The fifties of the last century were a period of rapid development of strategic weapons. So, in the United States, completely new versions of missiles with nuclear warheads were being worked out for ground units, the fleet and the air force. The latter initiated work on the WS-199 program, the result of which was to produce several missiles. One of the results of this work was the Martin WS-199B Bold Orion product - an aeroballistic missile capable of attacking ground targets and fighting satellites in low Earth orbit.
By the mid-fifties, it became clear that bombers with free-fall nuclear bombs would not be able to break through modern or future air defenses, and therefore strategic aviation needed new weapons. Warheads should be placed on missiles with sufficient flight range. Soon, the US Air Force launched several such projects, which, as expected, would strengthen the nuclear triad.
Testing WS-199B
In 1957, the Air Force initiated the WS-199 (Weapon System 199) program. As part of this program, several contractors had to develop their versions of a promising rocket that met the requirements. The military wanted an air-launched ballistic missile with a range of at least 1000 miles and with the ability to carry a special warhead. Such weapons were intended to defeat ground targets located behind enemy air defense echelons. To speed up the program, it was proposed to widely use the available components and products.
Just a few months after the start of the WS-199 program, the requirements were adjusted. In early October, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial Earth satellite. Understanding the military potential of spacecraft, the US military from a certain time began to consider products of the WS-199 family as a means of destroying orbital targets with a predetermined trajectory. Thus, now the new aeroballistic missiles had to simultaneously belong to the air-to-ground and air-to-space classes.
Several leading defense industry companies have been recruited to work on WS-199. So, one of the projects was to be created by Martin and Boeing with the assistance of other organizations. Martin's project received the working designation WS-199B and the name Bold Orion (the astronomical term for Orion distinct). The developments of other companies received similar designations and "star" names.
The appearance of the WS-199B complex was quickly formed. It was proposed to use a medium-sized solid-propellant rocket with a nuclear warhead and high flight performance. Its carrier was supposed to be a long-range bomber Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Such aircraft initially could only carry bombs, and therefore needed re-equipment. The appearance of the rocket, in turn, could return them the required potential.
Initially, the Bold Orion rocket was built according to a one-stage scheme. It had an elongated body of variable cross-section, most of which consisted of cylindrical surfaces. A conical fairing with a rounded head was used. X-shaped swept rudders were located near the head of the rocket. In the tail there were larger trapezoidal stabilizers. The head compartment of the rocket housed control equipment and a warhead with a nuclear charge. All other volumes were given for the installation of a solid-propellant rocket engine.
Rocket under the wing of a carrier aircraft B-47
The project involved the use of an autopilot and a homing system based on inertial navigation. Own means of detecting targets and aiming at them were not provided. It was proposed to enter the coordinates of the target through the onboard equipment of the carrier aircraft. If necessary, it was possible to use a ready-made flight program.
Most of the hull was occupied by the Thiokol TX-20 solid-propellant engine, borrowed from the MGM-29 Sergeant tactical missile. This engine with a length of 5, 9 m and a diameter of just under 800 mm created a thrust of 21, 7 tf. The charge of solid composite fuel burned out in 29-30 s. During this time, the rocket could reach the calculated trajectory, allowing it to hit a ground or orbital target.
In parallel with the design of the WS-199B rocket, the required modernization of its future carrier was carried out. It was proposed to equip the B-47 bomber with an additional pylon on the starboard side, as well as a set of electronics for controlling the missile before dropping. The Bold Orion product was proposed to be transported on an external sling, displayed on a given course and then dropped. After that, the on-board automatics and the engine were to start working.
The widespread use of ready-made components made it possible to develop the entire missile system in just a few months. Already in May 1958, a batch of WS-199B experimental missiles was delivered to the Cape Canaveral airbase (Florida). A converted carrier bomber arrived with them. After short ground checks, the Air Force and development companies began flight tests.
The first launch of a new type of rocket took place on May 26, 1958. Its purpose was to test the operation of the units, and therefore record characteristics were not achieved in it. The rocket dropped from the plane rose to an altitude of only 8 km and flew several tens of kilometers. The launch was considered successful. The second launch took place on June 27, but ended in an accident. In both cases, the WS-199B was tested as an air-launched ballistic missile designed to attack ground targets.
View from a different angle
Further tests continued. Now experienced missiles had to use all their capabilities and fly to the maximum possible range. In this case, there was an increase in the height of the trajectory. Rising to an altitude of about 100 km, the WS-199B rocket could hit a target at ranges of up to 800-1000 km. The first launch with such parameters took place on July 18, 1958. In September, October and November, three more tests were carried out with similar results.
Of the first six launches, five were successful, but the test results did not suit the customer. The resulting firing range at ground targets and flight altitude limited the real potential of the complex. For this reason, even before the completion of the first stage of testing, the development of an improved version of the WS-199B rocket started. To improve the main characteristics, it was proposed to redesign its design and rebuild it in a two-stage scheme.
