Hard Mobile Launcher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Small ICBM Hard Mobile Launcher | |
|---|---|
 A Hard Mobile Launcher engineering model | |
| Type | Mobile ICBM Launcher |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | Prototype only (1986–1991) |
| Used by | United States |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 239,000 lb (108,400 kg) |
| Length | 110 ft (33.5 m) |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce Perkins diesel 1,200 hp (890 kW) |
| Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) on road |
The Hard Mobile Launcher (HML) is a mobile radiation-hardened truck transporter erector launcher designed to facilitate the transport and launching of the MGM-134 Midgetman missile.[1]
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It can travel at speeds of up to 55 mph (89 km/h) on the road and it also has off-road capabilities. The vehicle also has a trailer mounted plow which can be used to dig the launcher into the earth in order to help protect it were it within the vicinity of a nuclear detonation.
The vehicle weighs a total of 239,000 lb (108,000 kg), with a length of over 110 feet (34 m) and it has the capability to transport objects weighing up to 80,000 lb (36,000 kg). It is powered by a Rolls-Royce Perkins diesel engine which produces 1,200 hp (890 kW) and controls all 8 wheels using an electro-hydraulic transmission.[2]
Design and testing
Two teams were assigned to develop a vehicle.
Caterpillar developed a tracked tractor (Mobil-Trac System) while Martin Marietta was the system integrator and also built the Mobility Test Bed missile trailer.[3]
A second team consisting of Boeing Aerospace and Electronics' Loral Defense Systems Division (Goodyear Aerospace) built an eight wheel drive vehicle and trailer.
The Air Force selected the Boeing-Loral prototype. Several vehicles were delivered to the US Air Force by December 1986. The Air Force tested the vehicle until 1991, after which development of the MGM-134 missile project ceased, leading to the project's cancellation.