Editing GAM-87 Skybolt (section)

===WS-199 and WS-138===
In response, in 1957 the Air Force began studying solutions to the "Puzzle of Polaris" under the [[WS-199]] program. WS-199 was a grab-bag effort, studying anything that might improve the survivability of the Air Force strike capability. Primary among the concepts were two air-launched ballistic missiles, [[Bold Orion]] and [[High Virgo]]. These systems would give the Air Force a method somewhat similar to the Navy's; in times of high alert, the bomber force would be sent to holding positions far outside the range of any Soviet defenses, and then launch their missiles on command. Using [[aerial refueling]], a bomber might be expected to be able to [[loiter (flight)|loiter]] for as long as a day.

This system had a major advantage compared to Polaris, as the aircraft could be sent radio instructions to retarget the missiles before launch. In theory, the bombers could be used as a second-strike weapon, attacking only those targets that had been missed in a first-strike, or alternately, being switched from counterforce to countervalue targets or vice versa. Ground-based systems like Atlas and Polaris lacked this ability, and could only be retargeted with a significant amount of effort. Even the latest Air Force design, the [[LGM-30 Minuteman]], required changes in targeting data to be loaded from magnetic tape in a process that took several weeks.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Six-Hundred Million Dollar Mouse |journal= Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |date=November 1996 |page=68 |first=William |last=Arkin|volume= 52 |issue= 6 |doi= 10.1080/00963402.1996.11456682 |bibcode= 1996BuAtS..52f..68A }}</ref>

WS-199 was generally successful, but the two ALBMs had a shorter range than desired. The Air Force tendered bids for a longer-range version in early 1959. [[Douglas Aircraft]] received the prime contract in May, and in turn subcontracted to [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]] for the guidance system, [[Aerojet]] for the propulsion system, and [[General Electric]] for the reentry vehicle. The system was initially known as WS-138A and was given the official name GAM-87 Skybolt in 1960.