LGM-118A Peacekeeper
Encyclopedia
The LGM-118A Peacekeeper, also known as the MX missile (for Missile-eXperimental), was a land-based ICBM
deployed by the United States
starting in 1986. A total of 50 missiles were deployed. They have since been deactivated.
Under the START II
treaty, which never entered into force, the missiles were to be removed from the U.S. nuclear arsenal in 2005, leaving the LGM-30 Minuteman
as the only type of land-based ICBM in the U.S. arsenal. Despite the demise of the START II treaty, the last of the LGM-118A "Peacekeeper" ICBMs (but not their warheads) were decommissioned on September 19, 2005. Current plans are to switch 500 decommissioned Peacekeepers' W87
/Mk-21 warhead
s to the Minuteman III. Among the reasons cited for decommissioning of the Peacekeeper ICBM was its failure to achieve the program's range objectives.
The Peacekeeper was a MIRV
missile; the MX could carry up to 10 re-entry vehicles, each armed with a 300-kiloton W87
warhead
/MK-21 RVs (approx. twenty times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima
during World War II
).
system named "Golden Arrow". The proposal called for an enormous (for the day) turboprop
-powered aircraft with two-day endurance carrying up to eight missiles that would be dropped out the back, parachuted to the vertical, and then launched. As part of the same study, Aerospace also considered a missile and launcher combination that was small enough that two could be carried in existing C-141 Starlifter
aircraft, which could land at practically any airport, setup and launch. These would be deployed to the US's widespread airports during periods of heightened tensions.
Finally, they also considered conventional missiles in "super hard" silos, buried under the southern side of mountains. As the enemy warheads would approach from the north, they would impact the mountains before they could hit the silo itself. This would keep the explosions at least 5,000 feet away from the silos, and this would be immune to changes in missile accuracy. It was expected that silos able to withstand multi-megaton explosions at one mile could be built, but this was considered to be an area of some uncertainty. They proposed 100 missiles in three such bases, and expected that at least one would be able to survive even an all-out attack. However, if such a force was to be a reasonable deterrent, they would need to carry 20 or more warheads, and to launch them the study introduced the "ICBM-X", a massive new 156-inch design, well over twice the diameter of the existing LGM-30 Minuteman
.
Any of the Golden Arrow studies would be extremely expensive, and in the era of Robert McNamara
's US Department of Defence, cost was as important as any other consideration. As Alain Enthoven
put it, "Our gross national product, though large, is limited. If we attempted to develop and procure a dozen or more distinct different nuclear delivery systems… we doubtless would end up squandering our resources and not doing a good job on any of them." Golden Arrow, along with many similar proposals from other firms, proceeded no further, in favor of the Minuteman II.
. The missile was small enough to fit in existing large silos, like those for the Titan II
, but was otherwise similar in concept to the ICBM-X, with a circular error probable
(CEP) of about 0.1 miles, and especially the ability to be quickly re-programmed to attack any targets needed. In comparison, the Minuteman II had a selection of eight targets, any one of which could be quickly selected for attack, but otherwise selecting a target outside this pre-computed list was not something that could be done "on the fly". WS-120A's preferred basing mode was a super hardened shelter, but dispersed mobile options were also considered.
However, like Golden Arrow before it, WS-120A's advantages found themselves being diluted by the new Minuteman III. The Minuteman III used the new NS-20 inertial navigation system
(INS) with a CEP of 0.12 nautical miles, and three warheads with an expanded collection of radar countermeasures. Although the system did not include the ability to be rapidly-retargetted, this was under development and started deployment in 1972, before the 1975 introduction date of WS-120A. When it was fully deployed in 1978, the entire ICBM fleet could be entirely reprogrammed in 10 hours.
had been working on a new type of inertial platform that replaced the mechanical gimbal
s with a sphere floating in a thin layer of fluorocarbon fluid. The so-called "flimbal" (apparently for FLoated Measurement BAL") would offer unprecedented accuracy and would be free from "gimbal lock", a problem that caused conventional platforms to "tumble" and lose their accuracy. Like the ICBM-X, there was little development as there appeared to be no need for a platform with the sort of accuracy the flimbal provided, and the expense of developing this not-needed system would be extremely high.
