Intercontinental ballistic missile

A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch.
A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch.

An intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is a long-range ballistic missile using a ballistic trajectory involving a significant ascent and descent, including sub-orbital flight. The FOBS had a partial orbital trajectory. An ICBM differs little technically from other ballistic missiles such as intermediate-range ballistic missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, or the newly named theater ballistic missiles; these are differentiated only by maximum range. The maximum range of ICBMs is addressed by arms control agreements, which prohibit orbital or fractional-orbital weapons. Only three nations currently have operational ICBM systems: the United States, Russia, and China. However, other nations have ICBMs but not an organized ICBM system, such as Israel, India, Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan.

In 2002, the United States and Russia agreed in the SORT treaty to reduce their deployed stockpiles to not more than 2,200 warheads each.

Contents

Flight phases

The following flight phases can be distinguished:

  • boost phase - 3 to 4 minutes (for a solid rocket shorter than for a liquid-propellant rocket); altitude at the end of this phase is 150 -200 km, typical burn-out speed is 7 km/s
  • midcourse phase - ca. 25 minutes - suborbital flight in an elliptic orbit, i.e. the orbit is part of an ellipse with vertical major axis; the apogee (halfway the midcourse phase) is at an altitude of typically ca. 1200 km; the semi-major axis is between one half of the radius of the Earth and the radius; the projection of the orbit on the Earth's surface is a great circle - the missile may release a few independent warheads, a large number of decoys, and chaff
  • reentry phase (starting at an altitude of 100 km) - 2 minutes

See also Missile Defense Agency.

History

Early ICBMs formed the basis of many space launch systems. Examples include: Atlas, Delta, Redstone_rocket, Titan, R-7, and Proton. Modern ICBMs tend to be smaller than their ancestors (due to increased accuracy and smaller and lighter warheads) and use solid fuels, making them less useful as orbital launch vehicles.

Countries beginning developing ICBMs have all used liquid propellants initially, because the technology is easier.

Modern ICBMs

Modern ICBMs typically carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a separate nuclear warhead, allowing a single missile to hit multiple targets. MIRV was an outgrowth of the rapidly shrinking size and weight of modern warheads and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties which imposed limitations on the number of launch vehicles(SALT I and SALT II). It has also proved to be an "easy answer" to proposed deployments of ABM systems – it is far less expensive to add more warheads to an existing missile system than to build an ABM system capable of shooting down the additional warheads; hence, most ABM system proposals have been judged to be impractical. The only operational ABM systems were deployed in the 1970's, the US Safeguard ABM facility was located in North Dakota and was operational from 1975-1976. The USSR deployed its Galosh ABM system was deployed around Moscow in the 1970's and remains in service.

The Titan I ICBM Underground Silo Complex includes a network of tunnels connecting multiple silos to subterranian control and communications facilities.
Enlarge
The Titan I ICBM Underground Silo Complex includes a network of tunnels connecting multiple silos to subterranian control and communications facilities.

Modern ICBMs tend to use solid fuel, which can be stored easily for long periods of time. Liquid-fueled ICBMs were generally not kept fueled all the time, and therefore fueling the rocket was necessary before a launch. ICBMs are based either in missile silos, which offer some protection from military attack (including, the designers hope, some protection from a nuclear first strike), or on submarines, rail cars or heavy trucks, which are mobile and therefore hard to find.

The low flying, guided cruise missile is an alternative to ballistic missiles.

Specific missiles

US

Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and cruise missiles

The US Air Force currently operates just over 500 ICBMs at around 15 missile complexes located primarily in the northern Rocky Mountain states and the Dakotas. These are of the Minuteman III and Peacekeeper ICBM variants. Peacekeeper missiles are being phased out by 2005. All USAF Minuteman II missiles have been destroyed in accordance to START, and their launch silos sealed or sold to the public. To comply with the START II most US multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRV’s, have been eliminated and replaced with single warhead missiles. However, since the abandonment of the START II treaty, the U.S. is said to be considering retaining 800 warheads on 500 missiles.[1] (http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/nukenotes/mj04nukenote.html)

Sea-based ICBMs

The US Navy currently has 15 Ohio-class submarines deployed. Each submarine is equipped with a complement of 24 Trident missiles, eight with Trident I missiles, and ten with Trident II missiles.

Current and former US ballistic missiles

  • Atlas (SM-65, CGM-16) former ICBM launched from silo, now the rocket is used for other purposes
  • Titan I (SM-68, HGM-25A)
  • Titan II (SM-68B, LGM-25C) - former ICBM launched from silo, now the rocket is used for other purposes
  • Minuteman I (SM-80, LGM-30A/B, HSM-80)
  • Minuteman II (LGM-30F)
  • Minuteman III (LGM-30G) - launched from silo - as of June 28, 2004, there are 517 Minuteman III missiles in active inventory
  • LG-118A Peacekeeper / MX (LG-118A, MX) - silo-based; 29 missiles were on alert at the beginning of 2004; all are to be removed from service by 2005.
  • Midgetman - has never been operational - launched from mobile launcher
  • Polaris - former SLBM
  • Poseidon - former SLBM
  • Trident - SLBM - Trident II (D5) was first deployed in 1990 and is planned to be deployed past 2020.

Soviet/Russian

Specific types of Soviet/Russian ICBMs include:

  • SS-6 SAPWOOD / R-7 / 8K71
  • SS-7 SADDLER / R-16
  • SS-8 SASIN
  • SS-9 SCARP
  • SS-11 SEGO
  • SS-17 SPANKER
  • SS-18 SATAN
  • SS-19 STILLETO
  • SS-20 SABER
  • SS-24 SCALPEL
  • SS-25 SICKLE

Ballistic missile submarines

Specific types of ballistic missile submarines include:

See also

External link


List of missiles

Air-to-air missile (AAM) | Surface-to-air missile (SAM) | Cruise missile | Anti-ship missile (AShM) | Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) | Wire-guided missile
Ballistic missile | Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) | Submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) | Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) | Anti-satellite weapon


List of Aircraft | Aircraft Manufacturers | Aircraft Engines | Aircraft Engine Manufacturers
Airlines | Air Forces | Aircraft Weapons | Missiles | Timeline of aviation


de:Interkontinentalrakete it:Missile balistico intercontinentale ms:Peluru berpandu balistik jarak benua ja:大陸間弾道ミサイル sk:Medzikontinentálna balistická strela sv:ICBM


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