Martin TM-61A Matador
In the closing months of World War II, the USAAF successfully tested a reverse-engineered version of the German V-1 cruise missile, the Ford JB-2 Loon. With the development of nuclear weapons, however, something larger was clearly needed: the JB-2 was simply too small to carry the nuclear warheads of the late 1940s. Martin won the contract to develop a new nuclear cruise missile, which was initially named the SSM-A-1 Matador. The first test took place in January 1949.
The Matador was a huge improvement over the JB-2/V-1, and not just in size. Instead of the gyroscopic timer guidance of the V-1 (which meant the missile would just fall wherever it happened to be when the timer wound down), the Matador was radio guided from a ground station. Rather than the unreliable pulsejet engine of the V-1, it used a turbojet, boosted at launch by a rocket at the base of the tail that fell away after launch. It could also be quickly reprogrammed before launch to hit another target.
The Matador still had problems, mainly due to the limitations of technology. The radio guidance meant that the Matador could be jammed by enemy electronic countermeasures, and limited its range to only 250 miles. It also had to fly in a straight line and was subsonic, which meant it could be intercepted and shot down. Finally, it was not very accurate, but that was considered less of a problem: it was, after all, armed with a 40 kiloton nuclear warhead, so it would not need to have pinpoint accuracy. It did limit the Matador to hitting area targets, though.
Renamed B-61 by the newly independent USAF, the Matador entered service in 1954. Since it was not a bomber in any sense of the word, the USAF redesignated it TM-61 a few years later. Almost as soon as the Matador entered service, Martin began working on a more accurate and lighter version, the TM-67 Mace, so the Matador was already obsolete as it came on line. Nonetheless, it would remain in service until 1961, when it was withdrawn in favor of the Mace. A number of missiles were also supplied to the West German Army as well, though the warheads were kept under American control.
1200 Matadors were produced, but almost all were scrapped. Today, 12 are known to survive.
Tracing cruise missiles isn't as easy as tracing manned aircraft (which in itself can be pretty difficult), so there is no reference I've been able to find as to where this Matador served. It may have been used as a testbed in the United States, as not many Matadors returned home when the type was retired. It was acquired by the Planes of Fame Museum at Valle, Arizona some time ago; for many years, it was displayed about a half-mile down the road where Arizona Highway 64 and US 180 intersect at Valle, and was used essentially as a billboard with "AIR MUSEUM" painted on its side. It has since been moved down to in front of the museum. Most Matadors I've seen have been bare metal, white or green, so I'm not sure if this scheme is accurate.
Martin TM-61A Matador
In the closing months of World War II, the USAAF successfully tested a reverse-engineered version of the German V-1 cruise missile, the Ford JB-2 Loon. With the development of nuclear weapons, however, something larger was clearly needed: the JB-2 was simply too small to carry the nuclear warheads of the late 1940s. Martin won the contract to develop a new nuclear cruise missile, which was initially named the SSM-A-1 Matador. The first test took place in January 1949.
The Matador was a huge improvement over the JB-2/V-1, and not just in size. Instead of the gyroscopic timer guidance of the V-1 (which meant the missile would just fall wherever it happened to be when the timer wound down), the Matador was radio guided from a ground station. Rather than the unreliable pulsejet engine of the V-1, it used a turbojet, boosted at launch by a rocket at the base of the tail that fell away after launch. It could also be quickly reprogrammed before launch to hit another target.
The Matador still had problems, mainly due to the limitations of technology. The radio guidance meant that the Matador could be jammed by enemy electronic countermeasures, and limited its range to only 250 miles. It also had to fly in a straight line and was subsonic, which meant it could be intercepted and shot down. Finally, it was not very accurate, but that was considered less of a problem: it was, after all, armed with a 40 kiloton nuclear warhead, so it would not need to have pinpoint accuracy. It did limit the Matador to hitting area targets, though.
Renamed B-61 by the newly independent USAF, the Matador entered service in 1954. Since it was not a bomber in any sense of the word, the USAF redesignated it TM-61 a few years later. Almost as soon as the Matador entered service, Martin began working on a more accurate and lighter version, the TM-67 Mace, so the Matador was already obsolete as it came on line. Nonetheless, it would remain in service until 1961, when it was withdrawn in favor of the Mace. A number of missiles were also supplied to the West German Army as well, though the warheads were kept under American control.
1200 Matadors were produced, but almost all were scrapped. Today, 12 are known to survive.
Tracing cruise missiles isn't as easy as tracing manned aircraft (which in itself can be pretty difficult), so there is no reference I've been able to find as to where this Matador served. It may have been used as a testbed in the United States, as not many Matadors returned home when the type was retired. It was acquired by the Planes of Fame Museum at Valle, Arizona some time ago; for many years, it was displayed about a half-mile down the road where Arizona Highway 64 and US 180 intersect at Valle, and was used essentially as a billboard with "AIR MUSEUM" painted on its side. It has since been moved down to in front of the museum. Most Matadors I've seen have been bare metal, white or green, so I'm not sure if this scheme is accurate.