Minuteman Icbm Air Launched Ballistic Missile Test Program 45154 (1974)

Synopsis

This film "Air Mobile Feasibility Demonstration" chronicles the development of an Air Launched Ballistic Missile system. The ALBM concept was viewed as a potential game changer for strategic deterrence, allowing missiles to be deployed to remote locations at a moments' notice. As shown in the film, starting in the early 1970s, the USAF tested air-launching a Minuteman 1b ICBM from a C-5A Galaxy transport aircraft. (Note: the test proved the feasibility of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile from the air. In the end however, operational deployment of ALBM was discarded due to engineering and security difficulties, though the capability was used as a negotiating point in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.) The film documents the successful development and testing of an air-launchable Minuteman ICBM, demonstrating the ability to safely drop and fire an intercontinental ballistic missile from a Lockheed C-5A aircraft. Over several months in 1974, a dedicated Air Force and industry task force conducted a series of progressively heavier dummy payload drops to refine the rigging, parachute extraction systems, and aircraft compatibility. After overcoming challenges such as platform flexing and parachute failures, the team perfected a reliable extraction system using clustered parachutes. This paved the way for multiple inert missile drops and, ultimately, a live missile test where the first stage ignited successfully after clean separation from the aircraft. The…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

15 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage