Target missile. Country: USA. Status: Retired 1995. Two-stage Orbital Sciences target test vehicles for THAAD and PAC-3 anti-ballistic missile tests, consisting of surplus Minuteman, Pershing, and Sergeant missile rocket stages.
Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch
Orbital Sciences Storm I / Storm II
Storm is the name of a family of ground-launched target vehicles, which are built by Orbital Sciences Corp. (OSC) for tests of theater anti-ballistic missiles. The Storm vehicles are also referred to as BTTV (Ballistic Tactical Target Vehicle) or MTTV (Maneuvering Tactical Target Vehicle) rockets, depending on the characteristics of the actual reentry vehicle carried.
Storm I
Storm I is a two-stage solid-propellant rocket consisting of a Sergeant booster stage and an M57A1 upper stage (a third stage of a retired LGM-30 Minuteman ICBM). A total of twelve Storm I rockets have been launched between January 1992 and December 1995, either for vehicle validation or to to provide targets for THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) flight tests.
Storm II
The Storm II is a single-stage rocket using the SR19-AJ-1 second stage of retired LGM-30F Minuteman II ICBMs. It is normally flown as an MTTV, and as such uses the maneuvering reentry vehicles of discarded MGM-31 Pershing II missiles. The Storm II was first fired on 29 January 1997. It is equipped with a GPS/INS guidance and control system to achieve accurate flight paths, and can launch payloads weighing between 900 kg and 4260 kg (2000-9400 lb). At the time of this writing at least six Storm II rockets have been launched to provide targets for tests of the PAC-3 missile.
Specifications
Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!
Data for Storm II (with Pershing II RV):
Length 10 m (33 ft)
Diameter 1.32 m (4 ft 4 in)
Weight (max. payload) 11340 kg (25000 lb)
Propulsion Aerojet SR19-AJ-1 solid-fueled rocket; 268 kN (60300 lb)
Manufacturer: Orbital. Launches: 12. Failures: 1. Success Rate: 91.67%. First Launch Date: 1992-01-17. Last Launch Date: 1995-12-13. Launch data is: complete. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 0 N ( lbf). Total Mass: 6,000 kg (13,200 lb). Core Diameter: 0.79 m (2.59 ft).
- Stage1: 1 x Sergeant. Gross Mass: 42 kg (92 lb). Empty Mass: 21 kg (46 lb). Motor: 1 x Sergeant. Thrust (vac): 6.660 kN (1,497 lbf). Isp: 235 sec. Burn time: 6.00 sec. Length: 1.00 m (3.20 ft). Diameter: 0.30 m (0.98 ft). Propellants: Solid.
- Stage2: 1 x Hera-2. Gross Mass: 1,900 kg (4,100 lb). Empty Mass: 300 kg (660 lb). Motor: 1 x M57A1. Thrust (vac): 76.000 kN (17,085 lbf). Burn time: 59 sec. Length: 2.10 m (6.80 ft). Diameter: 0.97 m (3.18 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Storm Chronology
1992 January 17 - White Sands SULF. Storm S1 BTTV-1 Validation test Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1992 June 16 - White Sands SULF. Storm S2 FAILURE: Failure. BTTV-2 Validation test Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1993 February 5 - 16:24 GMT - White Sands SULF. Storm S3 BTTV-3 Validation test Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1993 October 8 - White Sands SULF. BTTV-4 PAC-2 Target Target mission Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1993 October 26 - White Sands LC36. BTTV-5 ERINT Mutimode Target mission Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1993 November 30 - White Sands LC36. BTTV-6 ERINT GTF-2 Target mission Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1993 December 17 - White Sands SULF. MTTV-1 ERINT Demo Target mission Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1994 February 15 - 16:18 GMT - White Sands SULF. BTTV-7 ERINT GTF-3 Target mission Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1995 February 7 - White Sands SULF. Storm S9 BTTV-8 THAAD Demo Target mission Agency: USA. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1995 August 16 - White Sands LC36. Storm S10? MTTV MTD-1(GPS test) Target mission Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1995 October 13 - White Sands SULF. Storm S11 BTTV-9 THAAD Target Target mission Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
1995 December 13 - White Sands SULF. BTTV-10 THAAD Target Target mission Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
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