Website of the Documentary Film

"Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines"

Winged Missiles of the

U.S. Air Force

GALLERY PAGE

The jet-propelled Fairchild SM-72 (originally called Bull Goose) was a long-range ground-launched 'diversionary missile' designed for use by the Strategic Air Command for penetrating and saturating enemy radar to confuse enemy air defenses immediately before a strategic missile strike. Actively simulating the performance of B-47 and B-52 jet bombers, the Goose carried a 500 pound payload of radar repeaters, chaff and jamming devices. This is an artist's concept drawing from Fairchild's archives.

A N-69C (test version of the SNARK) missile awaits firing at the Air Force Missile Test Center. Note subterranean block house at upper right, with earthen berm and thick concrete walls to offer protection from possible explosive damage. Block houses situated near the pads for vertically launched missiles were reinforced to withstand a direct impact had an errant vehicle headed back down and landed directly on top of them

Moment of liftoff as an SM-62 Snark's solid JATO rocket boosters ignite. Moments later the spent boosters will be jettisioned and the missile's J57 jet engine become the sole source of thrust. The SM-62 became operational with the Strategic Air Command in 1960 with units based at Presque Isle, Maine -- a posting which gives an indication of their range and capability.

Fantastic sequence showing separation and deployment of the SNARK's 5,000 pound terminal-dive-delivery ballistic warhead, which was actually the entire fuselage forward of the wing. Top photo shows moment of separation as the nosecone containing dummy nuclear store deploys a small stabilizing fin to prevent tumbling at transonic speed.

Middle photo shows missile's main fuselage arcing upward and away as the Pratt and Whitney J57 turbojet engine flames out. Enemy radar observers would have undoubtedly been confused at seeing two radar blips suddenly emerging from a single one on their screens.

Bottom photo shows nose cone slowly rotating as it begins its terminal dive towards the target. Self-contained Inertial Guidance System guides nosecone directly to the target in a scorching and unstoppable ballistic trajectory.

'One to Get Ready and Two to Go' -- a BOMARC leaves the pad at Cape Canaveral's launch complex No. 4 while another sits poised for launch in January 1959. Note vertical launcher arm falling away as the far missile rises into the air. Incidentally, Regulus II missiles were used extensively as drone targets during BOMARC testing.

Stunning in-flight photo of what would have been the final seconds of an enemy bomber's life, taken by a remote camera mounted in the fuselage of a QB-17 target drone blying at 25,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean. IN this test, the BOMARC successfully intercepted the bomber and effectively made the 'kill' by emitting a small puff of white smoke to signify detonation of the missile's warhead in close proximity to the target. Photo was taken through an extremely wide-angle lens giving the illusion of the BOMARC being much further away than its actual position near the B-17's outboard engine. Similar tests made using high speed targets with successful intercepts of a North American X-10 drone were made flying at Mach 1.6 at 45,000 feet.

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