In spite of official disinterest, during the late 1960s Kenneth Fertig managed to arrange some funding through the Air Force for the "SABRE" project, short for "Self-Aligning, Boost and RE-entry" INS. The name referred to the concept that the system would be so accurate and free from mechanical shocks and jarring that it would not require any other form of "fixing" after launch. It would survive even the rough conditions during launch and re-entry. In comparison, existing inertial navigation system
s (INS) would become inaccurate during these periods, and required midcourse fixes from star shots or TRANSIT
measurements for fine tuning.
fielded a large number of heavy (defined by throw weight), increasingly accurate MIRV ICBMs like the SS-18. These had the accuracy and numbers needed to be a serious threat to the survival of Minuteman III missiles in their silos. If the Soviet Union launched a sneak attack and the US did not respond immediately, the majority of their missiles and strategic bombers might be caught on the ground. A credible deterrent force would remain, but such a force might not have enough warheads left to attack both the remaining Soviet fleet and cities and other military targets.
In such a situation, the US would be left with two uncomfortable responses. If they chose to respond in kind and attack the remaining Soviet missile fleet, there would be little to respond with if the Soviets immediately launched against US cities. The other option would require the US to be the first country to launch an attack on civilian targets, both morally reprehensible as well as against stated policy. SLBM's, like the new UGM-73 Poseidon
, would be immune to a counterforce attack, but their lower accuracy meant they were suitable only for attacking cities or large military targets like shipyards.
This worrying scenario led to the effort to develop a new land based missile with the requirements of having the accuracy needed to be an excellent counterforce weapon, the survivability needed to absorb a Soviet first strike, and the MIRV capabilities needed to ensure even a small number of survivors would be able to attack the remaining Soviet missile fleet. The Minuteman III simply did not have this combination of features. However, it was clear from the outset that such a missile would be unable to neutralize the Soviet ballistic missile submarines on patrol, however, missiles that would be an excellent second-strike option against cities, like the US's own fleet.
For MX, the Draper Laboratory developed SABRE into the "Advanced Inertial Reference Sphere" (AIRS). AIRS would have a drift rate of only 1.5 x 10-5 degrees per hour, allowing it to be referenced to an external point, like the silo wall, and then left for extended periods of time. Over the period of the flight the drift would be so low that any inaccuracies introduced by the drift could account for a maximum of 1% of the warhead's final accuracy - the rest would be due to downstream issues like the measurement of the firing of the rocket engines, minor differences in warhead construction, and unavoidable randomness in the atmosphere. The Air Force also contracted with Autonetics
for a backup design using mechanical gimbals, the "Advanced Stable Platform" (ASP). In May 1975 the first hand-built AIRS was transferred from Draper's laboratory to Northrop
for further development.
In 1976, Congress refused to fund MX using a silo-based system on grounds of vulnerability, and the project was halted. Several new proposals were made for alternate basing arrangements, including mobile basing in railway cars that would be sent out into the nation's rail network during times of heightened threat levels, and more complex systems of deeply buried silos under mesa
s that would include systems to quickly dig themselves out after an attack. Eventually, the program was resinstated in 1979 by President Carter
, who authorized deployment of 200 missiles in of a system of multiple protective shelters linked by underground or aboveground roads, the so called "Racetrack" proposal. However, local opposition in Nevada
was intense, and the concept gained a powerful enemy in the form of Senator Paul Laxalt
.
When Ronald Reagan
took office, Laxalt's close ties with Reagan proved useful, and Reagan canceled the new shelter system in 1981, calling it "a Rube Goldberg scheme". He proposed deploying an initial force of missiles in existing Titan II silos, removing those now outdated missiles from service. The silos would be modified for much greater strength, and a number of Minuteman III silos similarly adapted over time to bring the force to a total of 100 missiles. Additionally, he suggested funding development of three additional basic concepts, airborne drops from cargo aircraft, anti-ballistic missile
defences, or basing new silos deep underground or on the south side of mesa
s ("reverse-inclination basing"). The later two quickly proved unacceptable for various reasons.
In its place came the "dense pack" concept which would speed deployment. The dense pack idea involved building super-hardened silos that would withstand more than 10,000 psi (70 MPa
) of overpressure
, compared to 2,000 of the existing silos, or 5,000 psi for the upgraded versions originally proposed. This extra hardness can be easily offset by minor increases in warhead accuracy. Key to dense pack, then, was to space the silos so close together, about 1,800 feet (550 m), that warheads attacking one silo would destroy others incoming to attack the others. This "fratricide
theory" was fundamentally flawed due to the relative ease with which the Soviets could modify their warheads and circumvent this design. Congress again rejected the system.
