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The McDonnell ADM-20 Quail was a subsonic, jet powered, air-launched decoy cruise missile built by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. The Quail was designed to be launched by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber and its original United States Air Force designation was GAM-72 (GAM standing for Guided Aircraft Missile).
The ALCM traces its history to the ADM-20 Quail missile, which began development in February 1956. Quail was the ultimate outcome of several similar programs to develop a small decoy aircraft that would be launched from bombers during their approach to targets, presenting false targets to saturate the defenses and allow the bombers to escape an attack.
Four months later, on 31 January 1961, the GAM-77/ADM-20 Quail entered the 97th's arsenal. The Quail was a decoy that could generate radar and heat signatures resembling those of a B-52, thereby saturating the enemy's defenses. The aerial-refueling capability of the KC-135 Stratotankers extended the range of the wing's B-52s.
The Hound Dog was used on airborne alert for the first time in January 1962. In 1962, SAC activated missile maintenance squadrons to provide maintenance for both the Hound Dog and the ADM-20 Quail decoy missile. Full operational capability was achieved in August 1963 when 29 B-52 bomber wings were operational with the Hound Dog.
The J85 was originally designed to power a large decoy missile, the McDonnell ADM-20 Quail.The Quail was designed to be released from a B-52 Stratofortress in-flight and fly for long distances in formation with the launch aircraft, multiplying the number of targets facing the SA-2 surface-to-air missile operators on the ground.
As the Cold War heated up, the highly instrumented Eglin Gulf Test Range was built and supported flight tests of the CIM-10 Bomarc, MGM-1 Matador, ADM-20 Quail, and AGM-28 Hound Dog aerodynamic missiles. The first BOMARC launch from Santa Rosa Island occurred on 15 January 1959.
On 13 February 1959, the 23rd entered the jet age when it received its first Boeing B-52G Stratofortress and also entered the missile age, as the B-52Gs were equipped with the AGM-28 Hound Dog standoff missile and the ADM-20 Quail decoy missile. The squadron flew the B-52G from Travis until July 1968.
ADM-20 Quail; N. Northrop JB-1 Bat; Northrop JB-10; R. Rapid Dragon (missile system) RATTLRS; Republic-Ford JB-2; S. Surveilling Miniature Attack Cruise Missile; T.