Matra M.04

Matra M.04
Type	Air-to-air missile
Place of origin	France
Production history
Designed	1948
Manufacturer	Matra
Specifications
Mass	460 kilograms (1,010 lb)
Length	4.6 metres (15 ft)
Diameter	0.25 metres (9.8 in)
Wingspan	1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in)
Engine	Solid-fuel rocket 1,250 kg thrust for 14 seconds
Propellant	Acid/Aniline rocket
Launch platform	Halifax (testing)

The Matra M.04 was a French missile project that began development in Societe Matra in 1948. Intended either as an air-to-air missile or a surface-to-air missile it was never adopted in service, although it was tested over the Sahara in 1952.

Development

The missile was first test-fired in flight from a Halifax bomber in May 1950 at Colomb-Bechar. The missile was large for an air-to-air missile, with two pairs of cruciform swept wings, with the smaller rear pair being moved using pneumatic actuation to provide steering. A SEPR acid/aniline rocket containing 110 kg of propellent provided 1,250 kg of thrust for 14 seconds, taking it to a speed of 490 meters per second.

The surface-to-air version was intended to have an additional tandem booster stage, and was designated the R.042 - and work continued on it until 1955.

References

• Flight magazine, 28 January 1955
• Gunston, Bill (1979). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Rockets & Missiles. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 0-517-26870-1.