Image info

Comparison of NATIV and Navaho Missiles – North American Aviation Inc., Downey, California, June 15, 1949.

This historical photograph shows two early American missile projects developed by North American Aviation: the smaller NATIV (North American Test Instrument Vehicle) in the foreground and the much larger Navaho missile in the background. The NATIV was a subscale, unpowered test vehicle used to develop guidance systems and test aerodynamics for the Navaho program, which aimed to create a long-range supersonic cruise missile. The Navaho itself featured ramjet propulsion and was a precursor to later technologies used in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and spaceflight. This image, marked “UNCLASSIFIED,” was taken at the company’s facility in Downey, California.