PC/WI SATURN V's design used as ICBM's

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
WILDGEESE, what do you mean with SATURN V's ( with solid fuel propulsion) ?

because the Saturn V is liquid propellant rocket with Kerosine Hydrogene and oxygen in it's tanks
or do you mean the early Solid Saturn proposed begin 1960 ?
that's a cluster of huge solid rockets motors from yet to build ICBM.

NASA had it doubt it's feasible to build some thing

1962 JLP proposal (aka The Ugliest Rocket EVAR)
JPL-nova-1.jpg

I went with solid fuel because it would allow (like all modern ICBM's to launch on warning), liquid fuels would take ages to fuel up allowing the missiles to be hit in their silos.

regards filers
 

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
There is also the massive cost factor. Each Saturn V was ~$500 million dollars (as a comparison the Titan II was around $3.25 million per launch vehicle. While some of that cost can be dropped since it is no longer a manned platform, the cost of constructing that large of a solid booster would break the bank (the solid fuel Titan IV launch vehicle is 10x the cost of of the earlier liquid fueled version, once all cost are added in for the modern launches they actually approach the non-adjusted cost of the Saturn V missions, or around 25% of the adjusted cost).

Then there is the "eggs in one Basket" issue. If the warheads are on a small number of missiles, then it makes sense for the enemy, if war is likely, to do everything possible to take out the 20-30 total launch vehicles in a surprise attack of some kind (FOBS or very low altitude high speed dash *more or less on way missions* would be my guess).

To be honest, I was thinking of the USA fielding a force of around 1,000 mega-ICBMs in the same way as they fielded 1,038 Minuteman III's and Peacekeepers at the height of the Cold War.

Regards filers
 
To be honest, I was thinking of the USA fielding a force of around 1,000 mega-ICBMs in the same way as they fielded 1,038 Minuteman III's and Peacekeepers at the height of the Cold War.

Regards filers

To be honest, we moving in realm of Herman Kahn of RAND Cooperation
they proposed nuclear powered super ICBM with single 1000 MT warhead thing, but als Doomsday weapon* of last resorts.
and SAC and White House were NOT amused about those Ideas.
The 1,038 Minuteman III gave SAC better variable response option as one super ICBM that nuke entire nations from face of the earth

*=Doomsday weapon
full automatic weapon of last resorts and FINAL retaliation
it not only destroy the Enemy totally, but also drag rest of earth population into there grave.
Let explain this in detail by the Director of US Weapon research & development...
 
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