SM-65 Atlas ICBM
The SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dynamics at an assembly plant located in Kearny Mesa, San Diego.
Ultimately, it did not have a long career as an ICBM (all being decommissioned by 1965), being ill-suited for the purpose due to its choice of fuel (kerosene and liquid oxygen) – it had to be stored empty, meaning that it could hardly launch on the drop of a hat. However, that same fuel made it an excellent candidate for a launch vehicle, and it enjoyed a long and illustrious career in that role – launching interplanetary probes, Mercury capsules, and a whole host of satellites. The last Atlas with the stage-and-a-half configuration launched in 2004.
The legacy of the Atlas lives on in ULA’s Atlas V and Vulcan rockets.
The missile will be pulled upright automatically on simulation start. It’s designed to be launched before archers can punch holes in it.
The warhead is sensor-activated – no need to trigger it. It has a vaguely disc-shaped area of effect; ideally things in the air will not be affected.
There is a small chance of the warhead sensing the missile after deployment and triggering prematurely. Make sure to deploy while still pointing a bit upwards.
As my first surface-based rocket project, I built the stage-and-a-half Atlas missile – its complex geometry would have made for a challenging job without them.
It went surprisingly smoothly.
You can actually use it in the campaign if you want, as it actually fits in the bounding box. There are a few example videos linked in the screenshots.
My toolbox. Contains useful stuff.
Likes are important. 👍
