MGM-29 Sergeant



The MGM-29 Sergeant was an American short-range, solid fuel, surface-to-surface missile developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The missiles were built by Sperry Utah Company.

Activated by the US Army in 1962 to replace the MGM-5 Corporal it was deployed overseas by 1963, carrying the W52 nuclear warhead or alternatively one of high explosives. It was replaced by the MGM-52 Lance and the last US Army battalion was deactivated in 1977. Sergeant Missile Systems were usually assigned to the Field Army with the mission of "General support to a Corps"

Operation of the Sergeant was recognized to be an interim stage in the development of battlefield missiles. It avoided the Corporal's liquid-fuel-handling drawbacks, but still requiring extensive setup and checkout before launch, together with a train of semi-trailer support vehicles. More advanced missiles, such as the contemporary Blue Water and later Lance, would reduce setup time.

The Sergeant had a takeoff thrust of 200 kN, a takeoff weight of 4530 kg, a diameter of 790 mm, a length of 10.52 m and a fin span of 1.80 m. The Sergeant missile had a minimum range of 25 mi, and a maximum range of 84 mi.

The Sergeant was used as the second stage of the Scout satellite launcher, and clusters of Sergeant-derived rockets were used in the second and third stages of the Jupiter-C sounding rocket and used in the second, third, and fourth stages of the Juno I and Juno II launch vehicles.

Thiokol developed the Sergeant rocket motors—and the Castor rocket stages derived from them—at the Redstone Arsenal near Huntsville, Alabama.

Operators
German Army
 * West Germany
 * 150th Rocket Artillery Battalion 1964-1976
 * 250th Rocket Artillery Battalion 1964-1976
 * 350th Rocket Artillery Battalion 1964-1976
 * 650th Rocket Artillery Battalion 1965-1976

United States Army
 * 2nd Bn, 30th Field Artillery Regiment 1963-1975 - Vicenza, Italy
 * 3rd Bn, 38th Field Artillery Regiment 1962-? - Fort Sill
 * 1st Bn, 68th Field Artillery Regiment 1964-1970 - West Germany
 * 5th Bn, 73rd Field Artillery Regiment 1963-1975 - West Germany
 * 5th Bn, 77th Field Artillery Regiment 1963-1975 - West Germany
 * 3rd Bn, 80th Field Artillery Regiment 1964-1970 - West Germany
 * 3rd Bn, 81st Field Artillery Regiment 1963-1976 - South Korea