Air-launched ballistic missile

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GAM-87 Skybolt
AGM-183 ARRW under the wing of a B-52

An air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) is a

anti-ballistic missiles, with those few that did exist being limited to known static positions. This combination of features allowed a strategic bomber to present a credible deterrent second-strike option in an era when improving anti-aircraft defences appeared to be rendering conventional bombers obsolete. However, by the 1990s surface-to-air missile technology had innovated to the point of allowing the interception of such weapons (especially in their terminal phase) from road mobile systems, albeit at a lower PoK. By the early 21st century capable, dedicated, ABM systems from several nations had been deployed in significant numbers (with examples including upgraded MIM-104 Patriot and S-300, THAAD, SM-3, and S-400), spurring further innovation in hypersonic glide vehicles
to penetrate such systems and keep ballistic missiles capable.

The ALBM concept was studied in the US as a way to ensure the usefulness and survivability of their large bomber fleet. After testing several experimental designs as part of the

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
.

Skybolt ultimately failed several key tests, while the

US Navy's UGM-27 Polaris offered the same advantages and more. Skybolt was cancelled, leading to the Skybolt crisis and an agreement to sell Polaris to the Royal Navy as part of the Nassau Agreement. The concept saw little active development until the 1970s when ICBM warheads began to become accurate enough to attack other ICBMs while they were still on the ground. The US carried out several experiments using existing missile designs dropped from cargo aircraft
, but ultimately abandoned this line of research entirely. No further strategic ALBM development has been carried out by the US, and this class of missile never saw active use.

High Virgo

The High Virgo, also known as Weapons System 199C (WS-199C), was a prototype air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) jointly developed by Lockheed and the Convair division of General Dynamics during the late 1950s. The missile proved moderately successful and aided in the development of the later GAM-87 Skybolt ALBM. It was also used in early tests of anti-satellite weapons.

WS-199B Bold Orion

Developed by

Explorer VI,[1] the first-ever interception of a satellite.[2]

GAM-87 Skybolt

The GAM-87 Skybolt, intended to be launched from Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and Avro Vulcan bombers, was in development by the United States Air Force, with the United Kingdom as a customer. In 1962, with technical difficulties and costs mounting, the program was cancelled, with the United States and the UK concentrating on the UGM-27 Polaris submarine-launched ballistic missile instead.

Air Mobile Feasibility test: C-5 w/ LGM-30

Air Mobile Feasibility demonstration, 24 October 1974

In the early 1970s, the USAF tested air-launching a Minuteman 1b ICBM from a C-5A Galaxy transport aircraft. On 24 October 1974, the Space and Missile Systems Organization successfully conducted an Air Mobile Feasibility test where a C-5A Galaxy aircraft air-dropped the 86,000-pound missile from 20,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. The missile fell to 8,000 feet before its rocket engine fired. The 10-second engine burn carried the missile to 20,000 feet again before it dropped into the ocean. The test proved the feasibility of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile from the air. Operational deployment was discarded due to engineering and security difficulties, though the capability was used as a negotiating point in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.[3][4]

Kh-47M2 Kinzhal

In 2018, Russia unveiled an air-launched ballistic missile called

Iskander missile. Earlier Soviet aero-ballistic missiles have a much shorter range, e.g. Kh-15 only has a range of 300 km (190 mi). In March 2022, the Kinzhal was used for the first time in combat by Russia in Ukraine during its invasion of the country.[5]

Chinese DF-21 and DF-17

In March 2018,

H-6K bomber would be suited to launch such missiles. One of these missiles is a derivative of the DF-21 called the CH-AS-X-13
and has a range of 3,000 km.

In October 2020, a H-6 bomber was spotted at Neixiang Air Base landing with what appeared to be an air-launched ballistic missile similar to the DF-17.[7]

Air-launched ballistic training missiles

The Israeli

Arrow anti-ballistic missile system.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Parsch, Andreas (2005). "WS-199". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  2. ^ Peebles 1997, p. 65.
  3. ^ U.S. Air Force, Inside the AF.MIL Heritage section (Thursday, January 01, 1970 - Sunday, December 31, 1989) Archived October 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Marti and Sarigul-Klijn, A Study of Air Launch Methods for RLVs. Doc No. AIAA 2001-4619, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Dept, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
  5. ^ "Russia claims first use of hypersonic Kinzhal missile in Ukraine". BBC News. 19 March 2022.
  6. ^ "North Korea, Russia, China weapons: Top Pentagon official issues warning". www.news.com.au. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  7. ^ D'Urso, Stefano (19 October 2020). "Chinese H-6N Bomber Spotted Carrying Possible Air Launched Ballistic Missile". The Aviationist. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  8. ^ Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Alastair Jamieson (September 3, 2013). "Amid Syria tension, Israel test-fires missile over Mediterranean Sea". NBC News.

External links