JB-2 Loon Missle
JB-2
"LOON MISSILE"
THE LOON (JB-2), A COPY OF THE GERMAN V-1 MISSILE, IS A PILOTLESS FLYING BOMB (SURFACE-TO-SURFACE) PROPELLED BY AN INTERMITTENT RAMJET ENGINE. KNOWN AS THE "BUZZ BOMB" BECAUSE OF THE NOISE FROM ITS ENGINE, THE V-1 WAS FIRST USED AGAINST ENGLAND ON JUNE 12-13, 1944. THE AIRFRAME FOR THE LOON WAS CONSTRUCTED BY REPUBLIC AVIATION CORPORATION, AND THE ENGINE BY THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY FROM DRAWINGS PREPARED AR WRIGHT FIELD, HIO, USING THE DIMENSIONS MEASURED FROM THE REMAINS OF SEVERAL WRECKED V-1'S BROUGHT FROM EUROPE. WIND TUNNEL TESTS OF THE FULL-SCALE JB-2 WERE CONDUCTED IN THE WRIGHT FIELD 20-FOOT WIND TUNNEL IN OCTOBER, 1944. THE FIRST JB-2 TO BE FLOW IN THE UNITED STATES WAS LAUNCHED AT EGLIN AFB, FLORIDA, OCTOBER 1944. THE JB-2, S/N M-14305 ON DISPLAY WAS OBTAINED FROM THE U.S. NAVY AMTC, PT. MUGU, FORT HUENEME, CALIFORNIA, 30 JUNE 1955.