 The United States Army presents The Big Picture, an official report produced for the armed forces and the American people. These are perhaps tomorrow's Army battlefield commanders, faced with tactical decisions using weapons now operational or in development. Let's look at it on the situation, master. General, we have confirmation of a target. Elements of an armored division. I recommend we use a big one. Fine. What do you think from an operations viewpoint? Well, I concur with the recommendation. It won't interfere with our plan of operation at all. Then it's agreed? All right, let's give them a solid punch. The launching site where army missiles stand ready around the clock every day of the year. The solid punch aptly describes the Army's new generation of rockets and missiles, for they all pack a powerful punch, such as these you see here. I should like to report to you on the Army's great progress in the field of rockets and missiles and show you the results of the teamwork affected between the Army and great names in industry in producing these modern weapons of warfare. This is the clenched fist that delivers the solid punch, a type of solid fuel motor which propels the Army's new generation of rockets and missiles. This uncomplicated solid fuel provides a new dimension in effectiveness for a broad range of powerful Army missiles, each with its own carefully engineered capability and tactical mission. New generation solid fuel missiles include La Crosse, a highly accurate general support field artillery guided missile for use in close tactical support of ground troops against hard point targets such as fortified positions. Honest John, designed to provide fire support for ground combat operations, is a free flight rocket with a range equivalent to that of medium to long range artillery. Sergeant, a surface-to-surface guided missile which extends the range of artillery, making available to the field commander greater firepower to reach deeper into the enemy rear areas. Pershing, a large inertially guided ballistic missile with the mobility of smaller missiles, but which packs a powerful punch over distances far in excess of the longest range of our artillery capability. Hawk is an anti-aircraft weapon system designed to defend troops in the field against enemy attacking aircraft flying at low altitudes. Nike Hercules soars to altitudes in excess of 100,000 feet over a range of 75 miles and is a high-level anti-aircraft missile. Nike Zeus, now in an advanced stage of research and development, is designed to leap up to extreme altitudes almost instantaneously to defend against enemy long-range ballistic missiles coming toward a target from any direction at speeds in excess of 15,000 miles an hour. The new generation solid fuel missiles augment the already in the field liquid fuel missile systems such as the surface-to-surface corporal and redstone. All together the liquid and solid fuel missile systems are intended to provide the best backup support known for our fighting men. During its rapid strides into the missile era, the army has never lost sight of its guiding doctrine that in war it is the foot soldier shown here in a combat exercise who is the arm of ultimate decision, the arm that wins wars by capture or destruction of the enemy and his territory. In addition to the new and effective missile and rocket support, the infantryman has been and still is supported by artillery. Reliable 105 millimeter howitzer, 55 millimeter howitzer and the new 175 millimeter self-propelled long-range gun. And here is a current concept on a relationship between artillery and missiles. In today's rapidly changing concepts of tactical warfare, battlefield commanders know there is a need for both conventional artillery and missiles. Conventional artillery has the advantage of superiority in rate of fire. That means artillery can fire more shells faster to provide close fire support accuracy for the attacking infantrymen and armor. Also conventional artillery fire is cheaper and can react more quickly to battlefield targets of opportunity, targets which suddenly appear and may soon disappear if not clovered. Most missiles, however, have two decisive advantages over conventional artillery weapons. They are destructive power and range. With few exceptions, missiles can deliver atomic warheads and one missile warhead can have the demolition effect of hundreds or even thousands of conventional artillery shells. As for range, the farthest reach of conventional artillery, like this 175 millimeter gun, is about 20 miles. Whereas army missiles, such as the Pershing, can hurl their warheads at targets hundreds of miles away. So you see, not only can they cover much wider sectors of the front, but can also go far deeper into the enemy rear to destroy troop equipment and supply concentrations, as well as other important tactical targets. The Army brought America its first triumphs in missile ray beginning in 1949, revealed in this historical motion picture film with the launching of the Whack Corporal Missile. This liquid fuel missile system was the first to penetrate outer space and reach an altitude of 250 miles, then a world record. As a result of this Whack Corporal success, the Army went in for quantity production of the tactical liquid fuel corporal missile and later the Redstone missile system. These efforts were climaxed by the launching of the Army's Jupiter-C missile system that put into orbit the free world's first satellite, Explorer One. In addition to this historic space achievement, the Army has since made many subsequent missile re-contributions, which have helped provide the basis for our nation's exploration of outer space. The Army's liquid fuel missile systems are fine, useful weapons. They have and are serving their purposes well. It was inevitable, however, that in the evolution of missile re-achievements, a more simple fuel system was required, a system that assured greater mobility and would withstand the rigors of battlefield transportation. Also, the Army needed missiles that would not take so long to erect fuel and fire. In the words of the experts, the Army required rockets and missiles with fast reaction time. In Army laboratories such as those at the Picatinny Arsenal, efforts had been underway to create missiles with fast reaction time through research in the technology of solid fuel