SSM launcher (Tiberian Dawn)

Surface-to-Surface Missile Launcher
Unit
Affiliation	Nod
Role	Artillery
Armament	Two "Honest John" napalm warhead missiles
Tech level	7
Properties
Hit points	120
Shields	2
Production
Cost	$750
Build time	0:50
Produced by	Airstrip
Combat
Ground attack	100 (Fire)
Cooldown	200
Land speed	18
Attack range	10
Sight range	4

The Surface-to-surface missile (SSM) launcher was Nod's advanced artillery vehicle used in the First Tiberium War.

Background

Using the successful MLRS frame, replacing the rocket pods with two large "Honest John" missiles, the SSM launcher is a rocket artillery vehicle that can deal massive damage to infantry and structures, supporting the M110 artillery.

The technology that goes into the "Honest John" missiles is quite advanced - the missiles require sophisticated guidance and electronics, so Nod only delivers them to bases guarded by an Obelisk of Light.

Legacy

These units were phased out by the time the Second Tiberium War had begun.

Game unit

The most important quality of these launchers is their extreme range. Their missiles have significantly more range than both the Obelisk of Light and an Advanced Guard Tower and could thus be used to slowly wear down an enemy's defenses.

The SSM Launcher is probably the most elusive "regular" unit in the history of C&C. It only appears in multiplayer and, as Command and Conquer 1 does not have a skirmish mode (later corrected with the release of Command & Conquer: Remastered Collection), most single-players never saw it. While The Covert Operations expansion pack features missions with Chem-Warriors and Apache helicopters, there are no missions where one starts with or can build an SSM Launcher, although the Nod AI player does regularly build and use them. The only single-player mission where it can be built is the fourth dinosaur campaign mission if Nod is the player's chosen side.

Assessment

Pros

• Effective against infantry and buildings
• The rockets have a large explosion radius, so they can take out multiple infantry units.
• Great building destroyer.
• Outranges all base defenses, as well as other artillery units.
• Reasonably cheap ($750).
• The only primary land-based siege weapon capable of firing upon the Obelisk of Light from outside its range.
• Longest range weapon in the game

Cons

• Weak armor
• Vulnerable to anti-vehicle units
• Ineffective against heavily armoured vehicles
• Unable to protect itself at close range (blind spot).
• Long reload time
• Only appears in multiplayer

Gallery

Brady Games' strategy guide render scan

PDF manual render

In-game unit

Original icon

See also

• Multiple Launch Rocket System (Tiberian Dawn)
• M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (Wikipedia)
• MGR-1 Honest John (Wikipedia)

Trivia

• The SSM launcher's obscurity is referenced in the intro of the N64 version of Command & Conquer, in which one of the lines during the EVA installation intro's "Armament History" section is "SSM Launcher... SSM Launcher Deleted".
• In real life, Honest John missiles are too huge in size for 2 to be mounted side by side on an M270's Carrier Vehicle. They would actually be SAMs instead. That is because SAMs are of such proportions and 2 SAMs can fit side by side. See the 2K11 Krug and S-125.