LGM-30 Minuteman

LGM-30 Minuteman
LGM-30 Minuteman
	Minuteman II
Type	Intercontinental ballistic missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1962–1969 (Minuteman I); 1965–1994 (Minuteman II); 1970–present (Minuteman III);
Used by	United States Air Force
Production history
Manufacturer	Boeing
Unit cost	$7,000,000 USD
Specifications
Mass	About 65,000 lb (29,000 kg) (Minuteman I); About 73,000 lb (33,000 kg) (Minuteman II); 79,432 lb (36,030 kg) (Minuteman III);
Length	53 ft 8 in (16.36 m) (Minuteman I/A); 55 ft 11 in (17.04 m) (Minuteman I/B); 57 ft 7 in (17.55 m) (Minuteman II); 59.9 ft (18.3 m) (Minuteman III);
Diameter	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) (1st stage)
Warhead	Minuteman I: W59 (retired); Minuteman I and II: W56 (retired); Minuteman III: W62 (retired), W78 (active), or W87 (active);
Detonation; mechanism	Air-burst or contact (surface)
Engine	Three-stage solid-fuel rocket engines First stage: Thiokol TU-122 (M-55) (178,000 lbf, 790 kN); Second stage: Aerojet-General SR-19-AJ-1 (60,181 lbf, 267.70 kN); Third stage: Aerojet/Thiokol SR73-AJ/TC-1 (34,170 lbf, 152.0 kN); ; First stage 202,600 lb (91,900 kg) (Minuteman III)
Propellant	Ammonium perchlorate composite propellant
Operational; range	About 5,500 mi (8,900 km) (Minuteman I); 10,200 km (6,300 mi) (Minuteman II); 14,000 km (8,700 mi) (Minuteman III)
Flight ceiling	700 mi (3,700,000 ft; 1,100 km)
Maximum speed	Mach 23; (17,500 miles per hour; 28,200 kilometers per hour; 7.83 kilometers per second) (terminal phase)
Guidance; system	Inertial NS-50
Accuracy	Minuteman I: 1.1 nmi (2.0 km) CEP initially, then 0.6 nmi (1.1 km) CEP; Minuteman II: 0.26 nmi (0.48 km) CEP; Minuteman III: 800 ft (240 m) CEP;
Launch; platform	Missile silo

Minuteman III launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 9 February 2023.

The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. As of 2024^[update], the LGM-30G (Version 3)^{[note 1]} is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and represents the land leg of the U.S. nuclear triad, along with the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers.

Development of the Minuteman began in the mid-1950s when basic research indicated that a solid-fuel rocket motor could stand ready to launch for long periods of time, in contrast to liquid-fueled rockets that required fueling before launch and so might be destroyed in a surprise attack.^[8] The missile was named for the colonial minutemen of the American Revolutionary War, who could be ready to fight on short notice.^[9]^[10]

The Minuteman entered service in 1962 as a deterrence weapon that could hit Soviet cities with a second strike and countervalue counterattack if the U.S. was attacked. However, the development of the United States Navy (USN) UGM-27 Polaris, which addressed the same role, allowed the Air Force to modify the Minuteman, boosting its accuracy enough to attack hardened military targets, including Soviet missile silos. The Minuteman II entered service in 1965 with a host of upgrades to improve its accuracy and survivability in the face of an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system the Soviets were known to be developing. In 1970, the Minuteman III became the first deployed ICBM with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV): three smaller warheads that improved the missile's ability to strike targets defended by ABMs.^[11] They were initially armed with the W62 warhead with a yield of 170 kilotons.

By the 1970s, 1,000 Minuteman missiles were deployed. This force has shrunk to 400 Minuteman III missiles as of September 2017^[update],^[12] deployed in missile silos around Malmstrom AFB, Montana; Minot AFB, North Dakota; and Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming.^[13] The Minuteman III will be progressively replaced by the new LGM-35 Sentinel ICBM, to be built by Northrop Grumman,^[14] beginning in 2030.^[15]

^ "Minuteman I".
^ "Minuteman II".
^ "Minuteman III".
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Cite error: The named reference FAS_LGM-30-3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference FAS_LGM-30-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Sandia Weapon Review: Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook (PDF) (Report). Sandia National Labs. September 1990. p. 65. SAND90-1238.
^ Sandia Weapon Review: Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook, p. 74.
^ "Missiles & Other WMD Delivery Systems". NTI. For military applications, solid propellants are advantageous because missiles don't need to be fueled immediately prior to launch and are thus always combat ready. Many liquid propellants are difficult to store and transport safely, making it impossible to keep missiles pre-loaded with fuel. Consequently, liquid propellant missiles require a long fueling process before they can be launched.
^ Cite error: The named reference CSIS-UCC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference CSIS-2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference NWA19971007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference 2009_Norris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference USState_Start was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Sandra Erwin (14 December 2019). "Northrop Grumman wins competition to build future ICBM, by default". spacenews.com.
^ "W87-1 Modification Program" (PDF). March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2021.

Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

[1] "Minuteman I".

[2] "Minuteman II".

[3] "Minuteman III".

[FAS_LGM-30-3-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Cite error: The named reference FAS_LGM-30-3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[FAS_LGM-30-1-5] Cite error: The named reference FAS_LGM-30-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Handbook-6] Sandia Weapon Review: Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook (PDF) (Report). Sandia National Labs. September 1990. p. 65. SAND90-1238.

[FOOTNOTESandia_Weapon_Review:_Nuclear_Weapon_Characteristics_Handbook74-7] Sandia Weapon Review: Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook, p. 74.

[NTI-9] "Missiles & Other WMD Delivery Systems". NTI. For military applications, solid propellants are advantageous because missiles don't need to be fueled immediately prior to launch and are thus always combat ready. Many liquid propellants are difficult to store and transport safely, making it impossible to keep missiles pre-loaded with fuel. Consequently, liquid propellant missiles require a long fueling process before they can be launched.

[CSIS-UCC-10] Cite error: The named reference CSIS-UCC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[CSIS-2009-11] Cite error: The named reference CSIS-2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[NWA19971007-12] Cite error: The named reference NWA19971007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2009_Norris-13] Cite error: The named reference 2009_Norris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[USState_Start-14] Cite error: The named reference USState_Start was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[15] Sandra Erwin (14 December 2019). "Northrop Grumman wins competition to build future ICBM, by default". spacenews.com.

[16] "W87-1 Modification Program" (PDF). March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[note 1]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]