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RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING
RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING

RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING

$ 197.98

Availability: 37 in stock
  • All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
  • Modified Item: No
  • Condition: Used
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

    Description

    RARE 1959 North American Aviation GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE Project Model TOPPING.  Mailed 1st Class with Insurance.  Museum Quality Packing Protection.
    THIS EXTREMELY RARE MODEL WAS ONLY ISSUED TO "MISSILE DIVISION" PERSONNEL.
    I purchased this RARE model from a Lt. Colonel's estate sale in Bossier City,  Louisiana!  Bossier City is home to Barksdale Airforce Base SAC (Strategic Air Command) and 2nd Bombardment Wing which is home to the B-52 Bombers that carried the GAM-77 HOUND DOG MISSILE during the early years of the Cold War!
    The desktop model was only given to workers on the original project!  First given out after the initial 1959 test flight to hands on personnel from "Missile Division"!
    The model is in great shape for over 60 plus years old!  Only a small glued area on a small crack on the right inside wing but is not visible to the naked eye (see pics).
    Please view all the photos and you be the judge of condition!
    THIS IS A VERY RARE MODEL THAT DOES NOT COME UP FOR SALE OFTEN! (The last one was sold on Worth Point Auctions several years ago)
    History of the North American Aviation Missile Divisible GAM-77 Hound Dog-
    North American Aviation designed the missile so that two could be carried on specially modified B-52s, one beneath each wing. The navigation systems of the B-52 and the GAM-77 were integrated so the B-52 navigator could cross-check data with the automated system in the Hound Dogs.
    Named after Elvis Presley's hit song, the GAM-77 Hound Dogs were air-launched supersonic missiles designed to destroy heavily defended ground targets. The Hound Dog missile program began on March 15, 1956, when the Air Force issued a requirement for an air-to-surface missile to be carried on the B-52 bomber. North American won the contract on Oct. 16, 1958, and delivered the first production model to Gen. Thomas S. Power, Commander in Chief of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), on Dec. 21, 1959, during a ceremony at North American's Downey, California plant.
    The first launch of the missile from a B-52 took place in April 1959. By the end of 1959, the Air Force had approved 29 B-52 squadrons to be equipped with Hound Dog missiles.
    No HOUND DOGs were ever used in combat, but on a typical mission, an GAM-77 would be launched at an altitude of 45,000 feet, climb to over 56,000 feet, cruise to the target area, and then dive to the target. The missile allowed "stand-off" launches hundreds of miles from the target, reducing risk to the launch aircraft.
    In 1960, the SAC developed a method for using the missiles' jet engines to provide extra power for the B-52 carrier in flight or during takeoff. The missiles could then be refueled in flight from the bomber's fuel tanks.
    First launch: April 23, 1959
    Span:12 feet 2 inches
    Length: 42 feet 6 inches
    Height: 9 feet 4 inches
    Gross weight: 10,000 pounds
    Range: 597 miles
    Speed:1,200 mph
    Engine:One 7,500-pound-thrust Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet
    Operating altitude: 200 to 56,200 feet
    Armament: THERMONUCLEAR WARHEAD