The ASM-135A carried by the Eagle was the only US air-launched missile ever to destroy a satellite, and the original image showing the F-15 firing an ASAT was taken on Sep. 13, 1985.
Shared by the 412th Test Wing on Edwards Air Force Base’s Facebook page on May 4 in honor of Star Wars Day, the humorous, photoshopped lead image in this post shows the sole F-15A ASAT testbed launching a Vought ASM-135A Anti-Satellite Missile (ASAT) at the Death Star space station.
Although the F-15 never took on a fictional galactic superweapon, the ASM-135A it carried remains the only U.S. air-launched missile to have destroyed a satellite, and the original photos of the Eagle launching an ASAT, shown below, were captured on Sept. 13, 1985.
As Steve Markman and Bill Holder explain in their book One-of-a-Kind Research Aircraft, the Department of Defense has pursued the development of an anti-satellite weapon system for decades, with numerous ambitious but unsuccessful attempts dating back to the 1960s. While most of those efforts were highly complex, a 1980s program involving a fighter-launched missile ultimately demonstrated that such a system was achievable.
Why the Pentagon Needed an Anti-Satellite Weapon
By the early 1980s, American defense planners faced a Cold War vulnerability: Soviet satellites had become critical to Moscow’s military operations, from targeting to communications. The U.S. possessed no reliable counter to orbital assets—and the Soviets were developing their own ASAT capability. Every major technological edge could be neutralized from space. The Department of Defense had spent decades chasing the idea of knocking satellites out of orbit, but previous attempts were either too complex, too slow, or too unreliable to work in wartime. The answer didn’t require building something new. It required using what was already proven: a fighter jet that could climb higher than almost any other aircraft. The F-15 Eagle, already operational across the U.S. Air Force, could deliver that speed and altitude. What it needed was the right missile.
The ASAT Program Origins and Design
The ASAT program originally started as an offshoot of the Prototype Miniature Air Launched Segment (PMALS) anti-satellite initiative. As it developed further, the program’s name was changed from PMALS to the more clearly descriptive ASAT designation.
The program required modifying an F-15A so it could carry and launch a 2,700-pound (1,224 kg), two-stage missile. Its first stage was derived from the AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile (SRAM), while the second used a 6,000-pound-thrust Altair III Thiokol rocket motor. The system also incorporated a seeker and small rocket motors to help keep the missile on its intended trajectory.
The Numbers Behind the Shot
The ASM-135A system demanded precision engineering. The missile itself weighed 2,700 pounds (1,224 kg)—light enough to be carried by the F-15 but massive enough to carry a powerful warhead and guidance system. Its two-stage design split the workload: the first stage, derived from the AGM-69 SRAM air-to-ground missile, provided the initial boost, while the Altair III solid-rocket motor delivered 6,000 pounds (26.7 kN) of thrust to achieve the velocity needed to intercept an orbital target traveling at 17,500 mph (28,164 km/h). On test day, the F-15 achieved 80,000 feet (24,384 meters), trading speed for altitude in a near-vertical “zoom” climb. At that height, with less than half the sea-level atmosphere to push through, the ASAT had its best chance. The Solwind satellite orbited at 345 miles (555 kilometers) altitude—reachable, but just barely.
Aircraft and Weapons Modifications
The program was organized into two phases: modifications to the F-15A launch testbed and development of the weapon system itself.
Group A: Aircraft Modifications
Aircraft modifications, referred to as Group A, included installing a modified central computer, enlarged environmental control system (ECS) ducting, a reinforced ammunition bay cover, and an ammunition conveyor restraint.
Group B: Missile System Components
Group B components related to the missile included a staged ASAT missile, a dedicated centerline pylon, a modified ammo door, and a carrier aircraft equipment (C&E) pallet.
The Launch Method: The Zoom Maneuver
The launch method relied on the so-called “Zoom” maneuver, in which the aircraft gave the missile a substantial speed boost before release. Launching the missile at a very high altitude also significantly reduced the aerodynamic drag it would have encountered at lower heights.
September 13, 1985: The Historic Test
The system underwent a single live-fire test on Sept. 13, 1985, when the F-15 climbed along an almost vertical flight path to 80,000 feet before releasing the missile. The aircraft used in the program was one of several F-15s stationed at Edwards Air Force Base for a range of test support roles. During the test, the ASAT destroyed the U.S. Solwind P-78-1 Gamma Ray Spectrometer satellite, which served as the target. Although the launch was successful, no further tests were conducted, and the one-of-a-kind ASAT system, created to counter suspected Soviet satellites, was not pursued any further.
A Single Shot, No Encore
The success on September 13, 1985, vindicated years of debate and skepticism. In one shot, the U.S. Air Force proved that a fighter-launched anti-satellite system wasn’t theoretical—it worked. Yet this singular achievement marked both triumph and ending. No additional tests followed. The one-of-a-kind F-15 ASAT remained exactly that: one aircraft, one missile type, one demonstrated capability. The program was shelved just as it proved viable, a casualty of budget constraints and shifting strategic priorities. The Eagle that flew that mission had achieved something no other U.S. military aircraft ever would: the only confirmed destruction of a satellite by an air-launched American weapon. It was a record that would stand for decades—in part because no one else would try.
Why This Matters 40 Years Later
The F-15 ASAT test remains classified in its operational details, yet its significance only grows. As satellite technology becomes central to modern warfare—GPS, communications, targeting—the 1985 test serves as a historical marker: the moment when the U.S. proved an aircraft could reach into orbit. No other nation’s fighter has replicated that feat. Today, as anti-satellite weapons development accelerates globally, the F-15’s unique achievement stands as a reminder of what air superiority looked like when it meant reaching beyond the atmosphere itself.
Further Reading
One-of-a-Kind Research Aircraft is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Air Force and Edwards Air Force Base Facebook page
