LGM-118 Peacekeeper
| LGM-118 Peacekeeper | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Type | ICBM |
| Local name | LGM-118 |
| NATO designation | Peacekeeper |
| Country of origin |
 United States
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| Manufacturer | Boeing , Martin Marietta and Denver Aerospace |
| development | 1972 |
| Commissioning | 1986 |
| Working time | 1986-2005 |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 21.80 m |
| diameter | 2,300 mm |
| Combat weight | 88,450 kg |
| Drive First stage Second stage Third stage Fourth stage |
Solid rocket engine Solid rocket engine Solid rocket engine Liquid rocket engine |
| speed | approx. 24,140 km / h when the fire is closed ( Mach 20 at sea level) |
| Range | 9,600 km + |
| Service ceiling | 1,100 km |
| Furnishing | |
| steering | Inertial Navigation System ( Advanced Inertial Reference Sphere ) |
| Warhead | 10 MIRV thermonuclear warheads , each 300 kt |
| Detonator | Programmed detonator |
| Weapon platforms | Missile silo |
| Lists on the subject | |
The LGM-118 Peacekeeper ( English for peacekeeper ), also known under the development name MX Missile or just MX for short , was a land-based ICBM used by the US armed forces . From December 1986 to September 2005 it was operated by the US Air Force Space Command (USAF).
Development and introduction
The USA saw their own silo-based Minuteman threatened by increasingly precise and MIRV- bearing Soviet ICBMs such as the R-36M - exposed to the danger of a first strike - and therefore prompted a reaction. The development of the missile began in 1972 under the name MX ( Missile eXperimental ). Between 1976 and 1983, the introduction of the system was delayed by the United States Congress , which voted against the construction of new missile silos. On December 8, 1982 , the House of Representatives also rejected the provision of 998 million US dollars for the construction of five LGM-118 Peacekeepers by 245 votes against 176. Further plans envisaged the construction of around 100 LGM-118 Peacekeepers with 10 MIRV each.
In the spring of 1983 a compromise solution was reached according to which the silos freed up by the decommissioning of older Minuteman rockets were used for the new rockets. On June 17, 1983, the first test launch of a Peacekeeper took place from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first ten operational missiles entered service in December 1986 at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base , Wyoming . In 1985, Congress cut the program to 50 missiles for the time being, until a way to increase the survivability of the deployed missiles in the event of an attack was found. By December 30, 1988, 50 missiles were operational. As a result of the reductions in procurement, plans were drawn up that provided for the stationing of two missiles each on a total of 25 trains using the national rail network. This project was finally abandoned in 1992. During the 20 billion total, US dollar expensive program produced 114 missiles.
technology
The Peacekeeper was a four-stage ICBM. The stages consisted of three main propulsion stages with solid rocket engines . The fourth drive stage for reentry vehicle (English Post Boost Vehicle) had a liquid rocket engine . The drive stages were mounted one above the other and ignited one after the other. The main drive stages had pivoting nozzles for control . The shell of the rocket was made of composite materials (including kevlar-reinforced epoxy resin ). The rocket was stored in its rocket silo in a protective cover, which should protect the rocket from negative environmental influences, damage and radioactive fallout (see also second strike capacity ). In contrast to the Minuteman rocket , the Peacekeeper was launched cold . It was ejected from the silo to a height of around 100 meters using gas pressure. Only then did the first stage of the rocket ignite. This procedure made it possible to launch the Peacekeeper missile from silos, which were originally built for the three meter smaller Minuteman III missiles. The Peacekeepers were controlled using various independently operating inertial navigation platforms . After the first three drive stages had burned out, the rocket had reached an altitude of around 212 km and a speed of around 24,140 km / h. The fourth stage rose further to an altitude of around 1,100 km. There, the rocket tip was transported away by a small rocket motor in the tip and the re-entry body carrier was exposed. Now he could make the last changes in position. The ten Avco MK 21 MIRV reentrant bodies were fastened to the reentrant body carrier with explosive bolts and were launched from the latter by a small charge of compressed gas. The re-entry bodies were released onto their individual ballistic trajectories in a sequence in which the wearer made course corrections in between. The Avco MK 21 re-entry bodies were equipped with a thermonuclear W87 warhead. This had an explosive power of 300 kt and could be ignited in the air or on contact with the ground. The re-entry bodies achieved a precision ( CEP ) of 90–100 m (depending on the shooting distance). The Peacekeepers had the highest accuracy of any land-based US ICBM.
disarmament
As part of the START II (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the USAF began reducing the number of Peacekeeper missiles in October 2002. On September 19, 2005, with the deactivation of the last remaining copy, the Peacekeeper retired from active service. The drive stages are to be used for satellite launches (see Minotaur IV rocket ) or for target exercises for anti- missile weapons.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Globalsecurity.org: Overview of Missile Weapons (accessed October 7, 2019)