Vought Exo Homing Interceptor

[Bill S]

I searched the forum and found a posting in the "Bar" and one in the San Diego flicker topics, but nothing in Missiles or other areas for the US Army Homing Overlay Experiment.


I found a few images in the VAHF collection that are being shared here.


In 1977 the Army's Ballistic Missile Defense Systems Command awarded contracts to Lockheed, Boeing and Vought for the Homing Overlay Experiment (HOE) portion of a layered defense system. Lockheed eventually won the contract.


I did find this article online about the program: http://www.smdc.army.mil/2008/Historical/Eagle/TheHomingOverlayExperiment.pdf


Information from Lockheed on their program:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/100years/stories/hoe.html

I am sure there is a wealth of information to come from this group about this program!

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Lockheed HOE missile at the Smithsonian: http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19860223000

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

This page is interesting - http://jesskitchens.smugmug.com/History/Homing-Overlay-Experiment-1983/

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%203335.html

US looks to next-generation ABM


A NEW TYPE of "loitering" ABM missile is being considered by the US Army Ballistic Missile Defence Systems Command. Boeing, Lockheed and Vought recently received $500,000 design study contracts to define the configuration of an experimental intercepter missile. The three will work in conjunction with McDonnell Douglas, which is overall system integration contractor.

The Homing Overlay Experiment (HOE) missile would be launched to a high altitude to search for the incoming ICBMs, then track them until the live heads can be sorted out from among the decoys. As soon as a positive identification has been made the missile would restart its engine to carry out an intercept. In the planned second phase of the HOE programme, the Army will select one of the three competing companies to develop flight hardware. Any operational HOE system would operate at ranges beyond those of conventional ABM missiles.

The Russian SH-4 Improved Galosh has a similar loitering flightpath to the proposed US weapon, but relies on ground radars to make the warhead/decoy discrimination.

 

[Bill S]

Thanks Paul for the Lockheed image, I now know what that was I saw at NASM, and went back and shot it this time.

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Good Day All -

To go along with Bill's pics, two photos of the display model from the Vought Archives.

Enjoy the Day! Mark