The existing rocket was actually split into two stages. In the first, the TX-20 solid-propellant engine remained. He showed sufficient performance, but alone could not accelerate the rocket to the desired speeds and send it to the required altitude. As part of the second stage, it was proposed to use the X-248 Altair solid-propellant engine, developed for the third stage of the Vanguard launch vehicle. A product with a thrust of 1270 kgf made it possible to extend the active phase of the flight and provide additional acceleration with a corresponding increase in range or altitude.
This revision led to some change in the appearance of the rocket, and also increased its dimensions. The length of the product was increased to 11 m, and the maximum diameter excluding planes was now 790 mm. This was an acceptable price to pay for a significant increase in combat performance.
At the beginning of December 1958, preparations began for testing the two-stage Bold Orion rocket. On December 8, the carrier aircraft dropped such a product for the first time. Two more launches took place on December 16 and April 4. In three cases, the rocket rose to an altitude of about 200 km and delivered a training warhead to a range of about 1800 km. On June 8 and 19, 1959, they performed two launches, but this time they used single-stage missiles. The new weapon showed its characteristics, and now it could well find application in the strategic nuclear forces.
Takeoff of a bomber with an experienced rocket
Nine test launches of 1958-59 showed the potential of the WS-199B product as an aeroballistic missile. The new weapon could indeed solve the assigned combat missions, and in addition, thanks to it, the aging B-47 bombers could return to full service. However, by this time the customer had lost interest in the project. The main prerequisites for this were successes in other programs, including in other areas.
First of all, the prospects of the WS-199B Bold Orion project were negatively affected by the competition between the air and naval forces. Until the Navy was able to obtain operational high-performance submarine ballistic missiles, aeroballistic aircraft weapons could be of interest to the Pentagon. Progress and successes in this area, respectively, hit the program for the development of aircraft weapons. In addition, the "Orion Distinct" turned out to be quite expensive and difficult to manufacture and operate. There were also claims to the carrier of such a weapon, which no longer fully met the current requirements.
In the middle of 1959, the Air Force decided to abandon the WS-199B product as a means of engaging ground targets. However, the project was not closed, since a new role was found for the rocket. Not so long ago, the USSR and the USA began to launch artificial earth satellites into orbit, and military spacecraft could appear in the near future. In this regard, a proposal was made to create anti-satellite weapons based on missiles of the WS-199 program.
The study of the topical issue showed that the WS-199B Bold Orion rocket does not need any technical modifications to ensure its use against spacecraft. At the same time, it was necessary to update the algorithms for the on-board electronics and draw up special flight programs. It should be noted that the predictability of the trajectory of the satellites to some extent facilitated the preparation for the launch of the interceptor missile.
On October 13, 1959, the B-47 carrier aircraft once again took to the air with a WS-199B rocket on an external sling. The rocket was dropped at an altitude of 11 km, after which it turned on the first stage engine and began to climb. It is curious that the launch was carried out on a real target: the Explorer 6 satellite launched in August of the same year became the target for the rocket. The satellite was in an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 41,900 km and a perigee of 237 km. The interception was carried out while passing through the least high part of the orbit.
Explorer 6 satellite - training target for the Bold Orion
A few minutes after the launch, the interceptor rocket entered the interception area. The imperfection of the guidance means led to the fact that she made a mistake and passed 6.4 km from the target satellite. Such a "meeting" took place at an altitude of 251 km. Calculations showed that a missile with a standard nuclear warhead could destroy a training target even if there was a miss.
The test launch on October 13 confirmed the fundamental possibility of intercepting satellites in low orbits using air-launched missiles. However, further development of this idea within the WS-199B project was no longer planned. And soon the projects of anti-satellite weapons were abandoned in favor of other developments. Also during this period, the promotion of ideas about the neutrality of space and the prohibition of the placement of weapons in Earth's orbits began.
The WS-199B Bold Orion aeroballistic rocket showed fairly high performance, and could also be used to solve special problems. However, the Pentagon decided not to bring it to mass production and operation in the army. It was proposed to strengthen the arsenals of the air force with the help of other weapons. The developments in the WS-199 program were soon used in the design of new missiles. In particular, on their basis, an air-launched ballistic missile GAM-87 Skybolt was created.
Using already known ideas and solutions, as well as ready-made components, Martin was able to create a new air-launched ballistic missile compatible with serial long-range bombers in the shortest possible time. Tests of such weapons in their original role, on the whole, were completed successfully. However, the further development of the project was hampered by a number of "external" factors associated with the success of other developments. An attempt to find a new application for the rocket in the field of combating spacecraft was also unsuccessful. However, the developments on the WS-199B were not lost.
In parallel with the WS-199B Bolr Orion product, the American industry created a similar-purpose rocket WS-199C High Virgo. Also, within the framework of the WS-199 program, the WS-199D Alpha Draco operational-tactical missile was designed. None of these samples were brought into service, but they are all of great interest from a historical and technical point of view.
