Autonetics

Autonetics originated in North American Aviation's Technical Research Laboratory, a small unit in the Los Angeles Division's engineering department, in 1945. In 1946, the laboratory won an Army Air Forces contract to develop a 175 to 500 mile range glide missile. The work and the lab expanded, and by June 1948, all of the Aerophysics Laboratory was consolidated at Downey, California. The evolution of the Navaho missile program then resulted in the establishment of Autonetics as a separate division of North American Aviation in 1955, first located in Downey, moving to Anaheim, California in 1963.{{cite web|url=http://www.boeing.com/history/narrative/n051naa.html |title=North American Aviation ... Autonetics |publisher=Boeing |access-date=April 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219083148/http://www.boeing.com/history/narrative/n051naa.html |archive-date=December 19, 2010 }}

Autonetics included the Navigation Systems division, designing and producing inertial and stellar-inertial navigation systems for ships, submarines, missiles, aircraft and space vehicles. One of the automatic navigation systems produced by the division was the N-6 or NAVAN (North American Vehicle Auto Navigation) for the Navaho missile system, and the later AGM-28 Hound Dog. Other products included alignment devices and attitude reference systems for missile launchers, artillery, land survey, aircraft and missile-range ships.

The Electro Sensor Systems division built multi-function radar systems, armament control computers, data and information display systems for high performance aircraft, and sensor equipment. The radar systems included the R-14 and F-15, which were multimode, monopulse systems. This family of radars was termed NASARR (North American Search and Ranging Radar). The R-14 system was installed in the USAF F-105 Thunderchief and the more advanced F-15 system with Terrain Following capabilities was developed for the USAF F-104 Starfighter which were also used by NATO, MAP, and the Canadian Air Force. Both radar systems allowed Time On Target (ToT) impact control capability with a high degree of accuracy. The R-14 and F-15 systems used (pre-solid state) electronic vacuum tubes in their designs. Both systems were developed, built and tested at the Downey (Slauson Avenue), and Anaheim facilities.

The Data Systems division developed data-processing systems, general-purpose digital computers, ground support equipment, control systems and telemetry systems.

Autonetics built an office computer system (RECOMP), and was responsible for the guidance and control system for the Boeing-built Minuteman missiles. The division ultimately produced the Monica family of microcomputers, the D-17B Minuteman I computer, and the D-37B

{{cite web

|url = http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%200474.html

|title = FLIGHT International, 20 February 1964, p289 Article "Digital Computers for Aircraft"

|publisher = Flight Global Archive

|access-date = June 6, 2011

}} and D-37C Minuteman II computers, in which micro-miniaturization reduced weight by two-thirds. Autonetics also developed and tested flight programs for the D37D Minuteman III computer.

The 1966 Autonetics DDA integrator was the first MOS large scale array (LSA) using four-phase logic. After producing the DDA and other MOS-LSA circuits, the team involved decided to design a general purpose computer suitable for navigation (sometimes called the MOS GP computer). The Autonetics D200 computer was built using MOS LSAs.

C. F. O'Donnell.

[http://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings/afips/1968/5072/00/50720867.pdf "Engineering for systems using large scale integration"].

afips, pp.867, 1968 Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1968

R. K. Booher.

[http://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings/afips/1968/5072/00/50720877.pdf "MOS GP Computer"].

afips, pp.877, 1968 Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1968

{{doi|10.1109/AFIPS.1968.126}}

• The first airplane flight of an inertial autonavigator (XN-1) in 1950.
• The first flight of an all-solid-state computer (for the Navaho guidance system) in 1955.
• The navigation system for the first submerged crossing of the North Pole, on board the {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571}} in 1958.

