Career Gerald Bull

1 career

1.1 carde
1.2 high altitude research program
1.3 space research corporation
1.4 european poudreries réunies de belgique

career
carde

carde, canadian armament , research development establishment, formed joint canadian-british operation study artillery , ballistics, in effort harness intellectual resources of canada, place developing british technology outside of german reach during world war ii. formed on military training area , artillery range outside valcartier, northwest of quebec city, carde 1 of number of research divisions of drb funded in immediate post-war era. carde researching supersonic flight , variety of rocket , missile projects when bull asked join. bull asked build wind tunnel research, suggestions dismissed expensive.

gunners @ carde suggested firing models out of existing gun barrels permit gathering data @ lower cost, , guided bull in direction. proof of concept, tried ordnance qf 17-pounder barrel bored 3.9 inches (99 mm) aerodynamicists demands accommodate larger models resulted in boring out bl 5.5 inch medium gun barrel produce 5.9 inches (150 mm) smooth-bore. borrowing idea developed in england in 1916, cards placed on holders along range , scaled models of missile fired through them. models carried in segmented aluminum sabot, peeled away round left muzzle. built range 1,000 yards (910 m) long, jump cards located @ 100 yards (91 m) intervals. metallic coating on cards permitted timing of flight progress measure velocity. 1 station equipped schlieren spark photography record shock waves , wake around projectile. in ways technique superior wind tunnel study, allowed direct measurement of real-world influences on trajectory, test of theoretical calculations. on downside, reducing collected data mathematical trajectory checking against theoretical calculations difficult.

bull @ carde briefly before returning university defend thesis in march 1951, @ 23 years old becoming youngest phd graduate in institute s history—a record remains day. returned carde, on drb s payroll, , continued working on instrumented guns. on 1 of these trips, in 1953, , friend stopped in charny after fishing trip drop off of catch @ local doctor s house. bull met noemi mimi gilbert, doctor s daughter, , 2 started dating. given bull s work schedule able see each other, became engaged in february 1954, , married on july 15. gilbert gave couple small house wedding gift. mimi gave birth first son, phillippe, on july 3, 1955, , second, michel, in november 1956.

in 1954 bull decided wind tunnel important ignore, if not arrange funding through drb. instead, gained ear of professors @ laval university in quebec city, , bull , number of graduate students started work on tunnel similar 1 had earlier built @ uoft. opened in summer of 1955 , capable of speeds mach 4, cost $6,000, result of using scrap of parts.

bull s work brought public s attention in may 20, 1955 toronto telegram headline article, unveil canadian gun fires 4,550 m.p.h. missiles. around time bull further improved data-collection capabilities of system developing telemetry system fit in models. drb staff thought idea unworkable , worked against having funded, bull shuffled own department s funding , went ahead , developed anyway. parts of bull s future efforts, smooth-bore high-velocity guns, sabots increasing performance, , hardened electronics, complete.

work on velvet glove ended in 1956, , drb turned attention anti-ballistic missiles (abms). bull s gun system not fast enough useful in role, adapted use sabot improve performance. bull moved on hypersonics research , study of infrared , radar cross sections detection. uk s research efforts wound down in post-war political environment, carde s joint uk-canadian funding dramatically cut back, project being handed on canadians entirely , followed further cuts. bull vocal turn of events, calling liberal government of day second-rate lawyers , jumped-up real-estate salesmen .

during period carde visited team, including lieutenant general arthur trudeau, impressed bull s work. trudeau director of army research , development, , set similar effort @ aberdeen proving ground under direction of dr. charles murphy. built analog of bull s gun using 5-inch (130 mm) gun , started test firing on atlantic in 1961. team used fire-control radar nike hercules missile battery track shells, released cloud of chaff @ altitudes 130,000 feet (40,000 m).

around same time, bull , murphy started discussing idea of firing scale aircraft models guns. both started working on idea, bull beat murphy when fired model of gloster javelin gun , managed take shadowgraph photos of showing supersonic shock cones. bull used same method work on avro arrow, discovering instability led use of stability augmentation system. work on avro arrow cancelled, angered bull.