A compromise was eventually developed in mid-1983. Under this scheme, 100 missiles would be deployed in existing Minuteman silos to show "national will". The plan also called for the removal of the venerable and accident-prone liquid fueled Titan II ICBM from use. However, this did not address the problem the MX was originally intended to solve, and it would be the later introduction of twenty-five "rail garrison" trains, each carrying two missiles. This system was expected to be operational in 1992. Additionally, the plan also called for the development of an entirely new missile, which would emerge as the MGM-134 Midgetman
. The Midgetman deliberately carried only one warhead and was highly mobile. Countering it would require the Soviets to use the majority of their warheads, and each successful attack would destroy only one warhead. Faced with this choice, it was expected the Soviets would instead expend their warheads on easier targets.
Test Pad-01, traveling 4200 nmi (4,833.3 mi; 7,778.4 km) to strike successfully in the Kwajalein
Test Range in the Pacific. The first eight test flights were launched from an above ground canister on TP-01, with the remaining test and operational Strategic Air Command flights from silos (LF-02, -05, & -08) all located on North Vandenberg AFB. A total of 50 flight tests were accomplished. At that time there were was no such designation as Tp-01, LF-02, 05 or 08 and all launches occurred on South Vandenberg AFB, as I am a personal witness to the first two launches of the MX-{Peacekeeper).
The operational missile was first manufactured in February 1984 and was deployed in December 1986 to the Strategic Air Command
, 90th Strategic Missile Wing
at the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
in Cheyenne, Wyoming
in re-fitted Minuteman silos. However, development of AIRS proved to be expensive and time consuming; it had 19,000 parts, and the three main gyroscopes had to be so accurate that each one took six months to build and cost $300,000. With the missiles already being installed in their silos, it was not until July 1987 that the first production AIRS were ready to ship, and the complete supply for the first 50 missiles was not complete until December 1988.
Given these delays, and increased performance of SLBMS, Congress cancelled the 100-missile option in July 1985. In that decision, Congress limited the deployment of Peacekeeper ICBMs to 50 missiles until a more "survivable" basing plan could be developed.
Development of the rail garrison system was carried out in parallel. However, budgetary constraints and the dissolution of the Soviet Union
led to its being scrapped. The National Museum of the United States Air Force
has a rail garrison box car on display on the museum grounds east of the main display hangars and developmental remnants of the program can still be found at Vandenberg Air Force Base
.
The project had already cost around $20 billion up to 1998 and produced 114 missiles, at $400 million for each operational missile. The "flyaway" cost of each missile was estimated at 20 to 70 million dollars. The total combined firepower for all 114 ICBMs was rated at around 342 megatons, or 342 million tons of TNT.
was deactivated as well. The Peacekeeper rockets are being converted to the satellite launcher role by Orbital Sciences
, as the Minotaur IV (OSP-2)
, while their warheads will be deployed on the existing Minuteman III missiles. Parts of the missile are reused for the Ares rocket, in the 'Roll Control System' (RoCS).
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
deployed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
starting in 1986. A total of 50 missiles were deployed. They have since been deactivated.
Under the START II
START II
START II was a bilateral treaty between the United States of America and Russia on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. It was signed by United States President George H. W...
treaty, which never entered into force, the missiles were to be removed from the U.S. nuclear arsenal in 2005, leaving the LGM-30 Minuteman
LGM-30 Minuteman
The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
as the only type of land-based ICBM in the U.S. arsenal. Despite the demise of the START II treaty, the last of the LGM-118A "Peacekeeper" ICBMs (but not their warheads) were decommissioned on September 19, 2005. Current plans are to switch 500 decommissioned Peacekeepers' W87
W87
The W87 is an American thermonuclear missile warhead. It was created for use on the MX or Peacekeeper ICBM, 50 of which, with up to 12 warheads per missile, were deployed during the 1986-2005 period...
/Mk-21 warhead
Warhead
The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
s to the Minuteman III. Among the reasons cited for decommissioning of the Peacekeeper ICBM was its failure to achieve the program's range objectives.
