Neha Patil (Editor)

MGM 52 Lance

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Place of origin
  
United States

Manufacturer
  
LTV

In service
  
1972–1992

MGM-52 Lance

Type
  
Tactical ballistic missile

Used by
  
U.S. Army, Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, and West Germany

Unit cost
  
~US$800K (1996 dollars)

The MGM-52 Lance was a mobile field artillery tactical surface-to-surface missile (tactical ballistic missile) system used to provide both nuclear and conventional fire support to the United States Army. The missile's warhead was developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It was replaced by MGM-140 ATACMS, which was initially intended to likewise have a nuclear capability during the cold war.

Contents

Deployment

The first Lance missiles were deployed in 1972, replacing (together with the US-Navy's nuclear-tipped RIM-2D & RIM-8E/B/D) the earlier Honest John rocket and Sergeant SRBM ballistic missile, greatly reducing the weight and bulk of the system, while improving both accuracy and mobility.

A Lance battery (two fire units) consisted of two M752 launchers (one missile each) and two M688 auxiliary vehicle (two missiles each), for a total six missiles. The firing rate per unit was approximately three missiles per hour.

Payload

The payload consisted either of a W70 nuclear warhead with a yield of 1–100 kt or a variety of conventional munitions. The W70-3 nuclear warhead version was one of the first warheads to be battlefield-ready with an "enhanced radiation" (neutron bomb) capability. Conventional munitions included cluster bombs for use against SAM-Sites, heat seeking Anti-Tank Cluster munitions or a single unitary conventional shape-charged warhead for penetrating hard targets and for bunker busting. The original design considered a chemical weapon warhead option, but this development was cancelled in 1970.

Deactivation

The Lance missile was removed from service following the end of the Cold War and was partially replaced in the conventional role by the MGM-140 ATACMS.

Former operators

 United States United States Army

  • 1st Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment (1973–1992) Fort Sill, Oklahoma
  • 1st Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment (1975–1991) Hanau, Germany
  • 6th Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment (1975–1987); redesignated as 6th Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment (1987–1991) Fort Sill (One battery was forward deployed to South Korea)
  • 2nd Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment (1974–1987); redesignated as 4th Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment (1987–1991) Crailsheim, Germany
  • 3rd Battalion, 79th Field Artillery Regiment (1974–1986); redesignated as 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment (1986–?) Giessen, Germany
  • 1st Battalion, 80th Field Artillery Regiment (1974–1987); redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment (1987–1991) Aschaffenburg, Germany
  • 1st Battalion, 333rd Field Artillery Regiment (1973–1986); redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment (1986–?) Wiesbaden, Germany
  • 2nd Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment (1974–1987); redesignated as 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment (1987–1992) Herzogenaurach, Germany

    •  United Kingdom British Army

  • 50th Missile Regiment Royal Artillery

    •  Israel Israeli Defence Forces

     Netherlands Royal Netherlands Army

  • 129th Artillery Battalion (1979–1992)

    •  Belgium Belgian Land Component

  • 3rd Artillery Battalion

    •  Italy Italian Army

  • 3rd Missile Brigade "Aquileia" (up to 1991, then from 1992 to 2001, 3rd Missile Rgt)

    •  Germany German Army

  • 150th Rocket Artillery Battalion
  • 250th Rocket Artillery Battalion
  • 350th Rocket Artillery Battalion
  • 650th Rocket Artillery Battalion

    • References

    MGM-52 Lance Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA