.gif)
Jupiter (missile)
Encyclopedia
The PGM-19 Jupiter was the first medium-range ballistic missile
(MRBM) of the United States Air Force
(USAF). It was a liquid-fueled rocket using RP-1
fuel and LOX
oxidizer, with a single Rocketdyne
LR70-NA (model S-3D) rocket engine producing 667 kN of thrust
. The prime contractor was the Chrysler Corporation.
The missiles, armed with nuclear warheads, were deployed in Italy
and Turkey
during the early 1960s as part of NATO's Cold War
deterrent against the Soviet Union
.
, briefing the U.S. secretary of defense on long range missiles, pointed out that a 1500 mi (2,414 km) missile was a logical extension of the PGM-11 Redstone. Accordingly, in December 1955, the secretaries of the Army and Navy announced a dual Army
–Navy
program to create a land- and sea-based MRBM.
The requirement for shipboard storage and launching dictated the size and shape of the Jupiter, which emerged as a short squat missile with a large girth. When, the Navy pulled out of the program in November 1956, in favor of the UGM-27 Polaris
submarine-launched ballistic missile
, Jupiter retained its shape, making it too big for carriage in contemporary cargo aircraft, such as the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.
Later in November 1956, the Department of Defense assigned all land-based long-range missiles to the USAF, with the Army retaining control of battlefield missiles with a range of 200 miles (321.9 km) or less. The Jupiter MRBM program was transferred to the Air Force, which had developed the PGM-17 Thor
MRBM independently, and was not altogether happy with the Jupiter program.
Jupiter missiles were used in a series of suborbital biological test fights
. On December 13, 1958, Jupiter AM-13 was launched from Cape Canaveral
, Florida with a Navy–trained South American squirrel monkey
named Gordo onboard. The nose cone recovery parachute failed to operate and Gordo did not survive the flight. Telemetry data sent back during the flight showed that the monkey survived the 10 g (100 m/s²) of launch, eight minutes of weightlessness and 40 g (390 m/s²) of reentry at 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s). The nose cone sank 1,302 nautical miles (2,411 km) downrange from Cape Canaveral and was not recovered.
Another biological flight was launched on May 28, 1959. Aboard Jupiter AM-18 were a seven–pound (3.2 kg) American-born rhesus monkey, Able, and an 11–ounce (310 g) South American squirrel monkey, Baker
. The monkeys rode in the nose cone of the missile to an altitude of 59 miles (95 km) and a distance of 1500 miles (2,414 km) down the Atlantic Missile Range from Cape Canaveral. They withstood accelerations 38 times the normal pull of gravity and were weightless for about nine minutes. A top speed of 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s) was reached during their 16–minute flight. After splashdown
the Jupiter nosecone carrying Able and Baker was recovered by the seagoing tug, USS Kiowa
(ATF-72).
The monkeys survived the flight in good condition. Able died four days after the flight from a reaction to anaesthesia while undergoing surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. Baker lived for many years after the flight, finally succumbing to kidney failure on November 29, 1984 at the United States Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville
, Alabama.
In April 1958, the U.S. Department of Defense
notified the USAF it had tentatively planned to deploy the first three Jupiter squadrons (45 missiles) in France
. Negotiations between France and the U.S. fell through in June 1958. Charles De Gaulle
, the new French president, refused to accept basing any Jupiter missiles in France. This prompted U.S. to explore the possibility of deploying the missiles in Italy and Turkey. The USAF was already implementing plans to base four squadrons (60 missiles)—subsequently redefined as 20 RAF squadrons each with three missiles—of PGM-17 Thor
IRBMs in Britain on airfields stretching from Yorkshire
to East Anglia
.
In 1958, the USAF activated the 864th Strategic Missile Squadron at ABMA. Although the USAF briefly considered training its Jupiter crews at Vandenberg AFB, California
, it later decided to conduct all of its training at Huntsville
. In June and September of the same year the USAF activated two more squadrons, the 865th and 866th.
