BGM-75 AICBM
| ZBGM-75 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Intercontinental ballistic missile |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Air Force |
| Production history | |
| No. built | 0 |
| Specifications | |
| Warhead | 10–20 MIRV |
| Engine | Solid fuel rocket |
Guidance system | Inertial |
Launch platform | Silos, railway |
The Advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, also known as Weapons System 120A (WS-120A) and ZBGM-75, was a program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), proposed by the United States Air Force in the 1960s. Intended to replace the LGM-30 Minuteman as the Air Force's standard ICBM, funding for the program was not allocated and the project was cancelled in 1967.
Background
The Advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (AICBM) project was intended to provide a successor to the LGM-30 Minuteman ICBM in United States Air Force service.[1] The program was officially launched in April of 1966, and in June the project received the designation ZBGM-75,[1] the "Z" prefix indicating a project in the planning stage.[2]
The specifications for the ZBGM-75 called for a large missile powered by solid fuel,[3] which would be fitted with between 10 and 20 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs).[4] 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.[5] In addition, there was also a plan to develop a railroad-based deployment system for the AICBM.[1] 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.[4]
Cancellation
In 1967, before any formal specifications for the ZBGM-75 could be developed or requests for proposals from industry issued, the United States Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, declined approval for funding for the AICBM project – although development of the superhardened silo did continue for use by the Minuteman force[4] – and as a result the missile's development was cancelled.[1] Had funding been allotted for development, the USAF projected that the BGM-75 would have been in operational service by 1973.[4]
After the cancellation of WS-120A, no further development of new ICBMs was to be done until 1972; in that year the M-X project, which resulted in the development of the LGM-118 Peacekeeper, was begun.[1] The Peacekeeper entered service in the mid-1980s, and served until 2005;[6] the Minuteman family of ICBMs would outlast both of its planned replacements in service.[7]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Parsch 2003
- ^ Parsch 2009
- ^ Tammen 1973, p.88.
- ^ a b c d Auten 2008, pp.42–43.
- ^ Hartunian 2003
- ^ Edwards 2005
- ^ "AICBM". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
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Bibliography
- Auten, Brian J. (2008). Carter's Conversion: the hardening of American defense policy. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-1816-2. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- Edwards, Joshua S. (2005-09-20). "Peacekeeper missile mission ends during ceremony". United States Air Force. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- Hartunian, Richard (2003). "Ballistic Missiles and Reentry Systems: The Critical Years". Crosslink. El Segundo, CA: The Aerospace Company. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- 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 2010-12-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - Parsch, Andreas (2009). "Current Designations of U.S. Unmanned Military Aerospace Vehicles". designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- Tammen, Ronald L. (1973). MIRV and the Arms Race: An Interpretration of Defense Strategy. Westport, CT: Praeger. ASIN B000JNG51G.