BTW, are Pershings still built/maintained/operated by the US. I didn't think, but...
The Pershings were all dismantled in 1991 as part of the IRNF treaty save for fifteen inert ones for display purposes. (We gave one of them to the Russians in exchange for an SS-20 at the time.) However, the Hera missile used as a target missile for testing out the missile defense system bolts the guidance system from a dismantled Pershing II on to the top two stages of a retired Minuteman II. IRNF basically prohibits us from having a missile that the ROC would find useful against the PRC. However if Putin carries through on his threat to withdraw Russia from the IRNF treaty, I imagine Lockheed Martin has some design studies for a Pershing III that could be put into production fairly quickly (for a Pentagon project that is).
