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Jupiter (missile)

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Jupiter (missile)
Jupiter (missile)
source
NameJupiter
CaptionA Jupiter missile on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral
TypeMedium-range ballistic missile (MRBM)
OriginUnited States
Used byUnited States Air Force, Italian Air Force, Turkish Air Force
DesignerChrysler Corporation under contract to the United States Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA)
Design date1956–1958
ManufacturerChrysler Corporation
Production date1958–1961
Service1961–1963
EngineRocketdyne S-3D liquid-fuel rocket
Weight49,800 kg (110,000 lb)
Length18.3 m (60 ft)
Diameter2.67 m (8 ft 9 in)
SpeedMach 13+
Vehicle range2,400 km (1,500 mi)
GuidanceInertial navigation system
Launch platformMobile transporter-erector-launcher

Jupiter (missile) was a pivotal American medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) developed during the late 1950s. Designed by the United States Army Ballistic Missile Agency under the leadership of Wernher von Braun, it was a key component of Cold War nuclear deterrence in Europe. The missile's deployment to Italy and Turkey played a direct role in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Development and design

The Jupiter program originated from the United States Army's desire for a mobile, land-based missile to complement the United States Air Force's Thor IRBM. Development was led by the United States Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, with Chrysler as the prime contractor. The design team, which included many former Peenemünde Army Research Center engineers like Wernher von Braun, utilized a single Rocketdyne S-3D engine burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen. A key innovation was its launch system, which employed a mobile transporter-erector-launcher, allowing it to be raised vertically for firing. The guidance system was a sophisticated inertial navigation system developed by Ford Instrument Company, providing the accuracy necessary for its strategic role.

Operational history

The Jupiter achieved its first successful flight test from Cape Canaveral in May 1957. Despite its technical success, the program became entangled in interservice rivalry, leading to the NASA taking over the United States Army Ballistic Missile Agency team for space exploration. Operational control of the missiles was transferred to the United States Air Force under Project Emily. Beginning in 1961, two squadrons were deployed overseas: the 866th Squadron at Gioia del Colle Air Base in Italy and the 865th Squadron near İzmir in Turkey. These deployments, within striking distance of the Soviet Union, were a major provocation and a primary Soviet justification for placing missiles in Cuba, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis. All Jupiters were withdrawn from service by April 1963 as part of the resolution of that crisis and the advent of more survivable submarine-launched ballistic missiles like the UGM-27 Polaris.

Variants

The primary variant was the single-stage SM-78 Jupiter MRBM. A significant derivative was the Juno II launch vehicle, which utilized a Jupiter missile as its first stage to launch satellites like Explorer 7 and probes such as Pioneer 3 for NASA. Proposals for an extended-range version, sometimes called Jupiter II, were studied but never built. The basic Jupiter airframe and engine technology also contributed to the development of the first stage for the Saturn I rocket, a direct ancestor of the rockets used in the Apollo program.

Specifications

The Jupiter was a single-stage, liquid-fueled missile approximately 18.3 meters (60 feet) in length and 2.67 meters (8.75 feet) in diameter. It had a launch weight of about 49,800 kilograms (110,000 pounds). Powered by one Rocketdyne S-3D engine, it could deliver its W49 thermonuclear warhead, with a yield of 1.44 megatons, to a maximum range of 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles). It employed a pure inertial navigation system for guidance and was designed for launch from a mobile transporter-erector-launcher, though operational sites were fixed and vulnerable.

Operators

* United States: Operated by the United States Air Force's 864th, 865th, and 866th Strategic Missile Squadrons. * Italy: Hosted the 866th Squadron's missiles at Gioia del Colle Air Base, operated jointly with the Italian Air Force. * Turkey: Hosted the 865th Squadron's missiles at several sites near İzmir, operated jointly with the Turkish Air Force.

Category:Medium-range ballistic missiles of the United States Category:Cold War missiles of the United States Category:Nuclear weapons of the United States