143. Engineer’s Role in Missile Development

Paper

Abstract

One industry that is really in its infancy is the guided missile industry. It seems interesting that the helicopter industry is in about the same stage of development as missiles. It is also interesting to realize that the aircraft industry’s flight spectrum is being extended to zero length take-off’s and landings, as well as supersonic and even hypersonic speeds. On each end of this extended spectrum, we can visualize two very young industries, at the slow end – helicopters, and at the fast end – missiles.
Most of you here today have had a lot to do with the aircraft industry and have seen it grow. Some of you are called upon to handle projects at either end of the flight speed spectrum. Today I’d like to talk about some of the similarities and some of the differences that exist in the missile, aircraft, and helicopter industries. Most important of all, I want to discus Engineering’s role in Missile Development.