| SAM-N-2 Lark | |
|---|---|
 This SAM-N-2 Lark missile airframe is preserved at the Point Mugu Missile Park near Naval Air Station Point Mugu. | |
| Type | Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Fairchild Aircraft Convair Raytheon |
| Produced | 1946-1950 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 920 kilograms (2,030 lb) missile: 550 kilograms (1,210 lb)[1] booster: 370 kilograms (820 lb) |
| Length | 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) missile: 13 feet 11 inches (4.24 m) booster: 4 feet 7 inches (1.40 m) |
| Diameter | 18 inches (46 cm)[1] |
| Wingspan | 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m)[1] |
| Warhead | 100 pounds (45 kg) high-explosive warhead |
Detonation mechanism | Proximity fuze |
| Engine | Stage 1: solid-fueled rocket booster, Stage 2: liquid-fueled rocket |
Operational range | 55 kilometres (34 mi) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 0.85 |
Guidance system | Initially radio command |
Launch platform | USS Norton Sound (AVM-1) |
The SAM-N-2 Lark project was a solid-fuel boosted, liquid-fueled surface-to-air missile developed by the United States Navy to meet the kamikaze threat. It was developed as a crash program to introduce a medium-range defensive layer that would attack targets between the long-range combat air patrols and short-range anti-aircraft artillery. This produced a design with roughly 30 miles (48 km) maximum range and subsonic performance, suitable for attacks against Japanese aircraft.
With the ending of the war, interest in Lark waned. But critical was the introduction of jet-powered medium bombers that Lark would be incapable of effectively countering. By this time, several hundred Larks had been built to test various guidance systems, and these were mostly expended in various test programs. During one of these, a Convair-built airframe scored the first successful United States surface-to-air missile interception of a flying target in January 1950.[2]