| Bold Orion | |
|---|---|
Bold Orion, with B-47 launch aircraft |
|
| Type | Air-launched ballistic missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1958–1959 |
| Used by | United States Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1958 |
| Manufacturer | Martin Aircraft |
| Number built | 12 |
| Specifications (Two-stage version) | |
| Length | 37 feet (11 m) |
| Diameter | 2 feet 7 inches (0.79 m) |
|
|
|
| Engine | First stage, Thiokol TX-20 Sergeant; 1,500 lbf (6.66 kN) Second stage, ABL X-248 Altair; 2,800 lbf (12.45 kN) |
| Propellant | Solid fuel |
| Operational range |
1,100 miles (1,800 km) |
| Launch platform |
B-47 Stratojet |
The Bold Orion missile, also known as Weapons System 199B (WS-199B), was a prototype air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) developed by Martin Aircraft during the 1950s. Developed in both one- and two-stage designs, the missile was moderately successful in testing, and helped pave the way for development of the GAM-87 Skybolt ALBM. In addition, the Bold Orion was used in early anti-satellite weapons testing, performing the first interception of a satellite by a missile.
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The Bold Orion missile was developed as part of Weapons System 199, initiated by the United States Air Force (USAF) in response to the U.S. Navy's Polaris program,[1] with funding authorised by the United States Congress in 1957.[2] The purpose of WS-199 was the development of technology that would be used in new strategic weapons for the USAF's Strategic Air Command, not to deliver operational weapons; a primary emphasis was on proving the feasibility of an air-launched ballistic missile.[2][3][4]
The designation WS-199B was assigned to the project that, under a contract awarded in 1958 to Martin Aircraft, would become the Bold Orion missile.[3] The design of Bold Orion was simple, utilizing parts developed for other missile systems to reduce the cost and development time of the project.[3] The initial Bold Orion configuration was a single-stage vehicle, utilising a Thiokol TX-20 Sergeant solid-fuel rocket.[3][5] Following initial testing, the Bold Orion configuration was altered to become a two-stage vehicle, an Allegany Ballistics Laboratory Altair upper stage being added to the missile.[3][6]
Having been given top priority by the Air Force,[7] the first flight test of the Bold Orion missile was conducted on May 26, 1958, from a Boeing B-47 Stratojet carrier aircraft,[3][8] which launched the Bold Orion vehicle at the apex of a high-speed, high-angle climb.[3][9] The zoom climb tactic, combined with the thrust from the rocket motor of the missile itself, allowed the missile to achieve its maximum range, or, alternatively, to reach space.[9]
A twelve-flight test series of the Bold Orion vehicle was conducted;[3] however, despite suffering only one outright failure, the initial flight tests of the single-stage rocket proved less successful than hoped.[3] Authorisation was received to modify the Bold Orion to become a two-stage vehicle; in addition to the modifications improving the missile's reliability, they increased the range of Bold Orion to over 1,000 miles (1,600 km).[4][10] Four of the final six test firings were of the two-stage vehicle; these were considered completely successful, and established that the ALBM was a viable weapon.[2][3]
The final test launch of Bold Orion, conducted on October 13, 1959, was a test of the vehicle's capabilities in the anti-satellite role.[11][12] Launched from an altitude of 35,000 feet (11,000 m) from its B-47 mothership, the missile successfully intercepted the Explorer 6 satellite,[13] passing its target at a range of less than 4 miles (6.4 km) at an altitude of 156 miles (251 km).[2][3] Had the missile been fitted with a nuclear warhead, the satellite would have been destroyed.[9][14]
The Bold Orion ASAT test was the first interception of a satellite by any method, proving that anti-satellite missiles were feasible.[11][15] However this test, along with an earlier, unsuccessful test of the High Virgo missile in the anti-satellite role, had political repercussions; the Eisenhower administration sought to establish space as a neutral ground for everyone's usage, and the "indication of hostile intent" the tests were seen to give was frowned upon, with anti-satellite weapons development being curtailed shortly thereafter.[9][16]
The results of the Bold Orion project, along with those from the testing of the High Virgo missile, also developed under WS-199, provided data and knowledge that assisted the Air Force in forming the requirements for the follow-on WS-138A, which would produce the GAM-87 Skybolt missile.[3][17]
| Date/Time (GMT) | Rocket | Launch site | Outcome | Remarks[18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-05-26 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) |
| 1958-06-27 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Failure | Apogee 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) |
| 1958-07-18 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| 1958-09-25 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| 1958-10-10 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| 1958-11-17 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| 1958-12-08 | Two stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (120 mi) |
| 1958-12-16 | Two stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (120 mi) |
| 1959-04-04 | Two stage | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (120 mi) |
| 1959-06-08 | Single stage | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| 1959-06-19 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
| 1959-10-13 | Two stage | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (120 mi) |
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