Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air ...

FROM GUNS TO MISSILES
The third family of antiaircraft missiles, man-portable ones,
also resulted from this post–World War II Army effort to obtain
more effective and mobile antiaircraft protection. In 1954, the
Army Equipment Development Guide recommended that first
priority be given to the low-altitude (below 10,000 feet) air
threat. It went on to note the need to research infrared techniques
to enable operations in poor visibility conditions. In
1955, Convair began its own feasibility studies of a lightweight,
man-transportable, low-altitude missile system, as there was
no formal military requirement for such a weapon. The company
named it Redeye, a system built around a small infrared
guided missile that could be carried and fired by one man. In
November 1956, the company presented the concept to Army
and Marine representatives. 55
The shoulder-launched system looked like a World War II
bazooka (fig. 50). Its launching tube weighed less than four
pounds, while the rocket weighed 14.5 pounds and measured
43 inches in length and 2.75 inches in diameter. A boost rocket
would push the missile out about 25 feet, where the main
motor would ignite, safely away from the operator. The infrared
homer was designed to guide the device and its 1.2-pound
warhead into the target for an impact explosion. The company
estimated a maximum range of two nautical miles and a probability
of kill of 0.35 to 0.40. 56
The Army responded with a requirement in July 1957 that
called for a one-man system that could destroy aircraft flying
at low altitudes with speeds up to 600 knots at a maximum
range of 4,100 meters. The Army also wanted an antitank
capability and the system operational by fiscal year 1961. Two
other companies besides Convair bid on the contract, Sperry
(Lancer) and North American (Shoulder-Launched Antiaircraft
Missile), but the Army rejected both because of excessive weight.
The Army had some doubts about Convair’s Redeye proposal,
specifically its seeker and weight, and sought further research.
But, the Marines, with one million dollars in research and development
money to use or lose, pushed the Army to begin development.
Thus, in April 1958, Convair received a one-year
contract for a feasibility study and demonstration from the
Army and Marine Corps. 57
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