MGM-31 Pershing

• 1. Origins And Development

  ›

  George Bunker, president of the Martin Company, paid a courtesy call on General John Medaris at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama during 1956. This meeting sparked the creation of a missile plant near Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Martin Company opened its Sand Lake facility in Orlando by late 1957 with Edward Uhl as vice-president and general manager. The U.S. Army began studies for a ballistic missile with a range of about 300 miles that same year. Secretary of Defense Charles Erwin Wilson issued the Wilson Memorandum later in 1956 to remove all missiles with ranges over 200 miles from the Army's inventory. The Department of Defense rescinded this memorandum in 1958 allowing development to proceed under the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. ABMA selected seven companies including Chrysler, Lockheed, Douglas Aircraft, Convair, Firestone, Sperry-Rand, and Martin to develop engineering proposals. Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker faced pressure from his home state of Michigan to award the contract to Chrysler. General Medaris persuaded Brucker to let the decision rest entirely within the hands of the ABMA. After a selection process led by General Medaris and Dr. Arthur Rudolph, the Martin Company received a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and production. Martin's quality control manager Phil Crosby developed the concept of Zero Defects which enhanced system reliability. The first launch of the XM14 test missile occurred on the 25th of February 1960 at White Sands Missile Range. A second launch from the tactical transporter erector launcher took place on the 26th of July 1960 designated as P-06.

  136

• 2. Technical Architecture

  ›

  Two Thiokol solid-propellant motors powered the Pershing 1 missile through its flight path. Since a solid-propellant motor cannot be turned off once ignited, the missile used thrust reversal and case venting for selective range adjustments. Splice bands and explosive bolts attached the rocket motors together during assembly. An analog guidance computer controlled the missile using a ball-and-disk integrator and a control computer. As directed by onboard computers, bolts exploded to eject splice bands between stages. Another squib opened thrust reversal ports in the forward end of the stage to ignite propellant causing reverse direction. Testing found that the second stage would draft behind the warhead and cause it to drift off course. Explosive charges on the side of the motor opened the case and vented the propellant to correct trajectory errors. Jet vanes in the motor nozzles and air vanes on the motor case steered the missile toward targets. The onboard analog guidance computer worked with an Eclipse-Pioneer ST-120 inertial navigation system for precision guidance. The warhead could carry either a conventional explosive or a W50 nuclear weapon with three yield options. The Y1 option provided 60 kiloton yield while the Y2 offered 200 kilotons and the Y3 delivered 400 kilotons. The conventional warhead was never deployed despite being available for testing purposes.

  381416

• 3. European Deployment Strategy

  ›

  President Eisenhower viewed the Pershing missile when he visited Cape Canaveral on the 11th of February 1960 as part of Project MAN. Plans initially called for ten missile battalions including one at Fort Sill, one in Korea, and eight in West Germany. This plan eventually reduced to just one battalion at Fort Sill and three battalions stationed in West Germany. Each missile battalion organized at Fort Sill for deployment included four launchers per unit. The first tactical Pershing unit became the 2nd Missile Battalion, 44th Artillery Regiment followed by the 4th Missile Battalion, 41st Artillery Regiment deployed to Schwäbisch Gmünd. The 1st Missile Battalion, 81st Artillery moved to McCully Barracks in Wackernheim during early deployments. A second battalion formed for South Korea deployment in February 1964 but faced cancellation after support operations. The Secretary of Defense assigned the Pershing weapon system to a Quick Reaction Alert role in 1964 following a Department of Defense study. German Air Force personnel began training at Fort Sill alongside American counterparts. By 1965, three U.S. Army battalions and two German Air Force wings operated in Germany with six launchers authorized per battalion. The 579th Ordnance Company handled maintenance and logistical general support for all Pershing artillery units across Europe.

  91117

• 4. Pershing 1a Modernization

  ›

  A series of operational tests performed in 1964 determined reliability levels for the original Pershing design. The Secretary of Defense requested modifications to make the system suitable for Quick Reaction Alert missions. Development approval came in 1965 while Martin Marietta received production contracts for the improved version in 1967. Project SWAP replaced all existing equipment in Germany by mid-1970 allowing rapid achievement of QRA status. Total launcher numbers increased from eight to thirty-six per battalion during this modernization phase. Production of the Pershing 1a missile ended in 1975 before reopening in 1977 to replace expended training missiles. Further improvements arrived in 1971 replacing analog guidance computers with single digital guidance and control systems. A new main distributor routed power and signals differently than previous versions using solid-state static inverters. Mean time to repair decreased from 8.7 hours to 3.8 hours while mean time between failures rose from 32 hours to 65 hours. Modifications in 1976 allowed firing three missiles in quick succession without needing pre-surveyed sites. An Automatic Reference System used optical laser links and north-seeking gyros to eliminate survey requirements. Sequential Launch Adapters connected the programmer test station to three missiles eliminating cable connections for each launcher.

  2182123

• 5. Transition To Pershing II

  ›

  The U.S. Army replaced the Pershing 1a with the Pershing II Weapon System starting in 1983. Martin Marietta designed the Pershing II as a solid-fueled two-stage ballistic missile to serve as primary theater-level nuclear capability. The German Air Force retained their existing Pershing 1a systems until all Pershings were eliminated by 1991. Operators included multiple units such as the 56th Field Artillery Brigade active from 1972 through 1986. The 1st Battalion, 81st Field Artillery Regiment operated continuously from 1972 until system retirement in 1986. Three Missile Wings served West Germany including Missile Wing 1, Missile Group 12, and Missile Group 13. Additional groups like Missile Group 21 and Missile Group 22 supported operations throughout the region. The 2nd Missile Battalion, 44th Artillery Regiment transitioned to become part of the 3rd Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment in 1971. These units maintained readiness while preparing for eventual replacement by newer technology systems.

  5122027

• 6. Treaty Elimination Process

  ›

  The Pershing systems faced elimination after ratification of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on the 27th of May 1988. Missiles began withdrawal procedures starting in October 1988 with final destruction occurring in May 1991. Static burns of motors followed by crushing took place at Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant near Caddo Lake Texas. West Germany agreed unilaterally to remove all Pershing 1a missiles from inventory despite not being covered by treaty terms. All remaining missiles were destroyed within United States territory during this process. A total of 754 MGM-31A missiles had been built before complete phase-out commenced. Development on converting W50 warheads to new W85 types terminated following INF Treaty signing in 1987. The entire program concluded with systematic dismantling ensuring no operational threats remained in European theaters.

  11326