I75 Mace - Warner Robins, GA
N 32° 36.642 W 083° 44.522
17S E 242690 N 3611450
Located along the I75 right-of-way, not easily accessible.
Waymark Code: WM1H1R
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 05/08/2007
Views: 98
With the nearby military installation, the area is full of items like this. Easily spotted from the interstate, bushwacking is needed to visit the display.
----------------------------------
Thanks to GA Cacher for his log on 6/11/8 that is included below (sorry, it seems to be cut off):
-----------------------------------
Mace was an improved version of the Matador. Like its predecessor, the Matador,
the Mace was a tactical surface-launched missile designed to destroy ground
targets. It was first designed as the TM-76 and later the MGM-13. It was
launched from a mobile trailer or from a bomb-proof shelter by a solid-fuel
rocket booster which dropped away after launch; a J33 jet engine then powered
the missile to the target.
The Goodyear Aircraft Corporation developed ATRAN (Automatic Terrain Recognition
And Navigation), a radar map-matching system ) in which the return from a radar
scanning antenna was matched with a series of "maps" carried on board the
missile which corrected the flight path if it deviated from the film map. The
company began lab tests in March 1948, flight tests in October of that year.
Martin showed little initial interest, but problems with the Matador's guidance
necessitated a change. In August 1952, Air Materiel Command initiated the mating
of the Goodyear ATRAN with the Martin Matador. This mating resulted in a
production contract in June 1954. ATRAN could not be easily jammed and was not
range-limited by line-of sight, but its range was restricted by the availability
of radar maps and missile range. Although in time it became possible to
construct radar maps from topographical maps, ATRAN initially performed poorly.
USAF installed ATRAN in the TM-61B variant, nicknamed Mace. The missile differed
from the "A" and "C" models in more ways than just designation and name. Mace
had a longer fuselage, shorter wings, and more weight than the "A" and "C." The
Mace also had more power, with its 5,200-pound-thrust J33-A-41 turbojet engine
and a 97,000-pound-thrust booster. It first flew in 1956 and could reach Mach .7
to .85 over a 540-mile range at low level (as low as 750 feet), and 1,285 miles
at high altitude. Because of these substantial differences of conf"
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): undetermined
Tail Number: (S/N): 81413
Construction:: replica
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): along interstate
inside / outside: outside
Other Information:: Not listed
Access restrictions: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)
Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.