CIM-10 Bomarc

The CIM-10 Bomarc was the only surface-to-air missile (SAM) ever deployed by the United States Air Force. All other U.S. land-based SAMs were and are under the control of the United States Army.

The supersonic Bomarc missiles were the first long-range anti-aircraft missiles. Rocket boosted and then ramjet powered, they were capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads. Their intended role in defense was in an intrusion prevention perimeter controlled by the SAGE computer air defense system. Bomarcs sited on the eastern and western coasts of North America theoretically would launch and would destroy enemy bombers before the bombers could drop their payloads on industrial regions.

It involved the deployment of tactical stations armed with Bomarc missiles along the east and west coasts of North America and the central areas of the continent. At the height of the program, there were 14 Bomarc sites in the United States and two in Canada. BOMARC and the SAGE guidance system were phased out in the early 1970s since they seemed to be ineffective and costly. Neither of these systems was ever used in combat, so while their combat effectiveness remains untested, they are still perceived as having been an important deterrent.

In addition to the USAF, the Bomarc was also deployed by Canada after the country had canceled its advanced Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow manned interceptor in 1959.