Intercontinental ballistic missile

Basicinformation

Generallyspeaking,therangeofintercontinentalballisticmissilesshouldbeatleast5500-8000kilometers.Intercontinentalballisticmissilesaregenerally(butnotnecessarily)equippedwithanuclearorthermonuclearwarhead,andtheirtypicalcompositionis:liquidorsolidpropulsiondevice,two-stageormulti-stageboosterrocket,inertialguidancesystem(andcanbeequippedwithconstellationnavigation,satellitenavigation(Orterminalguidancesystem),oneormoreloadedaircraft,eachloadedaircraftcontainsawarhead.

IntheUnitedStates,thestatusofintercontinentalballisticmissiles,submarine-launchedballisticmissilesandlong-rangebombersareroughlythesame,forminga"triad"strategicdeterrentforce.InRussia,intercontinentalballisticmissilesarethemainforceofstrategicstrikes.

Intercontinentalballisticmissileshavealongerrangeandfasterspeedthanmedium-rangeballisticmissiles,short-rangeballisticmissilesandnewlynamedtheaterballisticmissiles.

ThefirstintercontinentalballisticmissilesuccessfullytestedintheworldwastheSovietР-7,NATOcodenamedSS-6"truncheon",whichflew6000kilometers.

Developmenthistory

ThedesignideasofintercontinentalmissilescanbetracedbacktotheA9/10planproposedbythefamousGermanrocketexpertvonBrauntotheNazigovernmentinthe1930sand1940s.Later,GermanywasdefeatedinWorldWarII.Thisplanwasnotimplemented,buttheearliestmedium-rangeballisticmissileV2wasdeveloped.Sincethen,peoplehavetriedtoextendtherangeofthemissile.

Similartomanystrategicweaponssuchasnuclearweapons,thebirthanddevelopmentofintercontinentalmissilesarealsocloselyrelatedtotheUS-SovietstruggleforhegemonyduringtheColdWar.InAugust1957,theSovietUnionsuccessfullytestedtheworld'sfirstintercontinentalmissilewitharangeof8000kilometers-knownasthe"OldSeven"bytheSovietArmy,andNATO'sP-7ballisticmissilecodenamedSS-6.Thenewlong-rangenuclearstrikecapabilitybroughtaboutbythismissilehasgreatlychangedthestrategicpoweroftheUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnion.Inpanic,theUnitedStatesalsoequippedthefirstintercontinentalmissile"UniversalGod"in1959.Sincethen,thetwomajorweaponspowershavesetoffalong-terminternationalcompetitionforthequantityandqualityofintercontinentalmissiles.

FromWorldWarIItotheendofthe1950s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionmadesubstantialbreakthroughsinnuclearwarheads,high-thrustliquidrocketmotors,andguidanceandcontroltechnology,anddevelopedthefirstgenerationofstrategicballisticmissiles.TypicalmodelsaretheAmerican"Hercules1"andtheSovietUnion's55-6,thelatterbeingtheworld'sfirstland-basedintercontinentalballisticmissiletobesuccessfullylaunched.Thecharacteristicsofthisgenerationofmissilesare:theyuselow-temperaturenon-storableliquidpropellants,havepoortechnicalperformance,andlowhitaccuracy(circularprobabilitydeviationis4-8kilometers).Allhavebeenretired.Fromtheendofthe1950stothe1960s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionbegantodevelopandequipsecond-generationstrategicballisticmissiles.TypicalmodelsincludetheU.S.Hercules2andMinuteman1,andtheSovietUnion’s55-9and55-11.Thecharacteristicofthisgenerationofmissilesistheuseofstorableliquidpropellantorsolidpropellant,whichislaunchedfromundergroundwells.Comparedwiththefirst-generationmissile,thesurvivability,hitaccuracy,reliabilityandstrikecapabilityhavebeengreatlyimproved.Until1969,theSovietUnionwasequippedwith1,029land-basedintercontinentalmissiles,andtheUnitedStateshad1,054.

