Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
U.S. MGM-52C Lance Missile on Zero-Length Launcher
Photographed By James Hulse, September 9, 2021
1. U.S. MGM-52C Lance Missile on Zero-Length Launcher Marker
Inscription.
U.S. MGM-52C Lance Missile on Zero-Length Launcher. . The Lance was a U.S. Army tactical surface to surface nuclear missile of the Cold War. The Lance entered service in June of 1972, replacing the Honest John artillery rocket that entered service in 1954 and the Sergeant Battlefield Support Missile of 1962 vintage. The Lance carried nuclear or conventional high-explosive warheads to attack targets such as artillery, armored forces, missile sites, troop concentrations and railroad yards. This Lance was carried and launched from a 'Zero Length' Launcher that was towed by a 2 ˝ ton truck or carried beneath a helicopter. The rocket motor was the Rocketdyne P8E-9, which burned two liquid propellants that ignited spontaneously when mixed in the combustion chamber of the motor. The motor burned from 1.5 to 6 seconds depending on the range to the target. Guidance was from DC-Automet (Directional control-automatic meteorological compensation), which injected. fuel into the exhaust stream to control the flight of the missile. The nuclear warhead was a 'dial a nuke' type that could be varied up to 10 kilotons. The conventional high-explosive warhead was the Honeywell M251 that distributed 636 BLL-63 bomblets over an area of 2,600 feet across., Length - 20 ft. 3 in. - 6.17 m , Weight - 3,365 lbs. - 1,526 kg , Nuclear Warhead - 75 miles - 120 km , Conventional Warhead - 45 miles - 72 km , Warhead - 10 kT Nuclear/ Conventional
The Lance was a U.S. Army tactical surface to surface nuclear missile of the Cold War. The Lance entered service in June of 1972, replacing the Honest John artillery rocket that entered service in 1954 and the Sergeant Battlefield Support Missile of 1962 vintage. The Lance carried nuclear or conventional high-explosive warheads to attack targets such as artillery, armored forces, missile sites, troop concentrations and railroad yards. This Lance was carried and launched from a 'Zero Length' Launcher that was towed by a 2 ˝ ton truck or carried beneath a helicopter. The rocket motor was the Rocketdyne P8E-9, which burned two liquid propellants that ignited spontaneously when mixed in the combustion chamber of the motor. The motor burned from 1.5 to 6 seconds depending on the range to the target. Guidance was from DC-Automet (Directional control-automatic meteorological compensation), which injected. fuel into the exhaust stream to control the flight of the missile. The nuclear warhead was a 'dial a nuke' type that could be varied up to 10 kilotons. The conventional high-explosive warhead was the Honeywell M251 that distributed 636 BLL-63 bomblets over an area of 2,600 feet across.
Length - 20 ft. 3 in. - 6.17 m
Weight - 3,365 lbs. - 1,526 kg
Nuclear Warhead - 75 miles - 120 km
Conventional Warhead - 45 miles -
Click or scan to see this page online
72 km
Warhead - 10 kT Nuclear/ Conventional
Erected by U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum. (Marker Number 066.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, Cold. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1972.
Location. 34° 40.029′ N, 98° 23.206′ W. Marker is in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in Comanche County. Marker is at the intersection of Corral Road and Randolph Road when traveling west on Corral Road. The marker is located in the central section of Artillery Park at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Sill OK 73503, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. The view of the U.S. MGM-52C Lance Missile on Zero-Length Launcher and Marker
and Museum are located on Fort Sill, an active U.S. military installation. The museum is open to the public, but appropriate identification is required for access for Fort Sill.
Also see . . . U.S. Army Artillery Museum. (Submitted on February 23, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 23, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 116 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 23, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
