Pershing - Mission Complete - Retired With Honor

8/10/2019 Pershing - Mission Complete - Retired With Honor

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FINAL

ELIMINATION

PERSIDNG n WEAPON SYSTEM

LONGHORN ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT, TEXAS

MAY

99

MISSION COMPLETE ... RETIRED WITH HONOR

PERSHING


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Th is

photo was taken

du ring

the .first Anny

elimina tiDn

of

INF

Treaty

related items

on September 8, 1988, at Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant

inTexas.

First

stage motors.from

a

PERSHING

II

and

a

PERSHING

1

a

were

static .fired.

then

the cases were placed in a hydraulic crustier and

.flattened.

The last PERSHING

a

motors were destroyed

on

July

6, 1989,

and the

.final

two PERSHING II motors were eliminated inMay 1991.

Special

thanks

to

the

Historical Division, U.S. Army Missile Command,

who

prepared this

booklet.


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- - Vice President George Bush

8 September 1988

Longhorn Army Ammunition

Plant

'The PERSHING Missile System strengthened deterrence and was

concrete evidence of United States resolve. If

we had not deployed . . .

[PERSHING]here would not be an INF Treaty today.


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5/201

Conceivedas a replacement for the REDSTONE. he PERSHING was

first deployed in August 1963. A second generation system, the PERSHING

la began replacing

the

PERSHING

I

in 1969. The improved system

provided increased reliability

and

flexibility.additional ease of maintenance,

lower mission cost. and enhanced operational time.

An evolutionary improvement of the PERSHING la system, the

PERSHING I was first deployed in December 1983. Through

the use

of

a

The PERSHING

Missile System

Responsibility for

systems management and

engineering of

the

PERSHING program was initially assigned to

the

Army Ballistic Missile

Agency ABMA)

at

Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, in 1958. A series of project

directors exercised full

authority

for

the

program's overall development.

When ABMAwas absorbed into

the

Army Ordnance Missile Command

AOMC)

on December 11, 1961,

the

PERSHING, like all

other

major

weapon systems assigned to AOMC, entered under a form of project

management. This project office was the direct forerunner to the vertical

project management system established by

the U

.S. Anny Materiel

CommandAM C)

on August

1 , 1962.

The U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM).

a

major

subordinate

command of AMC,was activated at Redstone Arsenal on this same date.

The PERSHINGwas one of the original 30 items placed under this form of

management at MICOM.The PERSHING Project Office remained under

MICOM's

urisdiction until

May

1 ,

1987, when

the

Program Executive

Office (PEO) for Fire Support was established at Redstone Arsenal,

Alabama.

After the historic Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces INF) Treaty

between the United States and the U.S.S.R. became effective on June 1,

1988, the PERSHING Project Officesubsequently returned to MICOM's

jurisdiction in

March 1989. Responsibility for PERSHING

project

management

was placed

under the

direction of

the

newly established

MICOMWeapon Systems Management Directorate on August 27, 1989.

The PERSHING Protect omce

THE

PERSHING WEAPON SYSTEM AND

ITS ELIMINATION


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2

In accordance with INF Treaty provisions, all of

the

U.S.

Air Force

s

Ground Launched Cruise Missiles (GLCMs)and the U.S. Army s tactical

PERSHING II missile stages, launchers, trainers, and deployed reentry

vehicles

had

to be eliminated by May 31, 1991. The Army s PERSHING la

missiles had to be eliminated within 18 months of the treatys effective

date. A total of234 PERSHING II missiles and 169 PERSHING la missiles

were covered by the treaty. Army contractors completed

the

destruction

of the last PERSHING la missiles on July 6, 1989, five months ahead of

schedule. The last PERSHING II was eliminated in May 1991.

The majority of PERSHING missile stages were burned (static fired)

and then crushed, primarily at Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant. Texas,

or at Pueblo Depot Activity, Colorado. Representatives from the Soviet

Inspection Team and the U.S. On-Site Inspection Agency were present to

witness the elimination process.

The

launchers

were disassembled

and

major

components-the

major

parts of the erection mechanism arid launcher chassis-were cut in half.

These treaty limited items were destroyed at Pueblo Depot Activity or at

the Equipment Maintenance Center-Hausen (an activity of the Mainz

Army Depot) near Frankfurt, Germany. Trainers were either cut in half or

detonated.

