The ASM-N-8 Corvus was an anti-radiation missile

Anti-radiation missile

An anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home on an enemy radio emission source. Typically these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communication can also be targeted in this manner.- Air-to-Ground :Most ARM designs...

 developed by Temco Aircraft

Temco Aircraft

The Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company , also known as Temco Aircraft Corporation, was a U.S.-based manufacturing company located in the Dallas, TX area...

 for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

.

History

In April 1955, the U.S. Navy planned the acquisition of a a long-range air-to-surface missile armed with a nuclear warhead. This weapon should be carried by the carrier-based North American A3J Vigilante and Douglas A4D Skyhawk. This missile was named ASM-N-8 Raven. Later that year, the project was changed to a nuclear armed anti-radar missile, and renamed Corvus. Temco Aircraft

Temco Aircraft

The Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company , also known as Temco Aircraft Corporation, was a U.S.-based manufacturing company located in the Dallas, TX area...

 was awarded a development contract in January 1957. The first flight of an XASM-N-8 missile occurred in July 1959. By March 1960, fully guided flights had been made at the Pacific Missile Test Center

Pacific Missile Test Center

Pacific Missile Test Center is the former name of the current Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The name of the center was the Naval Air Missile Test Center prior to PMTC. It is located at Naval Base Ventura County/Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County, California...

 at Point Mugu, California

Point Mugu, California

Point Mugu , California is an unincorporated area and geographical promontory on the Pacific coast in Ventura County, near the town of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian term Muwu, meaning beach, which was first mentioned by Cabrillo in...

. However, the program was cancelled in July 1960, when the overall responsibility for long-range nuclear air-to-surface missiles was transferred to the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

, which had no use for the Corvus missile.

Specifications

The XASM-N-8 had two delta wings and cruciform tailfins for flight stability and control. It was powered by a Thiokol

Thiokol

Thiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...

liquid-fueled rocket, which gave it a range of 315 km for high-altitude launches and 185 km for low-altitude launches. Normally the missile would use a passive radar seeker and home on shore-based and ship-based radars. It could also home on non-radiating targets which were illuminated by a radar of the launching aircraft. The Corvus missile was to be armed with a W-40 nuclear warhead of 10 kT yield.