Original photos from the Kay-1 Lark missile project.
“The SAM-N-2 Lark project was a solid-fuel boosted, liquid-fueled surface-to-air missile developed by the United States Navy to meet the kamikaze threat. It was developed as a crash program to introduce a medium-range defensive layer that would attack targets between the long-range combat air patrols and short-range anti-aircraft artillery. This produced a design with roughly 30 miles (48 km) maximum range and subsonic performance, suitable for attacks against Japanese aircraft. Fairchild Aircraft was given a contract to produce 100 missiles in March 1945.
Convair was given a contract for another 100 examples in June 1945 under the designation acronym KAY. Their version was overall similar but removed the control surfaces on the wings and made the entire wing rotate instead. Their "Wasp" guidance system used a single radar to track the target, and through most of the flight, the missile would guide itself using beam riding and, during the terminal approach, would switch to its self-contained AN/APN-23 system for active radar homing.” Wikipedia Credit: Bill Spidle
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