Polaris missile in the USA 1968

A UGM-27 Polaris missile in the USA, circa June 1968, prepared for transport on a specialized trailer. The photograph captures the Polaris A-3 variant.

The Polaris was the U.S. Navy’s first solid-fuel, nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and a critical component of the Cold War nuclear deterrent. The A-3 model, which began deployment in 1964, had an extended range of 2,500 nautical miles and carried three separate nuclear warheads. Production of the Polaris missile ended in June 1968, making this a timely photograph.

In the background, the distinctive tail of a Military Airlift Command (MAC) aircraft, possibly a C-141 Starlifter or C-124 Globemaster II, with the tail number 38083, is visible. This suggests the missile was likely at an Air Force or joint military base during its transit. The use of solid fuel in the Polaris program was a significant technological advancement that allowed safe launching from submerged submarines using compressed air, a method that eliminated the hazards associated with the liquid fuels used in earlier missiles like the Jupiter IRBM.