Fromthelate1960stothe1970s,thethirdgenerationofstrategicballisticmissilesdevelopedrapidly.TypicalmodelsincludetheUnitedStates’"Minuteman3"andtheSovietUnion’s55-17,55-18,55-19and55-20.Themainfeatureisthatitcancarryclusteredorsplit-guidedmultiplewarheads.Whileincreasingtherange,itimprovesthehittingaccuracyandpayloadcapability,penetrationcapabilityandmulti-targetattackcapability.Sincethe1980s,strategicballisticmissileshavedevelopedtothefourthgeneration.Duringthisperiod,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUniondevelopedland-basedroad-mobilesmallsingle-warheadintercontinentalballisticmissilesandrailway-mobilelarge-scalemulti-warheadintercontinentalballisticmissiles.Typicalmodelsare:American"Dwarf",MX"PeaceDefender",Soviet55-24,55-25,etc.Themainfeatureistoimprovethesurvivabilityundernuclearwarconditions,usingadvancedcompositematerialshell,high-energysolidpropellant,flexiblesealedomnidirectionalswingsinglenozzle,extendablenozzleoutletcone,advancedinertialguidanceandcompositeGuidancetechnology.Thehitaccuracyisupto100meters,whichgreatlyimprovestheabilitytodestroyhardtargets.

Afterthe1990s,land-basedintercontinentalballisticmissileshaveprogressedtowardminiaturization,andnewimprovementshavebeenmadetotheguidancesystem,suchastheuseofstarlightguidanceandradar-relatedunguidedtechnologies,andtheaccuracyofhitshasbeenimproved.;Theuseofafast-burningenginecanmakethemissileautomaticallyshutdownandflyatanaltitudeof80kilometers;thesurfaceissprayedwithanti-lasermaterialsorotherprotectivematerialstoimproveitsownprotectioncapabilities.ThenewmodelduringthisperiodisRussia’s55-27("WhitePoplar)-M”)Intercontinentalballisticmissiles.TheUnitedStatesterminatedthe"Dwarf"smallmobileintercontinentalballisticmissileprogramin1year,butcontinuestomodernizethe"Minuteman3"missile.

Aftermorethanhalfacenturyofdevelopment,theintercontinentalmissilehasbeenupgradedmanytimes.Today,itisgraduallyshiftingfrommulti-warheads,large-yield,andlarge-scaledeploymenttoimprovedmobilityandprecisionstrikecapabilities.Theworld-recognizedcountrieswithintercontinentalmissilesthatcanbeputintousehaveexpandedtoRussia,theUnitedStates,theUnitedKingdom,France,andtheUnitedStates.ChinaandotherfivepermanentmembersoftheUNSecurityCouncil,intercontinentalmissileshavebecomeanimportant"callingcard"thatreflectsthedeterrenceofmajorpowers.

OnMay30,2017,theMissileDefenseAgencyoftheUSDepartmentofDefenseannouncedthattheUSmilitary’sfirstintercontinentalballisticmissileTheinterceptiontestwassuccessful.

Classification

Land-based

Inasense,land-basedmissilesaretruly"intercontinental"becauseland-basedTypemissilesdonotconsidertheinfluenceofvolumeonthesurroundingenvironment.Thistypeofmissilehasthelongestlaunchdistance,thefastestresponsetime,andthestrongestself-protectioncapability.

Allland-basedmissilesneedasiloAftertheinventionoftheatomicbomb,intercontinentalballisticmissileshavethefunctionoflaunchingnuclearbombs.Therefore,inordertohavetheirowncounterattackcapabilities,thesilowallsofland-basedintercontinentalmissilesareverythickanddeeplyburiedintheground.Generally,theycanbeattackedbynuclearbombsthemselves.Accordingtothepre-setprocedure,thelaunchofthenuclearcounterattackiscarriedout.Therefore,theland-basedintercontinentalballisticmissilehasthecapabilityofasecondstrike.

Allaerospacelaunchersaresuitableforlaunchingintercontinentalballisticmissiles,butintercontinentalballisticmissilesThesilosofmissilesmaynotbesuitableforaerospaceprojects.Becauseasawarmachine,intercontinentalmissilesneedtobelaunchedoutofthecapsuleintheshortesttime,andflytotheenemy'stheaterthroughhigh-speedglidingoutsidetheatmosphere,sothelaunchvibrationisverylarge,andThesmallerthesize,thebetter.Thespacelauncherismainlyusedforcivilandscientificexperimentsanddoesnothavetheabilitytoprotectitself.

