Douglas Missile (DM) List

RyanC

RyanC

Crazy Researcher
Top Contributor
Senior Member
Joined
19 December 2006
Messages
976
Reaction score
733
Website
www.generalstaff.org
Very sketchy and incomplete!

DM-14 - Nike-Hercules
DM-15 -- Nike Zeus A? (sketchy)
DM-15S --NIKE-ZEUS ASAT
DM-15X2 -- Nike-EX. On 1 JAN 1967, was redesignated SPARTAN.
DM-18 -- Thor
DM-18A -- Thor Agena A?
DM-19 -- Thor Delta?
DM-20 -- Skybolt
DM-21 -- Thor Agena B?
 
Hi boys,
also in my files the DM-19 is Thor-Delta,
I found also DM-21A as Thor-Ablestar
An interesting deepening of the topic would be the '9' series of Deltas...
Nico S.
 
According to Mark L. Morgan and Mark Berhow:
- The DM-15 Nike Zeus A (Douglas Missile-15), was a scaled-up, two-stage version of the Hercules.
- The DM-15S Nike-Zeus B was released in the spring of 1960 and was designated XLIM-49A.

According to Andreas Parsch:
the DM-16 was a solid-fueled rocket used to power the Rockaire vehicle.

According to Wikipedia:
- Thor DM-18 (single stage LV) (also see: http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/thordm18.htm)
- Thor DM-19 (rocket 1st stage) (also see: http://www.astronautix.com/stages/thordm19.htm)
- Thor DM-21 (rocket 1st stage)

According to Capcom Espace.net:
- Thor DM-18 Able-1 to -4 (see page for detailed flight timeline)
- Thor DM-21 Able Star (see page for detailed flight timeline)

According to GlobalSecurity.org and FAS.org:
- DM-18A = first stage of the two-stage Thor-Burner I and Thor-Burner II launch vehicles (also see this)
- DM-1812-3/DM-18/3 Thor = essentially a Model DM-18A modified by the removal of the nose cone and guidance, which was incorporated in the second stage
- DM-21 = basically a Model DM-18C with a higher thrust engine, nose fairing removed, and guidance section replaced by a shorter, lighter transition section
- DM-21A = DM-21 with a new adapter section, forward of a transition section to accommodate the second stage; used as first stage for Thor-Agena B and Thor-Agena D
-
According to Collect Air:
The Thor Able Star, initially known as Thor Epsilon, combined an improved basic Thor vehicle, designated as DM-21, with a new second stage based on the Able and built by Space General, giving it a total length of 77.99 ft. The vehicle was also identified as DSV-2A and DSV-6.

Great Thor photographs for sale here.

A great page on Thor is to be found, as usual, on Andreas Parsch's website:
http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app3/b-3.html
 

Attachments

  • thorspacebox.jpg
    thorspacebox.jpg
    27.1 KB · Views: 87
DM-18 R&D missile
DM-18A Operational IRBM
DM-18C IRBM, Range improvement test, 165k lb thrust engine
DM-1812-1 Thor-Able , two stage, test full-scale ICBM nose cone at ICBM speed and range
DM-1812-4 Thor-Able II,two stage, test ICBM radio inertial guidance system and recover precisely guided re-entry vehicle
DSV-2D Thor Booster for Big Shot (Echo Balloon test)
DSV-2E Thor Booster for Project Fishbowl (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2F Thor Booster for Asset single stage (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2G Thor Booster for Asset two stage (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2J Thor Booster for Project 437 ASAT (refurb IRBM)

Thor Orbital Variants

DSV-2S Thor Booster for Burner I program, early DSMP (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2U Thor Booster for Burner II & IIA program, early DSMP (refurb IRBM)
DM-1812-6 Thor- Able I,III, 4 stage, space and lunar probes
DM-1812-2 Thor-Able II, 3 stage, special test vehicle
DM-1812-6A Thor-Able IV, 3 stage, space booster
DM-1812-3 Thor- Agena A
DM-21 Thor Booster for Agena
DM-21A Thor Booster for Ablestar
DSV-6 Thor-Ablestar
DSV-2A Standard Space Booster for Agena B & D
DSV-2B DM-21A Thor Booster for Ablestar
DSV-2C Thrust Augmented Thor
DSV-2L Thrust Augmented Long Tank Thor

