National Affairs: let Up

Set up this week by the Air Force: the U.S.’s first ready-for-action unit (eight officers, three chief warrant officers, 67 enlisted men and 30 civilians) designed ) fire the Strategic Air Command’s first ready-for-action intercontinental guided missile, Snark. Next month the Air Force ill also start building the U.S.’s Snark ase at Presque Isle, Me. From there nark will be able to reach almost all worthwhile targets in heartland Russia.

Snark, winged, air-breathing and subtonic, will fly five to seven hours to target as opposed to 15 to 30 minutes for the intercontinental ballistic missiles still under development. But Snark can carry thermonuclear warhead accurately to target at 5,000 milerange. And Snark, added or not with countermeasures to confuse enemy radar, is also a highly promising decoy weapon to lure enemy defenders away from main strike forces delivering the decisive blows elsewhere.