A New Form of Artillery

Exert, Letter from Department of War to Dr. Robert Goddard in response to application for further funding of weapon designated "A New Form of Artillery", 1 April 1926

National Archives
Declassified October 17, 1979

Dr. Goddard:

Your applications for funding from us have remained enigmatic as frankly very few of us understand the nature of your work. In all honesty the successful demonstration of your tube-launched rocket by Dr. Clarence Hickman and your emerging support from others who have a better grasp of it than myself are what prompted us to review your projects to date. By coincidence one of our officers was present at the launch of your "Nell" rocket on 17 March and this has prompted us to inquire further into the nature of your work. The performance of armored vehicles in the last war can not be denied, with the continued threat of the USSR and potentially the United Kingdom to American security interests we would like to collaborate with you for further development. Your ideas of tube rocketry as a means to defeat mechanized vehicles, possibly even naval vessels, is of notable interest. To that end we ask you to schedule an appointment with Eugene Reybold, Commandant of the Coast Artillery School, on 17 April with capacity for a demonstration of both a tube rocket and one of your 'Nell' engines.

*Author name remains blackened out*



National Archives
Declassified October 17, 1979


18 September 1928
Progress report, Project 'Shreek'
Office of Eugene Reybold
Commandant of Coastal Artillery School
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 14
Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
*Much of first paragraph blacked out*

To date our progress remains impressive though technical challenges remain. Thus far the evolving prototypes succeed in consistently piercing 60mm of steel plate armor. A problem of ignition and harming the user was solved by redesigning the tube and launch system itself. Dr. Goddard's improved rocket enables a greater range of up to 100 yards with reliability and up to 300 with acceptable accuracy. Explosive penetration was only improved recently thanks to reference of a heretofore obscure American physicist whose work now allows us to shape the explosive used in such a way as to maximize its accuracy, this development is being classified and shared only in secrecy with other areas of War Department research. Although this rocket has proven of great interest, the newest design will incorporate a new ignition system to reduce weight while improving reliability. An aluminum alloy variant is also being designed. Per request of the Department committee work on the liquid-fueled engine continues, a new guidance system improves accuracy notably. His latest engine design, codenamed Private, launched successfully achieving a maximum altitude of over 2000 feet at a top speed of over 500MPH. Most interestingly was the launch two days ago of the vehicle codenamed Fireteam. Dr. Goddard has managed to create a multi-stage vehicle using his Private engine design with four engines below carrying a single engine above. This vehicle managed to fire successfully yesterday following two prior failures, but it managed to attain an altitude of just over 10,000 feet before returning an observatory payload to the ground. The camera footage is most impressive, further updates bi-monthly or as breakthroughs of interest develop.

Would an American Commandant use the metric system when measuring armor thickness in 1928?

Torqumada

National Archives
Declassified October 17, 1979

March 11, 1930
Progress report, Project 'Shreek'
Office of Eugene Reybold
Commandant of Coastal Artillery School
Chief Engineer, Artillery Research
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 14
Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
*Much of first two paragraphs blacked out*

Funding for Project Shreek should be maintained at all costs. The latest prototype shows the capacity to penetrate over 100mm of steel armor at a range of 400 feet consistently with the newer rocket ammunition. With the aluminum manufacturing and cost reductions already noted, the project proceeds under expected costs with results at or ahead of schedule. Dr. Goddard is now designing an engine codenamed "Sergeant" expected to produce a thrust greater than the entire Fireteam vehicle combined. His intention to apply this to a design derived from Fireteam, codenamed Platooon, might enable us to test rockets as practical artillery against naval vessels. Negating the advantage of a British or Japanese fleet early and decisively would save great quantities of lives, resources, and potentially give the United States a decisive edge in naval warfare. The use of liquid oxygen for as a fuel for torpedo purposes was also discussed.




National Archives
Declassified October 17, 1979


August 19, 1932
Progress report, Project 'Shreek'
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Office of Eugene Reybold
Commandant of Coastal Artillery School
Chief Engineer, Artillery Research
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 18
Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
*Much of first six paragraphs blacked out*

Schematics for an improved version of the 'Valkyrie', or Tube Rocket Version 2.4 Mk 3, are kept securely in three locations and ready for mass production should they be needed. Observation of the Russian development of tanks in significant quantity and their recent development of tactics in mass-tank formations in a form of lightening warfare is of great curiosity. Per earlier request the results of testing against a "heavy tractor" similar to Russian tank design were initiated, results located above. With the marriage of Dr. Goddard's air vanes, gyroscopes, and multi-stage engine the latest launch of vehicle Fireteam achieved an altitude of over 25,000 feet with vehicle being recovered over 5 miles away. Most interestingly the test was initially set for failure when high winds threatened to drive the vehicle off-course, but the air-vanes and gyroscopes allowed the vehicle to *self-correct* and return to original course. Interest in anti-ship missiles by the Navy is noted as well as ground-to-air and possibly air-to-air missile systems by the US Army Air Corps, research will continue with updates continuing quarterly or with significant breakthroughs as before.

