 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
| M4 (MGM-18) Lacrosse | |
|---|---|
 MGM-18 Lacrosse on an XM-398 Launcher |
|
| Type | Short Range Ballistic Missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1959-1964 |
| Used by | United States Army |
| Wars | Cold War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Johns Hopkins University
Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory |
| Designed | 1947-1956 |
| Manufacturer | The Glenn L. Martin Company |
| Produced | 1956-1960 |
| Variants | None |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2360 lb |
| Length | 19 feet 2 inches |
| Diameter | 20.5 inches |
|
|
|
| Warhead | Explosive or Nuclear |
| Blast yield | 245 lb Explosive or 1.5-10 kT Nuclear |
|
|
|
| Engine | solid fueled rocket |
| Operational range |
8-30 km |
| Speed | mach 0.8 |
| Guidance system |
Radio Command guidance |
The MGM-18 Lacrosse was a short-ranged tactical ballistic weapon intended for close support of ground troops. Its first flight test was in 1954 and was deployed by the United States Army beginning in 1959, despite being still in the development stage. The program's many technical hurdles proved too difficult to overcome and the missile was withdrawn from field service by 1964.
Contents |
History
Development
The Lacrosse project began with a United States Marine Corps requirement for a short-range guided missile to supplement conventional field artillery. The Navy's Bureau of Ordnance issued contracts to both the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University and the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory in September 1947, for the study of design aspects pertaining to this mission.
In 1950, the project was transferred from the Navy to the Army's Ordnance Corps, pursuant to a policy giving the Department of the Army responsibility over all land based short ranged weapons. Cornell and Johns Hopkins continued with the project, with the former having primary responsibility for guidance systems design.
In 1955, the Glenn L. Martin Company was awarded contracts to participate in research and development and production. Martin would take over much responsibility for the project, as Cornell moved to work on expanding the missile's capabilities beyond the original requirements (particularly in the area of airborne control, funding for which was discontinued in 1959).
Early testing began in 1954 and production prototypes were available the next year. The difficulties encountered by the project are illustrated by the protracted design and testing periods, with the missile not entering into service until July 1959. Problems included reliability concerns and difficulties with guidance, particularly susceptibility to ECM jamming of the command guidance signals.
In 1956, the Federal Telecommunications Laboratory began work on a different guidance system, known as MOD 1, which would have improved Lacrosse’s performance with regards to electronic countermeasures. MOD 1, however, was terminated in 1959, causing the United States Marine Corps to withdraw their participation in the project. The first units received Lacrosse in 1959, though the system would continue to be in need of development and refinement.
Service
The first unit to be equipped with Lacrosse was 5th Battalion, 41st Artillery, based at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In total, eight battalions would be equipped with Lacrosse, with most going to Europe, except one to Korea and one retained by the Strategic Army Corps.
Demise
Designations
The original Navy project was assigned the designator SSM-N-9. When transferred to the Army, the program became SSM-G-12, which changed to SSM-A-12 after minor changes in the army's designation scheme. When adopted into service, the weapon system was referred to as M-4 and only gained its MGM-18 designation months before being declared obsolete.
Characteristics
The Missile
Support Equipment
Launching and Guidance
References
External links
See also
Related lists
- List of military aircraft of the United States
- List of missiles
- List of United States M- sequence missiles
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