Sea-based

Launchfromunderwater(above),Forexample,ballisticmissileslaunchedbysubmarinesandsurfaceshipsarecalledsea-launchedorsea-basedballisticmissiles.Submarine-launchedballisticmissilesrefertoballisticmissileslaunchedbysubmarines.

Submarine-launchedballisticmissiletechnologyIthasahighthresholdandishighlydependentontheoverallnationaldefensetechnologystrength.Itisgenerallyregardedasaweaponofalargecountry.ExceptforpermanentmembersoftheUnitedNations,fewcountriesinvestresourcesinresearchanddevelopment.

Vehicle-mountedtype

Thelaunchingmethodofvehicle-mountedvehiclesisatechnologicalinnovationforlong-rangeandintercontinentalmissiles.Infact,WhetheritistheSovietUnion,RussiaortheUnitedStates,asearlyasthe1980s,theproblemoflaunchingintercontinentalballisticmissilesonroadvehicleswassolved,suchasthe"Poplar"missileandscalpelmissileintheSovietera,andtheAmerican"Dwarf"missilepeaceguard."Missiles,etc.,theland-basedmotorizationofChina’sintercontinentalballisticmissileswasnotfullyowneduntiltheendofthe20thcentury.

ItsHe

Theoreticallyspeaking,seeminglybulkyballisticmissilescanalsoflyintotheskywithwings,whichareair-launchedorair-basedballisticmissiles.Specifically,air-launchedballisticmissilesrefertoatypeofballisticmissilethatiscarriedbyanaerialflightplatform,releasedandseparatedfromit,andthenignitedandlaunched.

Components

Ballisticmissilesareusuallycomposedofpropulsionsystem,warhead,missilebodystructureandguidancesystem.

Thepropulsionsystemisadevicethatprovidespowerformissileflight.Itismainlycomposedofanengineandapropellantsupplysystem.Thecoreistheengine.Ground-to-surfaceballisticmissilesgenerallyusesolidorliquidrocketmotors.Tacticalballisticmissilesrequirebettermaneuverabilityandrapidresponsecapabilities,sosolidrocketmotorsaremostlychosen.

Themissilebodystructureisusedtoformtheshapeofthemissile,connectthevarioussub-systemsofthemissile,andisusedtobearvariousloadsandplayasupportingrole.Theshapeofthemissileisoneofthemainfactorsthataffecttheflightspeedandmaneuverabilityofthemissileintheatmosphere.Therequirementforthestructureofthemissileistobeaslightaspossibleandhaveagoodaerodynamicshape.

Theguidancesystemisusedtocontroltheflighttrajectoryandflightattitudeofthemissile,andguidethemissileorwarheadtoflytothetargetaccurately.Thelevelofmissileguidanceaccuracydeterminestheaccuracyofthemissile'shitting,andthereforeisanimportantcriterionforjudgingthelevelofmissiletechnology.Differenttypesofmissilescanbeguidedindifferentways.Intheearlydaysofballisticmissiles,radiocommandguidancewasused.Later,mostofthemwereguidedbyinertialguidance,aswellasastronomical-inertialandinertial-terrainmatchingcompoundguidance.

Thewarheadisalsocalledthewarhead,whichisanimportantpartofthemissile.Thewarheadisthecomponentusedtodestroyanddestroythetarget,killtheactiveforce,andcompletethecombatmission.Itisgenerallyconfiguredontheheadofthemissileandmainlyconsistsoftheshell,thefillingmaterial,thedetonatingdeviceandthesafetydevice.Accordingtodifferenttargets,differenttypesofwarheadscanbeassigned.Mostofthewarheadsofstrategicmissilesusenuclearcharges.Itcanbeasinglewarheadormultiplewarheads.Therearethreetypesofmulti-warheads:clustertype,split-guidetypeandmobiletype.Thewarheadsoftacticalmissilesmostlyusenon-nuclearcharges,suchashigh-energyexplosives,chemicalpoisons,andbiologicalwarfareagents,andsomealsousenuclearcharges.