Torqumada said:

Would an American Commandant use the metric system when measuring armor thickness in 1928?

Torqumada

Click to expand...

I think for main armaments and armor they were even at that time, Sherman main armament is described in millimeters as is its armor if memory serves. I could be mistaken and will clarify if needed, metric also serves to standardize comparisons with other armor systems being evaluated in this process.

National Archives
Declassified January 15, 2009


July 15, 1934
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Office of Leslie Groves
Chief Engineer, High Altitude Engine Research
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 8
Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
Total Pages: 16
*Six entirely blacked out*

Project 'Babel' and its intention to *blacked out* remains on target since its inception on 01 January 1932. With Project Shreek now being derived to Production status and further development the evolving rocket-based weapons system under its own umbrella, the Navy and Army Air Corps joint venture of further rocket engine development progresses slowly but steadily. Dr. Goddard has assembled a team of over 20 engineers now from Cal-Tech, MIT, and other locations. Though he remains upset about being unable to publish since 1932 the recent observation of the rocket testing by Germany should give us pause. Their developments appear to be heavily inspired, of not a direct copy of, Dr. Goddard's work. To date his combined funding from public and private sources has allowed further evolution of his systems and development of a more refined version of the "Sergeant" engine permitting further improvement in accuracy from out existing test site in Roswell. Fireteam II was able to achieve an altitude of over 33,000 feet in three separate launches, at one point with a maximum velocity of over 800mph. Impressively the newest engine, "Lieutenant", was test-fired on 01 July 1934 and by itself achieved an altitude of over 40,000 feet being found over 8 miles away. Although the practicality of this solitary engine is limited, its incorporation into the existing Fireteam design now codenamed "Platoon" might be able to achieve over 100,000 feet in altitude. Dr. Goddard is also working on a unique type of projectile for high-altitude use, it is a combination scientific research instrument and camera for high-altitude photography. The potential for reconnaissance could be incalculable should the technology be refined enough for military purposes, it would prove almost impossible to detect and might be able to overfly deep into territories denied to our forces.




National Archives
Declassified January 15, 2009


May 30, 1936
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Office of Leslie Groves
Chief Engineer, High Altitude Engine Research
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 10
Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
Total Pages: 12
*First four and last six entirely blacked out*

Development of vehicle 'Platoon' exceeds expectations, and though only successful on the sixth launch due to previously unexpected design concerns, the ascent to over 150,000 feet on launch six and 170,000 feet on launch seven with camera documentation of both heralds several achievements. Cameras rugged enough to survive launches to that altitude and survive parachute-based recovery are not only possible but can be done using existing technology. Rocket technology might evolve such that within a decade long-distance strikes might be made between continents, although their use might be limited only to targets of the highest importance or for terror purposes. Based on reports from our physicists it might also be possible to deploy a reconnaissance vehicle in orbit indefinitely, possibly able to collect photoreconnaissance data and relay it to a ground-based station in the form of radio signals. Currently rocket technology is not to that stage yet, but Dr. Goddard was able to achieve a total altitude of over 250,000 feet using a newer vehicle 'Lighthouse' of three stages with a Sergeant vehicle atop the existing Platoon vehicle. His newest engine design, "Captain", was able to achieve over 120,000 feet on its own in a single stage. New design for vehicle 'Batallion' will incorporate six Captain engines in a first stage alongside one in a second stage. His more radical design, an experimental launch system codenamed 'Smokestack', is a three-stage design using ten Captain engines supporting the existing Platoon design. A variant on this, 'Stovepipe', would use twelve Captain engines in a first stage with four Captain engines in a second stage alongside a single Lieutenant engine in a third stage. If successful Dr. Goddard believes this vehicle might be able to break 350,000 feet altitude, possibly 400,000 feet. Refinement of this design may be able to permit a stable orbit around the planet.

