Italian C-7 air-air missile

[Petrus]

I've gathered some information on an air-to-air missile that was built in Italy in the late 1950s or early 1960s under the C-7 designation. Reportedly it was tested on Italian air force's F-86 Sabres but was never adopted.

Here is the only photo (or drawing) of the missile that is available on the Internet:

At http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/c7.htm you may find technical data of the missile, although the website is about sounding rockets and not military missiles (the Italians developed, I believe, some such rockets using components of the C-7 missile). Here is what the website says:

he C-7 air-to-air missile program began with a contract to Contraves in 1957. Later the design was assigned to SISPRE, a Fiat/Finmeccanica subsidiary. A few were manufactured and deployed in 1961-62. The missile used a BPD M2P30 motor with polybutadiene propellant delivering a specific impulse of 220 seconds.

(...)

Manufacturer: Contraves / Fiat SISPRE. Total Mass: 65 kg (143 lb). Core Diameter: 0.16 m (0.52 ft). Total Length: 1.96 m (6.43 ft). Span: 0.64 m (2.09 ft). Maximum range: 11 km (7 mi). Boost Propulsion: Solid rocket. Boost engine: M2P30. Cruise Propulsion: Solid rocket. Guidance: Infrared Homing. Total Number Built: 200

I would be grateful for any further information on the missile, its development and history. It would be great to see more pictures showing it, of course.

Best regards,
Piotr

 

[visvirtusvoluntas]

Some extract from Flight Archives. The last document states that "limited quantities of these weapons are now in service". But it was not true.

 

[archipeppe]

Some extract from Flight Archives. The last document states that "limited quantities of these weapons are now in service". But it was not true.

Nice finding!!!
Many thanks

 

[Petrus]

New information on the C-7 missile have appeared in Warthunder forum.

The article comes from a magazine 'Oltre Il Cielo. Missili & Razzi' No. 50, 1-15 December 1959.

Piotr

 

[archipeppe]

Recently several new information on the C-7 missile have appeared in various sections of forum.warthunder.com. Here is what I've gathered.

Piotr

WOW GORGEOUS!!!
Thank you so much!!!

 

[Pioneer]

Recently several new information on the C-7 missile have appeared in various sections of forum.warthunder.com. Here is what I've gathered.

Piotr

WOW GORGEOUS!!!
Thank you so much!!!

I'm with archipeppe, thanks very much Petrus, very interesting!

Regards
Pioneer

 

[spacesoldier117]

I should've watermarked those images smh.
Those scans didn't "appear", the community searched for infos and I bought both a magazine and a deplian about the missile.

 

[NicholasConcu]

Hey, I do find it quite rude that you didn’t credit the individual who went out of their to actually get the pictures. Instead of saying “It appeared on the warthunder forums”
Link to post
https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/467813-sispre-c-7-air-to-air-missiles-for-cl-13-mk4/
Link to person who got the info originally got the info https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/profile/647455-spacesoldier117/

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Absolutely, Petrus should have included a link to the original source. Attribution of sources is a core forum rule.

In regards to scans of published sources, it is fair to credit the scanner/poster AND the original book or magazine.

 

[Petrus]

Please accept my apologies.
It will never happen again.
Piotr

 

[klem]

...

 

[pathology_doc]

Oh my God, that is so freaking ugly. A first-generation AAM for sure!

It could easily be a Wunderwaffe. No, I am not saying it's a N*zi missile taken over - but it has the look of those first missiles and the aerodynamicists were probably coming at it from the same "this is our first time" angle.

I love these early missiles. I could easily read a whole book (with deep technical and mathematical treatment) on each one.

 

[Dilandu]

It could easily be a Wunderwaffe. No, I am not saying it's a N*zi missile taken over - but it has the look of those first missiles and the aerodynamicists were probably coming at it from the same "this is our first time" angle.

Looks like Brakemine mixed with early Sidewinder)

 

[xena]

It IS one of the first AAM.

 

[owlscreech]

Oh my God, that is so freaking ugly. A first-generation AAM for sure!

It could easily be a Wunderwaffe. No, I am not saying it's a N*zi missile taken over - but it has the look of those first missiles and the aerodynamicists were probably coming at it from the same "this is our first time" angle.

I love these early missiles. I could easily read a whole book (with deep technical and mathematical treatment) on each one.

Indeed.... As someone who has spent decades both idolising the Italians as a people incapable of creating anything ugly and asserting that 1950s British guided weapon designs were incontestably the worst of the period both in terms of engineering and aesthetics, the assumption that this was built from a doodle on the back of a napkin taken from some German's coat pocket is the only thing sparing me from imploding in a puff of cognitive dissonance!

 

[lastdingo]

Indeed.... As someone who has spent decades both idolising the Italians as a people incapable of creating anything ugly

You should look at Fiat trucks of the 30's and the Savoia-Marchetti S.55 once.

 

[pathology_doc]

idolising the Italians as a people incapable of creating anything ugly

I've been to Italy a couple of times in my life, for weeks at a time (both parents were born there and emigrated after WW2). My perception is that while the bell curve of Italian female attractiveness is skewed well to the right, the low-side tail is pretty hideous to contemplate.

 

[Antonio]

Please try to keep on topic

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Development would have to be post 1955 as Italy was prohibited from working on or developing guided missiles by the treaty they signed on surrender in WW 2.

 

[owlscreech]

Please try to keep on topic

My apologies, I shall not derail further.