In April 1959, the secretary of the Air Force issued implementing instructions to USAF to deploy two Jupiter squadrons to Italy. The two squadrons, totaling 30 missiles, were deployed at 10 sites in Italy from 1961 to 1963. They were operated by Italian Air Force crews, but USAF personnel controlled arming the nuclear warheads. The deployed missiles were under command of 36ª Aerobrigata Interdizione Strategica (36th Strategic Interdiction Air Squadron, Italian Air Force) at Gioia del Colle Air Base
, Italy.
Jupiter squadrons consisted of 15 missiles and approximately 500 military personnel with five "flights" of three missiles each, manned by five officers and 10 NCOs. To reduce vulnerability, the flights were located approximately 30 miles apart, with the triple launcher emplacements separated by a distance of several hundred miles.
The ground equipment for each emplacement was housed in approximately 20 vehicles; including two generator trucks, a power distribution truck, short- and long-range theodolites, a hydraulic and pneumatic truck and a liquid oxygen truck. Another trailer carried 6000 gallons of fuel and three liquid oxygen trailers each carried 4000 gal.
The missiles arrived at the emplacement on large trailers; while still on the trailer, the crew attached the hinged launch pedestal to the base of the missile which was hauled to an upright position using a winch. Once the missile was vertical, fuel and oxidizer lines were connected and the bottom third of the missile was encased in a "flower petal shelter", consisting of wedge-shaped metal panels, allowing crew members to service the missiles in all weather conditions. Stored empty, on 15-minute combat status in an upright position on the launch pad, the firing sequence included filling the fuel and oxidizer tanks with 68000 lbs (kg) of LOX and 30000 lbs (kg) of RP-1, while the guidance system was aligned and targeting information loaded. Once the fuel and oxidizer tanks were full, the launch controlling officer and two crewmen in a mobile launch control trailer could launch the missiles.
Each squadron was supported by a receipt, inspection and maintenance (RIM) area to the rear of the emplacements. RIM teams inspected new missiles and provided maintenance and repair to missiles in the field. Each RIM area also housed 25 tons of liquid oxygen and nitrogen generating plants. Several times a week, tanker trucks carried the fuel from the plant to the individual emplacements. The actual locations of the launch sites (built in a triangular configuration) were in the direct vicinities of the villages Acquaviva delle Fonti
, Altamura
(two sites), Gioia del Colle
, Gravina in Puglia
, Laterza
, Mottola
, Spinazzola
, Irsina
and Matera.
In 1962, a Bulgaria
n MiG-17 reconnaissance airplane was reported to have crashed into an olive grove near one of the U.S. Jupiter missile launch sites in Italy, after overflying the site.
In October 1959, the location of the third and final Jupiter MRBM squadron was settled when a government-to-government agreement was signed with Turkey. The U.S. and Turkey concluded an agreement to deploy one Jupiter squadron on NATO's southern flank. One squadron totaling 15 missiles was deployed at five sites near İzmir
, Turkey from 1961 to 1963, operated by USAF personnel, with the first flight of three Jupiter missiles turned over to the Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force) in late October 1962, but USAF personnel retaining control of nuclear warhead arming.
On four occasions between mid-October 1961 and August 1962, Jupiter mobile missiles carrying 1.4 megaton of TNT (5.9 PJ) nuclear warheads were struck by lightning at their bases in Italy. In each case, thermal batteries were activated, and on two occasions, tritium-deuterium "boost" gas was injected into the warhead pits, partially arming them. After the fourth lightning strike on a Jupiter MRBM, the USAF placed protective lightning strike-diversion tower arrays at all of the Italian and Turkish Jupiter MRBM missiles sites.
By the time the Turkish Jupiters had been installed, the missiles were already largely obsolete and increasingly vulnerable to Soviet attacks. All Jupiter MRBMs were removed from service by April 1963, as a backdoor trade with the Soviets in exchange for their earlier removal of MRBMs from Cuba
.
Republic of Italy
Turkish Republic
The Saturn I
and Saturn IB
rockets were manufactured by using a single Jupiter propellant tank, in combination with eight Redstone
rocket propellant tanks clustered around it, to form a powerful first stage launch vehicle
.
