SM-75/PGM-1

THOR

  Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile

Length 19.8 m (65 ft)

Diameter 2.44 m (8 ft)

Weight 49800 kg (110000 lb)

Speed 16100 km/h (10000 mph)

Ceiling 480 km (300 miles)

Range 2400 km (1500 miles)

Propulsion Main: Rocketdyne LR79-NA-9 (Model S-3D); 666 kN (150000 lb)Vernier: 2x Rocketdyne LR101-NA; 4.5 kN (1000 lb) each Warhead W-49 thermonuclear (1.45 MT) in Mk.2 RV

 THOR- The ancient Norse God of Thunder, and protector of the people!

     Thor required no human sacrifices, and during thunderstorms was thought to flash about the sky on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni ("gap-tooth") and Tanngnost ("tooth grinder"). Lightning flashed whenever he threw his hammer Mjollnir.

THOR- The 1950�s name assigned to America�s first Intermediate Range Nuclear Ballistic Missile project.

     Beginning in 1954, the United States Air Force laid down a strict set of criteria for a new missile , to be named �THOR�, was to help counter the ever increasing threat of Soviet missiles.

These criteria were as follows:

1: A minimum 2400Km/1500mile range capability.

2: Use the existing components (the Rocketdyne S-3D liquid-fuel rocket motor from the Army's SM-78/PGM-9 JUPITER IRBM

3:Use of the inertial guidance unit and Mk.2, 1.45 megaton reentry vehicle from the SM65D/CGM-16D ATLAS.

4: It had to be transportable by the C-124 GLOBEMASTER aircraft.

     Because of the many existing components, deign and development proceeded quickly, and were completed by August of 1956. Testing of the new XSM-75 began in December, but the early launch attempts were failures; often explosive and spectacular!

     The first successful flight occurred in 1957. The early XSM-75�s all had stabilizing fins, and after the success of the Soviet launch of SPUTNIK in October of 1957, the testing program for the THOR was accelerated. In November of 1957, successful testing of the guidance system was achieved, and the stabilizing fins wee discarded. Full production of the missile was authorized. The THOR missile went operational with the U.S. Air Force in 1958.

     It has remained as one of the most distinctive looking of the early Missiles, with it�s flattened out warhead nose, and protruding Gimbal motor pods at the bottom. Powered by Kerosene and Liquid Oxygen, the THOR ultimately had a range of 2,700km/1678miles, with test missiles reaching as far as 4,700km/2952miles.

     60 missiles were transferred to Great Britain between 1958 and 1959. The missiles themselves were under the control of the R.A.F., while the warheads themselves remained under  American control, with joint authorization being required for launch.

    In 1962 special Sandia modified THOR missiles wee used in high altitude (exo-aptmosphere) nuclear explosion experiments, being conducted from Johnston Island.  Code named �Starfish�, �Kingfish� and �Bluegill�. In the course of these experiments there were two launch failures; one of which exploded on the launch pad so spectacularly and contaminating the island with plutonium, that months of cleanup were needed!

     The R.A.F. missiles served in Britain only until  1963, when they wee recalled due to the new operational status of the TITAN, and ATLAS Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, which had far greater payload and range capability.  Thor missiles also went on in the United Sates to become Booster Launch Vehicles for the Tiros, Able, Able-Star and Agena projects.

     In 1963, testing  also began on �Project 437�, otherwise known as �ASAT�, using the THOR as an anti satellite weapon, and in 1964 the THOR regained a new lease on life until it�s ultimate retirement form the U.S. military in 1972.

     This is far from the end of the THOR story, however. Known by the basic designation afterwards as the  SLV-2. This version was manufactured first by McDonnell Douglass, now Boeing; and went on to be developed into the famous DELTA family of rockets, still in use today; with the official designation of SB-3A being given to the U.S. Air Force Delta-II rockets in 1990!

Special Thanks too:

Pals:Niels Jahn Knudson

David Pileggi

The Kennedy Space Center- for their Rocket Garden displays I was to take photos of

Peter Always: Rockets of the World

 And the following web sites:

Rusty Barton: www.geocities.com/thor_irbm/index.html

Missile Threat .com

FAS.ORG

National Museum of the USAF

Strategic Air Command

Rockets-2-Go

All Experts

Arizona Aerospace Foundation

Boeing Aerospace

The R.A.F.

And especially to my beautiful other half,  Bunny; for putting up with me on a computer instead of paying attention to her!�and if anyone enjoying this model knows what�s good for them, and possibly wants anymore models made from me, you�ll thank her too! J

                                                                                                         EricJ 

Both the model parts and the instructions are archived together.

Click on the archive format you wish to download:

USAF.zip

USAF.rar

RAF.zip

RAF.rar