propellants. At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, then under Army contract, scientists made a giant stride forward in solid fuel research. They discovered that polysulfide polymer, a kind of synthetic rubber commercially produced by the Fire Call Chemical Corporation, was an excellent rocket fuel that would harden and bond itself directly to the wall of the rocket case. Thus was born a practical concept of solid fuel, shown here in a mixer. At the Army's Redstone Arsenal close liaison with industry, then provided the Army with further research and development on solid fuel technology. In 1948 an Army industrial team undertook the production of a case-bonded solid propellant rocket motor. The program was a success, making possible a new generation of solid fuel missiles. The first solid fuel motors to be produced in quantity by the Army were small but effective and included the engine for the air-to-air missile Falcon for the Army's sister service, the Air Force. Some of America's leading scientists have been team mates with the Army and have made contributions to solid fuel technology. One of the pioneers in this field, who will explain how a solid fuel motor operates, is the past president of the American Rocket Society and Fire Call's vice president in charge of rocket operations, Dr. Harold W. Ritchie. Every missile motor must have a combustion chamber in which the propellant burns. The burning of propellant creates expanding gases which results in the production of physical force. In missile terms, we call this force thrust, the rocket force which propels the missile. One of the great advantages of the solid motor is that the combustion chamber is formed within the solid propellant charge. Here's a cross section of a cast solid fuel motor. This hollow area in the center is the combustion chamber. With this cutaway motor, you can see the entire combustion chamber which extends at especially shaped cavity through its full length. The propellant is ignited simultaneously along the entire length and surface of the combustion chamber. Upon ignition, the propellant burns from the inside out until burnout at the motor wall casing. Simplicity of design is one of the great advantages of the solid fuel motor. Eliminating the need for pumps, valves, pipes, cooling system, and the other internal hardware of the liquid fuel system. The advantage of solid rocket simplicity coupled with its capability to produce thrust instantly enables a solid fuel motor to get off the ground and into flight more quickly and consequently to put more of its thrust to work delivering the payload. With all the advantages of simplicity and reliability built into the solid fuel motors, there is one more important aspect of these missiles insofar as tactical application is concerned. It is this, the entire missile motor including its solid fuel is packaged at the manufacturing plant. It is ready for instantaneous firing when it is assembled in the missile and it can be stored indefinitely in a ready condition. The army's new generation of solid fuel missiles can be put into action fast. Speed is always important, many times decisive. Some of the first of the solid fuel missiles already in the field for tactical employment include the La Crosse. The Hawk which uses a homing device guidance system to knock off low-flying enemy aircraft, thus filling the gap from zero altitude up to minimum Nike capability, and the Nike Hercules which is lethal to enemy aircraft even in excess of 100,000 feet. Highly effective are the first of the second generation missiles. However, the small solid motor was not powerful enough to deliver heavier payloads over longer ranges. A hoped for solution to a larger solid fuel motor was put in this test stand, a motor with 5,000 pounds of solid propellant. This RVA-10 experimental motor not only was successful but proved the principle of scalability. This meant solid motors could be built up to any size with thrusts capable of delivering huge missiles with heavy payloads over vast distances. The Army's new generation of solid fuel motors was now in the big leagues, as indicated by this static test firing. At the Army's Longhorn Ordnance Works, larger solid motors went into production in new modern facilities, specially designed for this purpose. The Sargent was one of the first of the larger solid fuel missiles made possible by these impressive Army successes in solid propellant technology. This large motor is the first stage booster for the Sargent system. Now in research and development stages, the Sargent is lighter and smaller than its liquid fuel predecessor, the Corporal, yet has greater firepower. The complete system requires fewer vehicles and it is adaptable to all kinds of weather and terrain. The missile requires less time to be put into action since all of its components may be assembled in the field in a matter of minutes. This is because the solid fuel propulsion system is completely loaded at the manufacturing plant and therefore no time is lost at the launch site on fueling activities. The Sargent system has especially adapted erector launcher, which may be emplaced anywhere without special preparation, as demonstrated here in a field emplacement exercise. Solid fuel missiles can be stored in the ready condition indefinitely, a definite tactical advantage since the time required to get the missile in flight is reduced to a minimum. Solid fuel missiles have economic advantages too, lower manufacturing costs, less ground support equipment required, and less training time for the crew, which is smaller resulting largely from its simpler fuel system design and other missile re-advances. Even with these advantages, the Sargent meets the highest standards of reliability in the field. The Sargent shown here in another test follows a ballistic trajectory in flight to its target carrying either a nuclear or conventional warhead. This firing utilizes a conventional warhead. The X-17 experimental high altitude research rocket was one beneficial result of the progress in solid fuel technology accomplished by Army industrial teamwork. These Army accomplishments were to be a major influence in the development of solid fuel missile systems within the other services. The Air Force called on one of the Army's industrial partners to develop the three solid fuel propulsion stages for the X-17, which was launched after