Pluton (missile)
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| Pluton | |
|---|---|
kt of TNT - Nuclear 25 kt of TNT - Conventional High-Explosive | |
| Engine | Single-stage solid |
Operational range | 120 km (75 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 1,100 m/s (3,600 ft/s) |
Guidance system | Inertial |
Launch platform | TEL platform on an AMX-30 chassis |
The Pluton missile was a French
Development
The Pluton came in replacement of the U.S.-built
Hadès missile
.
The system was relatively light-weight, which allowed its deployment in difficult conditions. A
CT-20 drone
was available to provide last-minute information about the target before launch, making the Pluton system battle-capable.
A project for an updated version, called Super-Pluton, was dropped in favour of the Hadès project, and the aging Pluton was gradually discarded until completely retired in 1993.[3]
Units
The regiments and groups which used the equipment included:[4]
- 1st Army Corps
- 3rd Artillery Regiment (1970–1990)
- 4th Artillery Regiment (1976–1980)
- 15th Artillery Regiment (1974–1990)
- 2nd Army Corps
- 32nd Artillery Regiment (1977–1993)
- 74th Artillery Regiment (1975–1993)
- 3rd Army Corps
- 3rd Artillery Regiment (1990–1993)
- 4th Artillery Regiment (1980–1993)
- Nuclear support regiments included:
- 21st Maintenance Battalion
- 22nd Maintenance Battalion
Operators
See also
References
- OCLC 785874088.
- ^ Barrillot, Bruno. "Audit atomique - Le coût de l'arsenal nucléaire français (1945-2010)". Éditions Observatoire des armements/CDRPC.
- ^ "Pluton - France Nuclear Forces".
- ^ "2- Insignes des unités Pluton et de leurs unités de soutien". artillerie.asso.fr. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- CERMA Hors-série n7 (2013) Histoire de l'artillerie nucléaire de Terre française 1959-1996 (ISBN 2-901418-43-0// ISSN 1950-3547).
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pluton missile systems.