Martin CGM-13B Mace
The USAF had deployed its first nuclear-capable cruise missile in the form of the Martim TM-61 Matador, but the Matador was something of a disappointment. It was reliable enough, but its radio guidance system left much to be desired, and could be jammed; it was also not very accurate, with a circular error probable (CEP) of one mile. Though this was less of an issue with the Matador's 25 kiloton nuclear warhead, it meant the Matador could only be used against area targets.
In 1951, Goodyear developed a guidance system that linked a radar altimeter to a series of 35mm film strips. The altimeter would match readings to the film, which would guide a missile very accurately across terrain. This also meant that new targets could be programmed into the system as long as the film was available, and since it was entirely internal, the system could not be jammed. Though Martin was not interested at first, the USAF was, and named the Goodyear system ATRAN (Automatic Terrain Recognition and Navigation). An ATRAN was tested with a Matador, and the results were impressive. The USAF had planned to upgrade the Matadors in any case, and this was combined with ATRAN to produce the TM-76 Mace in 1956.
Besides its new guidance system, the Mace incorporated a number of other improvements, including folding wings for quicker transportation by air, and a newer engine. The first TM-76As were launched from mobile transporters, but the TM-76B was given a rocket booster and launched from permanent shelters called "coffins." The Mace was still a subsonic missile, and huge by modern standards--something necessary given the technology of the 1950s. It could be armed with the same nuclear warhead of the Matador, or a conventional warhead.
The first Maces were deployed to West Germany in 1959, where it replaced the Matador, with deployments to follow in South Korea and Okinawa. The type was redesignated in 1962 as MGM-13A (for vehicle transported) and CGM-13B (for shelter launched) missiles. Most of the original MGM-13As were retired and the force standardized on the CGM-13B.
By 1969, technology's acceleration was such that the Mace was obsolete. Though at the time the USAF had nothing really to replace it, the CGM-13Bs were retired, with the tactical battlefield missile role going to the US Army and its Pershing theater ballistic missile force. Most of the missiles were dismantled and the shelters left to the elements, but a few Maces were converted to target drones. About 300 were built, and nine remain today.
This Mace is a CGM-13B that was assigned to the 498th Tactical Missile Group at Kadena, Okinawa. Since the Matador/Mace series was once considered to be unmanned bombers, they were given tail numbers. When the 498th deactivated in 1969, this Mace was donated to the National Museum of the USAF. It was displayed outside for many years, but moved inside around 2005 when extensions to the museum were completed.
When my dad was assigned to the 603rd Tactical Control Squadron at Sembach, West Germany, its base was at Site One, an old Mace launch facility. The shelters were still there and used as a motor pool; I remember seeing them a lot when I was a kid. After the 603rd deactivated at the end of the Cold War, Site One was turned into a soccer facility for the nearby city of Kaiserslautern, and nothing remains of the old Mace shelters today.
Martin CGM-13B Mace
The USAF had deployed its first nuclear-capable cruise missile in the form of the Martim TM-61 Matador, but the Matador was something of a disappointment. It was reliable enough, but its radio guidance system left much to be desired, and could be jammed; it was also not very accurate, with a circular error probable (CEP) of one mile. Though this was less of an issue with the Matador's 25 kiloton nuclear warhead, it meant the Matador could only be used against area targets.
In 1951, Goodyear developed a guidance system that linked a radar altimeter to a series of 35mm film strips. The altimeter would match readings to the film, which would guide a missile very accurately across terrain. This also meant that new targets could be programmed into the system as long as the film was available, and since it was entirely internal, the system could not be jammed. Though Martin was not interested at first, the USAF was, and named the Goodyear system ATRAN (Automatic Terrain Recognition and Navigation). An ATRAN was tested with a Matador, and the results were impressive. The USAF had planned to upgrade the Matadors in any case, and this was combined with ATRAN to produce the TM-76 Mace in 1956.
Besides its new guidance system, the Mace incorporated a number of other improvements, including folding wings for quicker transportation by air, and a newer engine. The first TM-76As were launched from mobile transporters, but the TM-76B was given a rocket booster and launched from permanent shelters called "coffins." The Mace was still a subsonic missile, and huge by modern standards--something necessary given the technology of the 1950s. It could be armed with the same nuclear warhead of the Matador, or a conventional warhead.
The first Maces were deployed to West Germany in 1959, where it replaced the Matador, with deployments to follow in South Korea and Okinawa. The type was redesignated in 1962 as MGM-13A (for vehicle transported) and CGM-13B (for shelter launched) missiles. Most of the original MGM-13As were retired and the force standardized on the CGM-13B.
By 1969, technology's acceleration was such that the Mace was obsolete. Though at the time the USAF had nothing really to replace it, the CGM-13Bs were retired, with the tactical battlefield missile role going to the US Army and its Pershing theater ballistic missile force. Most of the missiles were dismantled and the shelters left to the elements, but a few Maces were converted to target drones. About 300 were built, and nine remain today.
This Mace is a CGM-13B that was assigned to the 498th Tactical Missile Group at Kadena, Okinawa. Since the Matador/Mace series was once considered to be unmanned bombers, they were given tail numbers. When the 498th deactivated in 1969, this Mace was donated to the National Museum of the USAF. It was displayed outside for many years, but moved inside around 2005 when extensions to the museum were completed.
When my dad was assigned to the 603rd Tactical Control Squadron at Sembach, West Germany, its base was at Site One, an old Mace launch facility. The shelters were still there and used as a motor pool; I remember seeing them a lot when I was a kid. After the 603rd deactivated at the end of the Cold War, Site One was turned into a soccer facility for the nearby city of Kaiserslautern, and nothing remains of the old Mace shelters today.