Regulus Missile Service and Launching Instructions

The Regulus missile was a direct outgrowth of World War II. The success of Germany’s V-1 “buzz bombs” and the awesome power of the a-bomb suggested that developing a submarine-launched, nuclear-armed guided missile was an imperitive. The Chance-Vought Aircraft Company won the contract for Regulus with a bold proposal. Their missile resembled a pilotless jet aircraft, and during the test phase was equipped with landing gear, allowing the missile to be recovered rather than expended during the tests. Regulus would be radio controlled, either by a chase aircraft or by a nearby ship or submarine, and it could carry a nuclear payload. JATO boosters enabled submarine launch of the Regulus. It would be deployed aboard five submarines. They conducted the nation’s first nuclear deterrent patrols off the coast of the Soviet Union in 1959-1964. Originally printed by the U.S. Navy and Chance-Vought, this handbook was “restricted”. It was declassified and is here reprinted in book form.