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The final nuclear-capable cruise missile we’ll examine is the AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile. In 1982, with the AGM-86/B Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) being deployed at BUFF wings, it was not expected to be able to penetrate enemy radar for long, so a follow-on missile that could was put on the drawing board. General Dynamics was awarded a contract in 1983 to develop the new AGM-129A ACM. The first test missile flew in 1985; the first missiles were delivered to SAC wings in mid-1990, with K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan being the first operational wing. Envisioned as a missile to defeat then-state of the art look-down/shoot down radar systems, the missile was literally designed to be upside down. Some sources suggest the ALCM as well as the ACM had similar loadouts on the BUFF, up to 20 missiles.
The ACM was about the same length as the ALCM and carried the same warhead, but the similarities end there. The ACM had more girth than the ALCM, and was asymmetrically rounded in cross-section shape, about 29 inches in diameter. It was heavier than the ALCM, weighing in at over 3,500 lbs. It had a narrower wingspan than the ALCM at just over 10 feet, but had a more powerful F-112 turbofan engine with more than 700 lbs of thrust. It had ranges in excess of 2,000 miles, using inertial/terrain-contour matching guidance. The AGM-129A's external shape is optimized for low observable characteristics and includes forward swept wings and control surfaces, a flush air intake and a flat exhaust. These, combined with radar-absorbing material and several other features, result in a missile that was virtually impossible to detect on radar, but also complicated maintenance. Although 1,500 missiles were planned, only 460 were built as the Cold War had ended and budget cuts drove the change. In 2002, the Moscow Treaty was signed between the US and Russia to reduce deployed strategic weapons to 2,200-1,700. As part of the US commitment to the treaty, the LG-118A Peacekeeper Intercontinental Ballistic Missile was deactivated and retired, as well as the ACM. The ACM was subsequently retired before 2012.
To find this cache, calculate the coordinates from the information in this listing.
N 48° 18.ABC W 101° 19.DEF
A= Year General Dynamics was awarded a contract to develop AGM-129A, XXXN, A=(N+1)
B= Year first test ACM flew, XXXN, B=(Nx0)
C= Year in which K.I. Sawyer AFB became the first operational ACM wing, XNXX, C=(N-5)
D= Weight of ACM, X,XNX lbs, D=(N/0)
E= Quantity of ACMs built after Cold War cuts, XNX missiles, E=(Nx1)
F= Year Moscow Treaty was signed, ultimately retiring the ACM and Peacekeeper, XXXN, F=(N+1)
Dorr, R. & Peacock, L. (1995). Boeing’s Cold War Warrior: B-52 Stratofortress. London, UK; Osprey Aerospace.
http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/K_I_Sawyer_AFB.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-129_ACM
https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104543/agm-129a-advanced-cruise-missile/
https://2009-2017.state.gov/t/isn/18016.htm