The PTV-N-2 Gorgon IV was a subsonic ramjet-powered missile developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company for the United States Navy.
The end of World War II saw a reduction in need for such a weapon, however the contract was continued in 1946 as a propulsion test vehicle, originally designated KUM-1, then PTV-2 before finally being redesignated PTV-N-2.
[5] Nineteen PTV-N-2s were produced,[2] with flight tests beginning in July 1947;[1] in November, the program having adopted Northrop F2T night-fighters as launch aircraft,[6] the Gorgon IV first achieved high-speed flight, reaching approximately Mach 0.85;[1] it was the first ramjet-powered winged aircraft to successfully fly in the United States,[2] and it was claimed that the missile's speed was deliberately restricted to keep it below the speed of sound.
[7] The Navy began a refit of USS Norton Sound to test the feasibility of launching Gorgon IVs from an at-sea platform,[7] however the project was cancelled before completion.
[1] A recovered Gorgon IV was donated by the U.S. Navy to the National Air and Space Museum in 1966; it is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.