(4 of 5)
The U.S. Navy, for example, now has in production the Sperry "Sparrow," a lethal little air devil that, rocket-powered and fully maneuverable at supersonic speeds when fired from jet aircraft, is electronically guided to seek out and destroy enemy planes. Also promising are missiles in the Boeing F99 Bomarc category—pilotless fighters that may one day carry.
several of their own air-to-air missiles. Air Force Chief Nathan Twining says: "Mis siles will be launched from airplanes as well as against airplanes, and planes will be used to find and attack missiles while missiles are being used to find and attack planes." To achieve real tactical flexibility, however, TACair faces the challenge of vastly reducing required runway lengths. Assistant Navy Secretary James H. Smith Jr.
said recently: "Let me assure you that we know exactly what size bomb to use to lower the center of any man-made runway in the world to a depth of 100 feet. And you can be sure that any runway sunk that far will stay sunk." The Communists can be expected to have the same capability to render runways useless. Solving this problem is now a high priority TACair project, and one that has every prospect of success.
Sea PuncL As for the Navy, its task force of the future will be a far cry from the massed 100-ship armadas of World War II. Consisting of perhaps twelve vessels, each task force will be dispersed over an ocean area the size of Maine. Not more than one ship could be knocked out by the blast of any existing weapon. Somewhere—and the "where" will constantly change—within a massive defensive pattern will be the supercarrier, possibly with nuclear propulsion. From its deck will speed supersonic A-bombers (the Navy has great hopes for its new jet A4D Skyhawk) to furnish tremendous tactical firepower wherever needed.
Protecting the carrier will be the primary responsibility of the other fighting ships. Cruiser-based helicopters will drag sonic ears in the water, hunting out enemy submarines and killing them with such air-to-underwater guided missiles as the Fairchild "Petrel." Complex electronic detection systems will warn the task force of approaching enemy aircraft. From guided-missile destroyers and cruisers like the Boston and the Canberra (both scheduled to join the fleet this year) will storm fire screens of needle-nosed, radar-controlled "Terrier" missiles (successfully used in fleet exercises last year). Accompanying the force will be atom-powered submarines, e.g., the Nautilus, to move close to target areas and launch nuclear missiles.
The mission of the task force will be to 1) provide heavy firepower support to the fighting fronts, and 2) keep vital sea lanes open.
A highly promising new piece of Navy equipment is to be unveiled this week in the form of the Martin XP6M "Seamaster." planned as a 600-m.p.h. jet seaplane with a range of some 2,000 miles and the ability to carry nuclear or thermonuclear payloads. Units of three or four Seamasters could be based in lagoons, estuaries, gulfs and bays within striking distance of danger spots.