Eric en.wikipedia.org/w... The engine also acted as a secondary weapon for the missile: direct neutron radiation from the virtually unshielded reactor would sicken, injure, or kill living things beneath the flight path; the stream of fallout left in its wake would poison enemy territory; and its strategically selected crash site would receive intense radioactive contamination. In addition, the sonic waves given off by its passage would damage ground installations.

John Olinda That's one of those projects where hindsight gives us many benefits.

☕ David Antoine I wasn't aware of that mad project ! That was maybe not a good idea, especially if that thing would have had a critical failure while still flying over US territory. Probably a big engineering feat at that time but that was a crazy thing !