The Jupiter MRBM was also modified by adding upper stages, in the form of clustered Sergeant
rockets, to create a space launch vehicle called Juno II
, not to be confused with the Juno I
which was a Redstone-Jupiter-C missile development. There is also some confusion with another U.S. Army rocket called the Jupiter-C
, which were Redstone missiles modified by lengthening the fuel tanks and adding small solid-fueled upper stages.
The Juno II was a four-stage rocket derived from the Jupiter IRBM. It was used for 10 satellite launches, six of those failed. It launched Pioneer 3
, Pioneer 4
, Explorer 7
, Explorer 8
, and Explorer 11.
, Florida
.
Italy Italy
:Aeronautica Militare
(Italian Air Force
)
Turkey Turkey
:Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force
)
in Dayton, Ohio
. The missile was obtained from the Chrysler Corporation in 1963. For decades it was displayed outside the museum, before being removed in 1998. The missile was restored by the museum's staff and was returned to display in the museum's new Missile Silo Gallery in 2007.
A SM-78/PMG-19 is on display at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum
at Cape Canaveral, Florida
. The missile had been present in the rocket garden for many years until 2009 when it was taken down and given a complete restoration.
A PGM-19 is on display at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, South Carolina
. The missile, named Columbia, was presented to the city in the early 1960s by the US Air Force. It was installed at the fairgrounds in 1969 at a cost of $10,000.
Medium-range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile , is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 km1...
(MRBM) of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF). It was a liquid-fueled rocket using RP-1
RP-1
RP-1 is a highly refined form of kerosene outwardly similar to jet fuel, used as a rocket fuel. Although having a lower specific impulse than liquid hydrogen , RP-1 is cheaper, can be stored at room temperature, is far less of an explosive hazard and is far denser...
fuel and LOX
Lox
Lox is salmon fillet that has been cured. In its most popular form, it is thinly sliced—less than in thickness—and, typically, served on a bagel, often with cream cheese, onion, tomato, cucumber and capers...
oxidizer, with a single Rocketdyne
Rocketdyne
Rocketdyne was a Rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, United States. The company was related to North American Aviation for most of its history. NAA merged with Rockwell International, which was then bought by Boeing in December, 1996...
LR70-NA (model S-3D) rocket engine producing 667 kN of thrust
Thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system....
. The prime contractor was the Chrysler Corporation.
The missiles, armed with nuclear warheads, were deployed in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
during the early 1960s as part of NATO's Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
deterrent against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Development
In September 1955, Wernher von BraunWernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
, briefing the U.S. secretary of defense on long range missiles, pointed out that a 1500 mi (2,414 km) missile was a logical extension of the PGM-11 Redstone. Accordingly, in December 1955, the secretaries of the Army and Navy announced a dual Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
–Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
program to create a land- and sea-based MRBM.
The requirement for shipboard storage and launching dictated the size and shape of the Jupiter, which emerged as a short squat missile with a large girth. When, the Navy pulled out of the program in November 1956, in favor of the UGM-27 Polaris
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
submarine-launched ballistic missile
Submarine-launched ballistic missile
A submarine-launched ballistic missile is a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead that can be launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles each of which carries a warhead and allows a single launched missile to...
, Jupiter retained its shape, making it too big for carriage in contemporary cargo aircraft, such as the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.
Later in November 1956, the Department of Defense assigned all land-based long-range missiles to the USAF, with the Army retaining control of battlefield missiles with a range of 200 miles (321.9 km) or less. The Jupiter MRBM program was transferred to the Air Force, which had developed the PGM-17 Thor
PGM-17 Thor
Thor was the first operational ballistic missile of the U.S. Air Force . Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear warheads. Thor was in height and in diameter. It was...
MRBM independently, and was not altogether happy with the Jupiter program.
Biological flights
Monkeys in space
Before humans went into space, several animals were launched into space, including numerous monkeys, so that scientists could investigate the biological effects of space travel. The United States launched flights containing primate cargo primarily between 1948-1961 with one flight in 1969 and one...
. On December 13, 1958, Jupiter AM-13 was launched from Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, Florida with a Navy–trained South American squirrel monkey
Squirrel monkey
The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S...
named Gordo onboard. The nose cone recovery parachute failed to operate and Gordo did not survive the flight. Telemetry data sent back during the flight showed that the monkey survived the 10 g (100 m/s²) of launch, eight minutes of weightlessness and 40 g (390 m/s²) of reentry at 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s). The nose cone sank 1,302 nautical miles (2,411 km) downrange from Cape Canaveral and was not recovered.