Each side also had permission to destroy 15 missiles and launchers

by disabling,

then

permanently exhibiting

them

in

museums and

similar

facilities. The 15 U.S. missiles and launchers were split between the

Army s PERSHING II and the Air Forces GLCMs.

A PERSHING

II

missile and launcher were put on display at the Field

Artillery Museum, Fort Sill. Oklahoma: White Sands Missile Range, New

limination of the

P RSIUNG

MlHile System

terminally guided reentry vehicle with a new warhead, new propulsion

sections

and modified PERSHING la ground support equipment. the

PERSHING II provided increased effectiveness covering longer ranges

with reduced collateral damage over

the

PERSHING

la

.

The increased range and pinpoint accuracy of the PERSHING II were

major factors influencing the Soviet Union s decision to seek the Treaty

on Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces in which the United States and the

U .S.S.R. agreed to eliminate an entire class of nuclear missiles.


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4

28 Mar 58 The Martin Company of Orlando,

Florida

was awarded

a

cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF)

letter contract

for

research,

development, and initial production of the PERSHING I

system

under the

technical supervision

and

concept control

of

the

Government.

19 Feb 58 The Secretary of the Army assigned responsibility for

the

overall direction of

the

PERSHING

I

missile development

program to

the

Army Ballistic Missiles Committee. At

the

same time,

he

gave responsibility for systems management

and

engineering of

the

PERSHING development to ABMA.

16

Jan

58 The Department of Defense

DOD) announced that the

new

solid-propellant missile

had

been named

the

PERSHING

n

honor

of General of the Armies of

the

United

States John J.

(Blackjack) Pershing, famed commander of

the

American

Expeditionary Forces during World War

I

7

Jan

58 The

Joint

Chiefs of Staff recommended

and the

Secretary of

Defense approved

the

authorization for the Army to proceed

with development of

a

solid-propellant missile to replace

the

REDSTONE. This approved replacement was known at

ABMA

as

the REDSTONE-$

solid) .

14 Nov 56 The Ordnance Corps forwarded the

request

for

a

medium

range ballistic missile

MRBM ) study

to the Army Ballistic

Missile Agency ABMA) thus generating the basic requirement

for

the

system to be known

as the

PERSHING missile.

31 Oct 56 The Chief of Research and Development, Department of the

Army

DA).

requested

that the

Ordnance Corps conduct

a

feasibility

study

of

a

ballistic missile

With

a

required range

of 500

nautical

miles

and a

maximum range of 750

nautical

miles.

PERSHING MISSILE SYSTEM CHRONOLOGY

1956 1991


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10/206

Sep 63 Germany formally accepted

a

Military

Assistance

Program

MAP) offerfora joint maintenance floatand support services

for the PERSHING

I

Feb 63 The PERSHING modification program began.

Dec 62 The PERSHINGI's

readiness date

was

met

when

the

first

tactical missile (Missile 505) was delivered. It later became

the

first PERSHING service

test

missile fired in Apr 63.

31 Oct 62 Martin Marietta delivered the first tactical Ordnance and

Artillery ground support equipment sets for the PERSHING

I

1

Aug 62 The PERSHING I became one of the original items placed

under

project

management

by

the

U

.

S. Army Materiel

Command

AMC) .

Jun 62 The first battery of the first U.S. Army PERSHING

I

tactical

missile

battalion-the

2d Missile Battalion.

44th Artillery

was

activated

.

Oct 61 The Martin Marietta Corporation received

the

first production

contract

for PERSHING

I tactical

missiles

and ground

support

equipment

.

Oct 61 The Martin Company was consolidated with

the

American

Marietta Company. forming the Martin Marietta Corporation.

Nov 60 The U

.

S

.

Army Artillery

and

Missile School

at

Fort Sill,

Oklahoma, was designated as the proponent agency in the

preparation

of Army

training programs

for

the

PERSHING

I

system.

18 Apr 59 ABMA accepted the first PERSHING I missile from the

research and

development

contract

definitized with Martin

on 25Jun

58


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May 69 The

first

PERSHING

a

CONUS

battalion-the

2d Battalion,

44thArtillery-received its equipment.

This

battalion's main

mission was training.

