| SS.10 | |
|---|---|
 SS.10 Missile (designated Robot 51 in Swedish service), housed in theSwedish Naval Museum | |
| Type | Anti-tank missile |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1955–present |
| Used by | SeeOperators |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Jean Bastien-Thiry |
| Designed | 1948–1955 |
| Manufacturer | Nord Aviation |
| Produced | 1955–1962 |
| No. built | 30,000 missiles |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 15 kg |
| Length | 0.86 m |
| Diameter | 0.16 m |
| Wingspan | 0.75 m |
| Warhead | 5 kgHEAT |
Detonation mechanism | contact |
| Engine | solid-fuel rocket |
Operational range | 500 to 1600 m |
| Maximum speed | 80 m/s |
Guidance system | wire |
Steering system | control surfaces |
Launch platform | Individual, Vehicle |
TheNord AviationSS.10 was aMCLOSwire-guidedanti-tank missile designed by the French engineerJean Bastien-Thiry. In American service, the missile was called theMGM-21A. The missile entered service in 1955 with theFrench Army. It was used briefly by the US Army in the early 1960s. The missile ceased production in January 1962 after approximately 30,000 missiles had been built.
Development began in France in 1948, when theArsenal de l'Aéronautique in Châtillon sous Bagneux began looking at the possibility of further developing the GermanX-7 missile, a design dating back to WWII. The missile was designed to be cheap: in 1955, the missile cost 340FRF and the control box 1,750 FRF. The first units were test fired in 1952. Development was completed in 1955 and the missile entered service with the French Army under the designation SS.10 ("Sol-Sol" French for "Surface to Surface").
The US Army procured 500 missiles and three sets of launching equipment to evaluate a prototype version of the missile between early 1952 and October 1953, but concluded that the missile was not currently ready for use, but that the continued development should be monitored.[1] After development of the missile was completed, the US successfully re-evaluated the missile in mid-1958, and the laterSS.11 (also by designer Bastien-Thiry) andENTAC missiles were procured for Army use.
In late 1955, Israel ordered 36 SS.10 launchers. They were received a year later, too late for theIDF to use them during the 1956Suez Crisis. Subsequently, a self-propelled variant was developed, with four launchers carried by aDodge truck. In the early 1960s, SS.10 missiles were retired from IDF service, replaced bySS.11.[2]
The US Army was interested in the missile from an early stage, but pursued development of their own missile – theSSM-A-23 Dart. However, after the Dart was cancelled in 1958, they began to consider procuring SS.10 and SS.11 missiles. In February 1959, theUS Army decided to buy the SS.10 as a stopgap measure. The missile was delivered in January 1960 and was phased out in 1963 in favor of theMGM-32 Entac. The missile received the designationMGM-21A.
In flight, the missile is steered by an unusual arrangement of electrically powered vibratingspoilers, the power for these spoilers is transmitted to the missile along the guidance wires from the operator's station. Since the missile spins in flight, agyroscope is needed to determine which spoilers are currently up/down or left/right. Guiding the missile to the target is very demanding and requires a high level of operator skill and concentration. This is typical withMCLOS guided missiles.
