Matra/Breda Reusable Cargo Missile

[Jemiba]

During the '60s Matra Engins developed, in collaboration with Breda a reusable missile, that should
take-off with a weight of 1,100 kg, fly up to a distance 700 km in less than 20 minutes powered by
two ramjets and then land with the help of foldout rotor blades, as an autogyro, I would think, as no
means of powering that rotor is mentioned or recognisable. Payload should have been 30 kg of mail (!),
the whole project was called "Iris".
Don't dare to imagine, how many stamps you would have to put on a letter delivered this way ! ;D

(Edit: New scans/photo from the source added)

 

[cardonet]

During the '60s Matra Engins developed, in collaboration with Breda a reusable missile, that should
take-off with a weight of 1,100 kg, fly up to a distance 700 km in less than 20 minutes powered by
two ramjets and then land with the help of foldout rotor blades, as an autogyro, I would think, as no
means of powering that rotor is mentioned or recognisable. Payload should have been 30 kg of mail (!),
the whole project was called "Iris".
Don't dare to imagine, how many stamps you would have to put on a letter delivered this way ! ;D

According to this drawing, the rotor blades were powered by small liquid rocket engines.

 

[Jemiba]

Many thanks, really a worthwhile clue !
Judging the size of the rocket engines and of the tanks, I guess, those engines were used just to spin up
the rotor prior to aurorotation and not actually to turn it into a engine driven rotor, as in a helicopter ?

 

[RanulfC]

Many thanks, really a worthwhile clue !
Judging the size of the rocket engines and of the tanks, I guess, those engines were used just to spin up
the rotor prior to aurorotation and not actually to turn it into a engine driven rotor, as in a helicopter ?

Spin-up should have been pretty automatic if they deployed while it was falling. They might provide power for a last minute "controlled" landing with a powered rotor.

Randy
(Nice finds all around by the way )

 

[cardonet]

Many thanks, really a worthwhile clue !
Judging the size of the rocket engines and of the tanks, I guess, those engines were used just to spin up
the rotor prior to aurorotation and not actually to turn it into a engine driven rotor, as in a helicopter ?

It seems that the engines were used to initiate the rotation and unfold the blades, and after there was only a sort of sort of rotation speed control.
The inventor of this concept was Vittorio Isacco.
See http://worldwide.espacenet.com/searchResults?ST=advanced&compact=false&IN=vittorio+isacco&locale=fr_FR&submitted=true&DB=EPODOC

 

[merriman]

Do I see here the genesis of the SPIP rocket cruisers featured in, Battle In Outer Space?

 

[hesham]

From Aviation magazine 1963.

 

[Archibald]

It looks a bit like that Matra fighter, can't remember the exact number... https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/capra-matra-aircraft-designations.26602/

R.130 !