The Bomarcs were capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads. Their intended role in defence was in an intrusion prevention perimeter. Bomarcs aligned on the eastern and western coasts of North America would theoretically launch and disintegrate enemy bombers before the bombers could drop their payload on industrial regions.
IBM designed an additional component to this called SAGE which allowed for remote launching of the Bomarc missiles.
At the height of the program there were 14 Bomarc sites located in the United States and two in Canada.