Delta Variants
DM-19 Thor Delta Space Booster
DSV-3 Delta
DSV-3A Delta A
DSV-3B Delta B
DSV-3C Delta C
DSV-3D Delta D Thrust Augmented
DSV-3E Delta E Thrust Augmented Improved
DSV-3G Delta G Two stage “E”
DSV-3L Delta L Thrust Augmented Long Tank 3 or 6 SRM’s
DSV-3N Delta N 9 SRM’s
DM-18 R&D missile
DM-18A Operational IRBM
DM-18C IRBM, Range improvement test, 165k lb thrust engine
DM-1812-1 Thor-Able , two stage, test full-scale ICBM nose cone at ICBM speed and range
DM-1812-4 Thor-Able II,two stage, test ICBM radio inertial guidance system and recover precisely guided re-entry vehicle
DSV-2D Thor Booster for Big Shot (Echo Balloon test)
DSV-2E Thor Booster for Project Fishbowl (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2F Thor Booster for Asset single stage (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2G Thor Booster for Asset two stage (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2J Thor Booster for Project 437 ASAT (refurb IRBM)

Thor Orbital Variants

DSV-2S Thor Booster for Burner I program, early DSMP (refurb IRBM)
DSV-2U Thor Booster for Burner II & IIA program, early DSMP (refurb IRBM)
DM-1812-6 Thor- Able I,III, 4 stage, space and lunar probes
DM-1812-2 Thor-Able II, 3 stage, special test vehicle
DM-1812-6A Thor-Able IV, 3 stage, space booster
DM-1812-3 Thor- Agena A
DM-21 Thor Booster for Agena
DM-21A Thor Booster for Ablestar
DSV-6 Thor-Ablestar
DSV-2A Standard Space Booster for Agena B & D
DSV-2B DM-21A Thor Booster for Ablestar
DSV-2C Thrust Augmented Thor
DSV-2L Thrust Augmented Long Tank Thor

Delta Variants
DM-19 Thor Delta Space Booster
DSV-3 Delta
DSV-3A Delta A
DSV-3B Delta B
DSV-3C Delta C
DSV-3D Delta D Thrust Augmented
DSV-3E Delta E Thrust Augmented Improved
DSV-3G Delta G Two stage “E”
DSV-3L Delta L Thrust Augmented Long Tank 3 or 6 SRM’s
DSV-3N Delta N 9 SRM’s


corrected
 
Stargazer2006 said:
According to Mark L. Morgan and Mark Berhow:
- The DM-15 Nike Zeus A (Douglas Missile-15), was a scaled-up, two-stage version of the Hercules.
- The DM-15S Nike-Zeus B was released in the spring of 1960 and was designated XLIM-49A.
Click to expand...

I found a rather unremarkable document that says:

At completion of initial deployment the production capacity for the NIKE ZEUS X-2 or 15C interceptor could be about [DELETED DELETED]

We know that the DM-15 X-2 became SPARTAN. We also know through some sources that DM-15S was the ASAT missile version. So it's logical to conclude that DM-15C was ZEUS B.
 
Having a look at the document ABM Research and Development At Bell Laboratories at http://srmsc.org/ref1020.html, on pg I-31 it mentions that "..the first DM-15B series ZEUS missile, modified for satellite-intercept tests...". It then goes on to mention the DM-15S series after that which had a series of modifications for its new mission. Not sure if the DM-15B is the Nike Zeus A or Nike Zeus B. I am assuming that the DM-15S is a modified version of the Nike Zeus B.

On pg I-44, the DM-15C is mentioned (as well as on pg 2-10). This was a three stage missile and the document mentions that this missile developed into the Spartan. On pg 3-9, it mentions that "Many of the basic design features of the NIKE ZEUS DM-15C missile were used in SPARTAN."

The best part is on pg 10-1. Here "...SPARTAN evolved from a single-stage, hypersonic, winged antiaircraft missile, which was never built, through three configurations of antimissile missiles (DM-15A, B and C) to the present design. Originally designated DM-15X2 (ZEUS-NIKE X), this missile was named SPARTAN in January 1967."

So my thoughts on the DM-15 series is thus based on the above and other sources:

DM-15 early design studies on Nike Hercules replacement in an anti-aircraft role
DM-15A is probably the Nike Zeus A
DM-15B is probably the Nike Zeus B
DM-15S is the ASAT version of Nike Zeus B
DM-15C was early design work on a missile which became DM-15X2 and then Spartan
DM-15X2 was the developed version of Nike Zeus B/DM-15C and was known as Spartan
 
Thanks hark40 for sorting out the DM-15 mess!!! And welcome to this forum. ;)
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom