Modern German
Army Rocket Artillery Honest John, Sergeant, Lance and LARS 1.
In the weapons
arsenal of the Bundeswehr of the Cold War tactical ground-to-ground rocket
systems played a key role to fulfil the demanded tasks within NATO both in
conventional and nuclear battle scenarios. In the early years of the Bundeswehr
the military rockets were exclusively of American origin, with the systems
Honest John, Sergeant and Lance being actively deployed. Back then the US Army
did not possess any multiple-launch rocket systems, and it was more focused on
the development of heavy rocket artillery weapon systems that could launch one
rocket and that were mainly earmarked for use with nuclear warheads. This
explains why the German Bundeswehr did not field a multiple launch rocket system
in its early years. Only when it began to develop modern domestic weapon systems
which included a requirement for a powerful artillery system to engage area
targets the LARS 1 could finally be introduced.
