Pershing II Weapon System

Pershing II
Pershing II test flight, February 1983
Type	Nuclear surface-to-surface guided missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1983–1991
Used by	United States Army 108 launchers
Production history
Designer	Martin Marietta
Designed	1973–1981
Manufacturer	Martin Marietta
Produced	1981–1989
No. built	276 missiles
Variants	Pershing 1b (not deployed)
Specifications
Weight	16,451 pounds (7,462 kg)
Length	34.8 feet (10.6 m)
Diameter	Max 40 inches (1 m)
Blast yield	W85 nuclear warhead: 5 kilotons of TNT (21 TJ) to 80 kilotons of TNT (330 TJ) W86 earth penetrator (canceled)
Engine	Hercules, two-stage, solid propellant
Operational range	1,100 miles (1,770 km)
Speed	Over Mach 8
Guidance system	Singer Kearfott Inertial Goodyear Aerospace topographic Radar imaging version of DSMAC with active radar homing terminal guidance
Steering system	Vector control system (steerable nozzle), air fins
Accuracy	100 feet (30 m) circular error probable (restrictions apply)
Launch platform	M1003 erector launcher
Transport	M1001 MAN tractor in Germany M983 HEMTT in the U.S.

The Pershing II Weapon System was a solid-fueled two-stage ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable theater-level weapon. The U.S. Army replaced the Pershing 1a with the Pershing II Weapon System in 1983 while the German Air Force retained Pershing 1a until all Pershings were eliminated in 1991. The U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) managed the development and improvements while the Field Artillery Branch deployed the systems and developed tactical doctrine.

Development began in 1973 for an updated Pershing. The Pershing 1a 400 kt warhead was greatly over-powered for the quick reaction alert (QRA) mission and a smaller warhead required greater accuracy. The contract went to Martin Marietta in 1975 with the first development launches in 1977. Pershing II was to use the new W85 warhead with a five to 50 kt variable yield or an earth-penetrator W86 warhead. The warhead was packaged in a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MARV) with active radar guidance and would use the existing rocket motors. Requests from Israel to buy the new Pershing II were rejected in 1975.

The Soviet Union began deployment of the SS-20 Saber in 1976. Since the first version of the SS-20 had a range of 2,700 miles (4,300 km) and two warheads, the Pershing II requirement was changed to increase the range to 900 miles (1,400 km), giving the ability to reach targets in eastern Ukraine, Belarus or Lithuania. The NATO Double-Track Decision was made to deploy both the medium range Pershing and the longer range, but slower BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) to strike potential targets farther to the east. The Pershing II with the longer-range motors was initially referred to as Pershing II Extended Range (PIIXR), then reverting to Pershing II.