with attention turning space after launch of sputnik in 1957, bull leaked story canada match feat placing high-velocity gun in nose of army redstone missile. story complete fabrication, caused major stir when hit papers on april 22, 1958. after story broke prime minister john diefenbaker besieged in house of commons press scrum, later dismissing stating there no foundation whatsoever story, not scintilla of truth .

a major flap broke out result, leading dressing down of several of bull s superiors. when press invited visit carde, canadian broadcasting company broadcast piece covering of work @ carde on may 11, including lengthy sections on bull s gun , work on infrared detection , anti-ballistic missile systems.

on april 1, 1961 bull got argument direct superior on paperwork. bull wrote out resignation. report prepared after departure stated ...his tempestuous nature , strong dislike administration , red tape led him trouble senior management.

high altitude research program

bull had long prepared event, , re-appeared professor @ mcgill university, in process of building large engineering department under direction of donald mordell. mordell had long maintained links carde , became 1 of bull s ardent supporters, in spite of other professors saw second-rate attempts @ manipulation , [mordell] supported bull s work… think got pretty tired of supporting bull. bull, part, appeared enjoy new position, , later described marriage made in heaven . bull remained in contact counterparts in , university of toronto, , set equipping university instrumentation need leader in field of aerodynamics.

several years earlier, while still working @ carde, gerald , mimi had purchased 2,000-acre (8.1 km) plot of land on québec–vermont border. bull donated land used mcgill , turned new ballistics lab, private analog of carde site. renamed become highwater station due local village of highwater, site developed under direction of former british army colonel robert stacy, bulldozed large sections, built various test facilities , ran power site. there began working 5 , 7 artillery pieces.

in late 1961 bull visited murphy , trudeau @ aberdeen , able interest them in idea using guns loft missile components re-entry research, task otherwise expensive , time-consuming aboard rockets. arranged funding work under project harp (for high altitude research program, not confused haarp). navy supplied surplus 16-inch battleship gun, , contract office of naval research paid gun re-bored 16.4-inch smooth bore. entire contract, excluding shipping, $2,000.

the performance of gun great highwater site small support it. mcgill had long been running meteorological station on barbados , had close connections new democratic labour party (dlp), , suggested make ideal location gun set up. bull met prime minister errol barrow became enthusiastic supporter of harp, , arranged firing site @ paragon, on southeast coast of island near seawell airport. guns arrived in 1962 not put ashore @ site, , had offloaded 7 miles (11 km) coast @ foul bay, , transported overland via purpose-built railway employed hundreds of locals. project continued, figure grew on 300 permanently employed project, , became major reason barrow s continued support. bull encouraged locals use project stepping-stone science or engineering degree of own, , efforts lauded in press.

in january 1962 first test shot carried out, firing empty sabot. test successful, further 2 similar firings abandoned , second firing made dart-like finned projectile named martlet (after mythical bird without feet on mcgill university crest). these tests demonstrated several problems, including poor shot-to-shot performance of decades-old gunpowder, , fact projectile left barrel powder did not have time burn completely. new charges using modern powder supplied, , november 1962 150-kilogram martlets being fired @ on 10,000 ft/s (3,048 m/s; 6,818 mph) , reaching altitudes of 215,000 ft (66,000 m).

the martlets evolved through period, growing in size , sophistication. bull later put it:

martlett 2a first high-altitude projectile. weighed 225 pounds. forebody carried electronics, aftbody carried chemical payloads. 5 inches (127 mm) in diameter, , had heavy pusher plate. actual all-up weight around 400 450 pounds. happened martlet 2c. [it] big workhorse, still 5 inch (127 mm). then, towards end, came 350 pound vehicle, same thing, 7 inches in diameter.

