SRAM Production Go-Ahead
Forty-one years ago this week (Tuesday, 12 January 1971), the USAF/Boeing Short Range Attack Missile (SRAM) was ordered into production. Known as the AGM-69, the nuclear-armed weapon was designed for both internal and external carriage by the USAF/Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. SRAM would eventually see service with the F-111A Aardvark and the B-1B Lancer as well. Featuring a maximum range of 110 nm, the Mach 3-capable missile was able to deliver its W69 variable-yield nuclear warhead with a CEP of 1,400 feet. The SRAM external airframe was completely covered with 3/4-inch of rubberized material to reduce its radar cross-section (RCS). Additional RCS reduction was achieved through the use of phenolic tail control surfaces. Approximately 1,500 SRAM’s were manufactured before the missile’s production cycle was halted in August of 1975.
