The LIM-99 was an experimental silo-launched surface-to-air missile developed by the United States Army in the early 1970s as part of its anti-ballistic missile (ABM) program. [1] The designation LIM stood for "Silo-Launched Interceptor Missile," with the XLIM-99A prefix denoting its experimental status. The missile was intended to intercept high-altitude strategic bombers and ballistic missiles, contributing to U.S. efforts to enhance air and missile defense capabilities during the Cold War.
On October 27, 1972, the United States Army reserved the designation XLIM-99A for a classified missile project. No formal nomenclature was officially assigned, and technical details were not publicly released. [2] Some sources indicate that the XLIM-99A designation may have been chosen to avoid confusion with the earlier IM-99A, associated with the CIM-10 Bomarc missile. The XLIM prefix denoted an experimental silo-launched interceptor missile developed under the Army’s anti-ballistic missile (ABM) program in the early 1970s.
The LIM-99 program was ultimately discontinued before reaching operational deployment, despite progressing through early development stages. [3]