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Project Larkspur
Project Rufus was a United States nuclear weapons program aimed at investigation and selection of sites within the United States and its possessions that would be suitable for high-yield atmospheric nuclear testing programs. The project's primary purpose was to identify locations where a LGM-30 Minuteman, Minuteman missile silo could be tested under realistic conditions. The project operated under the umbrella of the Vela Uniform research program. The project identified numerous sites in the coterminous United States, Pacific Ocean, Alaska and overseas, narrowing the list to ten locations. In late 1963, the process became Project Larkspur, which selected Amchitka Island as the preferred test site for atmospheric testing, using another Vela Uniform project for underground testing, as cover. However, the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty precluded any atmospheric testing, so the Amchitka site was only used for three underground tests. Amchitka was judged suitable for very large tests of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LGM-30 Minuteman
The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G (Version 3) is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and represents the land leg of the U.S. nuclear triad, along with the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers. Development of the Minuteman began in the mid-1950s when basic research indicated that a solid-fuel rocket motor could stand ready to launch for long periods of time, in contrast to liquid-fueled rockets that required fueling before launch and so might be destroyed in a surprise attack. The missile was named for the colonial minutemen of the American Revolutionary War, who could be ready to fight on short notice. The Minuteman entered service in 1962 as a deterrence weapon that could hit Soviet cities with a second strike and countervalue counterattack if the U.S. wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
