The Rockair was first suggested by Hermann Oberth in his 1929 book Wege zur Raumschiffahrt. Rockair concepts were developed by both the United States Air Force and Navy, both generally finding marginal use in the concept. reached an altitude of 54,864 m (180,000 ft). The Air Force followed up with their first air-launched sounding rocket concept on December 13, 1956, under the name "Rockaire". A Deacon rocket was used, launched from a F-86 fighter aircraft.
The Navy Rockair had a total of 5 launches, while the Air Force Rockaire had a total of 4 for a combined 9 launches.
According to a NASA historical summary,