Douglas Missile (DM) List

RyanC

RyanC

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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

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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. ;)
 
While focusing on the Long Beach plant, this National Park Service 'Historic American Engineering Record' report from the 2000s does have a little bit of info on the founding of the Space & Missile Division:
In 1961, Douglas decided to separate production of commercial aircraft from missile and space operations. The Long Beach facility was turned over to the newly created Aircraft Division, and the Santa Monica plant became the Missiles and Space Systems Division. Douglas owned 60 percent of the plant outright by this time, and acquired the remaining 40 percent from the Air Force in 1961. The acquisition included 103 acres, 15 buildings, and equipment. 27 With the consolidation of the Aircraft Division, a new administrative headquarters, consisting of a 9-story administration building and a three-story engineering and product development building were constructed within the Long Beach facility along Lakewood Boulevard in 1962. During the 1960s Long Beach went on to produce the DC-9 and Santa Monica produced the Thor rocket series.
Click to expand...
 
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