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[i]American Navy pioneering cruise missile project. Development started in 1943. Program cancelled in 1953. Rigel was begun by the US Navy in 1946. The aim was to produce a solid-rocket boosted, twin-ramjet powered, ship-launched supersonic cruise missile to attack shore targets at a range of 930 km (500 nm). Work began with simple single-ramjet test vehicles. Flights of twin-ramjet test vehicles began in May 1950. After repeated test launch failures, and success of the less ambitious Regulus subsonic cruise missile, Rigel was cancelled in August 1953.[/i]
[i]The operational SSM-N-6 Rigel was designed with two wingtip-mounted Marquardt 71 cm (28 in) ramjets and four rocket boosters. The missile had a range of 930 km (500 nm) and was guided by a modified LORAN system. Two guidance submarines along the flight path would have been used as beacons which were interrogated by the missile to obtain location information. When the predetermined target location was reached, the Rigel would have entered either a preprogrammed or a ballistic flight path towards the point of impact. It was hoped to achieve an accuracy of 550m (600 yd) CEP with this system. The intended warhead for Rigel was a W-5 nuclear fission warhead, but it's possible that the final operational missile would have used a W-27 thermonuclear device. [/i]
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