Bullpup AGM-12B Guided Missile Fin Can

Development of Bullpup began in 1953 when Korean War experience demonstrated the almost complete inability for conventional bombing to attack point land targets like bridges. The weapon was guided by the launch aircraft through the manual command to line of sight (MCLOS) method, with the pilot visually tracking the flight of the missile via two bright flares in the weapon’s tail (and… these look like they want some 54mm motors for a cluster launch). The pilot guided the missile using a small joystick in the airplane cockpit. The position of the receiver antenna on the weapon meant that the aircraft had to continue flying in roughly the same direction as the missile in order for the signals to be received from the AN/ARW-73 transmitter, and due to the location of the cockpit on the aircraft, this generally meant the aircraft had to be in a dive toward the target throughout the approach.

The B version of the Bullpup enlarged the warhead to 1,000 pounds and upgraded the solid motor to a liquid Thiokol LR58 with much higher thrust. Mine is date stamped October 1961.

In its most famous early use in Vietnam, sixteen Air Force F-105’s carrying two AGM-12Bs were part of the group of aircraft that attacked the Thanh Hóa Bridge on 3 April 1965. Because the weapon was manually guided, each aircraft had to line up for attack twice in separate passes. The bridge was undamaged, as the Bullpups simply bounced off the bridge.

In addition to the lack of destructive power, the requirement to carry out separate passes for each release, and the need to continue guiding the weapon through its flight, led the Air Force to conclude the weapon was inadequate. —from Wikipedia.

P.S. Should she fly again? In addition to this fin-can package, I have a complete nose cone. Just need an 18” body tube to connect them. Here’s the best part: the liquid fuel tank visible here had an oxidizer tube running down the center, and it is 4” across… as in, a perfect fit for a 98mm solid rocket motor (of which, I have many). It’s like destiny manifesting! 🙂