Hadès
The Hadès system was a short-range ballistic pre-strategic nuclear weapon system designed by France as a last warning before the use of strategic nuclear weapons in a prospective Soviet invasion of Western Europe. It was designed from July 1984 as a replacement for the tactical road-mobile Pluton missile. Initially 120 missiles were planned to be deployed.
| HADES | |
|---|---|
| Type | Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1991 (terminated in 1996) |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Aerospatiale (Now EADS) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,850 kg |
| Length | 7.50 m |
| Diameter | 0.53 m |
| Warhead | Single TN-90 80 kt of TNT nuclear warhead High explosives conventional warhead |
| Engine | Single-stage solid |
Operational range | 480 km |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance system Digital terminal guidance (GPS) DSMAC TV digital scene matching |
Launch platform | wheeled platforms composed of a tractor and a trailer with two missiles |
A wheeled trailer and launcher, each carrying two missiles in containers, was planned for deploying the Hadès. The original design had a range of 350 km, which was later increased to 450 km. The guidance system was an inertial platform which could be programmed to execute evasive maneuvers before hitting the target. A version designed to hit hardened underground targets also had a final guidance system which used a GPS-based digital system, resulting in a Circular Error Probable of only 5 m, compared to a CEP of 100 m for the standard version.