America's Forbidden Doomsday Machine

Imagine a nuclear weapon so dangerous that its bombs were almost an afterthought. During the height of the Cold War, the United States developed Project Pluto and its terrifying offspring: the Supersonic Low Altitude Missile, or SLAM. Powered by an unshielded nuclear reactor, the missile was designed to fly at Mach 3 just a few hundred feet above the ground, carrying multiple hydrogen bombs while blasting everything beneath it with deafening shockwaves and a trail of radioactive exhaust. Unlike conventional missiles, it required no fuel and could theoretically remain airborne for days, crossing continents before unleashing its payload. Engineers successfully built and tested the nuclear ramjet that made the concept possible, proving that one of the most extreme weapons ever conceived could actually work. Yet as the project moved closer to reality, military planners began to realize that the missile's greatest threat might not be to America's enemies, but to anyone unfortunate enough to be beneath its flight path. This is the story of Project Pluto, the "Flying Crowbar," the nuclear-powered missile that may have been the most terrifying weapon ever designed, and how its legacy appears to be returning today in the form of Russia’s controversial Burevestnik nuclear cruise missile. --- Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between. As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.