Another biological flight was launched on May 28, 1959. Aboard Jupiter AM-18 were a seven–pound (3.2 kg) American-born rhesus monkey, Able, and an 11–ounce (310 g) South American squirrel monkey, Baker
Miss Baker
Miss Baker was a squirrel monkey who became, along with rhesus monkey Miss Able, one of the first two animals launched into space by the United States and recovered alive....
. The monkeys rode in the nose cone of the missile to an altitude of 59 miles (95 km) and a distance of 1500 miles (2,414 km) down the Atlantic Missile Range from Cape Canaveral. They withstood accelerations 38 times the normal pull of gravity and were weightless for about nine minutes. A top speed of 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s) was reached during their 16–minute flight. After splashdown
Splashdown (spacecraft landing)
Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency...
the Jupiter nosecone carrying Able and Baker was recovered by the seagoing tug, USS Kiowa
USS Kiowa (AT-72)
The third USS Kiowa , later ATF-72, was a fleet tug, later fleet ocean tug, that served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1972.-Construction and commissioning:...
(ATF-72).
The monkeys survived the flight in good condition. Able died four days after the flight from a reaction to anaesthesia while undergoing surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. Baker lived for many years after the flight, finally succumbing to kidney failure on November 29, 1984 at the United States Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, Alabama.
Military deployment
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
notified the USAF it had tentatively planned to deploy the first three Jupiter squadrons (45 missiles) in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Negotiations between France and the U.S. fell through in June 1958. Charles De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
, the new French president, refused to accept basing any Jupiter missiles in France. This prompted U.S. to explore the possibility of deploying the missiles in Italy and Turkey. The USAF was already implementing plans to base four squadrons (60 missiles)—subsequently redefined as 20 RAF squadrons each with three missiles—of PGM-17 Thor
PGM-17 Thor
Thor was the first operational ballistic missile of the U.S. Air Force . Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear warheads. Thor was in height and in diameter. It was...
IRBMs in Britain on airfields stretching from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
.
In 1958, the USAF activated the 864th Strategic Missile Squadron at ABMA. Although the USAF briefly considered training its Jupiter crews at Vandenberg AFB, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, it later decided to conduct all of its training at Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. In June and September of the same year the USAF activated two more squadrons, the 865th and 866th.
In April 1959, the secretary of the Air Force issued implementing instructions to USAF to deploy two Jupiter squadrons to Italy. The two squadrons, totaling 30 missiles, were deployed at 10 sites in Italy from 1961 to 1963. They were operated by Italian Air Force crews, but USAF personnel controlled arming the nuclear warheads. The deployed missiles were under command of 36ª Aerobrigata Interdizione Strategica (36th Strategic Interdiction Air Squadron, Italian Air Force) at Gioia del Colle Air Base
Gioia del Colle Air Base
Gioia del Colle Air Base is an Italian Air Force base located in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy, located approximately 4 km south-southeast of Gioia del Colle.-World War II:...
, Italy.
Jupiter squadrons consisted of 15 missiles and approximately 500 military personnel with five "flights" of three missiles each, manned by five officers and 10 NCOs. To reduce vulnerability, the flights were located approximately 30 miles apart, with the triple launcher emplacements separated by a distance of several hundred miles.
The ground equipment for each emplacement was housed in approximately 20 vehicles; including two generator trucks, a power distribution truck, short- and long-range theodolites, a hydraulic and pneumatic truck and a liquid oxygen truck. Another trailer carried 6000 gallons of fuel and three liquid oxygen trailers each carried 4000 gal.
The missiles arrived at the emplacement on large trailers; while still on the trailer, the crew attached the hinged launch pedestal to the base of the missile which was hauled to an upright position using a winch. Once the missile was vertical, fuel and oxidizer lines were connected and the bottom third of the missile was encased in a "flower petal shelter", consisting of wedge-shaped metal panels, allowing crew members to service the missiles in all weather conditions. Stored empty, on 15-minute combat status in an upright position on the launch pad, the firing sequence included filling the fuel and oxidizer tanks with 68000 lbs (kg) of LOX and 30000 lbs (kg) of RP-1, while the guidance system was aligned and targeting information loaded. Once the fuel and oxidizer tanks were full, the launch controlling officer and two crewmen in a mobile launch control trailer could launch the missiles.
Each squadron was supported by a receipt, inspection and maintenance (RIM) area to the rear of the emplacements. RIM teams inspected new missiles and provided maintenance and repair to missiles in the field. Each RIM area also housed 25 tons of liquid oxygen and nitrogen generating plants. Several times a week, tanker trucks carried the fuel from the plant to the individual emplacements. The actual locations of the launch sites (built in a triangular configuration) were in the direct vicinities of the villages Acquaviva delle Fonti
Acquaviva delle Fonti
Acquaviva delle Fonti is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy.-Buildings:Acquaviva Cathedral is located here, since 1986 a co-cathedral in the Diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti.-Famous people from Acquaviva delle Fonti:*Roberto Colaninno,...
, Altamura
Altamura
Altamura is a town and comune of Apulia, southern Italy. It is located on the Murge plateau in the province of Bari, 45 km South-West of Bari, close to the border with Basilicata. As of 2011 its population was of 69,728.-Overview:...
(two sites), Gioia del Colle
Gioia del Colle
Gioia del Colle is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy. The town is located on the Murge plateau at 360 metres above sea level.- History :...
, Gravina in Puglia
Gravina in Puglia
Gravina in Puglia is an Italian municipality in the Southern Italian Province of Bari, site along a river of the same name in the Western Murgia geographical area of Apulia.It is the seat of the Alta Murgia National Park....
, Laterza
Laterza
Laterza is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, part of the Apulia region of southeast Italy....
, Mottola
Mottola
Mottola is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, in the Puglia region of southeast Italy.It is situated on a hill in the sub-region of Murgia. It is also called "The Ionian Spy" for its strategic geographical position...
, Spinazzola
Spinazzola
Spinazzola is a town and comune in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, Italy.-Famous people:*Pope Innocent XII was born here in the castle of the Pignatelli family, now destroyed....
, Irsina
Irsina
Irsina is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.The economy is mostly based on agriculture, with the production of cereals and wine.- The Village of Irsina and the Surrounding Countryside :...
and Matera.
In 1962, a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n MiG-17 reconnaissance airplane was reported to have crashed into an olive grove near one of the U.S. Jupiter missile launch sites in Italy, after overflying the site.
In October 1959, the location of the third and final Jupiter MRBM squadron was settled when a government-to-government agreement was signed with Turkey. The U.S. and Turkey concluded an agreement to deploy one Jupiter squadron on NATO's southern flank. One squadron totaling 15 missiles was deployed at five sites near İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey from 1961 to 1963, operated by USAF personnel, with the first flight of three Jupiter missiles turned over to the Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force) in late October 1962, but USAF personnel retaining control of nuclear warhead arming.
On four occasions between mid-October 1961 and August 1962, Jupiter mobile missiles carrying 1.4 megaton of TNT (5.9 PJ) nuclear warheads were struck by lightning at their bases in Italy. In each case, thermal batteries were activated, and on two occasions, tritium-deuterium "boost" gas was injected into the warhead pits, partially arming them. After the fourth lightning strike on a Jupiter MRBM, the USAF placed protective lightning strike-diversion tower arrays at all of the Italian and Turkish Jupiter MRBM missiles sites.
By the time the Turkish Jupiters had been installed, the missiles were already largely obsolete and increasingly vulnerable to Soviet attacks. All Jupiter MRBMs were removed from service by April 1963, as a backdoor trade with the Soviets in exchange for their earlier removal of MRBMs from Cuba
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
.
Deployment sites
United States- Redstone ArsenalRedstone ArsenalRedstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
, Huntsville, Alabama 34°37′58.11"N 86°39′56.40"W - White Sands Missile RangeWhite Sands Missile RangeWhite Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, New Mexico 32°52′47.45"N 106°20′43.64"W
Republic of Italy
- Headquarters: Gioia del Colle Air BaseGioia del Colle Air BaseGioia del Colle Air Base is an Italian Air Force base located in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy, located approximately 4 km south-southeast of Gioia del Colle.-World War II:...
