Unfortunately the image of the Lockheed AXE/BOSS concept has been associated with the air launched "Hypersonic Glide Vehicle"/Boost Glide Vehicle. AXE and "HGV" were separate and completely unrelated programs.
AXE was an Air Force name for a concept to quickly strike 40+ Warsaw Pact airfields and keep them out of operation for 3 or more days. It was also called Conventional Airfield Attack Missile or just Airfield Attack Missile. As covered previously in this thread, there were 3 competing concepts studied:
- CAM-40, a modified Pershing II with with kinetic energy penetrators
- Ballistic Offensive Suppression System. Trident first stage with a payload of CADM submunitions.
- Total Air Base Attack System. Ballistic missile with 25-ton payload. They even studied using Saturn rockets as delivery system.
Note the BOSS graphic below shows a very different configuration than the one shown in Lockheed Horizons.
Other concepts studied included:
- A Boeing concept
- A concept using an Ariane stage as booster
All of these were to be silo based, not air launched. Each had a range of less than 1000 miles.
The European Security Study looked at these concepts. To hold 30 airfields at risk would require 900 missiles at a cost of $2-3b over 10 years, which would cost more and be less effective than cruise missiles and require fixed silos on European soil, etc.
This did not go over well with Congress and AXE and related efforts were killed in 1985.
Charles Nystrom Jr., "Air Base Attack: The Promise of Emerging Technology"
"Surface-to-surface missile recommended for NATO", Aviation Week & Space Technology June 7 1982
"Axe Funding" , Aviation Week & Space Technology December 6 1982
"Firm Studies Counter Airfield Weapon" , Aviation Week & Space Technology August 29 1983