Honest John

Honest John was a simple free-flight rocket rather than a guided missile, and it became the first post-World War II American rocket to become operational. It carried either an atomic or a high explosive warhead and, among U.S. nuclear weapons of the 1950s, was the easiest to operate. Its warhead, motor, and fins were assembled and mounted on a six-wheel launcher by a crew of six men using a crane, after which it was ready for aiming and firing. It was no more accurate than conventional artillery rounds and was more influenced by winds. Development began in May 1950 for a large-caliber unguided solid-fuel field artillery rocket with nuclear capability, and flight testing began at White Sands Missile Range in June 1951. The first Honest John rockets reached U.S. Army units in January 1953, it was deployed in Europe in 1954, and in 1961 the Improved Honest John replaced the earlier model with reduced weight, shortened length, and increased range. Lance began replacing Honest John in 1973, leaving all Honest Johns to U.S. Army National Guard units, and in 1982 Honest John was declared obsolete. At White Sands Missile Range, 1711 were fired from 1951 to 1977, and after 1962 most were used there to test various warheads. Honest John was 27 feet long, 30 inches in diameter, weighed 5,800 pounds, used solid propellant, had a range of 12 miles, and was first fired in 1951.

White Sands, New Mexico · United States