The LGM-30 Minuteman III is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is an active part of the American nuclear arsenal since 1970. It was designed as a second generation ICBM to supersede and replace the earlier liquid-propellant Atlas and Titan long-range nuclear missiles. Although it is still used as a strategic weapon, the Minuteman is no longer in production, with the final missile being delivered on November 30, 1978. It is a surface-to-surface missile as it is launched from underground silos, being part of the USA nuclear triad.
Developed by Boeing Aerospace Company, Minuteman I had entered service with the US Air Force in 1962. However, in 1965, it would soon be replaced by Minuteman II, which was more accurate than its predecessor as it was designed to attack Soviet military command centers in bunkers as well as enemy missile silos. In 1970, Minuteman III was introduced; it was even more accurate than the others, and equipped with a more powerful nuclear warhead; a W62, a conical-shaped thermonuclear warhead fitted in the Mark-12 reentry vehicle. Currently, the LGM-30G Minuteman III is the only version active and ready to be used, with 400 missiles deployed in silos located in the territory of the United States of America, especially in Montana, Missouri, Utah, and California.
Technical Characteristics
The LGM-30 Minuteman III is a three-stage cylindrical missile, with an ogival nose fairing covering the warhead. It is powered by a three-stage solid-propellant rocket. In the first stage, it uses a 91-ton Thiokol M-55E solid propellant motor; for the second phase, a 27-ton Aerojet SR19-AJ-1 rocket; and in the last stage, a 15-ton Aerojet SR73-AJ-1 solid-propellant motor. With an operational range of 8,075 miles (13,000 km), it uses inertial guidance system to reach its target.
Specifications
Type: Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
Warhead: thermonuclear, in multiple individually-targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV).
Length: 18.20 m (59 feet, 10 inches)
Diameter: 1.83 m (6 feet)
Launch Weight: 34,475 kg (76,000-lb)
Maximum Speed: 24,000 km/h (15,000 mph)
Maximum Range: over 8,075 miles (13,000 km)
Minuteman III launch (video)
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Above, Minuteman III lifting off, during practice launch in the 1980s |