Gun and air-launched anti-satellite concepts

The United States considered using a very large gun against satellites, but the idea did not work. An American air-launched anti-satellite weapon did succeed in a test, although destroying a satellite produced a large debris cloud in orbit. That environmental and operational consequence made another destructive demonstration hard to justify. Later comments complicate the simple converted-Phoenix shorthand: Phoenix depended on aircraft-supplied coolant, and only some technological commonality is claimed rather than identity. A military might retain examples in storage, although this is speculation and no surviving stock is confirmed.