KA3N Gorgon III

Lore & Background

The Gorgon missile program began in July 1943 at the Naval Aircraft Modification Unit in Warminster, Pennsylvania, aiming to develop a family of small air-launched missiles. The Gorgon III was designed as an air-to-air missile with a conventional aircraft-type layout, featuring a high-mounted wing and twin tail fins. Three propulsion variants were originally planned: the rocket-powered IIIA, turbojet-powered IIIB, and pulsejet-powered IIIC, though the IIIC was later changed to a rocket-powered configuration using twin CLM2N motors.

Orders were placed in April 1945 for 34 Gorgon IIIA, 16 Gorgon IIIB, and 20 Gorgon IIIC missiles. However, the guidance system proved unworkable in tests of the earlier Gorgon IIA, and with the end of the war the program was realigned as a pure testing effort for missile control and guidance systems. All 34 Gorgon IIIAs were built and tested from late 1945, later redesignated KU3N-1, CTV-6, and finally CTV-N-6. The Gorgon IIIB was cancelled due to a lack of suitable turbojet engines, though a derivative target drone, the TD2N, was produced. Twelve Gorgon IIIC airframes were built; six were used by the Navy for stability and control trials, and six by NACA for high-subsonic flight research launched from a 400-foot ramp at Wallops Island, Virginia.

Reader's Guide

The Gorgon III program's significance lies in its transition from a wartime missile project to a foundational research platform for guided missile technology. Although the original air-to-air mission was abandoned, the Gorgon IIIA and IIIC airframes provided critical testbeds for control systems, stability, and high-subsonic aerodynamics. The Gorgon IIIC's use by NACA at Wallops Island contributed to early understanding of flight conditions at high subsonic speeds, while the Gorgon IIIA tested components and control systems that informed later missile designs. The program also produced the TD2N target drone as a derivative of the cancelled Gorgon IIIB, extending its utility. Surviving examples—two CTV-N-6 Gorgon IIIAs and one NACA Gorgon III—were donated to the National Air and Space Museum, where they remain unrestored in storage, preserving a tangible link to the early postwar era of missile development.

Did You Know?

• The Gorgon III was originally intended as an air-to-air missile for patrol aircraft.
• The Gorgon IIIC used twin Reaction Motors CLM2N liquid-fuel rockets.
• Six Gorgon IIIC airframes were used by NACA for high-subsonic flight research at Wallops Island.