The Most Diabolical Cruise Missile Ever Conceived

In 1957 an idea by the United States Air Force for a nuclear powered cruise missile was devised that could speed around the world at over mach 3 dropping nuclear bombs at low level where ever it went. It was called the Supersonic Low Altitude Missile or “SLAM” for short.

It was the perfect airborne death machine—a supersonic drone of nearly unlimited range, loaded with hydrogen bombs zooming around Earth at more than 2,500 miles per hour. To the engineers who worked on its development, it was “technically sweet” and the high point of their careers.

The concept was made possible by the development of a nuclear powered ramjet that had a nearly unlimited endurance and that actually worked. In 1964, the Tory II-C nuclear powered ramjet was tested at full power and was able to produce 38,000 lbs of thrust. That’s 3000 lbs more than the F-22’s F119 engine in full afterburner.
Interesting side note that this was in development along side the Orion project and more than likely contributed to that projects development and vise versa.



Once this engine was perfected it could be loaded into a missile body that had the capability to loiter at high altitudes than drop down to below enemy radar and drop 14 individual hydrogen bombs on 14 different targets, all while flying at mach 3.







Fortunately for the world, the times and political atmosphere was changing as the the 60's progressed and the project never came to fruition. It also had some marked draw backs to an actual deployable missile, beyond the obvious end result of launching them. It would also have been extremely dangerous to test and operate even one of these missiles as there was virtually no shielding around it's nuclear core.

medium.com...

www.bisbos.com...

a reply to: Sammamishman

Since it was nuclear powered wouldn't it be also a sort of Dirty Bomb due to radiation?

originally posted by: starwarsisreal
a reply to: Sammamishman

Since it was nuclear powered wouldn't it be also a sort of Dirty Bomb due to radiation?

Yup from what I read on the subject it left a trail of fallout.

But with a trail of Nukes going off too? Well fallout was likely low on the developers minds.

a reply to: starwarsisreal

Yes it would have been. After it rained down it's payload it would most likely be crashed over the enemy country and spread even more radiation.

Humans, always coming up with new and interesting ways to kill themselves...

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Right, and what gets me is that they probably knew what the consequences and complications of something like this would be, yet it wasn't a matter of "should" we do it, it was "can" we do it. Like giving a lighter to a five year old.

I know this sounds simplistic, but are we to believe that this missile could fly by gulping nothing but air and the nuclear aspect of that "fuel" would be virtually infinite as it heated and expanded the airflow to produce the thrust? Frankly, I can't believe it.

I'm very much aware of the Orion Project, I have the book by Dyson's son and note no connection. The Orion used a succession of hydrogen bombs exploding about 1.5 seconds to push it into space. It was to be a space ship. It was a fantastic plan, that some still say would work, but killed because the public wouldn't go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

originally posted by: Aliensun
I know this sounds simplistic, but are we to believe that this missile could fly by gulping nothing but air and the nuclear aspect of that "fuel" would be virtually infinite as it heated and expanded the airflow to produce the thrust? Frankly, I can't believe it.

I'm very much aware of the Orion Project, I have the book by Dyson's son and note no connection. The Orion used a succession of hydrogen bombs exploding about 1.5 seconds to push it into space. It was to be a space ship. It was a fantastic plan, that some still say would work, but killed because the public wouldn't go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gas Laws are your friend:

Boyle's law: Gas pressure and volume are constant: p1.V1 = p2.V2

Charles law: Volume is proportional to temperature: V1 / T1 = V2/ T2

With a nuclear reactor engine, the air is going to be heated from below freezing to over 860 celsius
So that's a massive expansion on the scale of a regular gas explosion or jet engine.

en.wikipedia.org...

They're all diabolical if your at the point where it comes to ground.

a reply to: Aliensun

Ramjets work, and work well. Their only problem is they don't work below about mach 2.5, so you need to use a booster to push over mach 3 to start it.

Might seem a dumb question but the development of this cruise missile, would the technology from it (although vastly improved) would have any connection with your thread Zap about the green lit aircraft.

a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

Direct correlation, no. Indirect, yes.

That's cool
Or rather that's Hot
But really its RAD

there should be an emoticon that is the radiation warning placard
Just saying

I know the US Navy tested a conventional cruise missile with 5 100 pound GPS guided bombs.

Its was for flying railroads in Russia and hunting trains. and was to be used if Russia ever invaded Europe.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Green meteor? Push button, slams it through that pre mach three envelope? then kick it into ramjet, kill the green light show n streak onward to the target fast and silent?