GAM-87 Skybolt

GAM-87 Skybolt
Type	Air-launched ballistic missile
Production history
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft, Northrop
Specifications
Weight	11,000 pounds (5,000 kg)
Length	38 feet 3 inches (11.66 m)
Diameter	35 inches (890 mm)
Warhead	W59 thermonuclear weapon (1 megaton)
Engine	Aerojet General two-stage solid-fuel rocket
Wingspan	5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m)
Operational range	1,150 miles (1,850 km)
Flight ceiling	>300 miles (480 km)
Speed	9,500 miles per hour (15,300 km/h)
Guidance system	inertial guidance
Launch platform	Aircraft

The Douglas GAM-87 Skybolt (AGM-48 under the 1962 Tri-service system) was an air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM), equipped with a thermonuclear warhead, developed by the United States during the late 1950s. The UK joined the program in 1960, intending to use it on their V bomber force. A series of test failures and the development of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) eventually led to its cancellation in December 1962. The UK had decided to base its entire 1960s deterrent force on Skybolt, and its cancellation led to a major disagreement between the UK and US, known today as the "Skybolt Crisis". This was resolved during a series of meetings that led to the Royal Navy gaining the UGM-27 Polaris missile and construction of the Resolution-class submarines to launch them.

Nuclear weapons theorists had speculated about how to integrate the flexibility of the manned bomber with the invulnerability (in the attack) of the ballistic missile. The introduction of useful surface-to-air missiles in the 1950s rendered flight over enemy territory much more dangerous and had greatly reduced the effective deterrent power of a bomber force. Yet the Air Force and military planners were, in the mid-1950s, reluctant to simply hand over the nuclear strike capability to missiles. After launch, missiles were no longer under positive control, could not be recalled or redirected, and would reach their targets within a matter of minutes after the order to fire. Bombers, in comparison, could be re-directed in flight, and their longer flight times offered greater chance of a negotiated settlement during the attack.

Furthermore, the missiles of the day were all required to be loaded with their fuels immediately prior to launch, and they could only be launched from above ground after long pre-launch checkouts. This made them vulnerable to attack from the air while they prepared – the first American ICBMs, Atlas 1 and Titan 1, were of this type (Soviet R-7 suffered from the same problem as well). In contrast, a bomber could be ordered into the air long in advance of an attack, rendering them effectively invulnerable to attack while they "loitered" awaiting orders. With aerial refuelling, the loiter times were on the order of one day if need be.