MGM-134 Midgetman
Encyclopedia
The MGM-134A Midgetman, also known as the Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (SICBM), was an intercontinental ballistic missile
developed by the United States of America.
could launch large numbers of missiles from off the coast, destroying most of the US ICBM force before it could be used. By producing a mobile missile which could not easily be targeted by enemy forces, the Air Force hoped to negate this possibility. It was also a response to the Soviet development of SS-24
(rail mobile) and the SS-25 (road mobile) ICBMs.
System definition studies for the SICBM (Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) commenced in 1984, and by the end of 1986 Martin Marietta
was authorized to proceed with full development of the XMGM-134A Midgetman. The first prototype missile was launched in 1989, but tumbled off course and was destroyed over the Pacific Ocean after about 70 seconds. The first successful test flight took place on April 18, 1991.
In design the XMGM-134A was a three-stage solid-fuelled
missile. Like the LGM-118 Peacekeeper it used the cold launch system, in which gas pressure was used to eject the missile from the launch canister. The rocket would only ignite once the missile was free of the launcher.
The Midgetman was to be carried by a Hard Mobile Launcher (HML) vehicle (see additional pictures at Small ICBM Hard Mobile Launcher). Most of these vehicles would normally remain on bases, only being deployed in times of international crisis when nuclear war was considered more likely.
The Midgetman had a range of some 11000 kilometres (6,835.1 mi). The warhead comprised a single Mark 21 re-entry vehicle with a 475 kiloton W87-1 thermonuclear warhead, also used on the LGM-118 Peacekeeper.
With the end of the cold war in the 1990s the US scaled back its development of new nuclear weapons. The Midgetman program was therefore cancelled in January 1992.
The Soviet equivalent of this missile was the RSS 400 Kuryer which was tested but cancelled in October 1991. This could have filled the role of the more cost effective Topol M
road mobile ICBM.
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
developed by the United States of America.
Overview
The Midgetman grew out of a requirement expressed in the mid 1980s by the US Air Force for a small ICBM which could be deployed on road vehicles. Fixed silos are inherently vulnerable to attack, and with the increasing accuracy of submarine launched ballistic missiles there was a growing threat that the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
could launch large numbers of missiles from off the coast, destroying most of the US ICBM force before it could be used. By producing a mobile missile which could not easily be targeted by enemy forces, the Air Force hoped to negate this possibility. It was also a response to the Soviet development of SS-24
RT-23 Molodets
The RT-23 was a Soviet ICBM developed and produced by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau before 1991. It is cold launched, and comes in silo and railway car based variants...
(rail mobile) and the SS-25 (road mobile) ICBMs.
System definition studies for the SICBM (Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) commenced in 1984, and by the end of 1986 Martin Marietta
Martin Marietta
Martin Marietta Corporation was an American company founded in 1961 through the merger of The Martin Company and American-Marietta Corporation. The combined company became a leader in chemicals, aerospace, and electronics. In 1995, it merged with Lockheed Corporation to form Lockheed Martin. The...
was authorized to proceed with full development of the XMGM-134A Midgetman. The first prototype missile was launched in 1989, but tumbled off course and was destroyed over the Pacific Ocean after about 70 seconds. The first successful test flight took place on April 18, 1991.
In design the XMGM-134A was a three-stage solid-fuelled
Solid fuel
Solid fuel refers to various types of solid material that are used as fuel to produce energy and provide heating, usually released through combustion....
missile. Like the LGM-118 Peacekeeper it used the cold launch system, in which gas pressure was used to eject the missile from the launch canister. The rocket would only ignite once the missile was free of the launcher.
The Midgetman was to be carried by a Hard Mobile Launcher (HML) vehicle (see additional pictures at Small ICBM Hard Mobile Launcher). Most of these vehicles would normally remain on bases, only being deployed in times of international crisis when nuclear war was considered more likely.
The Midgetman had a range of some 11000 kilometres (6,835.1 mi). The warhead comprised a single Mark 21 re-entry vehicle with a 475 kiloton W87-1 thermonuclear warhead, also used on the LGM-118 Peacekeeper.
The Soviet equivalent of this missile was the RSS 400 Kuryer which was tested but cancelled in October 1991. This could have filled the role of the more cost effective Topol M
RT-2UTTH Topol M
The RT-2UTTKh «Topol-M» is one of the most recent intercontinental ballistic missiles to be deployed by Russia , and the first to be developed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union....
road mobile ICBM.
Specifications
- Length : 14 m (46 ft)
- Diameter : 1.17 m (3 ft 10 in)
- Weight : 13,600 kg (30,000 lb)
- Range : 11000 km (6,835.1 mi)
- Propulsion : Three-stage solid-fueled rocket
- Warhead : W-87-1 thermonuclear (475 kiloton) in Mark 21 RV
See also
- Nuclear warfareNuclear warfareNuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
- Nuclear weaponNuclear weaponA nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
- Intercontinental ballistic missileIntercontinental ballistic missileAn intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
- List of missiles