• N-6 NAVAN (North American Vehicle Auto Navigation)
• Autonetics RECOMP I military computer, 1957{{Cite journal|last=D|first=Goldstein, Gordon|last2=J|first2=Neumann, Albrecht|date=April 1957|title=COMPUTERS. U. S. A. - Autonetics, RECOMP, Downey, Calif.|url=http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0694624|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525040226/http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0694624|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 25, 2018|journal=Digital Computer Newsletter |issue=2|language=en|volume=9|pages=2|via=DTIC}}{{Cite book|title=A third survey of domestic electronic digital computing systems.|last=Weik|first=Martin H.|date=1961|series=Ballistic Research Laboratories.Report no. 1115|location=Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.|pages=816–819|hdl = 2027/mdp.39015023453221}}
• Autonetics Recomp II office computer, 1958
• Autonetics RECOMP III office computer
• VERDAN (Versatile Digital Analyzer){{cite journal |title=Flight System Survey: Versatile Digital Analyser in Britain |journal=Flight International |date=Apr 1961 |volume=79 |issue=2718 |page=464 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200456.html |format=pdf |issn=0015-3710}} general purpose military computer,{{cite journal|title=A SURVEY OF NEW WEST-EUROPEAN DIGITAL COMPUTERS (Part 2): UNITED KINGDOM - ELLIOTT BROTHERS|journal=Computers and Automation|date=Oct 1963|volume=XII|issue=10|page=29|url=http://www.bitsavers.org/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196310.pdf|access-date=2020-09-05}}*{{Cite web|url=http://www.ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL61-u4.html#VERDAN|title=VERDAN|last=Weik|first=Martin H.|date=Mar 1961|website=ed-thelen.org|series=A Third Survey of Domestic Electronic Digital Computing Systems}}
• {{cite journal|title=A SURVEY OF NEW WEST-EUROPEAN DIGITAL COMPUTERS (Part 3 - Conclusion): VERDAN|journal=Computers and Automation|date=Nov 1963|volume=XII|issue=11|page=36|url=http://www.bitsavers.org/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196311.pdf|access-date=2020-09-05}}Used in:
• {{cite web |title=Elliott Bros And Autonetics Fit Verdan Computers To Polaris Submarines. |url=https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/memory-lane/elliott-bros-autonetics-fit-verdan-computers-polaris-submarines-2018-01/ |website=Electronics Weekly |date=2 January 2018 }}
• {{cite web |last1=Service |first1=Enchanted Forest Web Page Design |title=Do You Know All The Trivia? |url=http://www.ammsalumni.org/html/do_you_know_all_the_trivia_.html |website=www.ammsalumni.org |at=search keyword: Verdan |quote=Aircraft That Had D9A Verdan Computers Installed: Navy A5 Vigilante, Air Force RC-135, Navy A6 Intruder |access-date=2018-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715023118/http://www.ammsalumni.org/html/do_you_know_all_the_trivia_.html |archive-date=2018-07-15 |url-status=usurped }}
• {{cite journal |title=Digital Computers for Aircraft |journal=Flight International |date=Feb 1964 |volume=85 |issue=2867 |page=288 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%200473.html?search=verdan |issn=0015-3710 |quote=[...] Autonetics Verdan computer has been used, without any changes, for navigation and control systems in Polaris submarines, the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, A-5 Vigilante attack aircraft and GAM-77 Hounddog missile, and was intended for Dynasoar. }} 1959,{{cite web |title=ION Museum: GAM-77/AGM-28 Hound Dog Missile Guidance System |url=https://www.ion.org/museum/item_view.cfm?cid=5&scid=16&iid=287 |website=www.ion.org}} and MARDAN (Marine Digital Analyzer;{{cite book |last1=Currie |first1=Edward H. |last2=Van Ess |first2=David |title=PSoC3/5 Reference Book |page=2 |chapter=1.1 Evolution of Embedded Systems|citeseerx=10.1.1.281.7858 }} VERDAN II),{{cite web |title=SINS, Navigation Repair Division, Weapons Department |url=http://www.tendertale.com/tttj/tttj2-5.html |website=www.tendertale.com|at=Autonetics VERDAN MBL-D9A Computer and Autonetics MARDAN (also known as Verdan II)}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL64-u.html#VERDAN-II|title=VERDAN II|last=Weik|first=Martin H.|date=Jan 1964|website=ed-thelen.org|series=A Fourth Survey of Domestic Electronic Digital Computing Systems}} part of the Ship's Inertial Navigation System (SINS),{{cite web |title=The Amazing MARDAN |url=https://acceleratingvector.com/2014/06/21/the-amazing-mardan/ |website=Accelerating Vector |access-date=2018-09-22 |archive-date=2023-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307015041/https://acceleratingvector.com/2014/06/21/the-amazing-mardan/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=MARDAN Computer {{!}} Time and Navigation |url=https://timeandnavigation.si.edu/multimedia-asset/mardan-computer |website=timeandnavigation.si.edu |language=en}} 1961{{cite book |title=autonetics :: mem-brain :: T5-1435 Mem-Brain File Aug65 |date=1965 |pages=VIII-1, AI-8, AI-11, AI-13, AI-15/16, AI-19 - AI-21 (48, 65, 68, 70, 72, 75–77) |url=https://archive.org/stream/bitsavers_autoneticsainFileAug65_17824804/T5-1435_Mem-Brain_File_Aug65#page/n69/search/verdan}}
• D-17B flight computer
• D-37C flight computer
• D-37D flight computer
• Autonetics D200 flight computer

• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081231154303/http://www.boeing.com/history/narrative/n051naa.html Autonetics division of Boeing]}}

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