89–1991 solar maximum heated and expanded the atmosphere more than anticipated in 1985, accelerating Solwind debris decay.
|1||21 January 1984||Missile successfully tested without miniature vehicle|
|2||13 November 1984||Missile failed when MHV was directed at a star.|
|3||13 September 1985||Missile successfully destroys the satellite P78-1 Solwind|
|4||22 August 1986||Missile successfully tested when MHV was directed at a star.|
|5||29 September 1986||Missile successfully tested when MHV was directed at a star.|
Fifteen ASM-135 ASAT missiles were produced and five missiles were flight tested.
Operational history[edit | edit source]
The United States Air Force intended to modify 20 F-15A fighters from the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at McChord Air Force Base in Washington and the 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron based at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for the anti-satellite mission. Both squadrons had airframes modified to support the ASM-135 by the time the project was cancelled in 1988.
The USAF had planned to deploy an operational force of 112 ASM-135 missiles.
The deployment of the ASM-135 was central to a policy debate in the United States over the strategic need for an anti-satellite weapon and the potential for anti-satellite weapon arms control with the Soviet Union. Starting in 1983, Congress placed various restrictions on the ASM-135 program, and in December 1985, banned testing the ASM-135 on targets in space. This decision was made only a day after the Air Force sent two target satellites into orbit for its next round of tests. The Air Force continued to test the ASAT system in 1986, but stayed within the limits of the ban by not engaging a space-borne target.
In the same year the deployment of the ASM-135 was estimated to cost $US5.3 billion up from the original $US500 million estimate. The USAF scaled back the ASM-135 program by two-thirds in attempt to control costs. The USAF also never strongly supported the program and proposed canceling the program in 1987. In 1988, the Reagan Administration canceled the ASM-135 program because of technical problems, testing delays, and significant cost growth.
Variants[edit | edit source]
- ASM-135 – 15 missiles produced.
- CASM-135 – Captive carry version of ASM-135A with warhead simulator and inert motors.
Operators[edit | edit source]
Survivors[edit | edit source]
- CASM-135 currently on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)'s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, United States.
- CASM-135 currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, United States.
See also[edit | edit source]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to ASM-135 ASAT.|
References[edit | edit source]
- Paul Glenshaw (April 2018). "The First Space Ace". https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/first-space-ace-180968349/.
- Edited By Bhupendra Jasani, Space Weapons and International Security, A SIPRI Publication, Oxford University Press, 1987.
- Encyclopedia Astronautica, Bold Orion, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20080103174537/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/bolorion.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-03. , web page retrieved on 3 November 2007.
- Federation of American Scientists Web Site, FAS Space Policy Project - Military Space Programs, , web page retrieved on 3 November 2007.
- Aerospace Web.org Website. NOTSNIK, Project Pilot & Project Caleb  retrieved on 5 November 2007.
- Paul B. Stares, The Militarization of Space: U.S. Policy, 1945–1948, Cornell University Press, 1985.
- Peter L. Hays, Struggling Towards Space Doctrine: U.S. Military Plans, Programs, and Perspectives during the Cold War, Ph.D. dissertation, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, May 1994
- Dr. Raymond L. Puffer, The Death of a Satellite, , Retrieved on November 3, 2007.
- Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. Vought ASM-135 ASAT  Accessed on 2 November 2007.
