F-15A Satellite Killer by Esci
1/72 scale
Kit No. 9050
Cost: $35.00
Decals: One version – 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Air Defense Command
Comments: Engraved panel lines, two-part canopy, one ASM -135 anti-satellite missile
History
Decades before the creation of the United States Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the United States military, there were already military plans in place acknowledging space itself as a future battleground. Several killer satellites have been deployed over the years, but in the late 1970’s the U.S. first perceived the threat. The concern was that the Soviet killer satellites could destroy vital U.S. reconnaissance and communication satellites, and there was a need to develop a variety of anti-satellite missiles to cope with that threat.
Among these was the ASM-135A, a unique weapon that was not launched like a rocket from the ground – such as the Nike-Zeus or Thor anti-ballistic missile systems – but rather it could be fired from an aircraft in flight. In 1982, airborne tests with anti-satellite missiles (ASATs) that could be fired from modified F-15 fighters began, but no actual launch would be attempted for three more years.
Additional tests were conducted over the Pacific Ocean where in January 1984 an ASAT was launched at a specific point in space, but no actual target was involved. Finally, on September 13, 1985, during a mission dubbed the “Celestial Eagle Flight,” Major Wilbert “Doug” Pearson, piloting an F-15A, fired an ASM-135A at a real target while in a steep vertical climb flying at a speed of just under Mach 1 over the Pacific Ocean. While one account states his altitude at the time of the missile launch was 38,100 feet, Steve Davies and Doug Dildy in their book, F-15 Eagle Engaged, maintain that the ASAT had to be launched from extremely high altitude (80,000 ft.) and high angle (60-65 degrees). In any event, Major Pearson’s mission was to aim and fire the ASM-135A ASAT at the Solwind P78-1 solar observation satellite, which was still operational although several of its instruments had begun to fail.
Pearson never had visual contact with the satellite. It was moving at 17,500 mph some 300 miles above his position. He had to wait for confirmation that the ASAT was able to lock on and destroy its target before firing – and it was ground control that verified that the satellite had been destroyed, and the test was successful.
The squat, yet very high-tech ASM-135A (for Anti-Satellite Missile) carried no high explosives. The destruction of the Solwind P78-1 was achieved by means of the violent collision. It was an important first achievement, but it has never been duplicated since, due to concerns about space debris in more or less permanent orbit around the Earth leading to Kessler Syndrome, a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) due to space pollution is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade in which each collision generates yet more space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions.
An F-15A carrying the ASM-135 anti-satellite missile.
The key part of the achievement was in accurately targeting the satellite. Two solid-rocket stages on the ASM-135 propelled the missile into space, which was crucial because the miniature homing vehicle (MHV) that was used to lock onto the satellite’s infrared image with a telescopic seeker could only point itself in the direction of the target. The short homing vehicle was a short cylinder that has been compared to a tomato can – but a high-tech one that spun rapidly for stability and course correction, yet without forward thrust. For that reason, it was crucial that the F-15 pilot fly to an area below the path of the incoming target when firing the ASAT. This required precision radar and infra-red tracking, a steep climb and a very small launch window.
Even before Pearson’s flight, however, the U.S. Congress had imposed a series of limits on the Anti-Satellite program’s testing. After the successful September 1985 test, due to a number of factors (the expense, the fact that the concept had been proved, and concerns over the long-term effects of space debris) lawmakers banned further tests on targets in space. There were also legitimate concerns that ASAT experiments would lead to a a new superpower arms race, triggering huge costs on top of President Reagan’s already existing Strategic Defense Initiative (announced in March 1983 and dubbed “Star Wars” by the media), and in 1988 the United States Air Force terminated the Anti-Satellite program.
The Russian military has recently (2020) conducted tests of its PL-19 Nudol, a so-called “direct-ascent anti-satellite” weapon platform, so perhaps it is time for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to take another look at weapons such as the Cold War era ASM-135A ASAT.
The Kit
Esci’s F-15 is injection molded in metallic grey plastic and consists of 64 parts. The ejection seat is fairly detailed for this scale, consisting of three parts. There is a cockpit tub and decals for the main and side instrument panels, as well as a separately mounted control yoke. Although this kit is considered a re-boxing of Esci’s F-15B two-seater issued the same year (1986), the cockpit is configured for a single seat and as far as I can tell the airframe remains unchanged, the key difference being the inclusion of the anti-satellite missile and the exclusion of all other external armament (the integrally designed 20mm Vulcan cannon in the starboard wing root was still present, but since the F-15 was used operationally to take down a satellite only once, there is no record of whether ammunition was actually carried on that mission).
An F-15 launches the ASM-135.
The kit features crisply engraved panel lines and a fuselage consisting of top and bottom halves. Parts are included for a separately mounted dorsal airbrake, which can be open or closed, and partial intake fan faces at the rear of the jet intakes. There is a choice of two different types of “turkey feather jet exhaust nozzles, but the instructions acknowledge only one. The landing gear appear to be detailed and, unusually for this scale, the tires on the main gear each consist of two halves. The anti-satellite missile consists of six parts, four of which are for tail fins. There are separately mounted blade sensors on either side of the nose, a crew access ladder, and a tail hook. Finally, there is an option to depict the cockpit open or closed.
The paint guide includes instructions on painting the missile but they call for the nose cone to be painted black, while reference photos reveal that the nose cone of the actual ASM-135 was a metallic color that looks much closer to bronze. The kit decals include both extensive stencils and markings for the missile as well as the F-15 itself, depicting an aircraft of the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Air Defense Command. If you have an interest in this kit and can find it (it has been out of production for some time), the decals may well have deteriorated due to oxidation, since Esci did not include them in the sealed plastic bag containing the kit, but left them out. Caracal Models makes a set for this kit, F-15 ADTAC Eagles, CD72126, which includes three different versions of Air Defense Command and Tactical Air Force F-15’s.
Markings
The kit decals, as is often the case with Esci, appear a bit flat and may have a tendency to silver around the edges once applied, regardless of the prep employed beforehand and the delicate overcoats airbrushed on afterwards to seal them in — aftermarket replacements are strongly recommended. That said, the kit decals are otherwise quite attractive with vibrant, realistic color and include markings for the main and side instrument panels as well as multiple stencils. The national insignia are black outlines only, so those looking for the more colorful stars and bars will have to look to aftermarket sources for that. Markings are provided for an aircraft of the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Air Defense Command (ADC).
Conclusion
A detailed kit that touches upon an interesting aspect of late Cold War history. Highly recommended.
The Vought ASM-135A, which proved the Satellite Killer concept.
References
- https://nationalinterest.org/blog/ ~ “Back in 1985, a U.S. Air Force F-15 Fighter “Killed” a Satellite with a Missile” by Peter Suciu
- https://theaviationgeekclub.com/f-15-satellite-killer-asm-135a-asat-missile/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome