European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes monday March 24, 1986 a big for like multiple launch rocket system Rolls out from its Railroad siding at the army training area in Grafe Woehr Germany. Photo for is by Jerry Sullivan fired up Young rocket Battery gives battalion a family7 feeling by Mike Heronemus staff writer he last firing Battery to join Usa eur s Only pure multiple launch rocket system battalion had t even finished transition training before it was tested on its capabilities. Btry a 4th in 27th Field arty was still training at Grafe Woehr while the rest of the battalion was undertaking firing missions for certain Sentinel 86. Even though still in training we handled a few of the certain Sentinel firing missions said capt. Jerry Sulli Van Btry c commander. The reformer related exercise was the first time we were afforded the Opportunity to operate As a battalion said maj. John Sorrell battalion operations officer. It took reformer to show How the system would work Sorrell said. The new Mars battalion the second formed in the army was activated at Peden Barracks in june and was moved into new buildings built just for it said it. Col. Harold h. Kevorkian Deputy sub Community commander at Wertheim. Until a new maintenance facility is completed in june 1987, the soldiers Are using the deserted taxi areas and runway of Peden s abandoned Airfield to Park their self propelled launcher loaders Sells heavy expanded mobility tactical trucks Hetts and other vehicles. Three firing batteries joined the battalion in Germany one at a time after they completed Basic and collective unit training at fort Sill okla. Now that c Btry is Here we really feel like a family said command sgt. Maj. William e. Brunson the Battal Ion s top enlisted Soldier. That family contains the finest Young privates in the Mars mos said it. Col. Lester c. Stearns jr., Bat Talion commander. They re smart dedicated. They re computer kids working with computer operated  Stearns is so confident in the skills his soldiers possess he let a private first class Brief the commander of Allied forces Central Europe on the Mars during certain sen Tinel. The majority of noncommissioned officers in the Battal Ion Are Lance missile men having to learn the Mars. This system makes transition easy because the com Puter does everything. You punch in the right data and it does the rest said sgt. Ken Mccormick from Oakland Calif. Mccormick a Lance missile Man for six years is the gunner in a three Man sell Crew assigned to Btry c. Another Lance missile Man staff sgt. Andrew Ritte Nour from Honey Brook pa., is the Section chief for a Btry a spill As the artillerymen Call the rocket launchers. He prefers the Mars system to the Lance because it requires multiple launch rocket system Crew 3 weight loaded 5,500 pounds weight empty 4,700 pounds height travelling 8.5 feet Width travelling 9.75 feet length travelling 22 feet Max Speed 40 Mph Range 300 Miles gradient 60� Side slope 40� engine Cummins Vta-903 Turbo charged 8-Cyiin Der diesel develops 500 he at 2,400 rpm transmission general electric Hmpt-500 Hydro mechanical steering hydrostatic electrical system 24 v less manual work to launch a fire Mission. It s also better because of the amount of steel you can put downrange he said. The launcher carries two pods of six 227mm rockets each. The 13-foot rockets can reach targets beyond 18 Miles. Each warhead carries 644 explosives equal to the same number of hand grenades. All 12 rockets can be fired to cover an area equal to just under six football Fields with explosives. Pvt. Troy Benware gets excited when he talks about the Mars and in particular the sell he drives for Btry c. It s pretty neat the Ahe town pa., Soldier said not ing that the firing computer console can talk to a gunner in four languages English French German or italian. But he said his first live firing in the launcher at Gra Fen Woehr was a Little eerie. You re All sealed up in the cab. It s dark. The spa rocks when it s  but even with All the firepower the rocking is no worse than if you were sitting in a car and someone outside was rocking it said staff sgt. Gary Williams a gunner in Btry. One comparison made Between Mars and conventional Cannon artillery is that just one launcher in an Mars Battery firing one barrage of 12 rockets can destroy a Fiel artillery Cannon Battery Stearns said. At the same time the Sells can be deployed so widely that it is nearly impossible to wipe out one of his firing batteries Stearns said. During certain Sentinel one Battery was spread over35 Kilometres 22 Miles with his soldiers spread out Stearns said Success de pends a lot on the initiative of the privates and sergeant assigned to 4th in. But Trust and responsibility also Are placed on others than just the launcher Crews of 4th in. Across a Grassy part of the Airfield on a Windy cold paved hard stand Are parked the Hemet behemoths that carry extra am see Battery on Page 9