Description
U.S. Army Technical Manual TM 9-1410-500-15P/1 for XMIM-23A and XMTM-23B HAWK Guided Missiles, June 1966
Item Overview
This official U.S. Army technical manual is a repair-parts and special-tools publication for the experimental XMIM-23A and XMTM-23B intercept-aerial guided missiles associated with the HAWK Air Defense Guided Missile System. Issued as TM 9-1410-500-15P/1 in June 1966, it supported several levels of military maintenance by identifying approved missile components, assemblies, repair parts, and special tools. Its use of experimental “X” designations makes it an important record of the early HAWK missile family and its training equipment. This listing is for the technical manual only. It does not include a guided missile, warhead, rocket motor, launcher, radar, test equipment, repair part, special tool, or other HAWK equipment.
Publication Details
TM 9-1410-500-15P/1 was prepared for supply and maintenance personnel responsible for supporting early HAWK guided missiles. The publication dates from a period when the original Basic HAWK system was in service and the Army was developing the improvements that later produced the Improved HAWK system.
- Manual number: TM 9-1410-500-15P/1
- Publication date: June 1966
- Primary subject: XMIM-23A and XMTM-23B intercept-aerial guided missiles
- Weapon system: HAWK Air Defense Guided Missile System
- Manual type: Repair parts and special tools list
- Maintenance levels supported: Organizational, direct support, general support, and depot maintenance
- Equipment status: Experimental or developmental designations
- Issuing authority: Headquarters, Department of the Army
- Country of origin: United States
- Item included: Technical manual only
Manual Coverage
The “15P” suffix identifies this publication as a repair-parts and special-tools manual supporting multiple maintenance levels. It was intended to help trained personnel identify, requisition, issue, and account for authorized missile parts and support equipment. Publications of this type commonly organize components by functional group and provide official nomenclature, part numbers, stock information, quantities, maintenance authorization, and related supply data. The “/1” identifies this as a specific missile-focused volume within the larger family of HAWK technical publications. This is primarily a parts-reference manual rather than an operator’s firing or radar-control manual.
Missile Models Covered
The manual covers one developmental tactical missile and one experimental training missile. Both designations use the standardized military aerospace system adopted during the early 1960s. The initial “X” indicates experimental status, while “I” identifies an intercept-aerial mission and “T” identifies a training configuration.
- XMIM-23A: Experimental or prototype configuration related to the tactical MIM-23A Basic HAWK missile
- Earlier designation: XM3 before adoption of the MIM-23 designation system
- XMTM-23B: Experimental HAWK training missile used to support battery instruction and maintenance training
- Earlier designation: XM16 before redesignation as XMTM-23B
About the HAWK Air Defense System
HAWK was a mobile, medium-range surface-to-air guided missile system developed to defend troops, airfields, command centers, and other important areas from low- and medium-altitude aircraft. The system could operate during the day or at night and in a wide range of weather conditions. Ground-based search and tracking radars detected the aircraft, followed its movement, and illuminated it for the missile’s semi-active radar-homing guidance system. HAWK missiles were normally carried and fired from the M192 towed launcher, which held three missiles. A complete battery also included acquisition radars, target-tracking and illumination radars, command-and-control equipment, missile loaders, generators, and support vehicles. The original MIM-23A Basic HAWK missile was approximately 16.7 feet long, had a 15-inch body diameter, a wingspan of about 48 inches, and weighed about 1,287 pounds at launch. Its engagement range extended from roughly 1.2 to 16 miles, with coverage from very low altitude to approximately 36,000 feet.
Weapon-System History
HAWK was developed during the 1950s as the Army sought a mobile air-defense missile capable of defeating fast aircraft flying below the most effective coverage of larger fixed systems. Raytheon served as the system’s prime contractor. On June 22, 1956, an early HAWK missile intercepted and destroyed an F-80 drone over White Sands Missile Range, proving the basic design. The system was initially fielded in 1960, and Army air-defense units in Europe began receiving HAWK soon afterward. In June 1963, the older XM3 and XM16 designations became XMIM-23A and XMTM-23B under the standardized missile designation system. The Army began the HAWK Improvement Program in 1964 to strengthen radar performance, electronic-countermeasure resistance, mobility, and missile capability. The June 1966 date places this manual between the fielding of Basic HAWK and the later introduction of Improved HAWK around 1970 and 1971.
History of Use
HAWK batteries provided mobile air defense for U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Army National Guard forces throughout the Cold War. The 32nd Army Air Defense Command received HAWK in Europe during 1961, where batteries helped protect NATO forces and installations from low-flying aircraft. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the Army processed hundreds of urgent requests for HAWK missiles and repair parts. Marine Battery B, 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion, deployed with HAWK to Vietnam in early 1965, marking the first surface-to-air missile system positioned at the front during that conflict. American HAWK batteries deployed during Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War but did not fire the weapon in combat. Israel recorded the system’s first combat use during the 1967 Six-Day War, and foreign HAWK units later used the system in other regional conflicts. Kuwaiti HAWK batteries fired on Iraqi aircraft during the invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. HAWK served with approximately 20 allied nations and remained in use for decades through a long series of missile, radar, and electronic upgrades.
Collector and Research Value
TM 9-1410-500-15P/1 documents an early and specialized part of the HAWK program. Its experimental XMIM-23A and XMTM-23B designations connect the original development numbers with the standardized MIM and MTM naming system used later. The manual is valuable for identifying early missile parts and understanding how the Army organized maintenance and supply support for a complex air-defense weapon. It is a strong addition to collections covering HAWK, Cold War air defense, guided-missile development, Army technical publications, or military repair-parts catalogs.
Condition
This vintage military technical manual may show cover wear, edge wear, folds, yellowing, stains, writing, military stamps, punched holes, loose pages, replaced pages, or other signs of age, handling, and storage. Cover style, printing details, binding, markings, and overall condition may vary between available copies. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
This manual is well suited for collections, research projects, restorations, and exhibits covering early American surface-to-air missiles and Cold War air-defense equipment.
- U.S. Army technical-manual collections
- HAWK missile-system research
- XMIM-23A and MIM-23A missile displays
- XMTM-23B training-missile research
- Cold War air-defense exhibits
- M192 HAWK launcher displays
- Military repair-parts research
- Army and Marine Corps air-defense history
- Museum and archival collections
Approx length 8", Approx width 11", Approx height .2", Approx weight .5lbs.
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