| ASALM | |
| Origin: | United States |
| Type: | High supersonic Air-launched cruise missile |
| Is Missile: | yes |
| Used By: | United States Air Force |
| Weight: | 2700lb |
| Length: | 14feet |
| Filling: | W69 thermonuclear |
| Engine: | Marquardt rocket/ramjet |
| Vehicle Range: | 300miles |
| Speed: | Mach 4.5+, test-flown to Mach 5.5 [1] |
| Guidance: | Inertial + passive antiradiation and active radar homing for air-to-air mode[2] |
The Advanced Strategic Air-Launched Missile (ASALM) was a medium-range strategic missile program, developed in the late 1970s for the United States Air Force. Intended for use in both the air-to-surface and anti-AWACS roles, the missile's development reached the stage of propulsion-system tests before being cancelled in 1980.
Development of the Advanced Strategic Air-Launched Missile was initiated in 1976.[3] The ASALM was intended to replace the AGM-69 SRAM in United States Air Force service, providing improved speed and range over the earlier missile,[3] as well as improved performance against hardened targets.[4] In addition, the requirement specified that the ASALM should be capable of operating in a secondary air-to-air mode against AWACS radar-warning aircraft.[3] Martin Marietta and McDonnell Douglas submitted proposals for the contract, the former's design using a Marquardt propulsion system; the latter's, one developed by United Technologies Corporation; the Martin Marietta design was favored by the Air Force[3]
The size of ASALM was limited by the requirement that it use the same launchers as the earlier SRAM.[3] The missile would be steered by small fins at the tail, but lacked wings; the shape of the body combined with the high flight speed were to provide sufficient lift.[5]
Guidance was planned to be provided during mid-course flight by an inertial navigation system, while terminal guidance would use a dual-mode seeker.[3] Propulsion would be provided by an integrated rocket-ramjet, which would act as a solid-fuel rocket during boost, with the rocket's casing, following exhaustion of its propellant and the ejection of the rocket nozzle and a fairing covering an air inlet, becoming a combustion chamber for an air-breathing ramjet,[6] which was planned to use Shelldyne-H fuel.[5] The missile was expected to be carried by the B-1 bomber, or alternatively by a developed version of the FB-111.[6]
Starting in October 1979, a series of flight tests of Propulsion Technology Validation missiles, using a Marquardt rocket-ramjet, were conducted.[3] Over the course of seven test firings, a maximum speed of Mach 5.5 at an altitude of 40000feet was achieved.[3]
Despite the successful testing, the ASALM program was suspended following the seventh PTV test flight in May 1980;[3] reductions in the defense budget, combined with the development of the subsonic AGM-86 ALCM,[3] led to the cancellation of the program later that year.[5]
The Martin Marietta ASALM concept was later developed into the AQM-127 SLAT target drone.[3]