Copperhead

Copperhead was the first successful cannon-launched missile, a laser-guided round fired from a 155-mm. howitzer like a conventional round. Fired by a regular artillery crew with no special training, it could destroy moving or stationary hard-point targets with pinpoint accuracy. When fired, a thermal battery and timer were activated, a gyro spun up, tailfins opened, and the laser seeker began scanning. As the munition fell toward earth, the seeker homed in on reflected laser energy from a target, and fins from the midbody guided it into the target, which was destroyed by the shell's shaped-charge warhead. The Army began development of the Cannon-Launched Guided Projectile in 1971, renamed it Copperhead in 1975, fielded it in 1982, and ended production in 1989 after 27,000 rounds had been produced. Copperhead was used in combat in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, but it proved limited by target conditions and cost. Developmental testing began at White Sands Missile Range in 1972, and 299 Copperheads were tested there during the following five years.

White Sands, New Mexico · United States