- Warhead store 40°55′29.78"N 16°37′34.87"E
- Fissile pit store 40°47′6.74"N 16°55′33.5"E
- Squadron 1
- Site 1 40°44′24.59"N 16°55′58.83"E
- Site 3 40°35′42.00"N 16°51′33.00"E
- Site 4 40°48′47.05"N 16°22′53.08"E
- Site 5 40°45′32.75"N 16°22′53.08"E
- Site 7 40°57′43.98"N 16°10′54.66"E
- Squadron 2
- Site 2 40°40′42.00"N 17°6′12.03"E
- Site 6 40°58′6.10"N 16°30′22.73"E
- Site 8 40°42′14.98"N 16°8′28.42"E
- Site 9 40°55′23.40"N 16°48′28.54"E
- Site 10 40°34′59.77"N 16°35′43.26"E
Turkish Republic
- Headquarters: Cigli Air BaseIzmir Air BaseIzmir Air Station is a United States Air Force facility in Izmir, Turkey. It is located SSW of Istanbul, on the western coast of Turkey.U.S. responsibilities in the Izmir area began on September 8, 1952 with the activation of Allied Land Forces Southeast Europe and the arrival on October 14, 1953...
- Warhead and fissile pit stores 38°31′17.32"N 27°1′3.89"E
- Site 1 38°42′26.68"N 26°53′4.13"E
- Site 2 38°42′23.76"N 27°53′57.66"E
- Site 3 38°50′37.66"N 27°02′55.58"E
- Site 4 38°44′15.13"N 27°24′51.46"E
- Site 5 38°47′30.73"N 27°42′28.94"E
Launch vehicle derivatives
Saturn I
The Saturn I was the United States' first heavy-lift dedicated space launcher, a rocket designed specifically to launch large payloads into low Earth orbit. Most of the rocket's power came from a clustered lower stage consisting of tanks taken from older rocket designs and strapped together to make...
and Saturn IB
Saturn IB
The Saturn IB was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for use in the Apollo program...
rockets were manufactured by using a single Jupiter propellant tank, in combination with eight Redstone
Redstone (rocket)
The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American ballistic missile. A short-range surface-to-surface rocket, it was in active service with the U.S. Army in West Germany from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War defense of Western Europe...
rocket propellant tanks clustered around it, to form a powerful first stage launch vehicle
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
.
The Jupiter MRBM was also modified by adding upper stages, in the form of clustered Sergeant
MGM-29 Sergeant
The MGM-29 Sergeant was an American short-range, solid fuel, surface-to-surface missile developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Activated by the US Army in 1962 to replace the MGM-5 Corporal it was deployed overseas by 1963, carrying the W52 nuclear warhead or alternatively one of high explosives...
rockets, to create a space launch vehicle called Juno II
Juno II
Juno II was an American space launch vehicle used during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was derived from the Jupiter missile, which was used as the first stage.-Development:...
, not to be confused with the Juno I
Juno I
The Juno I was a four-stage American booster rocket which launched America's first satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. A member of the Redstone rocket family, it was derived from the Jupiter-C sounding rocket...
which was a Redstone-Jupiter-C missile development. There is also some confusion with another U.S. Army rocket called the Jupiter-C
Jupiter-C
The Jupiter-C was an American sounding rocket used for three sub-orbital spaceflights in 1956 and 1957 to test re-entry nosecones that were later to be deployed on the more advanced PGM-19 Jupiter mobile missile....
, which were Redstone missiles modified by lengthening the fuel tanks and adding small solid-fueled upper stages.
Specifications (Jupiter MRBM)
- Length: 60 ft (18.3 m)
- Diameter: 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
- Total Fueled Weight: 108,804 lb (49,353 kg)
- Empty Weight: 13,715 lb (6,221 kg)
- Oxygen (LOX) Weight: 68,760 lb (31,189 kg)
- RP-1 (kerosene) Weight: 30,415 lb (13,796 kg)
- Thrust: 150,000 lbf (667 kN)
- Engine: Rocketdyne LR70-NA (Model S-3D)
- ISP: 247.5 s (2.43 kN·s/kg)
- Burning time: 2 min. 37 sec.
