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From: stevenp@decwrl.pa.dec.com (Steven Philipson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Pegasus
Message-ID: <1991May9.063904.12411@amd.com>
Date: 9 May 91 02:31:29 GMT
References: <1991Apr13.014851.22702@amd.com> <1991Mar30.020340.27985@amd.com> <1991Apr12.055442.14741@amd.com>
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From: stevenp@decwrl.pa.dec.com (Steven Philipson)


In article <1991Apr13.014851.22702@amd.com>, henry@zoo.toronto.edu
(Henry Spencer) writes [re: the feasibility of launching a scaled-down
Pegasus type vehicle from a fighter-sized aircraft.]
> Nothing theoretically difficult about it.  You'd need to scale down Pegasus
> considerably -- it's the size of a fighter and very heavy -- but it could
> be done.  You'd also, as Gordon mentioned, need some quite small satellites
> to be the payloads.

   The problem with scaling down the Pegasus is that the payload would
be extremely small, most likely too small to be a recon satellite. 
Pegasus itself is only capable of launching very small satellites.  A
major advance in booster technology would be required to raise specific
impulse such that a smaller booster could launch a reasonably sized
satellite.

   There was a proposal several years ago to build an anti-satellite
missile.  It was to be launched by an F-15 operating at near maximum
altitude.  There was some question about the legality of this system
vis-a-vis arms limitation agreements.  Some research was performed,
but I've not seen any mention of it being fielded.  In any case, the
payload (warhead) in this case was to be quite small.

Steve
stevenp@decwrl.dec.com