Nuclear "Ding-Dong". kilotons of American air defense
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the US military knew that the USSR had a nuclear weapon and there is a means of delivery in the form of a copy of the American bomber Boeing B-29 Superfortress - Tu-4. The issue of air defense of the United States itself has become more acute than ever. The bombers were getting bigger and faster, their defensive armament was getting stronger, while the machine guns and even the cannons of the interceptors were becoming less and less effective. Guided missile weapons, in fact, were just in their infancy. In addition, not a single air defense system could guarantee 100% interception of all bombers, and even one aircraft with an atomic charge that broke through could do things.
Under such conditions, the option of solving the problem of "knocking out with a wedge" seemed quite logical. An unguided rocket with a nuclear charge was developed. The United States already had extensive experience in creating and using unmanaged aviation missiles, including large caliber ones. Such a rocket was powerful and at the same time reliable. And the presence of a nuclear warhead removed the issue of the lack of guidance systems.
Development began in 1955. In 1956, tests of the rocket itself without a warhead began. It was supposed to install a W25 nuclear warhead with a capacity of one and a half kilotons on the rocket. As planned, an explosion of such a charge in the air was guaranteed to destroy any aircraft within a radius of 300 meters from the epicenter of the explosion.
The Thiokol SR49B solid-fuel engine made it possible to achieve a maximum range of 6 miles (approximately 9,7 km) at a speed of Mach 3,3. In 1957, the rocket was put into service under the designation MB-1, which was later changed to AIR-2A, the code name for the entire period of operation remained - "Genie" (Genie).
In the same 1957, the rocket began to enter service. The first carriers were 15 Northrop F-89 Scorpion interceptors based at Hamilton Air Force Base near San Francisco. The very next year, 286 F-89s became carriers of the Genie. Over time, the carriers of the AIR-2 were McDonnell F-101 Voodoo and Convair F-106 Delta Dart.
Rocket production continued until 1963. A total of 3 missiles were fired. After 150, only inert training ammunition was produced in small batches. US Air Force technicians dubbed the missile "Ding Dong" (Ding Dong) for a certain similarity of late-series missiles with one of the male primary sexual characteristics.
The new weapon also required specific tactics for its use. If there were no particular problems with the launch and detonation of the warhead: the rocket became cocked at launch (thanks to overload sensors), the detonation occurred at the set range when the sustainer engine stopped working, then leaving the affected area was just that dangerous maneuver, which took the most time to complete.
There were no cases of combat use of such a unique weapon, but once a nuclear warhead of an anti-aircraft missile was detonated over a test site in Nevada. This happened during Operation Plumbbob, a series of nuclear tests that took place in Nevada from May to October 1957.
The tests (the explosion of the Douglas MB-1 rocket, codenamed "John", John) were intended not only to test new weapons, but also to reassure the American public. Information appeared in the press that the sky over the United States is now reliably protected by the latest nuclear weapons that have entered service with the US Air Force. News had a side effect - people began to worry about the consequences of detonating a nuclear charge in the sky over the US mainland.
In order to dispel the fears of ordinary Americans, right under the site of the explosion of a nuclear charge (the explosion occurred at an altitude of about 6 thousand meters), five Air Force officers (three majors, a lieutenant colonel and a colonel) and a photographer were supposed to be at the time of detonation. In order for the public to be absolutely calm, all those present under the epicenter of the explosion were without hats - an unheard-of vulgarity and a violation of the charter by the standards of the second half of the 1950s.
Of all the participants in this performance, Major John Hughes was the second to die first, however, this happened 33 years after the tests, in 1990. The rest died even later in the second half of the 1990s, in the 2000s and even in the 2010s. So the Americans really worried in vain. Although no one knows what would happen in the event of the mass use of these or similar ammunition over populated areas, we will not know for the benefit.
But the US was not the only country to exploit American nuclear weapons. This was also Canada.
You ask - how is it not a nuclear state, which is armed with a nuclear weapon, and even adopted in service in another state?
Yes, everything is simple, NATO has operated and is operating a program under which a country with nuclear weapons provides nuclear weapons for use in the event of hostilities to a country without its own nuclear arsenal. The so-called "double keying" mechanism.
The British also worked on the issue of using the Douglas AIR-2 rocket, but they could not (did not want to) make significant changes to its potential carrier, the English Electric Lightning.
The career of the nuclear air-to-air missile ended with the decommissioning of its last two carriers. In the US Air Force it was the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, in the Royal Canadian Air Force it was the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. This happened already in the second half of 1980.
Surprisingly, such an archaic and primitive weapon in many respects lasted in service for so long. Air-to-air guided missiles had long been in service, semi-active radar homing was the norm in missile-aircraft, and the American arsenal still had a nuclear club to kill sparrows. The principles of "nothing will be superfluous" and "all means are good" played their role.
Only when it became clear that the old weapons system would have to be modified separately for new machines, it was decided to abandon the nuclear anachronism.
The heroine of our publication is a rocket - Douglas MB-1 (in an early configuration and with an early designation). Yes, it's a rocket, not a bomb...
Under such conditions, the option of solving the problem of "knocking out with a wedge" seemed quite logical. An unguided rocket with a nuclear charge was developed. The United States already had extensive experience in creating and using unmanaged aviation missiles, including large caliber ones. Such a rocket was powerful and at the same time reliable. And the presence of a nuclear warhead removed the issue of the lack of guidance systems.
