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Matra M.04

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matra M.04
TypeAir-to-air missile
Place of originFrance
Production history
Designed1948
ManufacturerMatra
Specifications
Mass460 kilograms (1,010 lb)
Length4.6 metres (15 ft)
Diameter0.25 metres (9.8 in)
Wingspan1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in)

EngineSolid-fuel rocket
1,250 kg thrust for 14 seconds
PropellantAcid/Aniline rocket
Launch
platform
Halifax (testing)

The Matra M.04 was a French missile project that began development in Societe Matra in 1948. Intended either as an air-to-air missile or a surface-to-air missile it was never adopted in service, although it was tested over the Sahara in 1952.

Development

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The missile was first test-fired in flight from a Halifax bomber in May 1950 at Colomb-Bechar. The missile was large for an air-to-air missile, with two pairs of cruciform swept wings, with the smaller rear pair being moved using pneumatic actuation to provide steering. A SEPR acid/aniline rocket containing 110 kg of propellent provided 1,250 kg of thrust for 14 seconds, taking it to a speed of 490 meters per second.

The surface-to-air version was intended to have an additional tandem booster stage, and was designated the R.042 - and work continued on it until 1955.

References

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  • Flight magazine, 28 January 1955
  • Gunston, Bill (1979). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Rockets & Missiles. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 0-517-26870-1.