MGM-29 Sergeant
| Type: | Short-range ballistic missile |
| Guidance: | Inertial guidance |
| Warhead: | Conventional or nuclear |
| Propellant: | Solid single stage |
| Range: | 75 miles (120km) |
| Length: | 36 feet (11m) |
| Diameter: | 31 inches (78.7cm) |
| Weight: | 9,800 pounds (4,445kg) |
| First Firing: | 19 January 1956 |
The MGM-29 Sergeant was a solid-propellant ballistic missile designed to replace the Army’s first ballistic missile, the liquid-fueled Corporal. Compared to the Corporal, Sergeant was more mobile, air-transportable, and able to be fired much faster after occupying a position. It was launched from an off-vertical position off a wheeled erector-launcher and had a range of more than 75 miles. Sergeant could be set up and launched by a relatively small crew under any conditions of weather or terrain.
Development of the system was by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Sperry Utah Engineering Laboratory. Flight testing of the Sergeant began at White Sands Missile Range in 1956. The system was unveiled to the public in February 1958. Once it completed testing and was declared operational, Sergeant began to replace Corporal missile groups assigned to NATO defense forces in Europe. Performance of Sergeant’s solid propellant motor also helped to demonstrate the feasibility of the Army’s Pershing missile, which replaced the Redstone.
The Sergeant’s development program reached its pre-planned climax in June 1962. The Army Readiness Date, the date when the Sergeant was to be ready for operational production and fielding to active duty units, was met as scheduled. In October 1962, the Army’s first Sergeant Battalion scored a bullseye with the first tactical-type firing at White Sands Missile Range.
The inertial guidance system and the utilization of solid propellant made Sergeant more reliable and easy to handle, transport, and store than its predecessor. These improvements provided advantages in operational simplicity, immunity to contemporary electronic countermeasures, reduced ground handling equipment and crew training requirements, and an improved reaction time when compared to the Corporal.
The Sergeant missile is composed of four major sections. These are the warhead, guidance, rocket motor, and control surface. These sections were assembled just before firing and were transported to the firing system in special containers which permit a functional check of each section while within its sealed container. The Sergeant’s basic maintenance concept was based on the replacement of assemblies and sub-assemblies.
The major items of Sergeant ground handling equipment are the launching station, organizational maintenance test station, field maintenance test station, and the missile transport trailer. In addition, the Sergeant trainer, which simulated all technical characteristics of the missile, was used as a training device.
The Sergeant played an important part in the Space Race. The Jupiter-C launch vehicle that placed the Explorer I artificial satellite into orbit had solid propellant upper stages that were scaled down versions of the Sergeant motor.
One hundred and thirty Sergeant missiles were tested at White Sands between 1956 and 1974. Between 1972 and 1977, the Lance missile began to replace the Sergeant. The last Sergeant was retired from Army service in May 1977. Around 500 missiles were produced for the Army.
