Brief Operational History

I'd like to begin by mentioning that information about the T-5c 'Mars' is extremely difficult to find.  This is  because of a combination of Cold War secrecy and its rather short service life.  The weapon used a single large rocket mounted on a transporter/launcher vehicle that was based on a PT-76 chassis.  It was intended to be a lighter and slightly faster counterpart to the longer ranged FROG-1.  

It can be distinguished from the FROG-1 by its smaller rocket with a bulbous nose.  Unlike the PT-76 the T-5c 'Mars' does not have any amphibious capability.

It was first seen in the West alongside the T-5a 'Filin' at the 1957 May Day parade.  These two systems were the earliest of the Soviet unguided rocket family designed to provide long range fire support at the divisional level.. The T-5c 'Mars' would soon be dubbed the Free Rocket Over Ground or FROG-2.  Later versions would be equipped with chemical and nuclear warheads in addition to the conventional explosive types. 

Over time the Soviet army felt that having two different weapons for the same role complicated supply and logistics.  Both the T-5a and T-5c would have to be integrated into a single system.  This ultimately happened with the introduction of the FROG-3 in the early 1960's.

The T-5c 'Mars' was kept in reserve for several years after the introduction of the FROG-3 and was only pulled from service in sometime in the late 1960's.  It was not widely exported and total production only amounted to approximately 340 vehicles.

Its only combat use occurred long after the Soviet Army had withdrawn them from frontline service.  It was  during the 1973 Yom Kippur war when the Syrian army used both FROG-2 and the later FROG-3 rockets during their assault on the Golan Heights.  The missiles had little military effect because most struck civilian areas.

Tactical Use and Limitations

The T-5c 'Mars' is one of a family of unguided rocket systems designed to be deployed some 15-20 kilometers behind the forward edge of battle area (FEBA).  It was intended to strike at major armored concentrations, bombard cities under siege, and perform other heavy strikes in support of an major advance.

When the longer ranged FROG-1 was equipped with a more powerful 25 kiloton nuclear weapon in 1960, the FROG-2 was equipped with a 10 kiloton warhead.  The combination of these two nuclear rocket systems would gave the Soviet Army a great deal of battlefield flexibility against the more advanced NATO forces they were envisioned to oppose.  When used with nuclear or chemical munitions the weapon fell under the command of the Front rather than the divisional commander.  The FROG-2's nuclear tipped rocket would be phased out in 1966.

The chief limitation of the weapon is its slow reload time (30 minutes) and its unguided nature.  These solid fueled, single stage rockets are spin stabilized and highly inaccurate as nuclear capable weapons go.  The FROG-2 also preformed almost the same role as the FROG-1.

Deployment Chronology

The T-5c 'Mars' saw limited service as it and its counterpart the T-5a 'Filin' were both replaced by more advanced rocket systems.  Here you can learn more about the heavy artillery systems that the T-5c 'Mars' replaced and what rocket system eventually replaced it.  You can find out more about each weapon system if we have them on our site by clicking on the links below.

Sources Cited

Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.

• The Encyclopedia of World Military Weapons, edited by Chris Bishop and Ian Drury, published by Crescent Books, New York, New York, 1988

• The Soviet Army 1918 to the Present, by Albert and Joan Seaton, published in United States by Meridian Books, New York, New York, 1988