Missile, Air-to-Air, Gorgon II-A

Cigar-shaped, canard type airframe tapering at both ends, with two rear high-wings, small control surfaces near middle of nose, and twin vertical tail fins. Plastic or glass covered vertical slot in nose for TV target-seeking camera. Airframe of wood. Overall, painted yellow with black numerical designation on side of top vertical stabilizer.

This is the Gorgon II-A, one of the U.S.'s first liquid-fuel rocket-powered guided missiles. It was developed as an air-to-air weapon by the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) during late World War II, but did not become operational. With a range of 18 miles, the Gorgon II-A utilized a television guidance system to locate a target and was controlled by radio signals. 21 Gorgon II-A's were built and flight tested during 1945 and 1946. This is one of the few surviving examples.

The Gorgon was one of the first U.S. attempts to use television in guided missiles for target tracking and perhaps the first in a rocket-propelled vehicle. The Gorgon II-A motor produced 350 pounds of thrust for 130 seconds. The Gorgon II-A program was cancelled in 1946. This specimen contains original electronics, except for the TV transmitter.

The U.S. Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics transferred this Gorgon to the Museum in 1965.