SSGN Tit for Tat

Camel cigarette ran a real one-man helicopter ad in 1958. A bit later, the soviet union attempted to deploy a foldable, one-man, spy helicopter (mock up pictured in the left photo) launchable from submarines via standard 533mm (21") torpedo tubes. Designed to carry a payload of 242 lbs (in addition to its pilot) for 75 miles at about 68 mph and at a top altitude of one mile, the Kamov Ka-56 was never flown due to lack of suitable rotary piston engine.

Now SSGNs will be the nation's chief platforms for stealth operations. Not everyone is a fan, however. A particularly vicious attack from G2mil Quarterly is found here, for what it is worth. Obviously, mutually assured destruction is less applicable to the war on terror than its intended objectives during the Cold War.

The concept craft hovering over the SSGN has a top speed of 275 knots and will transport an entire SEAL team much, much further than 75 miles. Does it actually exist (if you knew, you would certainly not be free to reply). What is all this fuss about a cruise missile scandal, then?

Sleep well at night, because as conniving and as dastardly as modern terrorists attempt to be, they can be controlled like their antecedents through regular programs of prevention, detection, and extermination. The SSGN and its secretive payloads are the military equivalents of
The Orkin Man™. Using the most advanced technology and training, they won’t just treat the symptoms, they will definitely treat the problems. We can hardly wait for 60 Minutes to report the SEALS successes (at least 15 years later).