Teracruzer translauncher and Martin Mace cruise missile
To get the Mace to fly without using a runway, it used a zero-length launch system in which a solid-propellant rocket booster would lift it into the air from its launch trailer and would bring it up to sufficient speed for the missile's jet engine to take over.
The missile flew a somewhat predictable trajectory at subsonic speeds and it was quite large. This made it vulnerable to being intercepted, so Mace missiles didn't serve for very long. Most were retired in the late sixties, although some were subsequently used as target drones.
Teracruzer translauncher and Martin Mace cruise missile
To get the Mace to fly without using a runway, it used a zero-length launch system in which a solid-propellant rocket booster would lift it into the air from its launch trailer and would bring it up to sufficient speed for the missile's jet engine to take over.
The missile flew a somewhat predictable trajectory at subsonic speeds and it was quite large. This made it vulnerable to being intercepted, so Mace missiles didn't serve for very long. Most were retired in the late sixties, although some were subsequently used as target drones.