The McDonnell Douglas Barbarian was a heavy-lift launch vehicle concept proposed by McDonnell Douglas in 1987 as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative.
source.image: Hazegrayart
It was designed to carry large payloads, including the proposed Zenith-Star chemical laser, into low Earth orbit. However, the project never advanced beyond the design stage.
The rocket’s central core was where engineers imagined six Delta IIs, and around it a total of three boosters would have been attached. It’s unclear how much thrust this combo would have developed, but if the competing Titan is any indication, the number would probably have been in the 8 million pounds range.
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The vehicle’s configuration included three solid-fuel boosters based on the Space Shuttle’s Solid Rocket Boosters. These were to be mounted around a circular structure composed of six Delta II main stages arranged in a ring, encircling a central Delta II main stage.