31 Jul 68 AMC granted authority for limited release of PERSHING la

equipment designated for continental United States

(CONUS)

deployment.

Aug 67 Martin Marietta received the production contract for the

PERSHING la.

28 Mar 67 The PERSHING I accomplished a significant first when B

Battery, 3d Battalion, 84th Artillery, which was deployed to

Germany, successfully launched two missiles simultaneously

and a third missile 30 minutes later from Blanding, Utah

into White Sands Missile Range (WSMR).

24 May 65 The Secretary of Defense approved the PERSHING la

development program.

4 Dec 64 The Secretary of Defense requested that the Army define the

modifications

required

to

make the

PERSHING I

suitable

for

the QRA role. This directive initiated the PERSHING la

program.

25 Jun 64 The REDSTONE missile

which the PERSHING

I

replaced

was classified obsolete.

Jun 64 The first U.S. PERSHING I unit to be deployed overseas-the

4th

Missile Battalion,

4lst Artillery-became

operational.

Mar 64 The first German PERSHING I wing began unit training at

Fort Sill

Oklahoma.

Jan 64 The Secretary of Defense assigned the PERSHING

I

weapon

system to a Quick Reaction Alert

QRA)

role after a DOD

study showed that the PERSHING I would be superior to

tactical aircraft for the QRA

mission

.


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To increase thesystem's ability

to

shoot move,and communicate in a Quick Reaction Alert

QRAJ role

in January

1966,

the Army awarded a

contract

for

new ground equipment

designated PERSHING a. Under

this

program, there

was

no change to the basic 35-joot. in-

ertially

-

guided

missile

.

The

biggest

outward

change

in

the

system

was

the shift.from tracked

vehicles to wheels

for all ground

support equipment including an improved erector-lawu:her

Faster

erecting lawu:hers

and

the introduction

of solid

state electronics contributed to a more

rapid

rate of fire and even greater

reliability

Jul 70 DelivertesofPERSHINGa equipment forArmyrequirements

were completed.

18 Mar 70 Project SWAPwas completed ahead of schedule.

22 Jan 70 Germany officiallyaccepted the SWAPprogram.

Sep 69 The conversion from PERSHING

I

to PERSHING la for the

first U.S. European battalion-the 4th Battalion. 4lst

Artillery-was completed. This initiated Project SWAP, a

program for replacing PERSHING

I

equipment deployed to

Europe with PERSHING la equipment.


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13 Dec 85 The PERSHING II weapon system successfully achieved full

operational capability in Europe.

1 Aug 84 The CONUS deployment of the PERSHING II began.

30 Jun 84 Deployment of the first PERSHING II battalion was completed

in Europe.

15 Dec 83 The initial operational capability for

the

PERSHING

II

was

achieved when the 56th Field Artillery Brigade received its

equipment.

Apr 83 The central training facility for transition training from

PERSHING la to PERSHING I was activated

at

Cape Canaveral

Air Force Station, Florida.

Aug 82 The PERSHING Project Office celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Dec 81 The PERSHING

II

program entered

the

production

phase

.

19 Feb 80 President Jimmy Carter awarded the PERSHING II program

the BRICK-BAT DX) priority rating, the highest national

priority granted to a system.

Dec 79 The NATO Ministers formally approved the basing of the

PERsHING II missile system in Western Europe.

20 Feb 79 The PERSHING II system formally entered the engineering

development stage.

18 Nov 77 The first PERSHING

II

missile advanced development firing

took place.

Mar 75 The contract option to begin the PERSHING advanced

development was exercised.

7 Mar 7 4 The Deputy Secretary of Defense authorized the Anny to

proceed with the advanced development of the PERSHING

II.


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Oct 88 Tue elimination through static burn (firing)of PERSHING a

rocket motors began on a regularly scheduled basis at

Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant. An average of 48 first

and

second stage motors were eliminated per month by

Morton Thiokol contractor personnel. Representatives from

the

Soviet Inspection Team

and the

On-Site Inspection

Agency were present to witness the elimination process.

8 Sep 88 The U.S. Army began eliminating PERSHINGmissile rocket

motors

as

prescribed in

the

INF Treaty when

a

PERSHING

II and a PERSHING a first stage motor were static fired at

Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, Texas. Following the

firings, both cases were placed in a hydraulic crusher and

flattened.