- Propellant consumption rate: 627.7 lb/s (284.7 kg/s)
- Range: 1500 mi (2,414 km)
- Flight time: 16 min 56.9 sec
- Cutoff velocity: 8,984 mph (14,458 km/h) - Mach 13.04
- Reentry velocity: 10,645 mph (17,131 km/h) - Mach 15.45
- Acceleration: 13.69 g (134 m/s²)
- Peak deceleration: 44.0 g (431 m/s²)
- Peak altitude: 390 mi (627.6 km)
- CEP 4,925 ft (1,500 m)
- Warhead: 1.45 Mt Thermonuclear W49W49The W49 was an American thermonuclear warhead, used on the Thor, Atlas, Jupiter, and Titan I ballistic missile systems. W49 warheads were manufactured starting in 1958 and were in service until 1963, with a few warheads being retained until 1975....
- 1,650 lb (750 kg) - Fusing: Proximity and Impact
- Guidance: Inertial
Specifications (Juno II launch vehicle)
Pioneer 3
Pioneer 3 was a spin stabilized spacecraft launched at 05:45:12 UTC on 6 December 1958 by the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration...
, Pioneer 4
Pioneer 4
Pioneer 4 was a spin-stabilized spacecraft launched as part of the Pioneer program on a lunar flyby trajectory and into a heliocentric orbit making it the first U.S. probe to escape from the Earth's gravity. It carried a payload similar to Pioneer 3: a lunar radiation environment experiment using a...
, Explorer 7
Explorer 7
Explorer 7 was launched October 13, 1959 at 10:36 a.m. Eastern Time by a Juno II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to an orbit of 573 km by 1073 km and inclination of 50.27°. It was designed to measure solar x-ray and Lyman-alpha flux, trapped energetic particles, and heavy...
, Explorer 8
Explorer 8
Explorer 8 is a U.S. research satellite launched on November 3, 1960. It confirmed the existence of a helium layer in the upper atmosphere....
, and Explorer 11.
- Juno II total length: 24.0 m
- Orbit payload to 200 km: 41 kg
- Escape velocity payload: 6 kg
- First launch date: December 6, 1958
- Last launch date: May 24, 1961
| Parameter | 1st stage | 2nd stage | 3rd stage | 4th stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross mass | 54,431 kg | 462 kg | 126 kg | 42 kg |
| Empty mass | 5,443 kg | 231 kg | 63 kg | 21 kg |
| Thrust | 667 kN | 73 kN | 20 kN | 7 kN |
| Isp | 248 s (2.43 kN·s/kg) |
214 s (2.10 kN·s/kg) |
214 s (2.10 kN·s/kg) |
214 s (2.10 kN·s/kg) |
| Burn time | 182 s | 6 s | 6 s | 6 s |
| Length | 18.28 m | 1.0 m | 1.0 m | 1.0 m |
| Diameter | 2.67 m | 1.0 m | 0.50 m | 0.30 m |
| Engine: | Rocketdyne S-3D | Eleven Sergents | Three Sergents | One Sergent |
| Propellant | LOX/RP-1 | Solid Fuel | Solid Fuel | Solid fuel |
Jupiter MRBM and Juno II launches
There were 46 test launches, all launched from Cape Canaveral Missile AnnexCape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
| Serial number | Mission | Launch date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AM-1A | AM-1A | March 1, 1957 | Test Launch 1. Missile test. Failure. Apogee 14 mi (22.5 km) |
| AM-1B | AM-1B | April 26, 1957 | Test Launch 2. Missile test. Failure. Apogee 18 mi (29 km) |
| AM-1 | AM-1 | May 31, 1957 | Test Launch 3. Missile test. Success. Apogee 500 mi (804.7 km) |
| AM-2 | AM-2 | August 28, 1957 | Test Launch 4. Missile test. Success. Apogee 500 mi (804.7 km) |
| AM-3 | AM-3 | October 23, 1957 | Test Launch 5. Missile test. Success. Apogee 500 mi (804.7 km) |
| AM-3A | AM-3A | November 27, 1957 | Test Launch 6. Missile test. Failure. Apogee 20 mi (32.2 km) |
| AM-4 | AM-4 | December 16, 1957 | Test Launch 7. Missile test. Failure. Apogee 63 mi (101.4 km) |
| AM-5 | AM-5 | May 18, 1958 | Test Launch 8. Reentry test. Success. Apogee 345 mi (555.2 km) |
| AM-6B | AM-6B | July 17, 1958 | Test Launch 9. Reentry test. Success. Apogee 345 mi (555.2 km) |
| AM-7 | AM-7 | August 27, 1958 | Test Launch 10. Missile test. Success. Apogee 345 mi (555.2 km) |
| AM-9 | AM-9 | October 10, 1958 | Test Launch 11. Missile test. Failure. Apogee 0 mi (0 km) |
