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MGM-52 Lance

 
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MGM-52 Lance
 
 
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The MGM-52 Lance was a mobile field artillery
Field artillery

Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
 tactical surface-to-surface missile
Surface-to-surface missile

A surface-to-surface missile is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship....
 system used to provide both nuclear
W70

W70 is the designation for a tactical nuclear warhead developed by the United States in the early 1970s. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory designed W70 was used on the MGM-52 Lance....
 and conventional fire support
Fire support

Fire support is long-range firepower provided to a front-line military unit. Typically, fire support is provided by artillery or close air support , and is used to shape the battlefield or, more optimistically, define the battle....
 to the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
.

first Lance missiles were deployed in 1972, replacing the less reliable Sergeant
MGM-29 Sergeant

The MGM-29 Sergeant was an American short-range, Solid rocket, surface-to-surface missile developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Activated by the US Army in 1962 to replace the MGM-5 Corporal it was deployed overseas by 1963, carrying the W52 nuclear warhead or alternatively one of high explosives....
 SRBM.

A Lance battery (two fire units) consisted of two M752
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier variants

A huge number of M113 Armored Personnel Carrier variants have been created, ranging from infantry carriers to nuclear missile carriers. The M113 Armored Personnel Carrier has become one of the most prolific armored vehicles of the second half of the 20th century, and continues to serve with armies around the world in many roles....
 launchers (one missile each) and two M688 auxiliary vehicles (two missiles each), for a total six missiles.






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The MGM-52 Lance was a mobile field artillery
Field artillery

Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
 tactical surface-to-surface missile
Surface-to-surface missile

A surface-to-surface missile is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship....
 system used to provide both nuclear
W70

W70 is the designation for a tactical nuclear warhead developed by the United States in the early 1970s. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory designed W70 was used on the MGM-52 Lance....
 and conventional fire support
Fire support

Fire support is long-range firepower provided to a front-line military unit. Typically, fire support is provided by artillery or close air support , and is used to shape the battlefield or, more optimistically, define the battle....
 to the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
.

Deployment

The first Lance missiles were deployed in 1972, replacing the less reliable Sergeant
MGM-29 Sergeant

The MGM-29 Sergeant was an American short-range, Solid rocket, surface-to-surface missile developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Activated by the US Army in 1962 to replace the MGM-5 Corporal it was deployed overseas by 1963, carrying the W52 nuclear warhead or alternatively one of high explosives....
 SRBM.

A Lance battery (two fire units) consisted of two M752
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier variants

A huge number of M113 Armored Personnel Carrier variants have been created, ranging from infantry carriers to nuclear missile carriers. The M113 Armored Personnel Carrier has become one of the most prolific armored vehicles of the second half of the 20th century, and continues to serve with armies around the world in many roles....
 launchers (one missile each) and two M688 auxiliary vehicles (two missiles each), for a total six missiles. The firing rate per unit was approximately three missiles per hour.

Deactivation

With the signing of the INF Treaty
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. Signed in Washington, D.C. by President of the United States Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, 1987, it was ratified by the United States Senate on Ma...
 in 1987, the United States Army began withdrawing Lance missiles from Europe. By 1992, all United States Army Lance warheads were in storage awaiting destruction.

Operators


In 1973, the Lance replaced the MGR-1 Honest John
MGR-1 Honest John

The MGR-1 Honest John missile was the first nuclear weapon-capable surface-to-surface rocket in the United States arsenal. Designated Artillery Rocket XM31, the first such missile was tested in 1951 and deployed in January 1953....
 system and the MGM-29 Sergeant
MGM-29 Sergeant

The MGM-29 Sergeant was an American short-range, Solid rocket, surface-to-surface missile developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Activated by the US Army in 1962 to replace the MGM-5 Corporal it was deployed overseas by 1963, carrying the W52 nuclear warhead or alternatively one of high explosives....
. It was deactivated in 1992. Following its deactivation, surplus rockets were retained to be used as targets for anti-missile systems.

The Lance used the W70
W70

W70 is the designation for a tactical nuclear warhead developed by the United States in the early 1970s. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory designed W70 was used on the MGM-52 Lance....
 nuclear warhead. The W70-3 version was one of the first warheads to be battlefield-ready with an "enhanced radiation" (neutron bomb
Neutron bomb

A neutron bomb, technically referred to as an enhanced radiation weapon , is a type of tactical nuclear weapon formerly built mainly by the United States specifically to release a large portion of its energy as energetic neutron radiation....
) capability.

The original design envisaged a chemical weapon warhead option, but this development was cancelled in 1970.

See also

  • Sea Lance
    Sea Lance

    The Sea Lance was authorized in 1980 as a successor to both the SUBROC and ASROC anti-submarine missiles.The Sea Lance was to be available in two versions, known as UUM-125A and RUM-125A....
    , a similarly named, but unrelated submarine launched missile.


External links

  • - Lance
  • - Lance Missile base in Germany


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