Field ArTillery - US Army Center Of Military History

The nUclear arena
Lance missile
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design problems with the Lance’s propellant-feed system, Secretary of Defense
Robert S. McNamara in December 1967 suspended its development and continued
work only on the extended-range Lance. The basic Lance equipped with either a
nuclear or conventional warhead would have been accurate enough at shorter ranges.
When only the extended-range Lance was to be developed, its dual role as a nuclear
and conventional weapon changed to only nuclear. Thereafter, the Lance became a
corps-support weapon rather than both a divisional- and corps-support weapon.
The first flight test of the extended-range Lance (renamed simply Lance)
occurred on 6 May 1969, and an initial production model was delivered to the
Army for testing in April 1971. The Army launched its first Lance in August of
that year and completed service test ing the following March. In May 1972, the
Lance, designated as a standard missile, proved to be a vast improvement over
the old Honest John, which was dependent upon roads for its wheeled launcher
and support vehicles as well as upon a well-prepared firing area to carry out its
mission. By contrast, the Lance’s mobility over rough terrain made it possible for
the crew (eight men) to fire from positions unsuitable for a rocket; it had a low
silhouette and the general appearance of a vehicle common to the battlefield; it
was small and easy to conceal and more difficult to identify as a nuclear-delivery
vehicle; it could operate under all weather conditions in which infantry, armor,
mechanized, or airborne troops might be committed; and its advanced guidance
system was invulnerable to all known electronic countermeasures. Maintenance
problems were minuscule in comparison to earlier missile systems, and the requirement
for specially trained technical personnel diminished. 65