Range

Thebasicthresholdofaweaponthatcanbecalledanintercontinentalmissileisitsrange.Accordingtointernationalpractice,intercontinentalmissilesusuallyrefertoballisticmissileswitharangegreaterthan8,000kilometers.Atpresent,thelongest-rangeintercontinentalmissileintheworldistheSS-18SatanintercontinentalmissiledevelopedbytheSovietUnion/Russia,witharangeofupto16,000kilometers.

Thelimitrangeofintercontinentalmissilesisgenerallyhalfthecircumferenceoftheearth,becauseaslongasitcancircletheearthhalfacircle,itcanhitallthetargetsontheearth.Afteritslaunch,itisdividedintothreeflightphases:thepropulsionaccelerationphase,themidwayphase,andthere-entryintotheatmosphere.Thephasethatdeterminestherangeoftheintercontinentalmissileismainlythepropulsionaccelerationphase.

Therangeofanintercontinentalmissilehasalottodowiththeshutdownspeedoftheengineduringthepropulsionphase.Generallyspeaking,thetimeforanintercontinentalmissilefromengineignitiontoshutdownis3~5minutes,andtheflightspeedwhenthefuelburnsout.Itcanreach7kilometerspersecond.Atthistime,theintercontinentalmissilerisestoanaltitudeof150to400kilometersandentersthemidwaystageofflyingbyinertia.

Duringthemidwaystageofflight,theintercontinentalmissilefliesmainlyinsuborbitalellipticalorbitsoutsidetheatmosphere,andthetrajectoryisclosetoaparabola,similartothrowingstonesfarawaybyhand.Faster,thefartherthethrowdistance.Bythesametoken,thefasterthemissileengineshutsdown,thefartherthemissile'srangewillbe.

Inaddition,forintercontinentalmissiles,longrangeisnottheonlyrequirement,andthedeliveryqualityofthemissileisalsoverycritical.Adeliverymassthatistoosmallismeaninglessforawarhead.Evenaminiaturizednuclearwarheadcanweighseveralhundredkilograms.Inordertoobtainahigherflightspeedandasmuchdeliveryqualityaspossible,thethrustandspecificimpulseofthemissileenginehavebecomethekey.

Whetheritisaliquidfuelmissileorasolidfuelmissile,therocketenginewithhighthrustandhighspecificimpulseisthefundamentalguaranteeofthemissile'srange.Thisisalsothemainreasonwhythedevelopmentofintercontinentalmissilesisfarmoredifficultthanshort-rangeandmedium-rangeballisticmissiles..Simplyaddingfueltoshort-rangeandmedium-rangeballisticmissilescannotmakethemissileflyfarthertobecomeanintercontinentalmissile,becausetheperformanceoftheenginecannotmeettherequirementsofanintercontinentalmissile.

Strikeaccuracy

Thehitaccuracyofballisticmissilesisanimportantcriterionforjudgingwhetherthetechnologyisadvancedornot,anditisalsoanimportantmanifestationofdeterrencecapabilities.Inparticular,intercontinentalballisticmissilesgenerallycarrynuclearwarheads.Oneoftheimportantcombatobjectivesistodestroytheenemy’sundergroundmissilesilosandeliminatetheenemy’ssecondarynuclearcounterattackcapability.

Intercontinentalmissileswanttodestroytheenemy’sstrategictargets,andmustmeetthreeconditions:nuclearwarhead,range,andhitaccuracy.Hitaccuracyisthemostcriticalcondition.Thefirsttwoarethebasisandpremise.

Atpresent,undergroundmissilesilosbuiltbycountriesallovertheworldhaveacertaindegreeofresistancetonuclearstrikes,andtheimprovementofmissilehitaccuracyhasafargreaterimpactonthedestructioncapabilityofmissilesilosthanthewarheadequivalent.Forexample,iftheexplosiveequivalentofaU.S.Minuteman3intercontinentalmissileisincreasedby10times,itsaccuracyremainsunchanged,anditsabilitytodestroyundergroundsiloscanonlybeincreasedby5times.Iftheattackaccuracyisincreasedby10times,theexplosiveequivalentremainsunchanged,anditdestroysundergroundlaunches.Thecapacityofthewellisincreasedby100times.Therefore,improvingtheaccuracyofmissilehitsismoreimportantthansimplyincreasingtheexplosivepowerofnuclearwarheads.Thetheoreticalbasisisbasedonthephysicalrulethattheexplosivepowerisattenuatedinacubicrelationship.

