BGM-75 AICBM

ZBGM-75
ZBGM-75
Type	Silos, railway

The ZBGM-75 Advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, also known as Weapons System 120A (WS-120A), was a program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), proposed by the United States Air Force in the 1960s as a replacement for the LGM-30 Minuteman as the Air Force's standard ICBM. Funding was not allocated for the program and the project was cancelled in 1967.

Background

The Department of Defense began the

designation ZBGM-75,^[2] the "Z" prefix indicating a project in the planning stage.^[3]

The specifications for the ZBGM-75 called for a large

solid-fuel-powered missile,^[4] which would be fitted with between 10 and 20 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs).^[5] The missiles would be based in silo launchers, which were specified to be hardened by a factor of 10 over the existing silos used by Minuteman missiles.^[6] In addition, there was also a plan to develop a railroad-based deployment system for the AICBM.^[2] Improvements in accuracy over existing missiles, combined with penetration aids under development to enhance the effectiveness of each missile, were expected to make the AICBM capable of defeating existing and projected Soviet anti-ballistic missile systems.^[5]

Cancellation

Ultimately, the Navy won the STRAT-X competition with the design that would become the

mutually assured destruction—as the best method to keep the Soviet Union in a position where it must negotiate with the United States.^[8]

After the cancellation of WS-120A, the Air Force made no further development of new ICBMs until 1972. In that year the MX project was begun, which resulted in the development of the LGM-118 Peacekeeper.^[2] The Peacekeeper entered service in the mid-1980s and served until 2005;^[9] the Minuteman III is still in service, and has outlasted both of its planned replacements.^[10]

References

Notes

^ Friedman 1994, p.202.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Parsch 2003
^ Parsch 2009
^ Tammen 1973, p.88.
^ ^a ^b ^c Auten 2008, pp.42–43.
^ Hartunian 2003
^ Friedman 1994, p.204.
^ Auten 2008, p.43.
^ Edwards 2005
^ "AICBM". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2009.

Bibliography

Auten, Brian J. (2008). Carter's Conversion: the hardening of American defense policy. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press. p. 42.
ISBN 978-0-8262-1816-2
. Retrieved 7 December 2010.

Edwards, Joshua S. (20 September 2005). "Peacekeeper missile mission ends during ceremony". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
Friedman, Norman (1994). US Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
ISBN 1557502609
.

Hartunian, Richard (2003). "Ballistic Missiles and Reentry Systems: The Critical Years". Crosslink. Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. El Segundo, CA: The Aerospace Company. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
Parsch, Andreas (2003). "BGM-75 AICBM". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. designation-systems.net. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
Parsch, Andreas (2009). "Current Designations of U.S. Unmanned Military Aerospace Vehicles". designation-systems.net. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
Tammen, Ronald L. (1973). MIRV and the Arms Race: An Interpretration of Defense Strategy. Westport, CT: Praeger.
ASIN B000JNG51G
.

[1] Friedman 1994, p.202.

[DS-2] Parsch 2003

[3] Parsch 2009

[4] Tammen 1973, p.88.

[Carter-5] Auten 2008, pp.42–43.

[Aero-6] Hartunian 2003

[7] Friedman 1994, p.204.

[8] Auten 2008, p.43.

[9] Edwards 2005

[10] "AICBM". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2009.

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[8]

[9]

[10]

v t e 1963 United States Tri-Service missile designations, 1963–present
1–50	MGM-1 RIM-2 MIM-3 AIM-4 MGM-5 RGM-6 AIM-7 RIM-7 RIM-8 AIM-9 CIM-10 PGM-11 AGM-12 CGM-13/MGM-13 MIM-14 RGM-15 CGM-16 PGM-17 MGM-18 PGM-19 ADM-20 MGM-21 AGM-22 MIM-23 RIM-24 HGM-25A LGM-25C AIM-26 UGM-27 AGM-28 MGM-29 LGM-30 MGM-31A/B (MGM-31C) MGM-32 MQM-33 AQM-34 AQM-35 (I) LGM-35 (II) MQM-36 AQM-37 AQM-38 MQM-39 MQM-40 AQM-41 MQM-42 FIM-43 UUM-44 AGM-45 MIM-46 AIM-47 AGM-48 XLIM-49 LIM-49 RIM-50
51–100	MGM-51 MGM-52 AGM-53 AIM-54 RIM-55 PQM-56 MQM-57 MQM-58 RGM-59 AQM-60 MQM-61 AGM-62 AGM-63 AGM-64 AGM-65 RIM-66 RIM-67 AIM-68 AGM-69 LEM-70 BGM-71 MIM-72 UGM-73 BQM-74 BGM-75 AGM-76 FGM-77 AGM-78 AGM-79 AGM-80 AQM-81 AIM-82 AGM-83 AGM-84/RGM-84/UGM-84 AGM-84E AGM-84H/K RIM-85 AGM-86 AGM-87 AGM-88 UGM-89 BQM-90 AQM-91 FIM-92 "AIM-92" XQM-93 YQM-94 AIM-95 UGM-96 AIM-97 YQM-98 LIM-99 LIM-100
101–150	RIM-101 PQM-102 AQM-103 MIM-104 MQM-105 BQM-106 MQM-107 BQM-108 BGM-109/AGM-109/RGM-109/UGM-109 BGM-109G BGM-110 BQM-111 AGM-112 RIM-113 AGM-114 MIM-115 RIM-116 FQM-117 LGM-118 AGM-119 AIM-120 CQM-121/CGM-121 AGM-122 AGM-123 AGM-124 RUM-125/UUM-125 BQM-126 AQM-127 AQM-128 AGM-129 AGM-130 AGM-131 AIM-132 UGM-133 MGM-134 ASM-135 AGM-136 AGM-137 CEM-138 RUM-139 MGM-140 ADM-141 AGM-142 MQM-143 ADM-144 BQM-145 MIM-146 BQM-147 FGM-148 PQM-149 PQM-150
151–200	FQM-151 AIM-152 AGM-153 AGM-154 BQM-155 RIM-156 MGM-157 AGM-158A/B AGM-158C AGM-159 ADM-160 RIM-161 RIM-162 GQM-163 MGM-164 RGM-165 MGM-166 BQM-167 MGM-168 AGM-169 MQM-170 MQM-171 FGM-172 GQM-173 RIM-174 MQM-175 AGM-176 BQM-177 MQM-178 AGM-179 AGM-180 AGM-181 LGM-182 AGM-183 RGM-184 MQM-185 MQM-186 AGM-187
201–	AIM-260 MIM-401
Undesignated	Aequare ASALM Brazo Common Missile GBI HALO HACM Have Dash JSM KEI LREW LRHW MA-31 MSDM NCADE NLOS OpFires PrSM Senior Prom Sprint Wagtail M30 GMLRS/M31 GMLRS-U GLSDB
See also: United States tri-service rocket designations post-1963 Drones designated in UAV sequence

Background

Cancellation

See also

References