The Peacekeeper was a MIRV
Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle
A multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle warhead is a collection of nuclear weapons carried on a single intercontinental ballistic missile or a submarine-launched ballistic missile . Using a MIRV warhead, a single launched missile can strike several targets, or fewer targets redundantly...
missile; the MX could carry up to 10 re-entry vehicles, each armed with a 300-kiloton W87
W87
The W87 is an American thermonuclear missile warhead. It was created for use on the MX or Peacekeeper ICBM, 50 of which, with up to 12 warheads per missile, were deployed during the 1986-2005 period...
warhead
Nuclear weapon
A 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...
/MK-21 RVs (approx. twenty times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
).
Development and deployment
Golden Arrow
As part of a series of studies into survivable ICBM technology, the Aerospace Corporation suggested an air-launched ballistic missileAir-launched ballistic missile
An air-launched ballistic missile or ALBM is a ballistic missile launched from an aircraft. This class of missile never saw active use. The only known missile of this type that was intended for operational service, the GAM-87 Skybolt, intended to be launched from B-52 Stratofortress and Avro...
system named "Golden Arrow". The proposal called for an enormous (for the day) turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
-powered aircraft with two-day endurance carrying up to eight missiles that would be dropped out the back, parachuted to the vertical, and then launched. As part of the same study, Aerospace also considered a missile and launcher combination that was small enough that two could be carried in existing C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
aircraft, which could land at practically any airport, setup and launch. These would be deployed to the US's widespread airports during periods of heightened tensions.
Finally, they also considered conventional missiles in "super hard" silos, buried under the southern side of mountains. As the enemy warheads would approach from the north, they would impact the mountains before they could hit the silo itself. This would keep the explosions at least 5,000 feet away from the silos, and this would be immune to changes in missile accuracy. It was expected that silos able to withstand multi-megaton explosions at one mile could be built, but this was considered to be an area of some uncertainty. They proposed 100 missiles in three such bases, and expected that at least one would be able to survive even an all-out attack. However, if such a force was to be a reasonable deterrent, they would need to carry 20 or more warheads, and to launch them the study introduced the "ICBM-X", a massive new 156-inch design, well over twice the diameter of the existing LGM-30 Minuteman
LGM-30 Minuteman
The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
.
Any of the Golden Arrow studies would be extremely expensive, and in the era of Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
's US Department of Defence, cost was as important as any other consideration. As Alain Enthoven
Alain Enthoven
Alain C. Enthoven is an American economist. He was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1965, and from 1965 to 1969 he was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis. Currently he is Marriner S. Eccles Professor of Public and Private Management, Emeritus, at Stanford...
put it, "Our gross national product, though large, is limited. If we attempted to develop and procure a dozen or more distinct different nuclear delivery systems… we doubtless would end up squandering our resources and not doing a good job on any of them." Golden Arrow, along with many similar proposals from other firms, proceeded no further, in favor of the Minuteman II.
WS-120A
Another outgrown project from the ICBM-X was a smaller version limited to 10 to 20 warheads, known initially as WS-120A and later as BGM-75 AICBMBGM-75 AICBM
The Advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, also known as Weapons System 120A and ZBGM-75, was a program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, proposed by the United States Air Force in the 1960s...
. The missile was small enough to fit in existing large silos, like those for the Titan II
Titan II
The Titan II was an intercontinental ballistic missile and space launcher developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier Titan I missile. Titan II was originally used as an ICBM...
, but was otherwise similar in concept to the ICBM-X, with a circular error probable
Circular error probable
In the military science of ballistics, circular error probable is an intuitive measure of a weapon system's precision...
(CEP) of about 0.1 miles, and especially the ability to be quickly re-programmed to attack any targets needed. In comparison, the Minuteman II had a selection of eight targets, any one of which could be quickly selected for attack, but otherwise selecting a target outside this pre-computed list was not something that could be done "on the fly". WS-120A's preferred basing mode was a super hardened shelter, but dispersed mobile options were also considered.
However, like Golden Arrow before it, WS-120A's advantages found themselves being diluted by the new Minuteman III. The Minuteman III used the new NS-20 inertial navigation system
Inertial navigation system
An inertial navigation system is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors and rotation sensors to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity of a moving object without the need for external references...