Inshort,improvingthehitaccuracyofmissilescanreducetheequivalentofnuclearweapons,greatlyreducingtheweightofnuclearwarheads,savingvaluablemilitarynuclearmaterials,improvingthereliabilityofnuclearbombs,andincreasingthenumberofnuclearwarheadscarried.

Chronologicalhistory

Thefirstgeneration

ThefirstgenerationofintercontinentalmissilesmainlyreferstotheSS-6seriesofmissilesdevelopedbytheSovietUnioninthelate1950s,andtheUnitedStatesThe"UniverseGod"and"Hercules"seriesofmissiles.Theyhaveachievedtheleapofintercontinentalmissilesfromscratch,buttheirtechnicalperformanceispoor.Thesemissilesmainlyuseliquidfuel,andrequirealongtimetoprepareforrefuelingbeforelaunchandarenoteasytostore.Themaximumtake-offweightcanreach122tons.Themaximumpowerofasinglewarheadcarriedbythemissileisequivalentto5milliontonsofTNTequivalent,buttheaccuracyislow,andthecircularprobabilityerrorisnearly10kilometers.

Thesecond-generation

Thesecond-generationintercontinentalballisticmissileischaracterizedbysolidpropulsionandextendedrange.Asfarasthedevelopmentofweaponsandequipmentisconcerned,makingupfortheshortcomingsofthepreviousgenerationwilloftenbethehighlightofthenextgeneration,andintercontinentalmissilesarenoexception.Aimingattheshortcomingsofthefirst-generationintercontinentalmissilesusingliquidfuel,suchasshortrange,self-weight,andlongresponsetime,theUS"HerculesII","MinutemanI","MinutemanII"andtheSovietUnionSS-7,SS-8andothermissileshavebeenchangedtosolid.Withfuelpropulsion,themaximumtake-offweightwasreducedto80tons,buttherangewasincreasedto11,000kilometers,andthehitaccuracywasimprovedtothe100-meterlevel.Thelaunchsiteofthemissilewasgraduallytransferredfromthegroundtowertotheundergroundsilo.Atthisstage,thenuclearwarheadcarriedbytheintercontinentalmissilebegantobeequippedwithpenetrationdevices,anditshittingaccuracy,power,practicability,andreliabilitywereallimproved.

Third-generation

Thethird-generationintercontinentalballisticmissileischaracterizedbyaclusteredwarheadandstrongpenetration.Spearsandshieldsarealwayssymbiosis.Withthedevelopmentofintercontinentalmissiles,inthe1970s,themissiledefensesystemalsotookshape.Forthisreason,thethirdgenerationofintercontinentalmissilesbeganto"makeafuss"onenhancingpenetrationcapabilities.TheSovietUnion'sSS-9series,SS-11seriesandtheAmerican"MinutemanIII"seriesmissilesallgenerallyuseclusteredmultiplewarheads.Whenthemissilefliestoapredeterminedlocationwiththiskindofwarhead,itcanreleasemultiplesub-warheadswhileopeningthewarheadmothercompartmenttojointlyattackthetarget.Comparedwithasinglewarhead,thisclusteredmultiplewarheadcaneffectivelyimprovethepenetrationcapabilityofintercontinentalmissilesandenhancethedamageeffectongroundtargets.

Thefourthgeneration

Thefourthgenerationofintercontinentalballisticmissilesischaracterizedby"onedozen"ofmissileheads.Soonafterthebirthoftheclustermulti-warhead,peoplediscovereditsshortcomings:mostofthebulletsflybyinertia,withlowaccuracyandhighconsumption,andtheyarenotsuitableforhittingpointtargets.Forthisreason,startinginthe1970s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionbegantodevelopseparate-guidedmulti-warheads.Differentfromtheclustertypemulti-warhead-releasingmultiplesub-warheadsatatime,thesub-guidedmulti-warheadwarheadmothercompartmentcanreleasethesub-warheadsonebyoneaccordingtoapredeterminedprocedureanddirectthemtothetargetrespectively,sothatitcanaccuratelyattackseveralatafixeddistance.Thetargetorconcentratedattackisthesame-target.TheUnitedStates"PershingII"andtheSovietUnion'sSS-17,SS-18,SS-19,SS-20andothermissilesareallrepresentativesofsplit-guidedmultiplewarheads.Withthedevelopmentofprecisionguidancetechnology,theaccuracyofthesemissileshasbeengreatlyimproved,andthecircularprobabilityerrorhasdroppedtolessthan100meters.

