The U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) has created a mobile missile launcher on top of a flatbed semi trailer for use in various testing ranges around the county.
The launcher was created by SMDC’s test execution unit, Redstone Arsenal, which specializes in missile testing. SMDC engineer Stephanie Chrisley said that the transportable target launcher was created with “commercially off-the-shelf available items” in order to make testing and transporting cost effective.
In addition to being cost effective, the missile launcher is also extremely efficient. After being hauled to a new testing site, the launcher can begin operating “within 15 minutes” after being hooked up to a generator, according to Waaytv.com.
The director of the test execution division, Kevin Creekmore, spoke about the benefits of having the launcher built on top of a flatbed trailer. “This gives us the flexibility to launch in area that we want that does not necessarily have to be an improved area, it can be any open area where we can set it up with a small crew and we don’t need existing infrastructure,” he said.
The transportable target launcher can fire missiles up to 48-feet long and withstand 73,000 pounds of rocket thrust.
The funding came from the office of the secretary of defense, and the project cost roughly $3 million dollars. Since 2010, two transportable target launchers have been built by the SMDC.
One of the transportable launchers is currently sitting in the SMDC parking lot and is out-of-service as it undergoes maintenance. It is expected to be ready for use in 2016.