(INS) with a CEP of 0.12 nautical miles, and three warheads with an expanded collection of radar countermeasures. Although the system did not include the ability to be rapidly-retargetted, this was under development and started deployment in 1972, before the 1975 introduction date of WS-120A. When it was fully deployed in 1978, the entire ICBM fleet could be entirely reprogrammed in 10 hours.
INS advances
Over the same period, engineers at the Charles Stark Draper LaboratoryCharles Stark Draper Laboratory
Draper Laboratory is an American not-for-profit research and development organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Draper focuses on the design, development, and deployment of advanced technology solutions to problems in national security, space exploration, health care and energy.Originally...
had been working on a new type of inertial platform that replaced the mechanical gimbal
Gimbal
A gimbal is a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis. A set of two gimbals, one mounted on the other with pivot axes orthogonal, may be used to allow an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain immobile regardless of the motion of its support...
s with a sphere floating in a thin layer of fluorocarbon fluid. The so-called "flimbal" (apparently for FLoated Measurement BAL") would offer unprecedented accuracy and would be free from "gimbal lock", a problem that caused conventional platforms to "tumble" and lose their accuracy. Like the ICBM-X, there was little development as there appeared to be no need for a platform with the sort of accuracy the flimbal provided, and the expense of developing this not-needed system would be extremely high.
In spite of official disinterest, during the late 1960s Kenneth Fertig managed to arrange some funding through the Air Force for the "SABRE" project, short for "Self-Aligning, Boost and RE-entry" INS. The name referred to the concept that the system would be so accurate and free from mechanical shocks and jarring that it would not require any other form of "fixing" after launch. It would survive even the rough conditions during launch and re-entry. In comparison, existing inertial navigation system
Inertial navigation system
An inertial navigation system is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors and rotation sensors to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity of a moving object without the need for external references...
s (INS) would become inaccurate during these periods, and required midcourse fixes from star shots or TRANSIT
Transit (satellite)
The TRANSIT system, also known as NAVSAT , was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. The system was primarily used by the U.S...
measurements for fine tuning.
Counterforce worries
During the late 1970s, 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....
fielded a large number of heavy (defined by throw weight), increasingly accurate MIRV ICBMs like the SS-18. These had the accuracy and numbers needed to be a serious threat to the survival of Minuteman III missiles in their silos. If the Soviet Union launched a sneak attack and the US did not respond immediately, the majority of their missiles and strategic bombers might be caught on the ground. A credible deterrent force would remain, but such a force might not have enough warheads left to attack both the remaining Soviet fleet and cities and other military targets.
In such a situation, the US would be left with two uncomfortable responses. If they chose to respond in kind and attack the remaining Soviet missile fleet, there would be little to respond with if the Soviets immediately launched against US cities. The other option would require the US to be the first country to launch an attack on civilian targets, both morally reprehensible as well as against stated policy. SLBM's, like the new UGM-73 Poseidon
UGM-73 Poseidon
The Poseidon missile was the second US Navy ballistic missile system, powered by a two-stage solid fuel rocket. It succeeded the Polaris missile beginning in 1972, bringing major advances in warheads and accuracy...
, would be immune to a counterforce attack, but their lower accuracy meant they were suitable only for attacking cities or large military targets like shipyards.
This worrying scenario led to the effort to develop a new land based missile with the requirements of having the accuracy needed to be an excellent counterforce weapon, the survivability needed to absorb a Soviet first strike, and the MIRV capabilities needed to ensure even a small number of survivors would be able to attack the remaining Soviet missile fleet. The Minuteman III simply did not have this combination of features. However, it was clear from the outset that such a missile would be unable to neutralize the Soviet ballistic missile submarines on patrol, however, missiles that would be an excellent second-strike option against cities, like the US's own fleet.