Thefifthgeneration

Thefifthgenerationintercontinentalballisticmissileischaracterizedbybeingsmallerandmorecompact.Asthemissiledefensesystembecomesmoreandmorerobust,whentheintercontinentalmissiledevelopstothefifthgeneration,thefocusisnolongeronpowerandrange,butonsurvivabilityandpenetration.Intercontinentalmissilesofvariouscountriesareracingtowardsminiaturization,vehicle-mountedmobilelaunching,andunderwatersubmarinelaunching.Inthisregard,theRussiansseemtobeonestepahead.Theyhavedevelopedland-based"Poplar-M"and"Yars",submarine-launched"Blava","BlueSky"andothermulti-typefifth-generationstrategicnuclearmissiles..Nottobeoutdone,theAmericansdevelopedthe"PeaceGuardian"intercontinentalmissilethatcanbelaunchedbyrail,andthe"Dwarf"seriesofmissilesthatcanusewheeledvehiclesasthelaunchplatform.Comparedwithpreviousgenerationsofintercontinentalmissiles,althoughthepowerofthesemissileshasbeenreduced,theirpenetrationcapabilitieshavecontinuedtoincrease,andtheiraccuracyhasbecomehigherandhigher,andtheycanevendirectlyattacktheopponent'smissilesilos.

Representativemodel

"Minuteman"IntercontinentalBallisticMissile

Minuteman1isanAmericanground-to-groundintercontinentalballisticmissile,usedtoreplacetheSpaceGodmissile.ThemaincontractorisBoeing,andtheuseristheUSAirForce.

Minuteman1hastwotypes:Minuteman1AandMinuteman1B.TheweaponsystemcodeisWS-133A.Themilitia1Aisaresearchanddevelopmenttype,whichwaslaterchangedtoacombattypeinordertoserveassoonaspossible.TheMinuteman1beganitsprogramdemonstrationin1957,anditsdevelopmentbeganinOctober1958.TheMinuteman1AwaslaunchedfromthegroundforthefirsttimeinFebruary1961,andtheentireflighttestwassuccessful.InDecember1962,Militia1Abegantoserve.

Militia1BbegandevelopmenttestflightinJuly1962,deployedinJuly1963,andcompleteddeploymentinJune1965.

ThetotalinvestmentoftheMinuteman1programis6.05billionU.S.dollars(1970U.S.dollars),thetotalproductionis930,andthepriceofeachmissileis1.32millionU.S.dollars(1964U.S.dollars).

ThecostoftheMinuteman1weaponsystem(includingmissiles,groundequipmentandmaintenancecosts)isexactly1/3ofthecostoftheUniverseGodweaponsystem.Theoperatorisonly1/8ofthepersonnelrequiredbytheuniversegod.

Minuteman2isanimprovedversionofMinuteman1,numberedLGM-30F,andtheweaponsystemcodeisWS-133B.

Minuteman2beganitsprogramdemonstrationinMay1961,andbegandevelopmentinJuly1962.FromSeptember1964toMay1967,atotalof51testflightswerecarriedout.FromOctober1965to1972wasthedeploymentphase,withatotalof500deployed.After1975,50Militia2werereplacedbyMilitia3.OthersweredeployedatMstrongAirForceBase,Montana,150,WhitemanAirForceBase,Missouri,150,andEldsworthAirForceBase,SouthDakota,150.Accordingtothe"TreatyonReductionandLimitationofOffensiveStrategicWeapons",themilitia2wascompletelyoutofalertin1991,150undergroundwellsinMstronghadbeenreplacedwithmilitia3,andtheremainingmilitia2undergroundwellswerealldestroyedbefore1997.Asof2008,allMinuteman2missileshavebeendecommissioned.

