MGR-3 Little John
| MGR-3A Little John | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Type | Short-range missile |
| Manufacturer | Emerson Electric Company |
| development | 1956 |
| Commissioning | 1961 |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 4.41 m |
| diameter | 317 mm |
| Combat weight | 353 kg |
| span | 600 mm |
| drive | Solid |
| Range | 18.2 km |
| Furnishing | |
| Warhead | W45-1 nuclear warhead 1-10 kt , fragmentation warhead or 52 × M139 Sarin - bomblets |
| Detonator | Impact fuse |
| Weapon platforms | Trailer train |
| Lists on the subject | |
The MGR-3 Little John was the smallest nuclear capable surface -to-surface missile ever deployed by the United States Army . The small size of the unguided rocket was due to the fact that it was intended for airborne operations . The weapon system was in service from 1961 to 1969.
development
According to Army studies in 1953, the Honest John short-range missile would become a family of surface-to-surface missiles . The plan was to build a smaller Honest John junior for the short haul and a larger Honest John senior . Over the next three years, very different preliminary studies were made at Redstone Arsenal and Douglas Aircraft Company , during which the program was renamed Little John . In 1956 the project was divided into two parts: on the one hand, a rocket was to be built quickly as an interim solution ( interim system ), and on the other hand, an optimized version with improved performance features was to be developed ( optimum system ). In February 1956, the Emerson Electric Company received the order to build twenty rockets and the necessary machines. In 1957 the interim solution was completed, but did not meet the requirements for accuracy. It had been hoped to make the weapon more accurate by means of a twist stabilization , whereby the tail section with the control fins remained immobile, while the rest of the rocket body was already rotating around its longitudinal axis on the launch pad .
They were therefore only used for troop trials and training purposes. From winter 1958 to autumn 1959, test shots with the optimum version of the Little John took place on the test site of the White Sands Missile Range . In November 1959 a limited series production of certain parts began. From 1961, the first complete missiles of the improved version were delivered to the troops ready for use. Small problems were fixed in the following years. Development officially ended in 1965.
commitment
Seven battalions were equipped with Little John in 1961 . Four of them were still active in 1966, two in the United States and two in the South Pacific . In 1969, the system was possibly decommissioned because of the introduction of a nuclear artillery shell for 155mm guns.
Versions
- XM47 - First experimental version for the rocket motor (1956).
- XM51 - Under this designation, the rocket entered actual development from 1956. When the first missiles were delivered to the airborne battalions in 1961, the X (for experimental , i.e. test version ) was deleted from the name.
- MGR-3A - New designation from 1963.
Footnotes
- ↑ LITTLE JOHN ( Memento of 4 July 2007 at the Internet Archive ) A chronological listing of Redstone Arsenal .
- ↑ See http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/r-3.html
literature
- Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States . Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 1996. ISBN 0-7643-0063-6 .
- Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rockets and Missiles . Salamander Books Ltd, 1979.
