... notice there is no mention of Polaris Ballistic Missile Submarines? They won't come on duty till next year (1961). Instead of a 'mix' it will be the 'Triad'.
all images - Right Click - Open in New Window or Tab = super size!
Showing posts with label nuclear war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nuclear war. Show all posts
1960 ... mixin' it up with The Mix!
1980 ... ballpoint pens keep the Peace!
1957 ... stuff of nightmares!
... DoD illustration (Gordon Phillips) of 'Project Pluto' nuclear powered ramjet. This was an idea for an unmanned 'SLAM' ( Supersonic Low Altitude Missile). After disposable booster rockets got it aloft and up to supersonic speeds an unshielded light-weight atomic reactor became the heat source for the Mach 3 ramjet. No conventional fuel was needed. Range and time aloft was virtually unlimited.
The design called for a payload of multiple atomic weapons which could be ejected at given points on various targets along the flight plan. Just the shockwave of the vehicle passing over at tree-top level at Mach 3 could kill you. Then there was the matter of that unshielded reactor irradiating and poisoning large swaths of land as it criss-crossed across the USSR. Nicknamed 'the flying crowbar' a swarm of these death birds could continue operating weeks after anyone was left to kill or care. The Pentagon abandoned plans for the locomotive sized missile after analysis concluded it was just too ... crazy!
Recently Russia has been looking into cheap and scary new ways to intimidate US and Nato; their SSC-X-9 Skyfall is a rebirth of the basic concept. Dr. Strangelove would approve!
In 1958 a science-fiction movie was made with a suspiciously similar 'monster' LINK
... more B-70 magic!
... yes fans- it's more of Uncle Jim's art work!
This is another piece produced using large scale practical models. AND it is for sale (without the text) HERE; prints, posters, t-shirts, mugs and about a hundred other ways including a shower curtain!
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/b-70-head-on-swoop-james-vaughan.html
...oooo- that would be an awesome shower curtain!
...oooo- that would be an awesome shower curtain!
... speedy helicopter-jet!
... more dreams of VTOL. Conventional helicopters are limited in speed by the physics involved with their rotors. This large flat triangle shaped rotor would become a fixed wing for jet-powered forward travel. Design proposed by Hughes aircraft (1980's?)
all images- Right click- open in New Window or Tab = super colossal size!
1951 ... F-7U "Cutlass" Navy fighter
... looking cool was about the only thing this early US Navy jet fighter did right. Jet engines were still not very powerful or reliable and earned this plane the nicknmae of 'The Gut-less Cutlass'
all images- Right click- open in New Window or Tab = super colossal size!
1950 ... Atomic Attack!
... three pages from the book "Atomic Attack: How to Survive". It is important to keep in mind the military and historical context. 1950 is only five years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and only one year since the Soviets have tested their first atomic bomb. At this point Russian nuclear weapons are in the 20 kiloton range ( the same size as the Hiroshima "Fat-Man" bomb). Much of the Civil Defense instructions concentrate on avoiding the type of injuries that occurred in Japan. Atomic weapons are not magical and most of the casualties were of the same types suffered in conventional bombing.
The Cold War is still in it's very early phases and much of the technology and strategy we take for granted were not in place yet. The irony is that many feared a surprise attack by Russia more during this period; than later when bombs and stockpiles were much larger and "Mutual Assured Destruction" wad a well known factor of deterrence. Stalin ruled the Soviet juggernaut and a common theory was that Russia would strike as soon as they were capable!
1953 ... big-nose sub!
... USS Bonita of the 'Barracuda' Class.
all images- Right click- open in New Window= super colossal size!
1986 ... multiple warhead strike!
I don't know where they lost the 'T' in the acronym.
Each of these warheads could have the explosive force of up to 300 Kilotons- or 14 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Fortunately for the test they were dummies.
... holy crap is right. The effects of eight detonations are much higher than one big bomb of the equal megatonage.
Having multiple warheads gives defensive systems more threats to track and neutralize. Since each re-entry vehicle can follow a pre-programmed independent ballistic path- one missile can take out different targets. The current Minuteman III force has only 3 MIRVs per missile. Before taking their seperate firey re-entry paths they ride on a last rocket stage called the 'bus'. The Peacekeeper, which was never actually deployed, could have carried up to ten. There were rumors that the USSR had designs for a missle that could have carried 30 MIRVs!
This was all part of the chess game of targeting the other sides missile and silos. In theory a 'first strike' could wipe out the opponents missile force. Obviously both sides adopted a 'launch on warning' protocol. As soon as the early warning system of satellites and radar spotted the incoming missile barrage a massive retaliation would be launched. It was also known as the 'use them or lose them' strategy.
Both sides had (have) a 'Nuclear Triad' of silo based missiles, bombers and ballistic missile submarines. This ensures that enough of a superpower's nuclear forces will always survive to launch a devastating counterattack. This maintained the wobbly balance of Assured Mutual Destruction'. Each piece of technology being advanced and then counter-advanced across the chess board that was known as The Cold War.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIRV
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacekeeper_missile
... oh boy, here's the AV Kid with an official Air Force film on the Peacekeeper missile. It was tested but never deployed.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPhjMHBBdbM
... downwind
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