As stated in original project goals, Babel is designed to permit access to altitudes such that military vehicles and platforms would be beyond the reach of existing or near-term anti-aircraft technology. To date we find that the nearest nation to our level of advancement is Germany, who themselves are a decade ahead of the rest of the world. We believe we are at least a decade ahead of them though security for a project like this is paramount. Given the German interest and recent indication that the Soviet Union is pursuing its own explorations of this technology it must remain limited in its scope and diffusion. Recommend reclassification of this project from Top Secret to Beyond Top Secret for this purpose.

This is really interesting, but do you think they'll try manned flight or is that simply not a military priority of the project? Also is there any contact between this and the nuclear science program?

Torqumada said:

Would an American Commandant use the metric system when measuring armor thickness in 1928?

Torqumada

Click to expand...

Maybe if they are comparing it to French wepons (very numerous in post WW1 US army) or a foreign Tank ?

JSB

National Archives
Declassified January 15, 2009


April 21, 1938
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Office of Leslie Groves
Chief Engineer, Upper Atmosphere Research Panel
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 6
Beyond Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
Total Pages: 14
*Ten entirely blacked out*

The development of the "Captain" engine and emergence of the "Major" design prototype has permitted limited testing against increasingly concerning conditions. The rise of German and Russian interest in our work leaves little doubt that other nations see the efficacy of our research. We are not sure how far the are with their own work, nor how much development they have "borrowed" from us at this time, but please note that the technology we currently control is presumed at least a decade ahead of even pessimistic estimates of German levels, thought to be at least a decade ahead of Russian levels in turn. The launch of 'Stovepipe II' used many of the newer aluminum alloys from Hughes et al in its construction and improved performance by over 35%. This enabled us to deliver scientific information at an altitude of over 100 miles before returning to Earth in western Texas over 150 miles away. Interestingly there is a large radiation exposure at higher altitude as the atmosphere thins but it does not stop our electronic systems from working. Solar power generators were deployed on the side of the rocket charging a central battery with some success noted, there might be a means of using solar power to maintain electronics at such high altitudes.

With the development of the German military now in full swing the further development of a single-stage system like the "Major" into a viable missile system would be far easier than trying to manufacture large numbers of multi-stage systems. Dr. Goddard has assured us that a single-stage system is possible, he also notes that the militarization of these systems is something he had hoped to avoid but the spaceflight potential keeps him going. We hope to take advantage of this with our new platform codenamed 'Prism' which would involve photographs taken from carefully coordinated launches according to pre-arranged ballistic trajectories, probably starting from somewhere on the East Coast and going towards the Philippines, Hawaii, or Alaska. There are four launch sites under consideration for future development: Cape Canaveral, FL, known to have very few hurricanes contact it for geological reasons; Parris Island, South Carolina, which is already owned by the Federal Government and can be easily sequestered; Galveston, Texas, which can be isolated easily form the mainland and still has not rebuilt from the devastating hurricane 30 years ago; or Fort Myers, Florida opposite Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was proposed and might have proven acceptable but lack of connection to the US Mainland and being so close to foreign soil proved unacceptably high risk. We will need a second station for further testing in the future both for civilian purposes and as a back-up should something happen to the White Sands range in New Mexico.



National Archives
Declassified January 15, 2009


August 15, 1939
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Office of Leslie Groves
Chief Engineer, High Altitude Engine Research
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 6
Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
Total Pages: 14
*First four and last ten entirely blacked out*

Platform 'Prism' gained a considerable boost with the acquisition of "xerography" technology that might prove useful for remote transmission of photographs taken from orbit without having to physically preserve film. Testing of this technology is being devised into the launch systems already in place though currently the weight restrictions for sub-orbital launch systems are restrictive. Dr. Goddard's belief that a rocket-assisted take-off system might accelerate an existing system to much higher altitudes than previously thought possible is intriguing and Lockheed has quietly submitted a design from one of its newest engineers. Goddard is working closely with this Clarence Johnson on the possibility of a manned sub-orbital reconnaissance vehicle using the latest vehicle design 'Batallion', an unmanned version 'Company' would parallel these developments. They call for a four-stage system around twenty-four Major engines for Stage 1, ten for Stage 2, three for Stage 3, and a modified rocket-glider system built around a Captain system for Stage 4. This is outright the most ambitious project of our system to date, the prospect of launching a manned reconnaissance vehicle would enable orbital photography and if nothing else far more precise meteorology information that is currently available. A static satellite would permit not only weather information but also possibly communication with Europe and Asia on a heretofore impossible level of transmission. Such a satellite will be launched first using the 'Company' vehicle for an estimated orbit of 250 miles which we are told would simply reflect transmissions from radios wherever they were in the world. Germany, Britain, Japan, Australia, even New Zealand and Argentina might be available much more readily this way. We are also interested in the acquisition of a Complex Number Calculator that Bell Labs is building, please have them develop two for our project as the mathematics involved would benefit greatly from automated checking.

