Equipment of Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command equipment includes weapon systems and ordnance (e.g., strategic weapons such as ICBMs), ground radars and computers (e.g., at SSN 1979-82), and other Cold War devices of the USAF major command.

Special Weapons Emergency Separation System

This system (SWESS), also known informally as the dead man's switch, was a nuclear bomb release system that the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command built into bombers such as the B-52 Stratofortress. The system's purpose was to ensure that an aircraft's payload of nuclear weapons would detonate in the event of the crew becoming debilitated by enemy defences such as missiles. Once armed, the system would ensure that the onboard nuclear weapons detonated if the aircraft dropped below a predetermined altitude.

SAC Equipment

SAC Equipment
Type Model Start End
Combat aircraft B-1 Lancer 1986 1992
Combat aircraft B-17 Flying Fortress (RB-17G) 1946 1951
Combat aircraft A-26 Invader (RB-26) 1949 1950
Combat aircraft B-29 Superfortress 1946 1953
Combat aircraft B-36 Peacemaker 1948 1958
Combat aircraft B-45 Tornado 1950 1953
Combat aircraft B-47 Stratojet 1951 1965
Combat aircraft B-50 Superfortress 1948 1954
Combat aircraft B-52 Stratofortress 1955 1992
Combat aircraft B-57 Canberra 1956 1962
Combat aircraft B-58 Hustler 1960 1969
Combat aircraft C-119 Flying Boxcar 1956 1973
Combat aircraft DC-130 Hercules 1966 1976
Combat aircraft EC-135 Looking Glass 1963 1992
Combat aircraft F-2 Expeditor (F=Fotorecon; C-45)
Combat aircraft F-6 Mustang (F=Fotorecon; P-51)
Combat aircraft F-9 Flying Fortress (F=Fotorecon; B-17F/G)
Combat aircraft F-13 Superfortress (F=Fotorecon; B-29A)
Combat aircraft F-47 Thunderbolt (P-47) 1946 1947
Combat aircraft F-51 Mustang (P-51) 1946 1949
Combat aircraft F-82 Twin Mustang 1947 1950
Combat aircraft F-80 Shooting Star 1946 1948
Combat aircraft F-84 Thunderjet 1948 1957
Combat aircraft F-86 Sabre 1949 1950
Combat aircraft F-102 Delta Dagger 1960 1976
Combat aircraft FB-111 Aardvark 1969 1990
Combat aircraft KC-10 Extender 1981 1992
Combat aircraft KB-29 1949 1956
Combat aircraft KC-97 Stratofreighter SAC 1951 1964
Combat aircraft KC-135 Stratotanker SAC 1957 1991
Combat aircraft RC-45 Expeditor
Combat aircraft RC-135
Combat aircraft SR-71 Blackbird 1966 1991
Combat aircraft U-2 Dragon Lady 1962 1991
Combat aircraft TR-1 Dragon Lady 1989 1991
Support aircraft UC-45 Expeditor
Support aircraft AT-11 Kansan
Support aircraft B-26 Invader 1949 1950
Support aircraft C-45 Expeditor 1946 1951
Support aircraft C-47 Skytrain 1946 1947
Support aircraft C-54 Skymaster 1946 1975
Support aircraft C-82 Packet 1946 1947
Support aircraft C-97 Stratofreighter 1949 1978
Support aircraft C-118 Liftmaster 1957 1975
Support aircraft C-124 Globemaster II 1959 1962
Support aircraft C-131 Samaritan
Support aircraft C-135 Stratolifter
Support aircraft CH-3 Sea King SAC c. 1960s
Support aircraft HU-16 Albatross SAC c. 1950s/1960s
Support aircraft L-4 Grasshopper 1949 1950
Support aircraft L-5 Sentinel 1949 1950
Support aircraft L-13 Grasshopper 1949 1950
Support aircraft PBY Catalina
Support aircraft T-38 Talon 1981 1991
Support aircraft UH-1 Huey 1966 1992
Missile ADM-20 Quail
Missile AGM-28 Hound Dog
Missile AGM-69 SRAM
Missile AGM-84 Harpoon
Missile AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile
Missile AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile
Missile HGM-16 Atlas
Missile HGM-25A Titan I
Missile LGM-25 Titan II
Missile LGM-30A/B Minuteman I
Missile LGM-30F Minuteman II
Missile LGM-30G Minuteman III
Missile LGM-118A Peacekeeper
Missile SM-62 Snark
Missile PGM-17A Thor
Missile PGM-19A Jupiter
Ground system Athena computer
Ground system AN/MPS-9
Ground system AN/MSQ-1
Ground system AN/MSQ-2
Ground system AN/MSQ-35
Ground system AN/MSQ-77 1965
Ground system AN/MSQ-81
Ground system AN/MSQ-96
Ground system AN/TLQ-11
Ground system BMEWS 1979 1982
Ground system GWEN
Ground system train: Big Star (ICBM)
Ground system trains: RBS Express (3) 1961 c. 1971
Ground system SACCCS

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-04-18 14:00 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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