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MINUTEMAN III INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE

7th November, 2024

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Context:  

The US Army would be carrying out a test launch of a hypersonic nuclear missile Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) hours after voting closed on Election Day in California.

Details:

Designation
  • "L" stands for silo-launched
  • "G" means surface attack
  • "M" stands for guided missile.

Operational Since

Early 1970s.

Component of U.S. Nuclear Triad

Sole land-based component.

Manufacturer

Boeing Corporation.

Replacement

Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), expected to be available in 2029.

Firsts

First U.S. missile fitted with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs).

Missile Type

Three-stage, solid-fuel missile.

Range

Maximum range of 13,000 km.

Payload Capacity

Capable of carrying three re-entry vehicles but currently carries a single nuclear warhead (as per arms control agreements with Russia).

Deployment

Dispersed in hardened silos and connected to an underground launch control center via hardened cables.

Launch Characteristics

Fast launch time, nearly 100 percent testing reliability, and backup airborne launch controllers to preserve retaliatory capabilities.

About Hypersonic Missiles

A hypersonic weapon is a weapon capable of travelling at hypersonic speed, defined as between 5 and 25 times the speed of sound or about 1 to 5 miles per second (1.6 to 8.0 km/s).

Below such speeds, weapons would be characterized as subsonic or supersonic, while above such speeds, the molecules of the atmosphere disassociate into a plasma which makes control and communication difficult.

There are multiple types of hypersonic weapons:

  • Hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV): missile warheads which maneuver and glide through the atmosphere at high speeds after an initial ballistic launch phase.
  • Hypersonic cruise missile: cruise missiles which use air-breathing engines such as scramjets to reach high speeds.
  • Hypersonic aircraft: using air-breathing engines such as scramjets to reach high speeds.
  • Guns that fire cannon: launched guided projectiles. These may be developments of traditional artillery or novel technologies such as railguns

Source:

TIMESNOW

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Minuteman III is an intercontinental ballistic missile of which among the following countries?

(a) South Korea

(b) Russia

(c) Japan

(d) USA

Answer: d

Explanation:

The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. As of 2024, the LGM-30G is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and represents the land leg of the U.S. nuclear triad, along with the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers.

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