I wonder how they are funding this, as the german rocket development program cost more than the manhatan project. Especially the quality of ther esults displayed.

Aren't they going way too far? This TL is going through the Great Depression, I doubt the USA is willing to throw so much money into such an experimental weapon (check tanks, which weren't experimental at all).
Then again, it's starting it's ten years for a rough V-2 analogue, so I don't know.
Me thinks solar panel technology is still too crude in the '30s to be of any use. And without that, I'm not sure satellites are possible/useful. IIRC, photographic satellites during the Cold War took film pictures and dropped them to the ground. The technology to transmit photographies over radio with enough resolution to be of any military use simply wasn't available at the time ("at the time" meaning 30 years after the events of this TL).

I don't think ballistic missiles would be useful as weapons during WWII - the problem is guidance and the technology to resolve it simply isn't there. I'm not sure if they would be useful as antishipping weapons either - again, guidance. IOTL the USN developed the Tiny Tim, but I don't know if it was useful. The obvious uses, which correlate to OTL are as battlefield artillery and bazookas.

What I think is, while interesting, useful war uses rely on other technologies which aren't available yet.

I wonder how anti-shipping would be revolutionised by the use of shaped charge warheads on shells. I suppose the necessary shell size might well have shrunk.

Interesting--and very fast, very far...

This is neat I did notice that the POD is earlier than getting funding for the rockets, with mention of Britain as a possible foe. What else is going on? Or was Britian as a possible foe a brief concern in the 20's?

What's the level of development of solid rockets--Katuschka type artillery?

Sooner or later, the project has to come out in the open--perhaps the first satellite launch would be a good time to do so...

juanml82 said:

...
Me thinks solar panel technology is still too crude in the '30s to be of any use. And without that, I'm not sure satellites are possible/useful. IIRC, photographic satellites during the Cold War took film pictures and dropped them to the ground. The technology to transmit photographies over radio with enough resolution to be of any military use simply wasn't available at the time ("at the time" meaning 30 years after the events of this TL).
...

Click to expand...

More than 30 years actually, the Shuttle was designed to change orbit and landing strip because the military wanted it's use as reconaissance and still relied on film. Paradoxically just as the Shuttle was developped high resolution sensor and trasmission became available.

juanml82 said:

I don't think ballistic missiles would be useful as weapons during WWII - the problem is guidance and the technology to resolve it simply isn't there. I'm not sure if they would be useful as antishipping weapons either - again, guidance. IOTL the USN developed the Tiny Tim, but I don't know if it was useful. The obvious uses, which correlate to OTL are as battlefield artillery and bazookas.

What I think is, while interesting, useful war uses rely on other technologies which aren't available yet.

Click to expand...

Starslayer_D said:

I wonder how anti-shipping would be revolutionised by the use of shaped charge warheads on shells. I suppose the necessary shell size might well have shrunk.

Click to expand...

NHBL said:

This is neat I did notice that the POD is earlier than getting funding for the rockets, with mention of Britain as a possible foe. What else is going on? Or was Britian as a possible foe a brief concern in the 20's?

What's the level of development of solid rockets--Katuschka type artillery?

Sooner or later, the project has to come out in the open--perhaps the first satellite launch would be a good time to do so...

Click to expand...

I agree, German program hasn't been useful apart some terror bombing. Katuschka where very effectrive, bazoka had it's use, naval guided bombs like the fritz proved successful. An earlier development of tactical rockets and naval missiles may change the game. A stabilized trajectory battlefield rocket that can pierce 100mm may deny much of the Armour advantage. Tube eletronics reliability would be a problem, crude guidance may be also obtained with elettromeccanics, and you can always push the transistor 10-20 years up

PS: Also funding for tactical rockets would be easier to obtain: most of it is in design and prototypes are cheap to make (wrt a full blown multi-stage rocket)

Shaped charges and ships

A shaped charge might not be all that effective against a warship, compared to a tank. It creates a narrow, hot jet of damage that doesn't, IIRC, go all that deep. Punch a hot hole anywhere in a tank, you kill it. Strike a battleship, and you make a small hole in the hull, usually into unimportant areas--and there's no blast to mess things up in a larger area of the ship. I think you'd have to get a direct hit on a turret to (usually) take out the one turret. That could be defeated by adding a thin shell held a foot or two away from the turret, to detonate the shaped charges. There's a reason that, even after the development of shaped charges, the navy didn't use them much. (And if the navy is shooting at tanks, HE is just FINE...)

