| High Virgo | |
|---|---|
 High Virgo missile on B-58 launch aircraft | |
| Type | Air-launched ballistic missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1958–1959 |
| Used by | United States Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1958 |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| No. built | 4 |
| Specifications (WS-199C[1]) | |
| Mass | 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) |
| Length | 30 feet 4 inches (9.25 m) |
| Diameter | 31 inches (790 mm) |
| Engine | Thiokol TX-20 50,000 lbf (222 kN) |
| Propellant | Solid fuel |
Operational range | 185 miles (298 km) |
| Flight ceiling | 250,000 feet (76,000 m)+ |
| Boost time | 29 seconds |
| Maximum speed | Mach 6 |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance |
Launch platform | Convair B-58 Hustler |
TheHigh Virgo, also known asWeapons System 199C (WS-199C), was a prototypeair-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) jointly developed byLockheed and theConvair division ofGeneral Dynamics during the late 1950s. The missile proved moderately successful and aided in the development of the laterGAM-87 Skybolt ALBM. It was also used in early tests ofanti-satellite weapons.
As part of theWS-199 project to develop newstrategic weapons for theUnited States Air Force'sStrategic Air Command, the Lockheed Corporation and the Convair division of General Dynamics proposed the development of an air-launched ballistic missile, to be carried by theConvair B-58 Hustler supersonicmedium bomber.[1] In early 1958 the two companies were awarded a contract for development of the weapon, designated WS-199C and given the code-name "High Virgo".[2] While the project was intended to be strictly aresearch-and-development exercise, it was planned that the weapon would be quickly capable of being developed into an operational system if required.[2]
The High Virgo missile was a single-stage weapon, powered by a solid-fueledThiokol TX-20 rocket, and was equipped with an advancedinertial guidance system derived from that of theAGM-28 Hound Dogcruise missile.[3] Four tailfins in acruciform arrangement provideddirectional control.[1] The missile was developed by Lockheed, utilising components developed for several existing missiles to reduce the cost of the project, and also to reduce the development time required. Convair was responsible for development of a pylon for carriage and launching of the missile from the prototype B-58, the pylon replacing the aircraft's normal weapons pod.[1]
Four test flights of the High Virgo missile were conducted. Due to development problems, the first two did not include the inertial guidance system, instead they were fitted with a simple autopilot guiding the weapon on a pre-programmed course.[1][3] Launched from its B-58 carrier aircraft at high altitude and supersonic speed, the initial flight, conducted on September 5, 1958, was a failure when the missile's controls malfunctioned. The second test, three months later, proved more successful, with the missile flying over a range of nearly 200 miles (320 km). The third flight test, the following June, utilized the inertial guidance system for the first time. It was a successful flight.[1]
The fourth High Virgo missile was utilized in a test mission intended to demonstrate the capability of the missile for use as a "satellite interceptor", or anti-satellite missile (ASAT).[1] The missile, modified with cameras to record the results of the test, was initially targeted at theExplorer 4 satellite. Due to errors in calculating the satellite's orbitExplorer 5 was targeted instead.[1]
The ASAT test mission, the final flight of the High Virgo missile, was conducted on September 22, 1959. Less than a minute after the launch of the missile from its B-58 carrier aircraft at Mach 2,[4] thetelemetry signal was lost.[5] No data was recovered from the test, and the camera data, intended to be recovered afterward, was not located. Hence the test was inconclusive.[1]
No further test firings of High Virgo were conducted, the research project having been concluded. The Air Force had begun work on what would become theGAM-87 Skybolt missile, which incorporated lessons learned from the WS-199 project.[1]
| Date/Time (GMT) | Launch site | Outcome | Remarks[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-09-05 | AMR DZ | Failure | Apogee 13 km (8.1 mi) |
| 1958-12-19 | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 76 km (47 mi) |
| 1959-06-04 | AMR DZ | Success | Apogee 51 km (32 mi) |
| 1959-09-22 | AMR DZ | Inconclusive | Apogee 12 km (7.5 mi)[N 1] |
AMR DZ means Atlantic Missile Range Drop Zone.
| National | |
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| Other | |