MX
The outcome of this thinking was obvious from the start; in 1971 the Air Force started an "requirements development" combining the ICBM-X and SABRE concepts into a single platform, "Missile, Experimental", or MX. The new missile would be so accurate and carry so many warheads that even a few survivors would be able to destroy enormous numbers of any remaining Soviet force. The specifications for MX were fixed in February 1972, and the "advanced development program" started in late 1973. At the time, MX was to be based in existing Minuteman silos, in keeping with the original ICBM-X concept of MX as essentially a bigger Minuteman.For MX, the Draper Laboratory developed SABRE into the "Advanced Inertial Reference Sphere" (AIRS). AIRS would have a drift rate of only 1.5 x 10-5 degrees per hour, allowing it to be referenced to an external point, like the silo wall, and then left for extended periods of time. Over the period of the flight the drift would be so low that any inaccuracies introduced by the drift could account for a maximum of 1% of the warhead's final accuracy - the rest would be due to downstream issues like the measurement of the firing of the rocket engines, minor differences in warhead construction, and unavoidable randomness in the atmosphere. The Air Force also contracted with Autonetics
Autonetics
Autonetics was a division of North American Aviation. Through a series of mergers, Autonetics is now part of Boeing.- General Background of the Anaheim Facility :...
for a backup design using mechanical gimbals, the "Advanced Stable Platform" (ASP). In May 1975 the first hand-built AIRS was transferred from Draper's laboratory to Northrop
Northrop
Northrop Corporation was a major United States aircraft manufacturer which merged with Grumman in 1994 to form Northrop Grumman.Northrop may also refer to:-Places:In the United States:* Northrop, Minnesota, a town...
for further development.
Basing options
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
s that would include systems to quickly dig themselves out after an attack. Eventually, the program was resinstated in 1979 by President Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, who authorized deployment of 200 missiles in of a system of multiple protective shelters linked by underground or aboveground roads, the so called "Racetrack" proposal. However, local opposition in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
was intense, and the concept gained a powerful enemy in the form of Senator Paul Laxalt
Paul Laxalt
Paul Dominique Laxalt of Nevada was a former Republican District Attorney, Lieutenant Governor, Governor and U.S. Senator. In the media, the words "son of a Basque sheepherder" often accompanied his name. He was one of Ronald Reagan's closest friends in politics...
.
When Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
took office, Laxalt's close ties with Reagan proved useful, and Reagan canceled the new shelter system in 1981, calling it "a Rube Goldberg scheme". He proposed deploying an initial force of missiles in existing Titan II silos, removing those now outdated missiles from service. The silos would be modified for much greater strength, and a number of Minuteman III silos similarly adapted over time to bring the force to a total of 100 missiles. Additionally, he suggested funding development of three additional basic concepts, airborne drops from cargo aircraft, anti-ballistic missile
Anti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...
defences, or basing new silos deep underground or on the south side of mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
s ("reverse-inclination basing"). The later two quickly proved unacceptable for various reasons.
In its place came the "dense pack" concept which would speed deployment. The dense pack idea involved building super-hardened silos that would withstand more than 10,000 psi (70 MPa
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
) of overpressure
Overpressure
The term Overpressure is applied to a pressure difference, relative to a "normal" or "ambient" pressure, in various circumstances:* In engineering: the pressure difference over the wall thickness of a pressure vessel...
, compared to 2,000 of the existing silos, or 5,000 psi for the upgraded versions originally proposed. This extra hardness can be easily offset by minor increases in warhead accuracy. Key to dense pack, then, was to space the silos so close together, about 1,800 feet (550 m), that warheads attacking one silo would destroy others incoming to attack the others. This "fratricide
Nuclear fratricide
Nuclear fratricide is a phenomenon of physics which states that "two nuclear reactions cannot occur close in time.".In relation to nuclear warfare this is said to prevent several warheads detonating in close succession, close to the same target...
theory" was fundamentally flawed due to the relative ease with which the Soviets could modify their warheads and circumvent this design. Congress again rejected the system.
A compromise was eventually developed in mid-1983. Under this scheme, 100 missiles would be deployed in existing Minuteman silos to show "national will". The plan also called for the removal of the venerable and accident-prone liquid fueled Titan II ICBM from use. However, this did not address the problem the MX was originally intended to solve, and it would be the later introduction of twenty-five "rail garrison" trains, each carrying two missiles. This system was expected to be operational in 1992. Additionally, the plan also called for the development of an entirely new missile, which would emerge as the MGM-134 Midgetman
MGM-134 Midgetman
The MGM-134A Midgetman, also known as the Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile , was an intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the United States of America.-Overview:...
. The Midgetman deliberately carried only one warhead and was highly mobile. Countering it would require the Soviets to use the majority of their warheads, and each successful attack would destroy only one warhead. Faced with this choice, it was expected the Soviets would instead expend their warheads on easier targets.