Of course, in the early days of playing with shaped charges, it might seem that they'll be battleship killers. This is a fight that the battleship admirals should win...

The same argument applies even to light cruisers--and against destroyers, there's no need for armor piercing anything.

Aside from Tiny Tims, there were a number of other airborne rockets that were useful. The principle anti-armor weapons for most British and US fighter bombers were rockets, either the British 3" rocket or the US 3.5" or 5" rockets. They were also used by carrier aircraft against submarines.

In addition, the US also had their own versions of the Katyusha, specifically the 4.5" rocket fired from calliope launchers on tanks or from LSM(R)s as shore bombardment weapons during amphibious assaults.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RP-3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Velocity_Aircraft_Rocket

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3.5-Inch_Forward_Firing_Aircraft_Rocket

Read a British rocket artillery what if.

http://www.changingthetimes.net/samples/ww2/british_rocket_artillery.htm

If any of this improves the 4.5 inch rockets, in terms of range, penetration and accuracy (or even just range and penetration), the Normandy landings will be much different than OTL.

In June, they aired a documentary about the D-Day landings, and one of the big disasters of the initial bombardment was something like four thousand 4.5's were fired at the defenses on Omaha...and every last one of them fell short.

Those 4k 4.5's actually hit the defenses on Omaha?

I'm not going to say it won't still be a tough fight, but that will create gaps in the fortifications for the landing forces to exploit, and more men are going to survive the first waves and get further inland faster than OTL.

This could be very interesting...

National Archives
Declassified January 15, 2009


October 21, 1939
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Office of Leslie Groves
Chief Engineer, Upper Atmosphere Research Panel
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 9
Beyond Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
Total Pages: 12
*Ten entirely blacked out*

With the coordination of Clarence Johnson with engineer Nathan Price a design is in place for a newer type of aircraft engine that will be coordinated through Lockheed and Hughes Aircraft. The engine proposed would be similar to those being pioneered per reports from the United Kingdom and Germany involving a new method of aircraft propulsion deemed "turbojet". This propeller-less engine will be referred to in a 'J' series corresponding with significant evolution of design, we are unsure how far the British or Germans are from achieving flight using these engines though our own engineers state that propeller-driven aircraft are reaching their technological limitations. To that end and combined with the need for additional design power the proposals of Professor John Atanasoff, along with his prototype computing machine, have been incorporated into the project for further development. He promises a full-scale version would be useful in aiding in development of prototypes and with engineering equations for further ballistics for our rocketry program. As we review the nascent war in Europe I believe such programs will enable us to perhaps develop the weapons today that we might use in the war next year or tomorrow.

Further refinements of the 'Sergeant' engine have allowed for its adaptation for the proposed MLRS, Multiple Launch Rocket System, and will be shared with Project Shreek. We noted their progress in refinement of the Jericho weapons system, the prototype demonstration at Fort Benning should be sufficient to warrant further testing. As to the proposed Project SWAT the most difficult aspects will be both in guidance and gyroscopic navigation. Until such time as the electronics and inertial systems come online the goals of the project along with the construction of a viable prototype will be rather difficult. However our team has acquired a German Jewish physicist named Lilenfield whose work with X-ray anodes and electrolytic capacitors (like those which made Mershon famous only a few years ago) is already being incorporated into other military systems. He proposed a 'field-electric transmitter' that would be of interest for Project SWAT and will be given a small budget to proceed with this.

Our latest attempt to build a reconnaissance platform was aided by the chance contact with Chester Carlson, a New York attorney who was trying to sell his method of "dry writing" for commercial use. We have acquired his patent as well as some interesting work from Oskar Heil, a Canadian physicist whose work parallels that of Lilenfield. Perhaps in combination their work could be used together towards construction of a viable platform for extreme-high-altitude-based 'satellites' in the future.



