Sidewinder: Creative Missile Development at China Lake

Ron Westrum

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591149819 ISBN 13: 9781591149811

Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 2013

In the mid-1950s a small group of overworked, underpaid scientists and engineers on a remote base in the Mojave Desert developed a weapon no one had asked for but everyone in the weapons industry desired. This is the story of how that unorthodox team, led by visionary Bill McLean, overcame U.S. Navy bureaucracy and other more heavily funded projects to develop the world's best air-to-air missile. Author Ron Westrum examines that special time and place--when the old American work ethic and "can do" spirit were a vital part of U.S. weapons development--to discover how this dedicated team was able to create a simple and inexpensive missile. Today, many decades after its invention, the Sidewinder missile is still considered one of the best that America has to offer. In a time of billion-dollar weapons development contracts, astronomical cost overruns, and defense acquisitions scandals, this revealing, highly readable tale about one of the most successful weapons in history should be of interest to anyone concerned with national security.

Product Description:

In the mid-1950s a small group of overworked, underpaid scientists and engineers, working on a remote base in the Mojave Desert, developed a weapon no one had asked for but that everyone was looking for. <em>Sidewinder</em> is the story of how that unorthodox team at China Lake, lead by the visionary Bill McLean, overcame Navy bureaucracy and more heavily funded projects to develop the world's best air-to-air missile.

About the Author:

<strong>Ron Westrum</strong> is a professor of sociology and interdisciplinary technology at Eastern Michigan University, USA. He holds degrees from Harvard and the University of Chicago and is also the author of <em>Technologies & Society</em> as well as numerous articles on science, technology and society. He lives in Ann Arbor, MI.