High Virgo | |
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Type | Air-launched ballistic missile |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1958–1959 |
Used by | United States Air Force |
Production history | |
Designed | 1958 |
Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
No. built | 4 |
Specifications (WS-199C[1]) | |
Mass | 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) |
Length | 30 feet 4 inches (9.25 m) |
Diameter | 31 inches (790 mm) |
Engine | Thiokol TX-20 50,000 lbf (222 kN) |
Propellant | Solid fuel |
Operational range | 185 miles (298 km) |
Flight ceiling | 250,000 feet (76,000 m)+ |
Boost time | 29 seconds |
Maximum speed | Mach 6 |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance |
Launch platform | Convair B-58 Hustler |
The High Virgo, also known as Weapons System 199C (WS-199C), was a prototype air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) jointly developed by Lockheed and the Convair division of General Dynamics during the late 1950s. The missile proved moderately successful and aided in the development of the later GAM-87 Skybolt ALBM. It was also used in early tests of anti-satellite weapons.