GAM-77/AGM-28 Hound Dog
| Type: | Air-to-surface guided missile or guided decoy |
| Guidance: | Inertial with celestial auto-navigation |
| Warhead: | Nuclear-capable, 0.7-1.4 megatons |
| Propulsion: | Air-launched turbojet |
| Speed: | Mach 2 (590m/s) |
| Range: | 600 miles (965km) |
| Altitude: | 49,000 feet (15,000m) |
| Length: | 42.5 feet (13m) |
| Diameter: | 28 inches (71cm) |
| Wingspan: | 12 feet (3.7m) |
| Weight: | 10,150 pounds (4,600kg) |
| First firing: | 23 April 1959 |
The AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, air-launched missile for the B-52 bomber armed with a nuclear warhead. Its operational function was to extend the effective lethal radius of the long-range B-52 weapon system, improve its survivability, and complicate the enemy’s air defense environment by acting as a B-52 decoy. In a combat situation, the Hound Dog would absorb enemy air defenses, lessening the threat to the B-52 aircraft that would follow.
North American Aviation’s Missile Development Division began developing the Hound Dog in 1957 after receiving an initial production contract of $18,928. Its original purpose was to replace the XSM-73 Goose, or Bull Goose, which was designed to simulate the radar cross-section of a B-52 bomber on radar, which achieved only limited success. The Hound Dog was first successfully fired from a B-52 in April 1959 over the Atlantic Missile Range.
For its power plant, the Hound Dog used a Pratt & Whitney J-52 turbojet engine, capable of producing 7,500 pounds of thrust. Its inertial guidance system was produced by North American Aviation’s Autonetic Division, with the first complete flight-control system being delivered in September 1958. Kollsman Instruments produced the astro-tracker automatic celestial navigation system for the missile under a $5-million subcontract.
