more at http://quickfound.net/ Public domain film from t' National Archives, slightly cropped t' remove uneven edges, with t' aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. T' soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, me bucko, clippin' reduction, and equalization (the resultin' sound, me bucko, though nay perfect, is far less noisy than t' original). Well, blow me down! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGR-1_Honest_John T' MGR-1 Honest John rocket was t' first nuclear-capable surface-to-surface rocket in t' US arsenal. Designated Artillery Rocket XM31, t' first such rocket was tested 29 June 1951 and t' first production rounds were delivered in January 1953. Well, blow me down! T' designator was changed t' M31 in September 1953. T' first Army units received their rockets by year's end and Honest John battalions were deployed in Europe in t' Sprin' o' 1954. Alternatively, matey, t' rocket be designed t' be capable o' carryin' an ordinary high-explosive warhead weighin' 1500 pounds, even though that was nay t' primary purpose for which it was originally envisioned. Blimey! History and development Developed at Redstone Arsenal, shiver me timbers, Alabama, Honest John was a large but simple fin-stabilized, unguided artillery rocket weighin' 5820 pounds in its initial M-31 nuclear-armed version. Begad! Mounted on t' back o' a truck, me hearties, HJ be aimed in much t' same way as a cannon and then fired up an elevated ramp, ignitin' four small spin rockets as it cleared t' end o' t' ramp. Blimey! T' M-31 had a range o' 15.4 miles with a 20 kiloton nuclear warhead but was also capable o' carryin' a 1500 pound conventional warhead. Ya scallywag! Early tests exhibited more scatter on target than was acceptable when HJ be conventionally armed. Aye aye! Development o' an upgraded Honest John, M-50, was undertaken t' improve accuracy and extend range. T' size o' t' fins was greatly reduced t' eliminate "weathercocking" (the tendency o' crosswinds t' turn a rocket t' face into t' wind). Increased spin was applied t' restore t' positive stability margin that be lost when fin size be reduced. Begad! T' improved M-50, with t' smaller fins and more "rifling", had a maximum range o' 30+ miles with a scatter on target o' only 250 yards, demonstratin' an accuracy approachin' that o' tube artillery. Honest John was manufactured by t' Douglas Airplane Company o' Santa Monica, California. Well, blow me down! T' M31 consisted o' a truck-mounted, arrr, unguided, shiver me timbers, solid-fueled rocket transported in 3 separate parts. Before launch they were combined in t' field, mounted on an M289 launcher and aimed and fired in about 5 minutes. T' rocket was originally outfitted with a W7 variable yield nuclear warhead with a yield o' up t' 20 kilotons o' TNT (84 TJ) and later a W31 warhead with three variants be deployed with yields o' 2 kt (8.4 TJ), 10 kt (42 TJ), or 30 kt (130 TJ). There be a W31 variant o' 20 kt (84 TJ) used in t' Nike Hercules antiaircraft system exclusively. M-31 had a range betwixt 5.5 and 24.8 km (3.4 and 15.4 mi). In t' 1960s Sarin nerve gas cluster munitions were also available for Honest John launch. Well, blow me down! T' 2 basic versions o' Honest John were: - MGR-1A (M31) was 27 ft 3in long, had an engine diameter o' 22.875in, me bucko, a warhead diameter o' 30in (762mm), a span o' 104in, arrr, weighed 5820 pounds (nuclear), me hearties, and had a maximum range o' 15.4 miles. T' Hercules Powder Company X-202 rocket motor was 197.44in long, shiver me timbers, weighed 3937 pounds, and had 90,325 pounds average thrust.[3] - MGR-1B (M50) was 24 ft 10.53in long, had an engine diameter o' 22.8in, a warhead diameter o' 30in, shiver me timbers, a span o' 56in, weighed 4332 pounds (nuclear), arrr, and had twice t' range o' t' M31. Ya scallywag! T' Thiokol composite propellant solid rocket motor had 150,000 pounds thrust. Production o' t' MGR-1 variants finished in 1965 with a total production run o' more than 7,000 rockets. Honest John's bulbous nose and distinctive truck-mounted launch ramp made it an easily recognized symbol o' t' Cold War at Army bases world-wide and National Guard armories at home. Even though HJ was unguided and t' first U.S. Avast! nuclear ballistic missile, it had a longer service life than all other U.S. Begad! ballistic missiles except Minuteman. Begad! T' system be replaced with t' MGM-52 Lance missile in 1973, but was deployed with NATO units in Europe until 1985 and National Guard units in t' United States as late as 1982. Begad! Conventionally armed Honest John remained in t' arsenals o' Greece, ya bilge rat, Turkey and South Korea until at least t' late 1990s. By t' time t' last Honest Johns were withdrawn from Europe in 1985, t' rocket had served with t' military forces o' Belgium, me bucko, Britain, Canada, Denmark (non-nuclear), France, Germany, Greece, Italy, t' Netherlands, ya bilge rat, Norway (non-nuclear), South Korea, Taiwan (non-nuclear), arrr, and Turkey...