M139D 5-ton 6×6 missile vehicle carrying an
MGR-1 Honest John The
Katyusha rocket launcher was an early launcher mostly mounted on missile trucks used by the
Soviet Union during
World War II. In turn, the
United States produced the
T34 Calliope missile-launching vehicle in limited quantities by attaching a multiple-missile battery atop an
M4 Sherman. Among the largest missile vehicles are the multi-wheeled (tires) 8-axle
MZKT-79221 carrying vehicles for
Topol-M ICBMs as the
Russian Ground Forces' longest trucks. As of December 2008, there are six such road-mobile missile systems. Another Russian example is the truck for the
Pechora-2M Surface-to-Air Anti-aircraft missile system, which can transport and launch two missiles, and also used by some other countries. American examples of single-missile launcher trucks include the various missile launcher variants of the
M39 series 5-ton 6×6 truck. In these trucks, after transporting the missile, the missile-launching mechanism with the missile on it is pivoted upwards to put it into position for launching. Some trucks carry a battery containing four
Harpoon or
Patriot missiles for launching. These multiple missile batteries are also pivoted upwards for launching and the launcher in some cases can be rotated around on the chassis (or platform) of the truck. To prepare for launching operations,
outriggers are extended from the truck and placed on the ground to stabilize the truck from a
recoil reaction during a missile launch. with
Patriot missile launcher. Note
outriggers at side and rear extended for launching.The
M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, used in the United States and several other countries, uses a tractor crawler drive instead of conventional pneumatic tires. An example of a single-missile vehicle with a tractor crawler drive is the French
Pluton missile launcher, based on the
AMX-30 tank. The
2K11 Krug is a Soviet/Russian two-missile
transporter erector launcher with a tractor crawler drive. The Russians also have rather extensive
S-300 missile systems on various vehicles. Other examples of Soviet
MRLs include the
BM-21 Grad,
BM-27 Uragan, and
BM-30 Smerch, which use pneumatic tires and tubular missile canisters and are also used by various other countries. A Soviet-produced
9K52 Luna-M missile system uses a 9P113 single-missile
TEL with pneumatic tires to transport an uncovered Soviet 9M21 missile. American missile vehicles include the
M1134 anti-tank guided missile vehicle from the
Stryker family of military vehicles (with pneumatic tires and smaller
BGM-71 TOW missiles),
MIM-72 Chaparral (with tractor crawler drive and four exposed missiles), and
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger (with pneumatic tires and anti-aircraft missile canisters) systems. The 'Long Range Surveillance and Attack Vehicle' produced by
Lockheed Martin is an armored vehicle with four large pneumatic tires on each side and is able to fire missiles from its rotatable turret on top of the vehicle. The initially Soviet then Russian family of S-300 missile systems has been upgraded by the Russian military to the current
S-400 Triumf missiles and their carrier vehicles and put into service starting in 2007. The launch tubes with their S-400 missiles inside are transported horizontally (see photo in gallery below), and the battery of launch tubes with missiles are moved into a vertical position for launching with the launch tube bottoms on the ground. Missile vehicles commonly take part in
military parades, where they are used to publicly display a military's missile capabilities, nuclear weapons, or new missile technology. In the former Soviet Union and now in Russia, missile vehicles commonly appear in
Victory Day Parades in
Moscow's
Red Square. == Gallery ==