Welcome to the intriguing world of the Martin MGM-13 Mace, a relic of Cold War history nestled in New Mexico’s National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. This missile represents a fascinating chapter in the story of technological advancement and strategic military planning during a tense period of global history.
The story of the Mace begins in the aftermath of World War II, with the United States Air Force seeking to improve upon the shortcomings of the TM-61 Matador, its first nuclear-capable cruise missile. The Matador, while a significant step forward, had its flaws, particularly in its radio guidance system which was vulnerable to jamming and not particularly accurate. The Martin Company, tasked with crafting its successor, incorporated a revolutionary guidance system developed by Goodyear known as ATRAN, which improved accuracy and eliminated the risk of jamming.
By 1956, the TM-76 Mace was born, boasting advancements like folding wings for better transportability and a new engine. It was the ATRAN system, however, that was its most defining feature, using radar altimeters matched to film strips for navigation—a method that was both innovative and effective for its time.
Deployed first in West Germany in 1959, the Mace helped bolster NATO’s strategic capabilities at the height of the Cold War. The missile underwent a nomenclature change in 1962, becoming known as the MGM-13A and CGM-13B, depending on its mode of launch. Its service life, however, was relatively short; by 1969, technological advancements had rendered the Mace obsolete.
Throughout its operational period, the Mace played a pivotal role in the USAF’s missile strategy, serving as a deterrent and a reminder of the period’s geopolitical tensions. Today, visitors to Albuquerque can see the Mace missile on display, a piece of history that tells a story of innovation, strategic military evolution, and the ceaseless march of technology.
The Mace’s legacy lives on as a testament to the ingenuity and scientific prowess that characterized mid-20th-century military advancements.
