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Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle Possible edits

MIRV Possible Edits and References.

REFRENCE ISBN: 978-1-55750-681-8

Start Section Before Edit

The first true MIRV design was the Minuteman III, introduced in 1970, which held three smaller W62 warheads of about 170 kilotons in place of the single 1.2 megaton W56 used in the earlier versions of this missile. The smaller power of the warhead was offset by increasing the accuracy of the system, allowing it to attack the same hard targets as the larger, less accurate, W56. The MMIII was introduced specifically to address the Soviet construction of an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system around Moscow; MIRV allowed the US to overwhelm any conceivable ABM system without increasing the size of their own missile fleet. The Soviets responded by adding MIRV to their R-36design, first with three warheads in 1975, and eventually up to ten in later versions. While the United States phased out the use of MIRVs in 2014 to comply with New START, Russia continues to develop new missile designs using the technology.

Start Section After Edit (changes italicised and bolded)

The first true MIRV design was the Minuteman III, first successfully tested in 1968 and introduced into actual use in 1970, the Minuteman III held three smaller W62 warheads of about 170 kilotons each in place of the single 1.2 megaton W56 used in the earlier versions of this missile. From 1970-1975, the United States would remove approximately 550 earlier versions of the Minuteman ICBM in the Strategic Air Command's (SAC) arsenal and replace them with the new Minuteman III's outfitted with a MIRV payload, increasing their overall effectiveness (added citation here to cover the 2 sentences I edited). The smaller power of the warhead was offset by increasing the accuracy of the system, allowing it to attack the same hard targets as the larger, less accurate, W56. The MMIII was introduced specifically to address the Soviet construction of an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system around Moscow; MIRV allowed the US to overwhelm any conceivable ABM system without increasing the size of their own missile fleet. The Soviets responded by adding MIRV to their R-36design, first with three warheads in 1975, and eventually up to ten in later versions. While the United States phased out the use of MIRVs in 2014 to comply with New START, Russia continues to develop new missile designs using the technology.

MRV Section Possible Edits and References

MRV Section Before Edits

A multiple reentry vehicle payload for a ballistic missile deploys multiple warheads in a pattern against a single target (as opposed to multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle, which deploys multiple warheads against multiple targets). The advantage of an MRV over a single warhead is that the damage produced in the center of the pattern is far greater than the damage possible from any single warhead in the MRV cluster; this makes for an efficient area attack weapon. The number of warheads makes interception by anti-ballistic missiles unlikely.

Improved warhead designs allow smaller warheads for a given yield, while better electronics and guidance systems allow greater accuracy. As a result, MIRV technology has proven more attractive than MRV for advanced nations. Multiple-warhead missiles require both a miniaturised physics package and a lower mass reentry vehicle, both of which are highly advanced technologies. As a result, single warhead missiles are more attractive for nations with less advanced or less productive nuclear technology. The United States deployed an MRV payload on the Polaris A-3, as did the Royal Navy with the Chevaline upgrade. The Soviet Union deployed MRVs on the R-36 Mod 4 ICBM. Refer to atmospheric reentry for more details.

MRV Section After Edits

A multiple reentry vehicle payload for a ballistic missile deploys multiple warheads, also known as "bomblets", in a "shotgun" like pattern against a single target (as opposed to multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle, which deploys multiple warheads against multiple targets). The advantage of an MRV over a single warhead is the increased effectiveness due to the greater coverage, this increases the overall-damage produced within the center of the pattern making it far greater than the damage possible from any single warhead in the MRV cluster; this makes for an efficient area attack weapon and makes interception by anti-ballistic missiles unlikely due to the number of warheads being deployed at once(added citing to the source ).

Improved warhead designs allow smaller warheads for a given yield, while better electronics and guidance systems allow greater accuracy. As a result, MIRV technology has proven more attractive than MRV for advanced nations. Multiple-warhead missiles require both a miniaturised physics package and a lower mass reentry vehicle, both of which are highly advanced technologies. As a result, single warhead missiles are more attractive for nations with less advanced or less productive nuclear technology. The United States first began development of an MRV payload which was first used on the Polaris A-3 SLBM and was first deployed for use in 1964 on the USS Daniel Webster. The Polaris A-3 carried 3 "bomblets" each having an approximate yield of 200 Kt. The Royal Navy also had MRV payloads with the Chevaline upgrade. ( added extra info, reformed a pre existing sentence and added a citation) The Soviet Union deployed MRVs on the R-36 Mod 4 ICBM. Refer to atmospheric reentry for more details.

