M-667 Lance
Tactical Nuclear Missile Carrier
Israeli Army
 

by Matthew W. Malogorski

Construction and Modifications

Kit Used: Roco Minitanks

Scale: 1/87

This is a typical Roco kit that comes pre-assembled with additional parts. The instructions are decent, but no decals or painting guide is included. After disassembly I made the following modifications.

The Missile Frame/Launcher was pretty well detailed, but oversimplified. I made the missile guide rail from Plastruct H channel and Evergreen plastic strip. (Without this modification, the missile alignment pins are visible, and the missile does not sit very securely on its mount). The missile frame locking hook was also made from Evergreen strip that was punched with a punch & die, then sanded to shape. The locking hook was then detailed with hinge pins added from 2 Grandt Line Nut/Bolt/Washer castings. The missile frame locking collar was missing the locking pins, so I also added these from 2 Grandt Line Nut/Bolt/Washer castings. Hydraulic pipes and electrical wiring was added to the bottom of the missile erector from plastic rod and stretched sprue. The elevation wheels and mounts were detailed with a Waldron Sub Miniature Punch & Die Set.

The Missile was assembled from the 3 kit pieces and the seams filled and sanded. Once that was done, I thinned the wings for a more scale appearance. I painted the missile Model Master Field Drab and added all the stenciling and warning placards from a combination of decal stripes and 1/72nd aircraft decals. The missile was added as the last sub-assembly to the model once it was finished.

The Cargo Area/Missile Bay required a little bit of work that Roco missed. I added rib detail to the inside of the missile bay sides from Evergreen strip. The missile bay control box was made from Evergreen sheet and glued behind the Driver’s Compartment.

The Outer Hull had some very easy things done to improve the appearance of the model. I lowered the rear ramp into the blast position. The headlight glass was simulated with clear gloss painted over Testor’s silver. The rear taillights are done with Tamiya Clear Red.

Painting and Markings

The paint finish is airbrushed with Model Master Israeli Sand, then dry brushed with Model Master Dark Green. The tracks and rubber portions of the sand shields are painted flat black. I added Maneuver Markings made from individual pieces of white decal stripes per my references. A very light dusting of pastel chalk wrapped up the weathering.

The model sits in a Vehicle Revetment made from ½ inch Styrofoam, covered with Sculptamold mixed with sand and gravel. After drying I painted the surface with my airbrush, then dry brushed with various sand and gray colors.

References

This was a really fun kit and I recommend it to anyone.

This model won a bronze medal at AMPS 2000.

Lance Tactics and Organization

by Mike Gawell
Captain US Army (inactive)
1st BN, 12th FA (Lance) C Battery. 1986-1988

The Lance, at least as the US Army and the Germans used it, was envisioned as a shoot and scoot weapon, so we never dug in. The platoon was based upon the same "TO&E" as an infantry platoon, and our chief weapon was stealth, and hiding.

It was anticipated that a fire mission would have pre-surveyed firing points. The Platoon leader would locate these pre-surveyed points, and based upon his recommendation to the Fire Direction Center, would have missions run in a certain order upon the 5 or 6 points in a given area. (There’s nothing like locating a 1/4 inch stake in a field the size of a grid square at o dark thirty...)

The last year I was there we were using the satellite for getting an 8-10 digit # for the stake as a firing coordinate, so we had to ensure that when the launcher pulled over the stake we were within one inch of center on the towing eye. The fire mission would usually be under 10 minutes from pulling over the hub until launch, and the standard was 12. (Our best was 6 minutes to pull over, lay the missile on target, and prepare to fire.) Before this, we would have the platoon officer, and the driver set up the survey equipment, and take an initial tangent to target. After that, it was expected that we were to break all the equipment down, and un-ass the area in less than 3 minutes before all hell would be raining down upon us.

Lance units usually operated 3-5 clicks behind the lines, but the airmobile concept was designed to take us behind the lines to hit targets deep in the enemy's rear. (These of course would be a nuke, and our ticket was expected to be one way.) The LZL fit inside a Chinook along with the crew.

A Lance Battalion had 5 Batteries. 1 HQ, and 1 Service Battery that held the re-supply of missiles, and 3 firing batteries. Same concept as an Infantry Company/Battalion. Each battery had 2 launchers, and 2 Assembly and transport vehicles (same frame, but with the crane.) The A&T platoon had 5 extended wheel base 5 ton vehicles, and would store up to 22 missile bodies, and warheads.

The anticipated time to unseal, inspect, and mate a missile body to warhead was 15-20 minutes, but with motivated platoons, it could be done in about 10. The A&T vehicles could ride 2 each mated missiles on them.

We would find a place away from the battery main, and drop one onto the launcher. (Approximately 10 minutes, and done MUCH quicker in order to get out of the area by both platoons.) These were random areas away from any other battalion activity since a crane operating in the middle of a battle area is rather obvious.

The firing platoons with one launcher, one jeep/HUMVEE, and one M880 or like vehicle, (approximately 10 soldiers) would never even see the battery main area under battlefield operations, and operated independently from the battery, and each other.

By the time I left, I also was experimenting with having my A&T sections (2 each, or 10 soldiers apiece) operating away from the battery main in order to "hide" my depot area. Supposedly, each firing platoon and the A&T platoons would have had a platoon or so of infantry attached for fire support in actual ops, but we expected fully not to have them.