Project Santa Barbara
Project Santa Barbara | |
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![]() Bukang Liwayway rocket launchers on their way | |
Country | Philippines |
Key people | Ferdinand Marcos |
Status: Closed |
Project Santa Barbara was a classified missile program developed under the administration of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos during the Cold War.
Background[]
Has use | Research rocket |
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Country of origin | Philippines |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired |
Launch sites | Caballo Island Fort Magsaysay |
Total launches | 37 |
Success(es) | 1 |
Notable outcome(s) | 36 (status unknown) |
First flight | March 12, 1972 |
Project Santa Barbara was initiated by the administration of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos and it involved the Philippine Navy and a group of scientists.[1] It was conceived amidst the United States withdrawal of its armed forces in Indochina and in anticipation that the US would also withdraw its forces stationed in the Philippines.[2]
Under the program, different types of missiles were developed which are intended to intercept land, sea, and air-based threats. There were also plans to export missiles developed under the program to friendly countries.[2]
One of the missiles developed was the Bongbong rocket, named after the moniker of President Marcos' son Ferdinand Jr..[2] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States described the weapon as the Philippines' first liquid-propellant rocket.[3] The associated weaponry system of the Bongbong rocket is similar to the Soviet unguided artillery Katyusha.[4] The 37 dynamic tests were conducted, with most of the test conducted on Caballo Island. Four of the test were made in Fort Magsaysay.[1]
The first successful launch under the project involved the Bongbong rocket. The launch was made on March 12, 1972 with the rocket retrieved from the South China Sea.[1][3]
The project was discontinued due to undisclosed reasons.[2] The Philippines would be missile-capable by 2020 with the Philippine Navy's acquisition of two guide missile-capable frigates and the Philippine Air Force's F-50 Golden Eagle multi-role fighter planes.[5]
References[]
- ^ a b c d Limos, Mario Alvaro (April 21, 2021). "Bongbong Rocket: The Secret Missile Experiment of the Philippines". Esquire. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ a b Astronautics and Aeronautics,, 1972: Chronology of Science, Technology, and Policy (PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 1974. p. 96. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
March 12: Philippines successfully launched Bong Bong 11, its first liquid-propellant rocket. Rocket was successfully retrieved from South China Sea. (SBD, 3/22/72, 121)
- ^ "Philippines poised to acquire BrahMos missiles". Gulf News. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ Payumo, Mark (September 30, 2020). "How the Philippine Army Can Find Its Place in the South China Sea". Retrieved September 29, 2021.
External links[]
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxHtd1XYaCw - A 1973 parade featuring the Bongbong rocket
- Rockets and missiles
- Ferdinand Marcos
- Experimental rockets
- Philippine Army
- Secret military programs