Stargaard X56 (missile)

X56
Stargaard X56 equipped on a Neßerschmitt Ne-509, 1942
Type	Air-to-air missile
Place of origin	Englean Kaiserreich
Service history
In service	1940-1951 (Englean Kaiserreich)
Used by	See operators
Wars	Second Great War
Production history
Designer	Alexander Stargaard
Designed	1935-1940
Manufacturer	Königlug Technologies Corporation
Produced	1940-1947
Specifications
Weight	60 kg (132.3 lb)
Length	201 cm (79.1 in)
Diameter	22 cm (8.7 in)
Warhead	HE Blast-Fragmentation
Detonation mechanism	Proximity fuse
Engine	Liquid fuel rocket
Wingspan	726 cm (285.8 in)
Operational range	1.5–3.5 km
Speed	325 m/s
Guidance system	MCLOS visual guidance w/ wire
Launch platform	Aircraft

The Stargaard X56 was a wire guided air-to-air missile designed by the Englean Kaiserreich as a rudimentary air-to-air missile for usage on aircraft. The X56 was used extensively by the Luftstreitkräfte as a way to quickly eliminate aircraft deployed by Damsmarian invasion forces, and later during the Invasion of Damsmar. Eventually the X56 would be developed into an anti-tank guided missile for usage from aircraft and on the ground, being deployed alongside the X-84 Panzerschreck in 1943. The X56 continued to be in service with the Englean Kaiserreich until 1951, when advances in missile technologies made the Second Great War vintage weapon obsolete. The X56 was developed into the Meeraesche surface-to-air missile developed by and in service with the Kaiserliche-Marine from 1953-1986.

History

The X56 originated from earlier attempts by Dr. Alexander Stargaard to create reliable rocket engines using a mixture of nitric acid and iron (III) chloride, which gained the attention of General der Fliegertruppe Berthold Kirchweger in 1933. Being a veteran of the First Great War as a volunteer pilot in the Aznazian Air Force, General Kirchweger envisioned the ability to guide a rocket as a longer-ranged weapon against enemy aircraft. He believed that this form of weapon would greatly extend the element of surprise, where enemy aircraft would not be aware of incoming missiles before they detonated. General Kirchweger convinced the Luftstreitkräfte command of the idea, and Dr. Stargaard was placed in charge of the project in 1935.