Deployment
The new ICBM missile was originally planned to be called "Peacemaker", but at the last minute was officially designated the LGM-118A Peacekeeper. It was first test fired on 17 June 1983, by the Air Force Systems Command Ballistic Missile Office (Norton AFB, CA); 6595th Missile Test Group (Vandenberg AFB, CA Strategic Air Command); and Martin Marietta, from Vandenberg AFB, CaliforniaVandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
Test Pad-01, traveling 4200 nmi (4,833.3 mi; 7,778.4 km) to strike successfully in the Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
Test Range in the Pacific. The first eight test flights were launched from an above ground canister on TP-01, with the remaining test and operational Strategic Air Command flights from silos (LF-02, -05, & -08) all located on North Vandenberg AFB. A total of 50 flight tests were accomplished. At that time there were was no such designation as Tp-01, LF-02, 05 or 08 and all launches occurred on South Vandenberg AFB, as I am a personal witness to the first two launches of the MX-{Peacekeeper).
The operational missile was first manufactured in February 1984 and was deployed in December 1986 to the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, 90th Strategic Missile Wing
90th Space Wing
The 90th Missile Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command Twentieth Air Force. It is stationed at Francis E...
at the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately west of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is one of three strategic missile bases in the United States. It is named in honor of Francis E. Warren....
in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
in re-fitted Minuteman silos. However, development of AIRS proved to be expensive and time consuming; it had 19,000 parts, and the three main gyroscopes had to be so accurate that each one took six months to build and cost $300,000. With the missiles already being installed in their silos, it was not until July 1987 that the first production AIRS were ready to ship, and the complete supply for the first 50 missiles was not complete until December 1988.
Given these delays, and increased performance of SLBMS, Congress cancelled the 100-missile option in July 1985. In that decision, Congress limited the deployment of Peacekeeper ICBMs to 50 missiles until a more "survivable" basing plan could be developed.
Development of the rail garrison system was carried out in parallel. However, budgetary constraints and the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
led to its being scrapped. The National Museum of the United States Air Force
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
has a rail garrison box car on display on the museum grounds east of the main display hangars and developmental remnants of the program can still be found at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
.
The project had already cost around $20 billion up to 1998 and produced 114 missiles, at $400 million for each operational missile. The "flyaway" cost of each missile was estimated at 20 to 70 million dollars. The total combined firepower for all 114 ICBMs was rated at around 342 megatons, or 342 million tons of TNT.
Retirement and deactivation
The missiles were gradually retired, with 17 withdrawn during 2003, leaving 29 missiles on alert at the beginning of 2004. At the start of 2005 only 10 remained on alert, scheduled to be retired by the end of the year. The last Peacekeeper was removed from alert on September 19, 2005 during the final deactivation ceremony when the 400th Missile Squadron400th Missile Squadron
The 400th Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 90th Space Wing, based at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, and inactivated on 19 September 2005.-History:...
was deactivated as well. The Peacekeeper rockets are being converted to the satellite launcher role by Orbital Sciences
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
, as the Minotaur IV (OSP-2)
Minotaur IV
Minotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the Peacekeeper missile. It is operated by Orbital Sciences Corporation, and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010, carrying the HTV-2a Hypersonic Test Vehicle...
, while their warheads will be deployed on the existing Minuteman III missiles. Parts of the missile are reused for the Ares rocket, in the 'Roll Control System' (RoCS).
Operator
- The United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
was the only operator of the Peacekeeper.
- 400th Strategic Missile (later Missile) Squadron, Francis E. Warren AFB, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
(1987-2005)- Orbital Sciences: Will use the Minotaur IVMinotaur IVMinotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the Peacekeeper missile. It is operated by Orbital Sciences Corporation, and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010, carrying the HTV-2a Hypersonic Test Vehicle...
civilian launch platform version.
- Orbital Sciences: Will use the Minotaur IV
See also
- LGM-30 MinutemanLGM-30 MinutemanThe LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
- List of missiles
- MissileMissileThough a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
- Peace through strengthPeace through strength"Peace through strength" is a conservative slogan supporting military strength for the purpose of creating peaceful international relations.For supporters of the MX missile in the 1970s, the missile symbolized "peace through strength." The phrase was popular in political rallies during 1988...
- Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...