| AM-11 | Juno II | December 6, 1958 | Launch 12. Lunar probe. Pioneer 3 Pioneer 3 Pioneer 3 was a spin stabilized spacecraft launched at 05:45:12 UTC on 6 December 1958 by the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration... . Failed to reach moon. Apogee 70610 mi (113,635.5 km) |
| AM-13 | Bio 1 | December 13, 1958 | Launch 13. Bio test flight. "Gordo" the monkey. Parachute failed. Apogee 345 mi (555.2 km) |
| CM-21 | CM-21 | January 22, 1959 | Test Launch 14. Tactical test flight. Success. Apogee 345 mi (555.2 km) |
| CM-22 | CM-22 | January 27, 1959 | Test Launch 15. Missile test. Success. Apogee 345 mi (555.2 km) |
| AM-14 | Juno II | March 3, 1959 | Launch 16. Lunar probe. Pioneer 4 Pioneer 4 Pioneer 4 was a spin-stabilized spacecraft launched as part of the Pioneer program on a lunar flyby trajectory and into a heliocentric orbit making it the first U.S. probe to escape from the Earth's gravity. It carried a payload similar to Pioneer 3: a lunar radiation environment experiment using a... . Passed within 58,983 km (probably improperly converted as others were here, unless original was 36,650 mi) of moon. In solar orbit. |
| CM-22A | CM-22A | April 4, 1959 | Test Launch 17. Missile test. Success. Apogee 345 mi (555.2 km) |
Former operators
: United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
- 864th Strategic Missile Squadron
- 865th Strategic Missile Squadron
- 866th Strategic Missile Squadron
Italy ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
:Aeronautica Militare
Aeronautica Militare
The Italian Air Force is the air force of the Italian Republic. It has held a prominent role in modern Italian military history...
(Italian Air Force
Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
)
- 36ª Brigata Aerea Interdizione Strategica (36th Strategic Air Interdiction Brigade)
Turkey TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
:Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force
Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
)
Surviving examples
A PGM-19 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air ForceNational Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. The missile was obtained from the Chrysler Corporation in 1963. For decades it was displayed outside the museum, before being removed in 1998. The missile was restored by the museum's staff and was returned to display in the museum's new Missile Silo Gallery in 2007.
A SM-78/PMG-19 is on display at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum
Air Force Space & Missile Museum
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum is located at Launch Complex 26 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It includes artifacts from the early American space program and includes an outdoor rocket garden displaying rockets, missiles and space-related equipment chronicling the US Air...
at Cape Canaveral, Florida
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,829 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 10,147...
. The missile had been present in the rocket garden for many years until 2009 when it was taken down and given a complete restoration.
A PGM-19 is on display at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. The missile, named Columbia, was presented to the city in the early 1960s by the US Air Force. It was installed at the fairgrounds in 1969 at a cost of $10,000.
See also
- List of United States Air Force missile squadrons
- List of missiles
- M-numbers
- Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
- Theatre ballistic missileTheatre ballistic missileA theatre ballistic missile is any ballistic missile with a range between and , used against targets "in-theatre". Its range is thus between that of tactical and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The term is a relatively new one, encompassing the former categories of short-range ballistic...
s
External links
- Jupiter IRBM History, U.S. Army - Redstone Arsenal
- Jupiter IRBM, Encyclopedia Astronautica