Specifications
Mass: 2600 lb (1,180 kg)
Length: 18 ft (5.48 m)
Diameter: 20 in (50.8 cm)
Warhead: W84 Nuclear warhead (.1 to 150 kilotons)
Operational range: 403 miles (648 km)
Flight ceiling: 350 miles (563 km)
Speed: >13,000ft/s (4000 m/s), 8,860 mph (14,260 km/h)[1]
Guidance system: Infrared homing seeker
Launch platform: F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon, F-35 Lightning, F-22 Raptor, F-42
Specifications: The ASM-135 is an anti-satellite missile with a range of approximately 400 miles, capable of going up to 350 miles in to space, necessary to defeat satellites, nuclear weapons, or other spacecraft. The missile travels at an extremely high velocity of approximately 4,000 m/s, or 9,000 mph which is far faster than most aircraft, and capable of intercepting even high velocity ICBM's. With an extremely accurate guided system, the missile is designed to directly contact it's target, giving it incredible precision, and originally relying on kinetic energy to destroy the target. The second version of the missile is equipped with a W84 nuclear warhead, which is a mere 13 inches around and 34 inches length, well within the size range of the ASM-135 missile, and adding approximately 400 pounds of weight. With slightly improved missile capabilities, the missile can handle the slightly larger payload, and much of the kinetic missile is removed. As a result, the missile is capable of launching a tactical nuke with a kiloton range of .2 to 150 to high altitude in space, with extreme precision. As the blast radius of the weapon is extremely large, this precision is generally not necessary ,but nonetheless it's precision and speed allows it to intercept the majority of targets. The maximum power of the weapon is 150 kilotons, or equivalent to 150,000 tons of TNT, or 300,000, 2000 pound bombs.
The overall purpose of the weapon was for two functions, one to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM's), generally designed for carrying nuclear bombs capable of wiping out entire cities, as a part of a missile defense system, and to take down potential future spacecraft. As enemy alien spacecraft, or potentially very advanced earth spacecraft that might exceed U.S. technology in extreme circumstances, would pose a significant threat, weapons designed to challenge this were implemented. As the strength of armor or the potential force-field of such an advanced aircraft was unpredictable, and their power levels potentially far above our own, it was decided that a nuclear weapon would be necessary to deal with all potential threats; as nuclear weapons are far weaker in space, this would also in part help prevent much of the radioactive fall-out from coming back on earth and reduce it's blast radius, further focusing it on just the craft it was impacting. As the area of effect of nuclear weapons is much smaller in space without air to ionize, the direct or near kinetic impact capabilities would ensure that the weapon was close enough and delivered even greater power to the target, as more of the energy would be defused in the enemy spacecraft. It's ability to go in to space and it's high speed would ensure superior chances of interception, while minor stealth features and the fact it was fired from a mobile aircraft might make it harder to detect, thus providing a higher chance of interception. In theory, such a missile would be sufficient to take on advanced alien spacecraft, being cruder than their technology but nonetheless compensating by being powerful enough to take them on. Multiple missiles would be fired at once, from multiple aircraft ideally far above the ground, that would shorten the range needed to intercept such an aircraft. While primarily effective in earth's most outer atmosphere, in theory if fired from a spacecraft, it could also be used to intercept enemy aircraft out of the earth's sphere entirely.
The variable yield and small size would not only allow the missile to be far smaller, but to reduce it's blast radius to the level that was only absolutely necessary, thus guaranteeing the ability to prevent civilian casualties or collateral damage if such a weapon was used. This would also be more useful in lower atmospheric levels, where higher levels of atmospheric density would result in greater power. Instead of a large ICBM, it would be fast and easy to launch, much smaller, and from a harder to detect and intercept platform, fired closer to the range of a UFO. This would not only increase the likelihood of success, especially with many small projectiles being more likely to strike the enemy than a few large one's, it would also prevent civilian casualties by detonating extremely large nukes over their own countries. While unclear how likely such a weapon would be needed or even able to be used in the event of an alien attack, likely focused on taking on scout vehicles in small numbers, it nonetheless was developed as a theoretical technology using the best designs available at the time. It is also designed to be fitted to a high altitude space aircraft, that can reach higher velocities and altitudes than ordinary fighter aircraft.
The fast response time of fighter jets which could be scrambled in an emergency combined with the lower costs of removing a two-stage rocket has made the ASM-135 an attractive missile for use at taking down enemy spacecraft. At higher altitudes, the thinner air reduces aerodynamic drag considerably, especially above 60,000 feet, and the already high speed of the aircraft combined with it's high altitude drastically reduces the need for an initial booster rocket, simplifying the rocket itself. Multi-stage rockets are almost always needed to get in to high earth orbit, and the use of an aircraft makes it's launch platform effectively reusable. In addition, the aircraft can possess certain features that would make the missile by itself more expensive or less effective; the vehicle itself is often stealthy, allowing for the missile to be carefully contained within the aircraft until it's fired, only making it detectable and thus evadable at the last moment. It also allows multiple rockets to be fired simultaneously or apart from each other, and to be fired at the discretion of the user in case the intended target after observation from the aircraft turned out to be non-hostile. A nuclear payload on a missile can not be easily detonated once the missile is in flight, and so care must be taken not to fire such a missile until it is clear it is absolutely necessary and withhold firing until last moment. Finally, test flights and practice with aircraft are common place, and so the fastest response time from any missile or UFO defense system would be from an aircraft already in the air; with the protocol to carry these missiles during regular flights, it would allow already in-air aircraft to respond nearly immediately to threats. It was also observed from potential UFO encounters that said UFO's had a tendency to observe and follow fighter aircraft, despite a lack of foreknowledge if these UFO's were of terrestrial origin or not (and this was recorded after many pilot interaction with these aircraft). For these and other reasons, the missile system was reconsidered for potential use against spacecraft or missiles of any potential origin, and production began in secret for such encounters in addition to later, similiar missiles.