National Archives
Declassified January 15, 2009


December 21, 1939
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Office of Leslie Groves
Chief Engineer, High Altitude Engine Research
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 12
Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
Total Pages: 21
*All but one entirely blacked out*

Heil, Lilenfield, and Dr. John Bardeen on loan from Harvard have developed a triad of interesting developments. Together they have produced a series of crude components that effectively could replace vacuum tubes for some of the applications of Project SWAT, effectively reducing the weight by as much at 15%. Mass production is unfortunately not possible at this stage as the required components are both rare and would require ultrapurification, something that only a handful of corporations *might* be able to achieve at this stage. For display purposes they are going to build a two-way radio, apparently one weighing less than seven pounds, which would be able to do what the existing Hallicrafters HT-4 radio set can do but at one tenth the weight or less. As there are discussions to contact Galvin Manufacturing for further development of communications equipment for military use discussions will be dispersed henceforth on this and all other matters in a bi-monthly letter per last week's meeting.

Dionysius I said:

Tube eletronics reliability would be a problem, crude guidance may be also obtained with elettromeccanics, and you can always push the transistor 10-20 years up

Click to expand...

Could you?
Out of curiosity, does anyone have a good notion of just how early a practical transistor could have reasonably been developed? I know a German inventor patented a field-effect transistor in 1934, but clearly it went nowhere.

National Archives
Declassified January 15, 2009


February 22, 1940
Progress report, Project 'Babel'
Progress report, Project 'Michael'
Progress report, Project 'Cyrus'
Office of Leslie Groves
Chief Engineer, Upper Atmosphere Research Panel
Limited Distribution: Total copies: 9
Beyond Top Secret
*Names of recipients blacked out*
Total Pages: 32
*Ten entirely blacked out*

Further development of the rocket program is being contained at this time until either a manned vehicle or reliable observation platform is ready for launch. Individual engine testing and static fire testing continue but with the increasingly hostile Empire of Japan threatening a large area of Southern Asia along with representing a potential threat to the Philippines we believe that any attempt at orbital launch is too risky from a security standpoint. Should viable remnants of this technology land in that area or those Japan might occupy it could potentially give Japan, and by extension Germany, a means to promulgate this technology against us. Project SWAT has now yielded additional results in the form of the 'Calliope' system for aircraft defense and air-to-ground operations. With the development of 'Sergeant' engines sufficiently to permit launch ranges of up to 10 miles combined with fuel optimization permitting reduction of size by 30% and weight by almost 50% this engine will likely be our best hope for a mass-production missile system. Development of the 'Captain' engine to the same end might permit remote attacks as well with payloads up to 1000 pounds at 125 miles range. Most interestingly is the proposal by Price to marry his evolving designs for a 'jet' engine with an airframe attached to a bomb, creating a cruising missile that could remotely impact distant sights without endangering human life. Given the development of infrared and tele-vision systems the possibility for future developments is tantalizing.

Taking the lead from previously the team of Heil, Lilenfield, and Bordeen have developed their ideas into prototypes and prototype equipment. These new substitutes for vacuum tubes are deemed 'Model', though internally they are being called 'transistors'. So far they have derived a P-gate, N-gate, and JREF derivatives though beyond that the technical schematics are beyond my ability to easily relate. Although the contract offers for radio equipment of our personnel is still pending from the Department of War I believe it possible to develop specialized components like this in-house and have second or even third generation equipment ready for mass production should the need arise. With the construction of a two-way radio set weighing less than three pounds, the possibility of much lighter communications technology perhaps a tenth or less the weight of current systems becomes plausible. With regards to aircraft and vehicle-mounted radios this becomes even more exceptional as it might permit the overall battery duration or range, if not both, to be improved markedly. Per the last inquiry we have considered a variant SCR-268 (to be designated '20/20') with enhancement of the 'Model' system.

Perhaps the single greatest use of the 'Model' system is in the ability to augment the Atanasoff machinery system code-named 'Cyrus'. With the ability to incorporate design elements from the CNC of Bell Labs alongside the 'Model system the size is markedly reduced. This might be worthy of being spun off as a separate project, as funding is limited and design work is accelerating we propose that for the immediate future patents in conjunction with our office be used to prevent any schematics or technology from being obtained by foreign powers. Although the systems in question are impressive to the engineers which have used them so far, I am less impressed that widespread need for such systems outside of highly specialized military and engineering applications could be found in the near term future. Given the nature of the problems faced with our manned reconnaissance aircraft, codenamed 'Daedelus', vehicle designation R2, we do encourage further development on the existing model here and will likely try to have at least one more built in the future.