UGM-27 Polaris Possible Edits

Polaris A-3 section possible edits

Polaris A-3 before edits

This missile replaced the earlier A-1 and A-2 models in the US Navy, and also equipped the British Polaris force. The A-3 had a range extended to 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 kilometres) and a new weapon bay housing three Mk 2 re-entry vehicles (ReB or Re-Entry Body in US Navy and British usage); and the new W-58 warhead of 200 kt yield. This arrangement was originally described as a "cluster warhead" but was replaced with the term Multiple Re-Entry Vehicle (MRV). The three warheads were spread about a common target and were not independently targeted (such as a MIRV missile is). The three warheads were stated to be equivalent in destructive power to a single one-megaton warhead. Later the Polaris A-3 missiles (but not the ReBs) were also given limited hardening to protect the missile electronics against nuclear electromagnetic pulse effects while in the boost phase. This was known as the A-3T ("Topsy") and was the final production model

Polaris A-3 after edits

This missile replaced the earlier A-1 and A-2 models in the US Navy, and also equipped the British Polaris force. The A-3 had a range extended to 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 kilometres) and a new weapon bay housing three Mk 2 re-entry vehicles (ReB or Re-Entry Body in US Navy and British usage); and the new W-58 warhead of 200 kt yield. This arrangement was originally described as a "cluster warhead" but was replaced with the term Multiple Re-Entry Vehicle (MRV). The three warheads, also known as "bomblets", were spread out in a "shotgun" like pattern above a single target and were not independently targetable. (such as a MIRV missile is). The three warheads were stated to be equivalent in destructive power to a single one-megaton warhead due to their spread out pattern on the target. The first Polaris submarine outfitted with MRV A-3's was the USS Daniel Webster in 1964.Later the Polaris A-3 missiles (but not the ReBs) were also given limited hardening to protect the missile electronics against nuclear electromagnetic pulse effects while in the boost phase. This was known as the A-3T ("Topsy") and was the final production model

W58 Possible edits (SMALL ARTICLE Lots of conflicting info with my source)

W58 possible Edits

W58 Before Edits

The W58 was an American thermonuclear warhead used on the Polaris A-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Three W58 warheads were fitted as multiple warheads on each Polaris A-3 missile.

The W58 was 15.6 inches (400 mm) in diameter and 40.3 inches (1,020 mm) long, with a basic weight for the warhead of 257 pounds (117 kg). The yield was 200 kilotons.

The W58 design entered service in 1964 and the last models were retired in 1982 with the last Polaris missiles.

Researcher Chuck Hansen claims based on his US nuclear program research that the W55 and W58 warheads shared a common primary or fission first stage; this design was nicknamed the Kinglet primary by Hansen in 2001.

W58 Before Edits ( just made more precise measurments and verified the information, want to add my source as another source to back up this page dont know if counts toward edits)

The W58 was an American thermonuclear warhead used on the Polaris A-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Three W58 warheads were fitted as multiple warheads on each Polaris A-3 missile.

The W58 was 15.6 inches (396 mm) in diameter and 40.3 inches (1,016 mm) long, with a basic weight for the warhead of 257 pounds (116.6 kg). The yield was 200 kilotons.

The W58 design entered service in 1964 and the last models were retired in 1982 with the last Polaris missiles.

Researcher Chuck Hansen claims based on his US nuclear program research that the W55 and W58 warheads shared a common primary or fission first stage; this design was nicknamed the Kinglet primary by Hansen in 2001.

Nuclear weapons delivery possible edits(added LARGE chart of info)

Possible article edit

Number of U.S. Strategic Offensive Delivery Systems During the Cold War (1947 - 1991)