TheinvestmentintheMinuteman2programtotaled5.14billionU.S.dollars(1970U.S.dollarsvalue).TheunitpriceoftheMinuteman2missileis7.8millionU.S.dollars(in1984U.S.dollars).

SS-24IntercontinentalBallisticMissile

SS-24istheworld’sonlyintercontinentalballisticmissilelaunchedfromatrain.ThescalpelSS-24(NATOnameandcodename)isathree-stagesolidintercontinentalballisticmissile,whichisdevelopedbytheSouthernDesignBureauandmanufacturedbythePavlovleMachineManufacturingPlant.ThestrategicarmslimitationtreatyagreedonthecodenamePC-22.TheSS-24wasdevelopedinthelate1970s.ThefirstflighttestwasconductedinOctober1982.Itenteredservicein1987andwasfullydecommissionedin2005.

Dongfeng-41intercontinentalballisticmissile

Dongfeng41intercontinentalmissileisanadvancedmulti-warheadintercontinentalmissiledevelopedbyChina,solidfuel,two-stagestructure.Dongfeng41cancarrytwelvesplit-guidenuclearwarheadswithamaximumrangeofmorethan14,000kilometers.

Dongfeng41intercontinentalmissilesaredeployedinthreeways:roadmobileplatforms,railwaymobileplatformsandreinforcedgroundlaunches.Amongthem,theroadmobileplatformisthesx-4320heavytractorproducedbyShaanxiSpecialAutomobileManufacturingPlant.Storage-transport-launchintegratedthree-purposetrailer.Themissileisplacedinthetrailer’sbombbay.Ithasbeenclosedduringtransportation.Thetrailerisequippedwithtwodouble-foldingdoors.Thedoorisopenedbeforelaunch,andthemissileislaunchedverticallythroughahydraulicdevice..DuetothehugeweightoftheDongfeng41missilebody,whichhasreachedthelimitthattheroadmobileplatformcanwithstand,themorecomplicatedcoldlaunchisabandonedandthehotlaunchisadopted.Comparedwiththecoldlaunch,thehotlaunchismoreeffectiveonthesolidrocketmotorofthemissileitself.Thequalityrequirementsarehigh,butitsavesthelimitedspaceonthelaunchvehicle.

StrategicSignificance

First,intercontinentalballisticmissilesarethemainsupportforacountry’sstatusasanuclearpower.Intercontinentalballisticmissileshaveglobalcoveragecapabilitiesandcancarryoutnuclearstrikesonimportantglobaltargets.Thisdeterminesthatcountrieswithintercontinentalballisticmissileswillinevitablyoccupyanimportantpositionintheinternationalstrategiclandscapeandhavestrongpoliticalanddiplomaticinfluenceintheinternationalcommunity.Ifthereisnosuchnuclearweapon,theinternationalstatusmaynotbethathigh.

Second,possessionofintercontinentalballisticmissilescaneffectivelydeterstrongenemiesfromimplementingnucleardeterrence.Onceothercountries,especiallyhostilecountrieswithstrongermilitarystrengththanours,implementnucleardeterrence,themostfundamentalthingtodetersuchdeterrenceistohavetheabilitytodeterandnuclearstrikeagainsttheenemy'sstrategictargets.Theintercontinentalballisticmissileisthemostdirectmanifestationofthiscapability.

Third,intercontinentalballisticmissilesareofspecialimportancetosafeguardingChina’snationalsecurity.Chinapursuesamilitarystrategyofactivedefense,andourairintercontinentalstrikeforceandsea-basedintercontinentalstrikeforceareverylimited.OnceChina’ssecurityfacesmajordangers,intercontinentalballisticmissileswillbeanextremelyimportantmeansofattack,aswellasastrategicmeansthatcanposeamajorthreattotheenemy,anda“killer”forsafeguardingChina’snationalsecurity.

Fourth,China’spossessionofintercontinentalballisticmissilesalsoplaysanimportantroleinmaintainingworldpeace.Withintercontinentalballisticmissiles,China'sdeterrenceandinfluenceintheworldwillbegreatlyincreased,anditwillhavemoresay.Theworld'snuclearpowershavetopayattentiontoChina'sattitudewhenformulatingrelevantpolicies.Therefore,China'spossessionofintercontinentalballisticmissilesisconducivetomaintainingworldtranquilityandpeace.