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This igniter cable was used on the German RI 502 JATO for large troop-carrying gliders, notably the Gotha Go 242, and was manufactured in large quantities at the end of the war. Fueled with a single stick of dyglycol "smokeless" propellant, the RI 502 burned for about six seconds at a nominal thrust of 600 kg (1,300 lb) but an actual thrust that peaked as high as 900 kg (2,000 lb). Similar or identical motors were used as boosters for test missiles and as aircraft JATOs in place of the standard liquid-fuel hydrogen-peroxide models.

The RI 502 JATOs were captured at the end of the war and shipped to Freeman and Wright Fields before being transferred to the Smithsonian by the U.S. Air Force in 1949.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Rockets & Missiles at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

Rockets & Missiles
Object Details
Country of Origin Germany Type PROPULSION-Accessories (to an Engine) Materials mixed metals
 Inventory Number A19602002001 Credit Line Transferred from the U.S. Air Force Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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