Year	ICBM (Launchers)	ICBM (Warheads)	SLBM (Launchers)	SLBM (Warheads)	Bombers (Launchers)	Bombers (Warheads)	Total (Launchers)	Total (Warheads)
1947	——————	——————	——————	——————	319	32	319	32
1948	——————	——————	——————	——————	556	100	556	100
1949	——————	——————	——————	——————	525	200	525	200
1950	——————	——————	——————	——————	520	330	520	330
1951	——————	——————	——————	——————	669	500	669	500
1952	——————	——————	——————	——————	857	720	857	720
1953	——————	——————	——————	——————	762	878	762	878
1954	——————	——————	——————	——————	1082	1418	1082	1418
1955	——————	——————	——————	——————	1309	1755	1309	1755
1956	——————	——————	——————	——————	1650	2123	1650	2123
1957	——————	——————	——————	——————	1655	2460	1655	2460
1958	——————	——————	——————	——————	1769	2610	1769	2610
1959	6	6	——————	——————	1854	2490	1860	2496
1960	12	12	32	32	1735	3083	1779	3127
1961	57	57	80	80	1526	3016	1663	3153
1962	203	203	144	144	1595	3104	1942	3451
1963	597	597	160	160	1335	3293	2092	4050
1964	907	907	320	384	1111	3427	2338	4718
1965	854	854	384	736	807	3465	2045	5055
1966	1004	1004	560	1264	674	3476	2238	5744
1967	1054	1044	656	1552	669	3630	2379	6226
1968	1054	1044	656	1552	655	3521	2365	6117
1969	1054	1044	656	1552	549	3366	2259	5962
1970	1054	1244	656	1552	501	3339	2211	6135
1971	1054	1444	656	2464	478	3232	2188	7140
1972	1054	1644	656	3120	462	3845	2172	8609
1973	1054	1844	656	4112	493	3776	2203	9732
1974	1054	1944	656	4432	494	3819	2204	10195
1975	1054	2144	656	4544	489	3978	2197	10666
1976	1054	2144	656	5104	487	3850	2197	11098
1977	1054	2144	656	5216	483	3834	2193	11194
1978	1054	2144	656	5440	410	3568	2120	11152
1979	1054	2144	656	5376	408	3568	2118	11088
1980	1054	2144	592	5056	406	3568	2052	10768
1981	1054	2144	512	4752	406	3568	1972	10464
1982	1049	2139	520	4768	362	3384	1931	10291
1983	1040	2130	544	4960	323	3520	1907	10610
1984	1030	2120	592	5344	322	3844	1944	11308
1985	1020	2110	600	5376	621	4104	1941	11590
1986	1005	2165	616	5440	286	4709	1907	12314
1987	1000	2300	640	5632	396	5753	2016	13685
1988	1000	2440	608	5312	411	5328	2019	13080
1989	1000	2440	592	5152	400	5188	1992	12780
1990	1000	2440	608	5216	346	4648	1954	12304
1991	550	2000	480	3456	287	3844	1317	9300

LGM-30 Minuteman Possible edits Source(Lonnquest, J., Winkler, David F., Construction Engineering Research Laboratories, & Legacy Cold War Project , issuing body. (1996). To defend and deter : The legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program. (USA-CERL special report; N-97/01).

Minuteman-I (LGM-30A/B or SM-80/HSM-80A) Possible edits

Specificiations section at top before edits

Type	Intercontinental ballistic missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1962 (Minuteman-I) 1965 (Minuteman-II) 1970 (Minuteman-III)
Used by	United States
Production history
Manufacturer	Boeing
Unit cost	$7,000,000
Specifications
Mass	Approx. 78,000 lb (≈35,300 kg)
Length	59 ft 9.5 in (≈18.2 m)
Diameter	5 ft 6 in (≈1.7 m) (1st stage)
Warhead	MMI and MMII: W56 (retired), MMIII: W62 (retired), W78 (active), or W87(active)
Detonation mechanism	Air-burst or contact (surface)
Engine	Three-stage solid-fuel rocketengines; first stage: Thiokol TU-122 (M-55); second stage: Aerojet-General SR-19-AJ-1; third stage: Aerojet/Thiokol SR73-AJ/TC-1
Operational range	Approx. 8,100 miles (13,000 km), exact is classified
Flight altitude	Approx. 700 miles (3,700,000 ft; 1,100 km)
Speed	Approximately 17,647 mph (Mach 23, or≈28,400 km/h, or≈7.9 km/s) (terminal phase)
Guidance system	Inertial NS-50
Accuracy	660 feet (200 m) CEP
Launch platform	Missile silo

Specificiations section at top AFTER edits

Type	Intercontinental ballistic missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1962 (Minuteman-I) 1965 (Minuteman-II) 1970 (Minuteman-III)
Used by	United States
Production history
Manufacturer	Boeing
Unit cost	$7,000,000
Specifications
Mass	Approx. 65,000 lb (≈29,450 kg) (Minuteman-I) Approx. 73,000 lb (≈33,100 kg) (Minuteman-II) Approx. 78,000 lb (≈35,300 kg) (Minuteman-III)
Length	53 ft 8.0 in (≈16.4 m) (Minuteman-I/A) 55 ft 11 in (≈17.0 m) (Minuteman-I/B) 57 ft 7.0 in (≈17.5 m) (Minuteman-II) 59 ft 9.5 in (≈18.2 m) (Minuteman-III)
Diameter	5 ft 6 in (≈1.7 m) (1st stage)
Warhead	MMI and MMII: W56 (retired), MMIII: W62 (retired), W78 (active), or W87(active)
Detonation mechanism	Air-burst or contact (surface)
Engine	Three-stage solid-fuel rocketengines; first stage: Thiokol TU-122 (M-55); second stage: Aerojet-General SR-19-AJ-1; third stage: Aerojet/Thiokol SR73-AJ/TC-1
Operational range	Approx. 6,300 miles (≈10,130 km) (Minuteman-I) Approx. 7,210 miles (≈11,600 km) (Minuteman-II) Approx. 8,083 miles (≈13,000 km) (Minuteman-III)
Flight altitude	Approx. 700 miles (3,700,000 ft; 1,100 km)
Speed	Approximately 17,647 mph (Mach 23, or≈28,400 km/h, or≈7.9 km/s) (terminal phase)
Guidance system	Inertial NS-50
Accuracy	Approx. 1.5 miles (≈2.4 km) (Minuteman-I) CEP Approx. 1.0 miles (≈1.6 km) (Minuteman-II)CEP Approx. 800 feet (≈243 m) (Minuteman-III)CEP
Launch platform	Missile silo

