SM-62 Snark
The Northrop SM-62 Snark was an early-model intercontinental cruise missile that could carry a W39 thermonuclear warhead. The Snark was deployed by the U.S Air Force's Strategic Air Command from 1958 through 1961. The Snark took its name from the author Lewis Carroll's character the "snark".
The Snark missile was developed to present a nuclear deterrent to the Soviet Union and other potential enemies at a time when Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) were still in development. The Snark was the only surface-to-surface cruise missile with such a long range that was ever deployed by the U.S. Air Force. Following the deployment of ICBMs, the Snark was rendered obsolete, and it was removed from deployment in 1961.
Read more about SM-62 Snark: Design and Development, Operational History, Survivors
Famous quotes containing the word snark:
“The indictment had never been clearly expressed,
And it seemed that the Snark had begun,
And had spoken three hours, before any one guessed
What the pig was supposed to have done.”
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)