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ROCKET RIVALRIES
| Long-range
ballistic missiles were not a top priority in the United States
immediately after World War II. Until a national policy was clarified
in the 1950s, the U.S. armed services competed among themselves
to develop missiles. This interservice rivalry led to some early
confusion and duplication. |
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Army
--in addition to the Hermes and Corporal projects, began work on larger
rockets, including the Redstone, Juno, and Jupiter, as well as the
Nike antiaircraft missile. |
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Navy
--developed Aerobee and Viking sounding rockets, as well as smaller
ship-to-air and ship-to-ship missiles. |
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Air Force
--inherited from the Army Air Forces various industry proposals for
long-range missiles. One of these, the MX-774 program, eventually
led to the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile. |
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