SRAM

SRAM. . The Short Range Attack Missile (SRAM) was a small air-to-surface Air Force missile launched from B-52 and F-111 strategic bombers. On the B-52, it replaced the Hound Dog missile., Armed with a nuclear warhead, the SRAM was propelled by a two-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor. The first motor stage propelled the missile to Mach 3 after launch, and the second stage was ignited near the target for a powered terminal approach. Maximum range varied from 55 km (35 miles) for low-altitude launches to 160 km (100 miles) for high-altitude firings., SRAM's simple inertial guidance system allowed for individually programmed flights and change of direction after launch., Throughout the 1950s nuclear warheads had become smaller, enabling a fighter to carry and deliver missiles from a range of over 100 miles. The B-52 Stratofortress and the F-111 could carry as many as 20 of these relatively small missiles. SRAM greatly increased the number of targets which could be attacked by a single bomber, and made it possible to attack fixed air-defense installations en route to the primary target., The SRAM missile program was initiated in November 1963 by Headquarters of Strategic Air Command. The first powered flight occurred in July 1969 at White Sands Missile Range. Ninety-five SRAMs were tested here between 1969 and 1977. The program was cancelled in the late 1970s., Length: 14 feet , Diameter: 17 inches , Weight: 2,225 pounds , Propellant: Solid , First Firing: 1969