Sunday, March 14, 2010

ATACMS

Roll-Out: Tuesday, April 26, 1988
IOC: 1989
Total Production: 1,600

ATACMS-P

IOC: 2005

Also Known As
M39

Origin
United States of America

Contractor/s
Lockheed Martin

Applications
M142 HIMARS
M270 MLRS
M270A1 MLRS

Family Members
ATACMS Block I
ATACMS Block IA
ATACMS Block IA Unitary
ATACMS Block II

Description: The ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) is a theater short range ballistic missile launched form the M270 MLRS and/or HIMARS artillery systems. It provides attack capability beyond the range of current howitzer and rocket systems. Each M270 artillery system can accommodate up to two Army TACMS missiles replacing 12 227mm rockets, six rockets per TACMS. TACMS is specially well suited to attack high payoff, time sensitive targets.

The ATACMS ballistic missile was employed for the first time in 1991 during the Gulf War military campaign in Kuwait and Iraq. The US Army has great confidence in the TACMS family of tactical missiles which provide long range, precision attack against a wide range of targets.

The ATACMS-P (Penetrator) is a special derivative of the ATACMS missile. It will integrate an ATACMS booster with a Navy reentry vehicle resulting in an improved capability to destroy hard and deeply-buried targets. The Earth Penetrating Warhead (EPW) is the key element for this new tactical missile system. The ATACMS-P or TACMS-P will be fully compatible with the M270/A1 rocket-artillery system and will have an effective range of 220 km. The flight test program was concluded in August 2005 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

Specifications
Dimensions: Diameter 610 mm, Length 4 m

Performance: Max Range 220 km (119 nm), Min Range 140 km (76 nm)

News
ATACMS Penetrator Completes Final Flight Test

HIMARS Rocket Launcher Fielded

Operators

United States of America

Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Sunday, March 07, 2010

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