1 Sep 88 In accordance with the provisions of the INF Treaty and the

approved schedule the stand down of the first PERSHING

II United

States

Army, Europe (USAREUR)

attery

began.

2

Jun

88 A CPFF

contract was

awarded to

the

Thiokol Corporation for

the elimination of PERSHINGrocket motors by static firing

to meet

the requirements

of

the

INF Treaty. This

contract

also provided for the crushing and disposal of PERSHING a

motor cases and nozzles.

1

Jun

88 Tue PERSHING INF Management Control Center became

operational on a 24-hour basis at Redstone Arsenal.

27 May 88 Tue U.S. Senate ratified the INF Treaty.

8 Dec 87 Tue United States and the

U

.S.S.R. signed the Intermediate

Range Nuclear Forces

INF)

Treaty.

20 to 21 Tue first PERSHING II

night launches

occurred

at

Cape

May 87 Canaveral

Air

Force Station, Florida. One of

the

missiles

launched during this testing marked the 500th fl.ightof the

overall PERSHINGprogram, which included

the

PERSHING

I, PERSHING la, and PERSHING II.


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11

The

PERSHING

II

missile system

still

measured

about

35

feet in

lengthand approximately

40 inches

in

diameter,

but

weighed 16,467

pounds and

had

a stgnljlcantly

increased range

of

1800

kilometers or

1.200

miles. A two-stage. solid-propellant missile. the PERSHING II

was

equipped

with

one

nuclear warhead It was .first

deployed

in

December 1983

with the

U

Anny's 56th

Fteld

Artillery Brigade

now

called

Command) in the Federal Republic

of

Germany.


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12

As

ordered by

the Joint

Chiefs of Staff, pieces of PERSHING

II

missiles were delivered to

the

United Nations in New York

City for

use

with Soviet SS-20 missile pieces in

a permanent

art

exhibit

at the

U.N. being designed by

a

Soviet

artist.

The last CONUS reaty-related items consisting of PERSHING

II

launchers and trainer

missile

stages

were retrograded

from Redstone Arsenal

and

Fort Sill to Pueblo Depot

Activity.

The dedication ceremony for

a

PERSHING

II/SS-20

missile

INF Treaty display was held

at the

Smithsonian

Air and

Space Museum, Washington, D.C. A similar exhibit is on

display

at the

Soviet

Military

Museum in Moscow.

The

last

PERSHING la motor stages were eliminated

at


Plant

five

months ahead

of

schedule.

A total of

343

PERSHING la motor stages were

destroyed, marking

the first

time

an

entire class of

nuclear

weapons

had

been eliminated.

20 Sep 90

Sep to

Oct 90

18

Jun

90

6

Jul

89

13 May 89 After

further

negotiations in Geneva,

Switzerland

between

the U.S. and Soviet governments, the Soviet Inspection

Team began accepting incomplete PERSHING a motors for

elimination.

Dec 88 The initial elimination of nine PERSHING first

and

second

stage motors,

reentry

vehicles, warhead

and radar

section

airframes,

and

18

trainer

stages was completed

at

Pueblo

Depot Activity, Colorado.

Oct 88 The first nine PERSHING

I launchers

were eliminated

at the

Equipment Maintenance Center-Hausen, Frankfurt. Federal

Republic of Germany.


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13

May 91

The 56th

Field

Artillery Command

(PERSHING)

and

subordinate elements deactivated

,

ending three decades of

PERSHING ervice to the nation.

May 91 The first and second stage rocket motors of he last PERSHING

II missiles were

eliminated at


Plant. This was in accordance with INF Treaty provisions

requiring the elimination of an entire class of nuclear

missiles by both the United States and U.S.S.R. no later

than 31May91.

1 Nov 90 The last CONUSPERSHING I battery stood down at Fort

Sill Oklahoma, and the battalion-the 3 /9th FieldArtillery

was deactivated.

1 Oct 90 At 1800

hours Central European

time,

the last tactical

PERSHING I missile stage was put in its container and

verified safe to ship.

FY 90 The German Air Force

GAF)

unilaterally agreed to the

retrograde of the PERSHING a system from their inventory.

The GAFwould keep the system fielded through mid-May

1991, after which time the United States would eliminate

the GAFPERSHINGa motors.


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Pershing - Mission Complete - Retired With Honor