| Country: |
United States of America |
| Alternate Name: |
MGM-16 |
| Class: |
ICBM |
| Basing: |
Surface based |
| Length: |
25.15 m |
| Diameter: |
3.05 m |
| Launch Weight: |
122470 kg |
| Payload: |
Single MK 4 RV |
| Warhead: |
Nuclear W38 3.75 MT |
| Propulsion: |
2-stage liquid |
| Range: |
14000 km |
| Status: |
Obsolete |
| In Service: |
1959-1965 |
Details
The MGM-16 Atlas was an intercontinental-range, ground-launched, liquid propellant ballistic missile. It was among the first of the US missile programs and became the first US ICBM, despite a long and bumpy development. It was cancelled and restarted early on and spent much of its development life as a low priority program with restricted funding. Later technological improvements and a decreasing size required for high yield nuclear warheads resulted in the reclassification of the Atlas as top priority. The resulting design was one of the longest-range missiles ever developed by the US. The system was retired a short time later due to being highly unreliable, time-consuming to fuel and dangerous to operate. It used a primitive side-by-side design of five liquid propellant engines.
The Atlas was the first truly strategic missile developed by the US. It was designed to allow for the deployment of high yield nuclear warheads against the Soviet Union from the safety of US soil. The missile lacked the accuracy for deployment against anything except large population centers, but this was compensated for by its powerful warhead. The system would be used to ensure the destruction of major targets while B-52 bombers would be used against general targets. As ballistic missiles could not be intercepted at the time, while bombers could be, the Atlas E and F ensured that the Soviet Union would not escape any nuclear conflict unscathed. However, the missile was a crude and impractical system which required several hours for fueling, had to be fired from above-ground launch bases and could not be kept on alert for extended periods of time.
The Atlas E and the Atlas F missiles had a reported range of over 14,000 km (8,699 miles) and deployed a single Mk 3 Reentry Vehicle (RV). The RV carried a 3.75 MT W-38 nuclear warhead with an accuracy of 3,700 m CEP. The Atlas E/F used an inertial guidance system that made flight corrections independently, allowing the missiles to be fired in salvos. It had a length of 25.15 m and a width of 3.05 m, with a launch weight of 122,470 kg. It had a two-stage, five-engine, liquid propellant design which proved highly unreliable. It reportedly had a burn-out speed of Mach 26, or was traveling 26 times the speed of sound when the engines cut off.
Development of the Atlas started in 1945, but was cancelled in 1947 due to funding shortfalls. Though the program was shortly revived, it suffered from funding restrictions and was considered low priority by the US Air Force, which preferred the development of cruise missiles to ballistic missiles. Upon the advent of improved technology and smaller nuclear warheads, the Atlas became a high priority in 1954 with a predicted operational deployment in 1960. The Atlas D entered service early in 1959 and remained in service until 1965. The Atlas E/F missiles were improved versions which were deployed along with the Atlas D. The production of Atlas missiles peaked at 125, deployed in 13 Strategic Air Command squadrons on 11 Air Force bases. It was replaced by the early Minuteman designs, which overcame a number of the difficulties with the Atlas.
Many Atlas missiles were later converted to space launch systems. The Atlas Satellite Launch Vehicle SLV-3 was a direct conversion from Atlas series of ICBM and was a crucial part of the early US space program. Many early US satellite launches were based on this rocket system. While the rocket was of dubious strategic use because of its logistical fueling problems, it proved to be a highly efficient launch platform.(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 46 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2007), 599-600.