A Convair F-106 Delta Dart pilot looks at a Douglas AIR-2 Genie rocket. F-106 at some point became the main and last carrier of this missile.
Development began in 1955. In 1956, tests of the rocket itself without a warhead began. It was supposed to install a W25 nuclear warhead with a capacity of one and a half kilotons on the rocket. As planned, an explosion of such a charge in the air was guaranteed to destroy any aircraft within a radius of 300 meters from the epicenter of the explosion.
The Thiokol SR49B solid-fuel engine made it possible to achieve a maximum range of 6 miles (approximately 9,7 km) at a speed of Mach 3,3. In 1957, the rocket was put into service under the designation MB-1, which was later changed to AIR-2A, the code name for the entire period of operation remained - "Genie" (Genie).
A shot from a US Air Force training film showing the installation of a combat charge on an AIR-2A missile.
In the same 1957, the rocket began to enter service. The first carriers were 15 Northrop F-89 Scorpion interceptors based at Hamilton Air Force Base near San Francisco. The very next year, 286 F-89s became carriers of the Genie. Over time, the carriers of the AIR-2 were McDonnell F-101 Voodoo and Convair F-106 Delta Dart.
The photo captures the moment of a single launch of a Douglas AIR-2 combat missile by a Northrop F-89 Scorpion interceptor during the Operation Plumbbob nuclear test.
Rocket production continued until 1963. A total of 3 missiles were fired. After 150, only inert training ammunition was produced in small batches. US Air Force technicians dubbed the missile "Ding Dong" (Ding Dong) for a certain similarity of late-series missiles with one of the male primary sexual characteristics.
The most beautiful photo of the launch of the Douglas AIR-2 Genie inert missile by the Convair F-106 Delta Dart interceptor.
The new weapon also required specific tactics for its use. If there were no particular problems with the launch and detonation of the warhead: the rocket became cocked at launch (thanks to overload sensors), the detonation occurred at the set range when the sustainer engine stopped working, then leaving the affected area was just that dangerous maneuver, which took the most time to complete.
A picture from a US Air Force training manual showing one of the Douglas AIR-2 missile attack options, and most importantly, the way out of the attack.
There were no cases of combat use of such a unique weapon, but once a nuclear warhead of an anti-aircraft missile was detonated over a test site in Nevada. This happened during Operation Plumbbob, a series of nuclear tests that took place in Nevada from May to October 1957.
Fireball from the explosion of the Douglas MB-1 rocket warhead, produced on July 19, 1957, taken from the runway 30 kilometers from the explosion site. In the foreground is the carrier of a nuclear missile - Northrop F-89 Scorpion.
The tests (the explosion of the Douglas MB-1 rocket, codenamed "John", John) were intended not only to test new weapons, but also to reassure the American public. Information appeared in the press that the sky over the United States is now reliably protected by the latest nuclear weapons that have entered service with the US Air Force. News had a side effect - people began to worry about the consequences of detonating a nuclear charge in the sky over the US mainland.
Close-up shot of a fireball from a Douglas MB-1 missile warhead explosion on July 19, 1957.
In order to dispel the fears of ordinary Americans, right under the site of the explosion of a nuclear charge (the explosion occurred at an altitude of about 6 thousand meters), five Air Force officers (three majors, a lieutenant colonel and a colonel) and a photographer were supposed to be at the time of detonation. In order for the public to be absolutely calm, all those present under the epicenter of the explosion were without hats - an unheard-of vulgarity and a violation of the charter by the standards of the second half of the 1950s.
US Air Force officers look at a fireball above their heads on July 19, 1957.
Of all the participants in this performance, Major John Hughes was the second to die first, however, this happened 33 years after the tests, in 1990. The rest died even later in the second half of the 1990s, in the 2000s and even in the 2010s. So the Americans really worried in vain. Although no one knows what would happen in the event of the mass use of these or similar ammunition over populated areas, we will not know for the benefit.
The same Northrop F-89 Scorpion model J that launched an air-to-air nuclear missile, installed as a monument near Great Falls Airport in Montana.
But the US was not the only country to exploit American nuclear weapons. This was also Canada.
You ask - how is it not a nuclear state, which is armed with a nuclear weapon, and even adopted in service in another state?
Yes, everything is simple, NATO has operated and is operating a program under which a country with nuclear weapons provides nuclear weapons for use in the event of hostilities to a country without its own nuclear arsenal. The so-called "double keying" mechanism.
The British also worked on the issue of using the Douglas AIR-2 rocket, but they could not (did not want to) make significant changes to its potential carrier, the English Electric Lightning.
A Douglas AIR-2 rocket next to its Canadian carrier, a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo model B.
The career of the nuclear air-to-air missile ended with the decommissioning of its last two carriers. In the US Air Force it was the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, in the Royal Canadian Air Force it was the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. This happened already in the second half of 1980.
Surprisingly, such an archaic and primitive weapon in many respects lasted in service for so long. Air-to-air guided missiles had long been in service, semi-active radar homing was the norm in missile-aircraft, and the American arsenal still had a nuclear club to kill sparrows. The principles of "nothing will be superfluous" and "all means are good" played their role.
Only when it became clear that the old weapons system would have to be modified separately for new machines, it was decided to abandon the nuclear anachronism.
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