the idea find out happens in atmosphere sunset sunrise. remember, nobody gave grants. had produce tropical atmospheric meteorological [data] army research office, s how got our money. trying measure top of atmosphere, labeled nominal 2 hundred kilometers.

the cost of launch $5,000. did 8 night. used 3 nights in row try data.

the martlet s electronics triggered release of chemical markers @ set altitude. left sort of smoke trail through atmosphere used measure winds aloft visual means. chemical typically triethylaluminium, burns on contact air. loading shells dangerous job required special handling. martlets used release chaff instead of chemicals, allowing tracking via radar. shots used additional electronics measure magnetic field. similar firings in support of upper atmosphere research made using 5 , 7 guns @ highwater, alaska, , wallops island virginia.

by time program ran down, 1,000 firings had taken place, , data collected during harp represents half of upper-atmospheric data day.

the martlet-2 stepping-stone on way bull s real interest, gun-launched rocket reach outer space. gun had been thoroughly tested , past intercontinental ranges, needed modifying. in 1963 harp started experimenting martlet-3, 7-inch-diameter (177.8 mm) full bore projectile designed test basic problems of launching solid-fuel artillery shell guns. solid shell fuel has consistency of soft rubber , cut pattern open in middle, on firing grain tend collapse cavity. problem solved filling cavity zinc bromide, prevented collapse , drained after firing allow rocket light. test firings began @ ballistic research laboratory in aberdeen using bored-out 175 mm gun m107. program proved basic concept , shots of martlet-3 reached altitudes of 155 miles (249 km).

the ultimate goal of program martlet-4, three-stage 16.4 rocket fired lengthened gun @ barbados , reach orbit. in 1964 donald mordell able convince canadian government of value of harp project low-cost method canada enter space-launch business, , arranged joint canadian-us funding program of $3 million year 3 years, canadians supplying $2.5 million of that. 16.4 gun, mounted horizontally, being tested @ highwater range, , extended cutting breech off end of 1 gun , welding end of produce new gun on 110 feet long. extension allowed powder contained longer period of time, slowing down acceleration , loads on airframe, while offering higher overall performance. once system had been tested @ highwater, second barrel shipped foul bay, attached , strengthened external bracing allow raised horizontal. gun extensively tested in 1965 , 66.

in 1964, @ age 36, bull named director of mcgill university s space research institute.

the orbital project faced constant race own budget. guaranteed 3 years of funding, money handled drb, less impressed former star going on greater things while own funding being dramatically cut. although money allocated 1964, drb managed delay delivery ten months, forcing mcgill cover salaries in interim. these problems did not go unnoticed in army, , in order ensure firings not interrupted problems on canadian side, third double-length gun built @ yuma proving grounds continue high-altitude measurements. on november 18, 1966 gun launched martlet-2 180 km, world record still stands today.

by 1967 becoming clear martlet-4 not ready time funding ran out in 1968. effort started build simplified version, glo-1a (gun-launched orbiter, version 1a), based on martlet-2g. continued budget pressures, changing public attitudes towards military affairs, negative reviews press , other researchers in canada , change of government conspired ensure canadian funding not renewed in 1967. bull had been working on last-ditch effort launch canadian flag orbit in time canadian centennial, nothing came of plan.

space research corporation

bull returned highwater range, , transferred harp s assets new company. invoked clause in original contract mcgill required them return range original natural condition. faced hundreds of thousands of dollars in construction costs wind down project not garner funding, mcgill left little choice trade bull title highwater equipment. setting new company, space research corporation (src), bull became international artillery consultant. incorporated in both quebec , vermont, number of contracts both canadian , military research arms helped company started.. in late 1960s, bull established space program @ norwich university, in northfield, vermont.

