Safeguard Specifications

Deployed briefly in the mid-1970s the Safeguard antiballistic missile system was the product of two decades of research, development, and testing. Army antiballistic missile development began under the Nike Zeus program (1956-1963), and continued under the Nike X (1963-1967) and Sentinel (1967-1969) programs before culminating in the Safeguard system (1969-1976). Incorporating incremental improvements in missile technology, combined with revolutionary advances in phased-array radar and advanced computers, the Safeguard system was eventually deployed at just a single site-the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex (SRMSC) near Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Technical Specifications

The Safeguard ARM system was composed of three main components: sophisticated radars, powerful computers, and the sleek, deadly interceptor missiles-the Sprint and the Spartan.

Spartan

Length: 55 feet
Diameter: 42 inches
Wingspan: 118 inches
Weight: 28,700 pounds
Fuel: Solid propellant
Maximum engagement altitude: 330 miles
Range: Approximately 465 miles
Speed: ÔMach 10 (7,418 mph)
Guidance: Ground-based radio directed
Warhead: Nuclear, yield 5 megatons

Sprint

Length: 27 feet
Diameter at base: 4 feet 6 inches
Weight: 7,500 pounds
Fuel: Solid propellant
Maximum engagement altitude: 24 miles
Range: 25 miles
Guidance: Ground-based radio directed
Warhead: Nuclear, low-kiloton range yield
Contractors
Safeguard primary contractor: Western Electric Company
New York, New York
System design: Bell Laboratories
Whippany, New Jersey
Perimeter acquisition radar: General Electric
Syracuse, New York
Missile site radar: Raytheon
Boston, Massachusetts
Data processing system: Bell Laboratories
Whippany, New Jersey
Western Electric
New York, New York
Spartan subcontractor: McDonnell-Douglas
Santa Monica, California
Sprint subcontractor: Martin Marietta Corporation
Orlando, Florida
Guidance systems: Bell Laboratories
Whippany, New Jersey