Years In Service: 1953-1958
Initial Flight: October 1953
The RASCAL was the United States Air Force’s first nuclear-armed “stand-off” missile launched from Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombers up to 100 miles away from the target. The name RASCAL was the acronym that stood for Radar Scanning Link, the missile’s guidance system to be remotely controlled with course-altering signals from the launching aircraft managed by the bombardier/director in the launching bomber.
Aircraft Specifications
Height: 12′ 6″ Wingspan: 16′ 8″ Length: 32′ Armament: Nuclear Warhead Powerplant: Bell XLR-67 three-chamber liquid fuel rocket engine Thrust: 10,440 lbs. No. of Engines: 1 Max Speed: 1,950 mph Ceiling: 65,000 ft.