Bold Orion
Encyclopedia
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.
, initiated by the United States Air Force
(USAF) in response to the U.S. Navy's Polaris
program, with funding authorised by the United States Congress
in 1957. 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.
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. The design of Bold Orion was simple, utilizing parts developed for other missile systems to reduce the cost and development time of the project. The initial Bold Orion configuration was a single-stage vehicle, utilising a Thiokol
TX-20 Sergeant solid-fuel rocket. 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.
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.
A twelve-flight test series of the Bold Orion vehicle was conducted; however, despite suffering only one outright failure, the initial flight tests of the single-stage rocket proved less successful than hoped. 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 1000 miles (1,609.3 km). 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.
satellite, passing its target at a range of less than 4 miles (6.4 km) at an altitude of 156 miles (251.1 km). Had the missile been fitted with a nuclear warhead, the satellite would have been destroyed.
The Bold Orion ASAT test was the first interception of a satellite by any method, proving that anti-satellite missiles were feasible. 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.
Air-launched ballistic missile
An air-launched ballistic missile or ALBM is a ballistic missile launched from an aircraft. This class of missile never saw active use. The only known missile of this type that was intended for operational service, the GAM-87 Skybolt, intended to be launched from B-52 Stratofortress and Avro...
(ALBM) developed by Martin Aircraft during the 1950s. Developed in both one- and two-stage
Multistage rocket
A multistage rocket is a rocket that usestwo or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage. The result is effectively two or more rockets stacked on top of or...
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.
Design and development
The Bold Orion missile was developed as part of Weapons System 199WS-199
Weapons System 199 was a weapons development program conducted by the United States Air Force to research and develop new strategic weapons systems for Strategic Air Command...
, initiated by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) in response to the U.S. Navy's Polaris
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
program, with funding authorised by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1957. 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
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, not to deliver operational weapons; a primary emphasis was on proving the feasibility of an air-launched ballistic missile.
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. The design of Bold Orion was simple, utilizing parts developed for other missile systems to reduce the cost and development time of the project. The initial Bold Orion configuration was a single-stage vehicle, utilising a Thiokol
Thiokol
Thiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...
TX-20 Sergeant solid-fuel rocket. Following initial testing, the Bold Orion configuration was altered to become a two-stage vehicle, an Allegany Ballistics Laboratory
Allegany Ballistics Laboratory
Allegany Ballistics Laboratory located in Rocket Center, West Virginia, is a diverse industrial complex employing some 1,000 people across...
Altair
Altair (rocket stage)
The Altair was a solid-fuel rocket with a fiberglass casing, initially developed for use as the third stage of Vanguard rockets. It was manufactured by Allegany Ballistics Laboratory as the X-248. It was also sometimes called the Burner 1.-Uses:...
upper stage being added to the missile.
Operational history
Having been given top priority by the Air Force, the first flight test of the Bold Orion missile was conducted on May 26, 1958, from a Boeing B-47 Stratojet carrier aircraft, which launched the Bold Orion vehicle at the apex of a high-speed, high-angle climb. The zoom climbZoom climb
A zoom climb is a climb where the rate of climb is greater than the maximum for a sustained climb, as determined from the thrust of the aircraft's engines. During a zoom climb, the aircraft accelerates to a high air speed at an altitude at which it can operate in sustained level flight. The pilot...
tactic, combined with the thrust
Thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system....
from the rocket motor of the missile itself, allowed the missile to achieve its maximum range, or, alternatively, to reach space.
A twelve-flight test series of the Bold Orion vehicle was conducted; however, despite suffering only one outright failure, the initial flight tests of the single-stage rocket proved less successful than hoped. 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 1000 miles (1,609.3 km). 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.
ASAT test
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. Launched from an altitude of 35000 feet (10,668 m) from its B-47 mothership, the missile successfully intercepted the Explorer 6Explorer 6
Explorer 6 was a United States satellite launched on August 7, 1959. It was a small, spheroidal satellite designed to study trapped radiation of various energies, galactic cosmic rays, geomagnetism, radio propagation in the upper atmosphere, and the flux of micrometeorites...
satellite, passing its target at a range of less than 4 miles (6.4 km) at an altitude of 156 miles (251.1 km). Had the missile been fitted with a nuclear warhead, the satellite would have been destroyed.
The Bold Orion ASAT test was the first interception of a satellite by any method, proving that anti-satellite missiles were feasible. However this test, along with an earlier, unsuccessful test of the High Virgo
High Virgo
High Virgo, also known as Weapons System 199C , was a prototype air-launched ballistic missile jointly developed by Lockheed and the Convair division of General Dynamics during the late 1950s...
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.
Legacy
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.Launch history
| Date/Time (GMT) | Rocket | Launch site | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-05-26 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral Cape Canaveral Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the... |
Success | Apogee 8 kilometres (5 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 (62.1 mi) |
| 1958-09-25 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) |
| 1958-10-10 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) |
| 1958-11-17 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) |
| 1958-12-08 | Two stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) |
| 1958-12-16 | Two stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) |
| 1959-04-04 | Two stage | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) |
| 1959-06-08 | Single stage | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) |
| 1959-06-19 | Single stage | Cape Canaveral | Success | Apogee 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) |
| 1959-10-13 | Two stage | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) |
See also
External links
- Bold Orion ALBM (WS-199B), Gunter's Space Page.
- Bold Orion (2 Stage) ALBM (WS-199B), Gunter's Space Page.
- Bold Orion, spaceline.org.
