Douglas and Martin to assist them in design of their competing Thor and Titan missiles. There were many hard feelings at Convair about that.

Manufacturer: Convair. Launches: 3. Failures: 3. Success Rate: 0.00%. First Launch Date: 1948-07-14. Last Launch Date: 1948-12-02. Launch data is: complete. Apogee: 50 km (31 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 35.000 kN (7,868 lbf). Total Mass: 1,300 kg (2,800 lb). Core Diameter: 0.76 m (2.49 ft). Total Length: 9.60 m (31.40 ft).

1946 January 11 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas A, MX-774.

• Strategic Missile Proposals Nation: USA. Bids were received in response to the USAAF request for proposal of the previous October. Vultee submitted proposals for two types (glide and ballistic) of 8000-km range missiles. North American proposed a three-year development program for a supersonic 800-km range missile, culminating in a production run of 50 missiles.References: 4460.

• MX-774 strategic missile study contract awarded Nation: USA. Convair received contract W33-038-AC-14168 for a $1.4 million, one-year study of two missile designs. References: 4460.

• MX-774 Azusa tracking Nation: USA. Study report submitted to Air Force on proposed Azusa tracking/guidance system. MX-774 funding cut back. References: 4460.

• MX-774 Azusa tracking tests Nation: USA. Tracking tests started with experimental Azusa equipment References: 4460.

• MX-774 cancelled. Nation: USA. Contract with Convair for the MX-774 "Upper Air Test Vehicle," predecessor of the Atlas ICBM, was cancelled by the AAF. However the service approves Convair use of unexpended MX-774 funds to launch the MX-774 test vehicles already built. The decision made to move Vultee operations to San Diego.References: 17, 4460.

• US Army Air Corps assigned control of surface-to-surface strategic missiles Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. References: 4460.

• U.S. Army Air Corps becomes U.S. Air Force Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. The Air Force was now a separate service from the US Army. The agreement was made that the Air Force would only handle missiles with ranges over 1600 km. So the range requirement for the MX-770 (later the Navaho) was increased to 1600 km, while carrying a 1350-kg payload with an 800 m CEP, and it became an Air Force missile. The 800-km MX-771 (later Matador) became an Army missile. The MX-775 Snark already had an intercontinental range requirement, and became an Air Force missile.References: 4460.

• First complete MX-774 moved to Pt. Loma for test Nation: USA. References: 4460.

• First static firing of MX-774 Nation: USA. Unsuccessful, small fire. References: 4460.

• Second MX-774 static firing Nation: USA. Successful, at Point Loma. References: 4460.

• MX-774 static firing tests at Pt Loma completed. Nation: USA. References: 4460.

• First MX-774 arrives at White Sands Proving Ground Nation: USA. References: 4460.

• MX-774 Flight 1 Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1.89 km (1.17 mi). First Convair MX-774 (RTV-A-2) test rocket was successfully launched, first demonstrating use of gimballed engines and design features later incorporated in the Atlas ICBM. This was the first of three Convair-sponsored test flights. References: 738.

• MX-774 Flight 2 Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 65 km (40 mi). Second Corvair MX-774 test rocket fired. Shut down at 15 km; reached 65 km before malfunction of unknown origin caused self-destruction. References: 738.

• MX-774 Flight 3 Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 48 km (29 mi). Third (last) MX-774 launched, WSPG; shut down at 51 seconds attaining an altitude of 48 km. Self-destructed at high altitude. References: 738.

• All MX-774 work shut off by Air Force Nation: USA. References: 4460.

• MX-774 unexpended funds run out in 1950. Nation: USA. Convair allocated R&D funds to ICBM studies and marketing, running into 1950 References: 4460.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Emme, Eugene M, Aeronautics and Astronautics: An American Chronology of Science and Technology in the Exploration of Space 1915-1960, NASA, 1961. Accessed at: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/timeline.html.

• Miller, Jay,, The X-Planes, Aerofax, Arlington, Texas, 1988. ISBN: 1857801091. Tremendous account of the entire X- experimental series of US aircraft, including the rocket planes X-1, X-15, and X-20. Another outstanding Jay Miller book. More at amazon.com...

• Walker, Chuck, with Powell, Joel, Atlas - The Ultimate Weapon, Apogee Books, Canada, 2005. ISBN: 1894959183. Another excellent Apogee Book, the only in-depth account of the design, development, and production of the rocket that was America's first ICBM, pioneered US spaceflight, and continued to take payloads into orbit into the next millenium. More at amazon.com...