Air-Launched home
topic index

MiG-31NS Orbital launch vehicle air-launched from a MiG-31 fighter....more.
212 Korolev's second design for a rocket-propelled cruise missile. It was flight tested twice after his arrest in 1939 but work was then abandoned....more.
  ALARR Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x F4D Phantom + 1 x Genie-Alarr...more.
ALCM ...more.
AltAir Single-stage launch vehicle air dropped from a C-130 consisting of a surplus Minuteman SR19 stage and a payload section....more.
  Astroliner The Kelly Space & Technology Astroliner Space Launch System was a two-stage-to-orbit, towed space launch concept. Towing an aerodynamic vehicle to an altitude of...more.
Bizan Bizan was the 1982 Soviet air-launched spaceplane design iteration between the '49' and 'MAKS' concepts. Like the '49', it was air-launched from atop an An-124...more.
  Bizan-T Air launched from catamaran heavy-life aircraft, predecessor of later Gerakl / Molniya-1000 design. 900 tonnes takeoff mass. Release conditions: Suspended load,...more.
  Black Colt Winged, first stage of a launch vehicle using aerial refueling and existing engines. Takes off from runway; rendezvous with tanker to load oxidizer; then flies...more.
Black Horse Winged, single stage to orbit launch vehicle using aerial refueling and lower performance, non-cryogenic propellants. Takes off from runway at 22,000 kg gross weight;...more.
Blue Steel ...more.
Bold Orion Anti-ballistic missile, air-launched from a B-47 Stratojet, consisting of a Sergeant booster and an Altair upper stage....more.
Burlak Burlak air-launched satellite launcher was proposed in 1992 and studied by Germany in 1992-1994. Evidently based on secret anti-satellite missile. Air launched...more.
Caleb Heavily classifed project related to air-launched ASAT development. Launch tests in 1958. NOTS project staff believed they successully orbited a satellite but unconfirmed....more.
Crossbow American air-to-surface missile, development started in 1957. Program cancelled in 1958....more.
  D-21 Project 'Tagboard', Project 'Senior Bowl'. Mach 3.5 ramjet recoverable reconnaisance drone air-launched from back of A-12 or with booster rocket from B-52....more.
  Herakles Launch vehicle design by NPO Molniya / TsAGI that would utilize air launch from a giant cargo aircraft capable of lifting 900 tonne payloads. The single stage to...more.
  High Virgo Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x B-58 Hustler + 1 x TX-20 Sergeant...more.
Jaguar B-57 Three stage vehicle air launched from a B-57A Canberra. The rocket consisted of consisting of 3 x Recruit + 1 x Recruit + 1 x Baby Sergeant...more.
LII Spaceplane LII (the Gromov Experimental Flight Institute at Zhukoskiy) designed several alternate spaceplane concepts for air-launch from the An-225 transport. These were similar to the various MAKS concepts....more.
  LRALT Air-launched anti-ballistic missile target composed of two surplus SR19 states in tandem....more.
MAKS The MAKS spaceplane was the ultimate development of the air-launched spaceplane studies conducted by NPO Molniya. The draft project for MAKS was completed in 1988...more.
  Pathfinder Pioneer Rocketplane planned in the late 1990's to produce the Pathfinder aerial-refueled spaceplane. The two-seat fighter-bomber-sized aircraft was to be powered...more.
Pegasus Privately-funded, air-launched winged light satellite launcher....more.
Project Pilot The US Navy's satellite launcher project competed with the Army's Jupiter-C, the Air Force Atlas, and the civilian Vanguard. Air-launched satellite launch vehicle,...more.
  Rascal American air-to-surface missile, development started in 1946. Program cancelled in 1958. Project originated as Bell Aircraft Corp / AAF / Project MX-776. Requirement...more.
  Rascal SLV Expendable rocket air-launched from a supersonic aircraft with engines modified using a technology called Mass Injected Pre-Compressor Cooling (MIPCC), where a...more.
  Rockaire This USAF version of the Navy Rockair (research rocket launched from aircraft) vehicle consisted of a Deacon rocket launched from an F-86D Sabrejet fighter....more.
Rockoon The Rockoon (balloon-launched rocket) consisted of a small high-performance sounding rocket launched from a balloon above most of the atmosphere. The Rockoon low-cost...more.
Skybolt American strategic air-to-surface ballistic missile, development started in 1960. Program cancelled amid huge controversy in 1963 after Britain had agreed to buy...more.
  SLC-1 Nanosat air-launched orbital vehicle which would be dropped from a boosted F-4 carrier aircraft....more.
  Sparoair Air-launched two stage vehicle consisting of tandem Sparrow air-to-air missile motors....more.
  SR19 Single stage vehicle consisting of 1 surplus Minuteman 2 SR19AJ1 motor air-dropped from a C-130 transport. Similar to the SVC AltAir concept....more.
SRAM Short Range Attack Missile...more.
System 49 The Spiral project was not cancelled with the decision to proceed with the large Buran spaceplane. Instead flight test of the orbiter continued but the launcher...more.
Vehra Dassault design for an air-launched experimental reusable launch vehicle. It would be launched from Novespace's Airbus 300 zero-G aircraft. The lifting-body design...more.
X-15 ...more.
X-15/Blue Scout In March 1962, NASA proposed an orbital launch vehicle using the B-52/X-15 combination. A Blue Scout booster would be fitted to an extendable launch rail on the...more.
X-34 NASA failed to attract industry co-investment to develop the original X-34A air-launched, reusable, low-technology, low-cost orbital launch vehicle concept. So...more.
  X4 German wire-guided air-to-air missile. 8 kg of pressure-fed Salbei + Tonka 250 propellants provided a thrust that varied from 140 kgf down to 30 kgf over the 17...more.

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