The Gorgon 2C was one of a family of missiles developed by the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics. It was powered by a pulsejet much like the one used on the V-1 cruise missile launched by Germany in World War II. The war ended as the Gorgon 2C was approaching operational use. It was then converted into a control test vehicle and was used to test missile heat homing and radar homing systems and techniques. About 100 were built and tested from September 1946 to 1951. This artifact is one of the few if not the only remaining Gorgon 2Cs extant.
The missile was donated to the Smithsonian in 1966 by the U.S. Navy.
This object is on display in Rockets & Missiles at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.