| Function: | Sounding rocket | ||||
| Manufacturer: | Naval Missile Center | ||||
| Country-Origin: | United States | ||||
| Height: | 12feet | ||||
| Diameter: | 8inches | ||||
| Mass: | 315lb | ||||
| Stages: | Two | ||||
| Capacities: |
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| Status: | Retired | ||||
| Sites: | Point Mugu | ||||
| First: | 1960 | ||||
| Last: | 8 July 1965 |
Sparoair was a family of air-launched sounding rockets developed by the United States Navy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Based on the Sparrow air-to-air missile, three versions of the rocket were developed; although some launches were successful, the system did not enter operational service.
Sparoair was developed by the Naval Missile Center, as a two-stage development of the Sparrow III air-to-air missile.[1] Propelled by two Sparrow rocket motors mounted in tandem,[2] the Sparoair could be launched from F3H (F-3) Demon and F4D (F-6) Skyray fighter aircraft, and was capable of lifting a payload to an apogee of .[3] [4]
The Sparoair I was the original version of the rocket, launched using an ejection system and a lanyard for firing; after that proved unreliable in flight testing, the Sparoair II was developed that utilised a rail launch with ignition prior to release from the aircraft.[1] Eight launches of Sparoair II vehicles had been conducted by 1961.[1] Each Sparoair II rocket cost US$6,000.[4]
Sparoair III utilised a redesigned second-stage motor, and could be launched from the F-4 Phantom II; however, any aircraft capable of launching the Sparrow III AAM could launch the Sparoair.[1]
The Sparoair III utilised the aircraft's Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS) circuits to initiate launch; the second stage was ignited via a mechanical device armed by the acceleration of the first stage.[1]
The first Sparoair III was launched on 8 July 1965; it proved a partial failure as the second stage failed to ignite. The second launch on 26 May 1966 failed after six seconds of second-stage burn when the vehicle exploded.[1] No further launches were undertaken.[5]