Hera missile
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| Hera | |
|---|---|
| Type | Surface-to-surface guided missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Coleman Aerospace |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 11,300 kilograms (24,912 lb) |
| Length | 11.9 metres (39.0 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.32 metres (4.3 ft) (first stage) |
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| Engine | First stage: Aerojet General SR19-AJ-1 solid-fuel rocket; 268 kN (60,300 lbf) 2nd stage: Hercules M57A1 solid-fuel rocket; 156 kN (35,000 lbf) |
Hera is a target missile for development testing of missile defense systems such as THAAD and Patriot PAC-3. In 1992, the US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command awarded the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) Targets contract to Coleman Aerospace with Space Vector and Aerotherm as sub-contractors. Coleman developed Hera using the second and third stages of the Minuteman II and the guidance section of the Pershing II. The Rocket Systems Launch Program at Detachment 12, USAF Space and Missile Systems Center, provided technical program management services involved with removing the liquid injection thrust vector control system from the retired MMII second stages in favor of a flex-seal system enabling robust flight control from launch to burn out. First launch was on 24 April 1995 at White Sands Missile Range.
Because of the range, Russia claims Hera qualifies as an IRBM and violates Item 1, Article 6 of the INF Treaty.
Hera is also used in the Air Force Sounding Rocket Program.
[edit] References
- Designation Systems: Coleman Hera
- Astronautix: Hera
- Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies: The Use of "Hera" Missile Violates the INF Treaty
- People's Daily: Russia Urges US to End "Hera" Ballistic Missile Development
- Washington Reanimates "Pershings" (in Russian)
[edit] See also
- Hera, the Greek goddess
