View source for GAM-67 Crossbow

{{Short description|Type of anti-radar missile}}
{{Infobox weapon
| is_missile         = yes
| name               = GAM-67 Crossbow
| image              = GAM-67 on B-47.png
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = Crossbow on [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet|B-47]] carrier aircraft
| origin             = United States
| type               = Anti-radar missile
| used_by            = 
| manufacturer       = [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop Ventura Division]]
| unit_cost          = 
| propellant         = 
| production_date    = 
| service            = 
| engine             = [[Continental J69]] turbojet
| weight             = 2,800 lb (1,270 kg)
| length             = 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
| height             = 4 ft 6 (1.37 m)
| diameter           = 32 in (81 cm)
| wingspan           = 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
| speed              = 675 mph (1,090 km/h)
| vehicle_range      = 300 miles (480 km)
| ceiling            = 
| altitude           = 40,000 ft (12,200 m)
| filling            = 
| guidance           = passive multiple-frequency radar seeker, autopilot and a radio-command guidance system
| detonation         = 
| launch_platform    = Aircraft or [[RATO]]
| number             = 14
| Maximum Endurance  = 
}}

The '''GAM-67 Crossbow''' was a turbojet-powered [[anti-radar missile]] built by [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop's Ventura Division]], the successor to the [[Radioplane Company]] who developed the Crossbow's predecessor, the [[Radioplane Q-1|Q-1 target drone]].

==Development==
In the late 1940s, the Radioplane Company developed a set of prototypes of the [[Radioplane Q-1|Q-1]] target series, which used pulsejet or small turbojet engines. Although the Q-1 series was not put into production as a target, it did evolve into the USAF '''RP-54D''' / '''XB-67''' / '''XGAM-67 Crossbow''' anti-radar missile, which was first flown in 1956. It was also considered as a platform for reconnaissance, electronic countermeasures, and decoy roles.

The Crossbow had a cigar-shaped fuselage, straight wings, a straight twin-fin tail, and an engine inlet under the belly. It was powered by a [[Continental J69]] [[turbojet]] engine, with 4.41&nbsp;kN (450 kgf/1,000&nbsp;lbf) thrust. Two Crossbows could be carried by a [[Boeing B-50]] Superfortress bomber, while four Crossbows could be carried by a Boeing [[B-47 Stratojet]] bomber.

The Crossbow's speed was not enough to allow it to get far ahead of the launching bomber before it ran out of fuel. Only 14 Crossbows were built before the program was cancelled in 1957, in favor of the Longbow, essentially a supersonic version of the same concept. Longbow was eventually cancelled as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/gam-67.html|title=Radioplane B-67/GAM-67 Crossbow|last=Parsch|first=Andreas|date=9 January 2003|work=Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones|publisher=Designation-Systems|access-date=2017-11-25}}</ref> None of the alternative roles were taken up either, with all work on the concept ending in 1960. However, it did point the way to the range of missions that would be performed by UAVs in later decades.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Early versions of this article contained material that originally came from the web article {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110902194407/http://www.vectorsite.net/twuav.html ''Unmanned Aerial Vehicles'']}} by Greg Goebel, which was published into the Public Domain.
{{Refend}}

{{USAF missiles}}
{{USAF bomber aircraft}}
{{USAF system codes}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Anti-radiation missiles of the United States|GAM-067]]
[[Category:Air-to-surface missiles of the United States|GAM-067]]