Minuteman-I (LGM-30A/B or SM-80/HSM-80A) before edits

The LGM-30A Minuteman-I was first test-fired on 1 February 1961, and entered into the Strategic Air Command's arsenal in 1962, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana; the "improved" LGM-30B became operational at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri in 1963. All 800 Minuteman-I missiles were delivered by June 1965. Each of the bases had 150 missiles emplaced. F.E. Warren AFB had 200 of the Minuteman-IB missiles. Malmstrom AFB had 150 of the Minuteman-I and about five years later added 50 of the Minuteman-II similar to those installed at Grand Forks AFB, ND.

Minuteman-I (LGM-30A/B or SM-80/HSM-80A) After edits(add extra information on

The LGM-30A Minuteman-I was first test-fired on 1 February 1961, and entered into the Strategic Air Command's arsenal in 1962. After the first full squadron of Minuteman I's were developed and ready to go the US Air Force had originally decided to station the missiles at the Vandenberg AFB in California, but before the missiles were set to be officially stationed there it was discovered that this first set of Minuteman missiles had defective boosters which limited their range from their initial 6,300 miles to 4,300 miles. This defect would cause the missiles to not be able to reach Russia by launching over the North Pole. The decision was made that the missiles be stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana instead, this would allow the missiles, even with their defective boosters, to reach their intended targets in the case of a launch. The "improved" LGM-30B became operational at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri in 1963. All 800 Minuteman-I missiles were delivered by June 1965. Each of the bases had 150 missiles emplaced. F.E. Warren AFB had 200 of the Minuteman-IB missiles. Malmstrom AFB had 150 of the Minuteman-I and about five years later added 50 of the Minuteman-II similar to those installed at Grand Forks AFB, ND.

Missile launch facility Article Possible Edits(adding addition reasoning/ requirements the Air Force had for the location of silos/sites)

United States Before Edit

The German idea of an underground missile silo was adopted and developed by the United States for missile launch facilities for its intercontinental ballistic missiles. Most silos were based in Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Wyoming and other western states. There were three main reasons behind this siting: reducing the flight trajectory between the United States and the Soviet Union, since the missiles would travel north over Canada and the North Pole; increasing the flight trajectory from SLBMs on either seaboard, giving the silos more warning time in the event of a nuclear war; and locating obvious targets as far away as possible from major population centres. They had many defense systems to keep out intruders and other defense systems to prevent destruction (see Safeguard Program).

United States After Edit

The German idea of an underground missile silo was adopted and developed by the United States for missile launch facilities for its intercontinental ballistic missiles. Most silos were based in Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Wyoming and other western states. There were three main reasons behind this siting: reducing the flight trajectory between the United States and the Soviet Union, since the missiles would travel north over Canada and the North Pole; increasing the flight trajectory from SLBMs on either seaboard, giving the silos more warning time in the event of a nuclear war; and locating obvious targets as far away as possible from major population centres. They had many defense systems to keep out intruders and other defense systems to prevent destruction (see Safeguard Program). On top of the 3 previous mentioned site reasoning, the US Air Force had other site requirements that were also taken into account such as, having the sites be close enough to a populace of roughly 50,000 people for community support along with with making sure launch locations were far enough apart that a 10 MT detonation on near by strategic locations would not knock out other launch facilities in the area. "In 1960 the US Army established the Corps of Engineers Ballistic Missile Construction Office (CEBMCO), an independent organization under the Chief of Engineers, to supervise construction". This newly established organization was able to produce Minutemen Launch silos at an extremely fast rate of ~1.8 per day from 1961 to 1966 where they built a total of 1,000 Minuteman missile silos.