only six static tests of its first stage solid propellant booster. The X-17's outstanding flight record was 39 out of 39. The X-17 paced the swift march of missile history that led to the development of the Air Force Minuteman, the free world's first solid fuel intercontinental ballistic missile system. The advent of the nuclear submarine, which provided a far-ranging launching vehicle for ballistic missiles, required a solid fuel factory loaded propulsion system. And so it was that the Navy too benefited from the accomplishments of the Army industrial team in solid propellant technology. Fire call under government contract proved the feasibility of this concept and thus was born Polaris. The Aerojet General Corporation developed and is producing the solid fuel motors for Polaris, shown here now being fired from the submerged submarine. The controlled atmosphere and smooth ride of the nuclear submarine provides a far-ranging launching vehicle for our defense. The Army's Pershing missile system now in an advanced stage of research and development goes through a field demonstration to show how it has been especially developed to meet the rugged requirements of land warfare. The solid fuel Pershing is engineered to withstand the jarring transportation of terrain the world over and to operate efficiently in a wide variety of temperature and humidity conditions. It is more field-worthy and more accurate than the Redstone missile and yet it is lighter, smaller, and is extremely mobile with its transporter erector launcher. In its present stage of development the Pershing system could be scaled up somewhat and modified to obtain a greatly increased range. With its proven reliability the Pershing is a powerful missile for field Army support and now at a special installation at the Redstone Arsenal you will see a night captive firing of the entire Pershing propulsion system. This of the Pershing propulsion system are tested in proper sequence in this static test stand. The first stage booster motor is now firing. The second stage motor is mounted just to the right of the booster and it will fire after the first stage burnout. Following the completion of this first stage motor firing there will be a delay of several seconds. This is the same time-lapse sequence that the propulsion system would experience in actual flight. During the delay after the end of the first stage burnout and before the ignition of the second stage motor the missile simply coasts through space in unpowered flight and the first stage separates from the missile and drops away. The second stage ignites and continues the powered flight of the missile. The jet flame of this motor lights up the protective barrier around the test stand. At a set time during the firing of the second stage motor the thrust is terminated by a power device and the warhead is separated to follow a ballistic trajectory to its pre-selected target. It is because of the increasing mobility of our armed forces that weapons are designed to possess built-in ruggedness to withstand the rigors of every type of terrain and to operate in all kinds of weather conditions with proven reliability. These requirements enable our weapons to keep pace with and support our far-ranging fast-moving hard-hitting army troops. The army's new generation of solid fuel missiles fills the bill on all three requirements mobility ruggedness and reliability to support our modern army in the field. The army industrial team is still at work to develop dramatic new advances in missile rate. For example, this Nike Zeus missile now in an advanced state of development uses a type of command guidance system already developed for Nike Hercules. Test firings have proved the ability of the guidance system to intercept another missile in flight. In this test a corporal missile is launched. Standing ready for launch and intercept is a Nike Hercules. Photographic proof of the Nike Hercules intercepting the corporal missile in flight is documented here in stop-motion photography. Leaping in the air like a bolt of lightning, Nike Zeus undergoes a test. In a remarkable photographic record, the 450,000 pound thrust of the booster terminates in flight. The booster separates and the second stage ignites. The Nike Zeus system is in position underground here ready to be fired. This underground launch facility called a cell provides better protection against enemy attack. With Nike Zeus, the army is engaged in a program to confirm that a true defense against enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles is possible. Impressive as the Nike Zeus system is. In the final analysis, it is yet but another modern weapon just as is the M-14 rifle produced for the specific purpose of providing the best support known for our fighting men who first, last and always serve as the ultimate defense of our country and who now are backed up with a new generation of rockets and missiles each with its own solid punch. Since the days of the American Revolution, the army has called on American industry to help meet the defensive needs of our country. Many times, the results of army industrial teamwork have benefited our country over and above its basic defense purpose. The army's rocket and missile programs, as an example, have made important contributions to our nation's space achievements. This is Chad Huntley concluding this report on rockets and missiles of the United States Army. The big picture is an official report for the armed forces and the American people. Produced by the Army Pictorial Center, presented by the Department of the Army in cooperation with this station. Test action, outdoor action, real man-sized action. Well, here's action that tops them all in the combat branches of today's army. And now if you qualify, you can choose the action branch you want. Pick the artillery, get in on the exciting missile and anti-missile field, or pick the fast-moving armor, work with the world's most up-to-date tanks, or pick the mechanized infantry, the fast-action branch for fast-action outdoor guys. Whichever branch you pick, today's army is the most mechanized freedom force ever assembled. So if you're for fast action, if you're an action kind of guy, take a long, strong look at today's army. Pick one of the army's three combat branches. The artillery, armor, or infantry. What's the next step? Into your army recruiter's office.