Bomarc
The Air Force’s land-based anti-Bomber Missiles
Weapon Specifications
Note that the relationship between explosive power and destruction is not linear—a weapon’s destructive effects grow far more slowly than its explosive power.
Explosive Power
7 to 10 kt.
Hiroshima Equivalent Factor
0.5x to 0.65x
Dimensions
45 feet x 35 inches
Weight
16,000 lbs.
Year(s)
1959–1972
Range
440 miles
Purpose
National defense against Soviet nuclear bombers
NukeMap
Simulated destruction of a Bomarc detonation at Joint Base McGuire-Dix, near Wrightstown, New Jersey. Click on the map to change parameters.
Videos
These curated videos provide additional context for this weapon — showing test footage, deployment scenes, technical explanations, interviews, or other historical material, allowing viewers to go deeper into the weapon’s design, use, and place in nuclear history.
BOMARC – First Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile, 5 minutes
The Armourer’s Bench: The Boeing Bomarc was the world’s first long-range surface to air missile and despite its shortcomings remain in service for a decade. It was an extremely ambitious project and is a Cold War weapon that few today are familiar with. In this video Matt looks at the development, operation and service history of one of the earliest surface to air missiles.
Computer History IBM SAGE Boeing BOMARC Missile Defense System 1950’s Military MIT, 26 minutes
Computer History Archives Project: BOMARC relied on the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) computer system (MIT, IBM) used by NORAD for detecting, tracking and intercepting enemy bombers. SAGE allowed for remote launching of the BOMARC missiles, which were housed in 14 individual launch shelters in remote areas of the U.S. and two in Canada. Boeing built over 570 BOMARC missiles.
BOMARC Missile launches from Santa Rosa Island, Florida, 4751st Air Defense Squadron (Missile), 7 minutes
Larry Cogdell: The BOMARC missile system was the only USAF ground to air missile ever deployed by the Air Force. It carried a nuclear warhead and was to used to protect against Russian bombers (or any other country that wanted to try their luck!) These are my personal 8mm films I took as a Sgt. in the USAF working in the IMSOC (Interceptor Missile Operations Center) in the early 70s at the 4751st Air Defense Squadron (Missile). I maintained and monitored the computer launch systems.
BOMARC Missile Incident, 3:33
JB MDL: Within a year of operations, a Bomarc A missile with a nuclear warhead caught fire at McGuire AFB on 7 June 1960 after its on-board helium tank exploded. While the missile’s explosives did not detonate, the heat melted the warhead and released plutonium. The Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission cleaned up the site and covered it with concrete. This was the only major incident involving the weapon system. The site remained in operation for several years following the fire. Video by Airman 1st Class Sean Hetz.
Further Reading
- Wikipedia, Designation Systems
- A brief history of the Bomarc by Bryan. R. Swopes, at This Day In Aviation.
- The Armourer’s Bench always does a good job with their weapon overviews.
- Military claims seems almost always inflated. The earlier Bomarc used liquid fuel and it was claimed that it could, after elevation, be fueled in two minutes prior to firing. This undated photo of a Bomarc being fueled appears to depict a process that will take far more than two minutes to perform.
- Skytamer has their own outline of the Bomarc as well as a photo of one covered in snow at the Hill AFB, in Utah.
- The Bomarc had the ability to be incorporated into the SAGE system which allows for automatic target acquisition and firing of the Bomarc from computers thousands of miles away.
- One of the most serious nuclear accidents in US history occurred at McGuire AFB in 1960 when a Bomarc caught fire with its nuclear warhead attached. The warhead melted down and they poured concrete over it. Nothing to see, move along…(former sites may have a radioactivity problem, too, just from general use).
- The Bomarc exploded, in a political sense, in Canadian politics, in the early 1960s. Do Canadians want nuclear weapons or not?
- Another summary of the Bomarc, but this one has a picture of the Beau-Marks, a Canadian band named after the missile. Their songs are available to stream.
- The Cold War offers no end of oddball subjects to write about. How about a hairstylist with a winning “Bomarc” style? An Air Force magazine described the hair-do thus:
This guided missile hairstyle was inspired by the supersonic Bomarc missile. It’s a swirl-a-wave which features supersonic action from nape to crown. From a siren list, it cruises to a froth of fluff swinging from cheek to tip of ear. The nuclear payload goes into super action and long-range swirls intercepted by flowing lines and high altitude sweeps cruising towards its target of pixie bangs on the brow.