Fire Across the Desert by Peter Morton

Another book mentioned in the topic about Blue Streak is called
Fire Across the Desert

and is available in a variety of formats as a free download
www.dst.defence.gov.au/publication/fire-across-the-desert

or directly as a pdf
www.dst.defence.gov.au/sites/default/fil...s%20the%20Desert.pdf

previously highlighted in the Australia section
www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/a...ss-the-desert#150832

Birmingham Daily Post - Friday 08 November 1963
It is understood that a contract to be signed with the American Navy for 17 Jindiviks, worth £500,000.

It is described as the "best in world" but of course the American industry seems to have tried to block the contract!#

An American company was licensed to make them in the USA.

If you go here I think this lists all Jindiviks produced

www.adf-serials.com.au/2a92.htm

Search for "303" for the Mk 303 model

It will show you the Australian serial number and the Construction number

Some 45 hits but that includes serial A92-303 and a hybrid built from parts and one delivered direct to UK ( a 303BL)
Note that some sources say the Mk number was 303B but this list says 303A

Various sources state that 42 were bought for the USNavy, that they operated them from Pt Migu between approximately 1965 and 1968 and that some were then resold to the UK

What about the ones built under licence in the US? Presumably once they got into production, most would be locally made?

mbriscoe wrote:

What about the ones built under licence in the US? Presumably once they got into production, most would be locally made?

I don't know

I have only found evidence that they were given/offered License to do so, eg

The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) · 15 Dec 1955

Maybe the contract was blocked as you suggest

edit

I have just noticed that the clipping above refers to the US Air Force, while the listing of airframes earlier refers to US Navy


Certainly the service life in the US Navy seems to have been short

We probably need a topic for the Jindivik...

I went looking for any evidence of a JIndivik in USN or USAF colours but found none

I did however find a video produced by the USN of a Jindivik operation / trial

Caption:
Target Jindivik (10.21 mins)
A Bureau of Naval Weapons Technical Film Report of Target Jindivik, produced by US Naval Missile Center, Point Mugu, California. From the DSTO Melbourne Film Archives

The visible scenery when landing doesnt look unkike Pt Migu on google maps

Interesting that the crew flying the Jindivik were clearly Australian - RAAF flashes on their KDs
And the aircraft had australian roundels

video.airforce.gov.au/play/xwaDVxczol-8UBBs1NrJ7IvD2-12gbJo

or try this link

Just one reference in the NA,

catalog.archives.gov/id/17426468


The 1965, they had sold 14 to the Americans and another 6 were ordered

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10582...om|||sortby=dateDesc