AAM-N-10 Eagle

AAM-N-10 Eagle
Type	Long-range Air-to-air missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	United States Navy
Production history
Designed	1958
Manufacturer	Bendix Corporation
No. built	0
Specifications (projected)
Weight	650 lb (290 kg) without booster 1,284 lb (582 kg) with booster
Length	11 ft 7 in (3.53 m) without booster 16 ft 1.5 in (4.915 m) with booster
Diameter	14 in (360 mm) booster 16 in (410 mm)
Wingspan	2 ft 10 in (0.86 m) booster 4 ft 2.1 in (1.273 m) folding
Operational range	110 nmi (130 mi; 200 km) powered 160 nmi (180 mi; 300 km) aerodynamic
Flight ceiling	100,000 ft (30,000 m)
Speed	Mach 4.5
Guidance system	inertial with radio correction midcourse active radar or home-on-jam terminal
References	Parsch 2003

The AAM-N-10 Eagle was a long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Bendix Corporation for use by the United States Navy. Intended for carriage by the Douglas F6D Missileer fleet defense fighter, the Eagle program was cancelled before testing could begin, but the lessons learned were used in the development of the AIM-54 Phoenix missile.

Development of the AAM-N-10 began in 1957 with the definition of the fleet defense fighter: a subsonic, long-endurance interceptor aircraft carrying a powerful radar set and very-long-range missiles, capable of shooting down enemy bombers at the greatest possible distance from the aircraft carriers they were attempting to attack. In 1958, Douglas Aircraft was contracted to develop the F6D-1 Missileer fighter, and the Bendix Corporation received a contract that December for the AAM-N-10 Eagle missile.

Eagle was of conventional design for heavy air-to-air missiles of the time, with very low-aspect ratio, nearly delta wing fins of 2-foot-10-inch (0.86 m) span extending the length of the missile's 11-foot-7-inch (3.53 m) body, and a detachable booster stage to allow the missile to accelerate hard at launch before settling into a cruise configuration over the extended distance to the target. The airframe of the missile was subcontracted by Bendix to Grumman Aircraft;Aerojet was subcontracted to build the AAM-N-10's rocket motors. The booster would propel the Eagle to a speed of Mach 3.5; following ignition of the sustainer, the missile would slowly accelerate to a Mach 4.5 cruise speed. A conventional high explosive warhead was standard, however Eagle was designed to be capable of carrying a W42 nuclear warhead.