The Boeing 747 as Cruise Missile carrier?

After the Carter Administration's cancellation of the B-1A program due to fiscal concerns, the rise of air-launched cruise missiles and the possibility of developing a stealth bomber, Boeing put forward a low-risk, relatively cheap, cruise missile delivery vehicle alternative based on the mighty 747 Jumbo Jet. It was called the Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft, or CMCA.

It is an idea that still makes sense, according to the website Foxtrot Alpha. The idea was relatively simple: turn the premier long-range commercial hauler into an arsenal ship capable of carrying between 50 and 100 air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs).

The design was based on the 747-200C, a nose-loading cargo derivative of the Jumbo Jet, with nine rotary launchers mounted on tracks inside of the stripped-out cabin. Each rotary launcher would hold eight missiles, and they could be slid back into a launching position at the rear right side of the aircraft via the help of an overhead handling system.

In the end, the 747 CMCA was passed over, with the B-1 being revived by the Reagan Administration as well as the B-2 being procured semi-clandestinely under what would become the Advanced Tactical Bomber program. The B-52 fleet also received some capability upgrades as well.

But: the missile carrying Jumbo Jets could have been operated at much lower cost than the B-1 or B-52 force. The 747 as mobile rocket platform would not be carrying anywhere near the weight that it would with a full load of large air launched cruise missiles, so extra fuel can be carried to provide a longer flight duration and range.

The 747 is far from stealthy, but this wouldn't be a problem, according to Foxtrotalpha: "Who would doubt that in this modern era where stealth technology's tactical edge is eroding, and with the challenges of area denial and anti-access warfare looming in the Pacific, that a 747 CMCA would not be an incredibly powerful and relevant weapon system to possess? When a 747-800 based CMCA packing close to 100 long-range stealthy cruise missiles flies all the way across the Pacific Ocean without the need of tanker gas, and devastates 100 strategic enemy targets in a single volley with minimal risk to its operators lives, stealth really doesn't even matter at all does it?"

Foxtrotalpha asks the question: Why again isn't the USAF knocking on Boeing's door for this thing like yesterday?

It seems an intriguing idea. Read the complete story at Foxtrotalpha.

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