Original vintage 1960s Avco Corporation advertisement for the company's Polaris Sea-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM).  The UGM-27 Polaris SLBM was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile, and as the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980.
 
Dimensions: Approx. 8 inches wide by 10 inches high.
 
The UGM-27 Polaris SLBM
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), and as the United States Navy's (USN) first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980.
 
In the mid-1950s, the USN was involved in the PGM-17 Jupiter liquid-fueled and nuclear-cable medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) project with the U.S. Army and had influenced the design by making it squat so it would fit in submarines.  However, the USN had concerns regarding the use of liquid fuel missiles on board ships, and consideration was given to a solid fuel version, the Jupiter S.
 
In 1956, during an anti-submarine study known as Project Nobska, nuclear weapons legend known as the “father of the hydrogen nuclear bomb,” Edward Teller suggested small hydrogen bomb warheads were possible.  A U.S, crash program to develop a missile suitable for carrying such warheads began as Polaris, which launched its first shot less than four years later, in February 1960.
 
As the Polaris missile was fired underwater from a moving platform, it was essentially invulnerable to counterattack.  This led the USN to suggest, in circa 1959, the USN be given the entire nuclear deterrent role, which led to new infighting between the USN and U.S. Air Force (USAF).  The latter responding by developing the counterforce concept that argued for the strategic bomber and ICBM as key elements in the U.S. policy of “flexible response.”  
 
Polaris formed the backbone of the USN's nuclear force aboard a number of custom-designed submarines.  In 1963, the Polaris Sales Agreement led to the United Kingdom Royal Navy taking over the UK's nuclear role – related, tests were carried out by the Italian Navy, but did not lead to its use by the Italians.
 
The Polaris missile was gradually replaced on 31 of the 41 original SSBNs in the U.S. Navy by the multiple independent reentry vehicle (MIRV)-capable Poseidon missile beginning in 1972.  During the 1980s, these missiles were replaced on 12 of these submarines by the Trident I missile.  The 10 George Washington- and Ethan Allen-class SSBNs (Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear, aka a nuclear-armed USN “boomer” sub) retained Polaris A-3 until 1980 because their missile tubes were not large enough to accommodate Poseidon.
 
With USS Ohio beginning sea trials in 1980, these submarines were disarmed and redesignated as attack submarines to avoid exceeding the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty II (SALT II) strategic arms treaty limits.
 
The Avco Corporation
Located in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Avco Manufacturing was the third-largest US producer of World War II materials. It became the Avco Corporation in 1959.
 
Avco Corporation was a US-based company that operated in the aerospace and defense industries. They manufactured aircraft engines, sensor systems, and other products to include air-launched weapons, battlefield munitions and submunitions, and ground and airborne surveillance systems.  It also specialized in vehicle protection and radiation detection systems, as well as aircraft engines.
 
Of note, Avco was involved in the Apollo space program and the development of ICBMs, and played a major role in the legendary Apollo missions of the 1960s and early 1970s.  NASA chose Avco to design and install the heat shield, and the defense company pioneered the heat-resistant material that charred to form a protective coating and block the heat from penetrating the space capsule.  It also developed Chartek fire-retardant material for the Apollo spacesuit, which delayed the suit's temperature build-up during a fire and could swell to six times its thickness to create a protective barrier.
 
In 1985, Textron acquired Avco, which nearly doubled in size with the acquisition, transitioned the business to Textron Defense Systems which evolved into today’s Textron Systems Weapons & Sensor Systems.  A leader in intelligence-gathering capabilities and advanced protection systems necessary for mission success, Weapons and Sensor Systems continues to provide these heat resistant materials—the thermal protection material of choice for the current NASA Orion Crew Exploration vehicle program.
 
Avco operates in the defense and aerospace industry, manufacturing air-launched weapons, submunitions, battlefield munitions and sensor systems, and ground and airborne surveillance systems.  It also specializes in vehicle protections and radiation detection systems, as well as aircraft engines.