hlavaty@CRVAX.Sri.Com (05/10/91)
From: hlavaty@CRVAX.Sri.Com >From: stevenp@decwrl.pa.dec.com (Steven Philipson) > There was a proposal several years ago to build an anti-satellite >missile. It was to be launched by an F-15 operating at near maximum >altitude. There was some question about the legality of this system >vis-a-vis arms limitation agreements. Some research was performed, >but I've not seen any mention of it being fielded. In any case, the >payload (warhead) in this case was to be quite small. I worked on the F-15 ASAT program. The missile was launched at an altitude of 36,000 ft. The legality of the system was never in question, but we were interested in using the system as a bargaining chip for general arms related agreements (IMHO). The "research performed" included several test flights into space, including the destruction of satellite P-78, which was an old satellite being used for solar observations (unfortunately, no one bothered to tell the users of P-78 that we were taking it out, but that's another story). The payload was quite small - it worked via kinetic kill (i.e. bullet). We felt it was quite an achievement to actually hit the satellite this way. The downfall of the program was that it initially was started under the Carter presidency as a *research program* to demonstrate technology. When Reagan came into office, he changed directions and turned the program into an operational program. Unfortunately, the design work already done turned out to cost lots of money to change from research to operational. Basically, on a research program you can have the missile checked out by engineers with 20 years experience using stethoscopes, and if it fails pre-flight, you simply postpone. For operational use, Air Force Sgts with little engineering experience MUST have a missile up THAT WILL WORK within several hours. This turned out to be a BIG cost driver. So, when we realized how much this was really going to cost, the powers that be salvaged what they could and got the Russians to the negotiating table after P-78 bit it on Friday the 13th, October, 1986. Superstitious? Pah!!! Jim Hlavaty Ex-ASATer