Zero-length launch

The majority of ZELL experiments, which including the conversion of several front-line combat aircraft for trialing the system, occurred during the 1950s amid the formative years of the Cold War.

As envisioned, the operational use of ZELL would have employed mobile launch platforms to disperse and hide aircraft, reducing their vulnerability in comparison to being centralised around established airbases with well-known locations.

The emergence of ever-capable missiles had greatly reduced the strategic necessity of aircraft for the nuclear strike mission, while questions over practicality had also played a role.

According to aviation author Tony Moore, the concept of the zero-length launch system became popular amongst military planners and strategists during the early years of what is now known the Cold War.

[4][5] Tests of the larger F-100 Super Sabre and SM-30 (MiG-19) (with the SM-30 using the Soviet-design PRD-22R booster unit) used similar short-burn solid fueled boost motors, albeit of a much more powerful 600 kN (135,000 lbf) thrust-class output levels.

[6][7] Testing proved that the F-100 was capable of a ZELL launch even while carrying both an external fuel tank and a single nuclear weapon mounted on its hard points.

[1] The conceived mission profile would have been for the pilot to have launched a retaliatory nuclear strike against the attacker before attempting to return to any available friendly airbase, or having to eject from the aircraft if a safe landing site could not be reached.