a 1-minute primer produced in the late 1950s From fact sheets dated February 28, 1958 & April 2, 1960. The U.S. Army's CORPORAL, this country's first ballistic guided missile, is about 45 feet long with control fins located on the ends of the large stabilizing fins. It weighs about five tons fueled and ready for launching. Before the CORPORAL is fired, basic firing data is computed for the guidance equipment and entered as settings in the various vans. Then, after the missile is launched, minor corrections are made to the trajectory to insure an accurate impact.