at src bull continued development of high-velocity artillery, adapting harp smoothbore new reverse rifled design lands of conventional rifling replaced grooves cut barrel make larger gun capable of firing existing ammunition. artillery shells sealed rifling driving band of soft metal copper, demands shell shaped balances @ widest point, band located. not ideal ballistics, supersonically higher fineness ratio desirable. bull solved problem using additional set of nub fins near front of shell keep centered in barrel, allowing driving band reduced in size, , located wherever convenient. re-shaping shell better supersonic performance provided dramatically improved range , accuracy, double in both cases, when compared similar gun using older-style ammunition. called new shell design extended range, full bore (erfb).

starting in 1975, bull designed new gun based on common 155/39 m109 howitzer, extending 45 calibre through modifications applied existing weapons, calling resulting weapon gc-45 howitzer. bull purchased base bleed technology being developed in sweden, allowed further improvements in range. erfb round gc-45 routinely place rounds 10 metres (33 ft) circles @ ranges 30 kilometres (19 mi), extending 38 kilometres (24 mi) loss in accuracy. gun offered ranges far in excess of longest-ranged heavy artillery in gun larger common medium-weight guns.

src s first major sales success sale of 50,000 erfb shells israel in 1973 use in american-supplied artillery pieces. israelis had used number of 175 mm m107 guns in counter-battery role against soviet counterpart, 130 mm towed field gun m1954 (m-46), introduction of long range rockets fired lebanon outranged them. erfb shells extended range of formidable m107 as 50 kilometres (31 mi), allowing guns counter-battery longest range rockets.

bull rewarded success of program congressional bill, sponsored senator barry goldwater (r-az) making him retroactively eligible decade of american citizenship , high-level american nuclear security clearance. granted citizenship act of congress.

another success src sale of 30,000 artillery shells, gun barrels, , plans gc-45 howitzer armscor of pretoria, south africa. south african defence force s arsenal of vintage howitzers - antiquated arms embargo - had been outperformed bm-21 grads during operation savannah in 1975. in order counter modern soviet artillery deployed in neighbouring angola, south african officials began seeking longer-ranged weapons systems , referred src. armscor trialled gc-45 new mounting allow increased powder loads , installed auxiliary power unit improving mobility in field. resulting g5 howitzer vital south african campaigns against cuban expeditionary forces in angola, allowing them target infrastructure , personnel phenomenal accuracy.

u.s. policy on arms sales changed dramatically assumption of office of jimmy carter in 1977. combating communism no longer primary consideration, , south africa s failure meet standards of human rights record under apartheid became major concern. bull arrested illegal arms dealing. dealing violated un security council resolution 418. expecting token punishment, bull found himself spending 6 months in federal correctional complex, allenwood, pennsylvania in 1980. upon return quebec sued , fined $55,000 arms dealing.

european poudreries réunies de belgique

bull left canada , moved brussels, subsidiary of src called european poudreries réunies de belgique based. bull continued working erfb ammunition design, developing range of munitions fired existing weapons. number of companies designed upgrades work older weapons, m114 155 mm howitzer, combining new barrel m109 bull s erfb ammunition produce improved weapon relatively low cost.

bull continued working gc-45 design, , secured work people s republic of china, , iraq. designed 2 artillery pieces iraqis: 155 mm al-majnoonan, updated version of g5, , similar set of adaptations applied 203 mm m110 howitzer produce 210 mm al-fao maximum range of 56 km (35 mi) without base bleed. although appears al-fao not put production, al-majnoonan started replacing soviet designs delivered. when deliveries not made enough, additional barrels ordered south africa. guns built , sold through austrian intermediary. bull convinced iraqis never real power without capability space launches. offered build cannon capable of such launches, larger version of original harp design. saddam hussein interested, , work started on project babylon .

a smaller 45-meter, 350 mm caliber gun completed testing purposes, , bull started work on real pc-2 machine, gun 150 meters long, weighed 2,100 tonnes, bore of 1 meter (39 inches). capable of placing 2,000-kilogram projectile orbit. iraqis told bull go ahead project if development of longer-ranged scud-based missile project. bull agreed. construction of individual sections of new gun started in england @ sheffield forgemasters , matrix churchill in spain, netherlands, , switzerland.