AIM-26 Falcon

The AIM-26 Falcon was a larger, more powerful version of the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile built by Hughes. It is the only guided American air-to-air missile with a nuclear warhead to be produced, though the unguided AIR-2 Genie rocket was also nuclear-armed.

Starting in 1956 Hughes Electronics began the development of an enlarged version of the GAR-1D Falcon that would carry a nuclear warhead. It was intended to provide a sure kill in attacks on Soviet heavy bomber aircraft. The original development was for semi-active radar homing and heat-seeking versions based on the conventional GAR-1/GAR-2 weapons, under the designations GAR-5 and GAR-6, respectively. The program was canceled, but was later revived in 1959.

The resultant GAR-11 (later AIM-26A) entered service in 1961, carried by Air Defense Command F-102 Delta Dagger interceptors. It used a radar proximity fuze and semi-active radar homing.

The GAR-11 used a sub-kiloton (250 ton)-yield W54 warhead shared with the 'Davy Crockett' M388 recoilless rifle projectile, rather than the larger W25 warhead of the AIR-2 Genie.

Out of concern for the problems inherent in using nuclear weapons over friendly territory, a conventional version, the GAR-11A, was developed, using a 40 lb (18 kg) high explosive warhead.

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