It had a range of 6 miles and a 1.5kt yield and was intended for use against bomber formations.
It's not like it was a dogfighting missile you'd loose at 500 yards. :)
The AIR-2A Genie is an air-to-air rocket with a nuclear warhead designed for use against formations of enemy bombers. It has no guidance system and is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor. The AIR-2 (formerly known as the MB-1) was first test-launched in 1956 and became operational in January 1957. On July 19, 1957, a Genie was launched at 18,000 feet from an F-89J interceptor and detonated over Yucca Flats, Nev. It was the first and only test detonation of a U.S. nuclear-tipped air-to-air rocket.
The AIR-2A was carried primarily by F-89J, F-101B and F-106A interceptor aircraft. Thousands were built for the USAF before production ended in 1962; they remained in service until the mid-1980s. A training version of the Genie with an inert rocket motor and no nuclear warhead, known as the ATR-2, was also in service.
It was a crazy world with the US probably doing more insane things than the Rooskies who had to catch up to us as we tried to catch up to the non-existent "missile gap"
But these were to take down incoming Russian nuclear bombers, so it was a rationally insane idea - you had to think about it before realizing it was a screwball idea rather than recognize that it was bat-shit crazy out of the box.
It looks like a miniature V2…
It had a range of 6 miles and a 1.5kt yield and was intended for use against bomber formations.
It's not like it was a dogfighting missile you'd loose at 500 yards. :)