INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE
















An intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is a very-long-range (greater than 5500 km) ballistic missile typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery, i.e., delivering one or more nuclear warheads. It uses a ballistic trajectory involving a significant ascent and descent, including sub-orbital flight.

Modern ICBMs typically carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a separate nuclear warhead, allowing a single missile to hit multiple targets. MIRV was an outgrowth of the rapidly shrinking size and weight of modern warheads and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties which imposed limitations on the number of launch vehicles(SALT I and SALT II).

ICBMs can be deployed from multiple platforms:
in missile silos, which offer some protection from military attack (including, the designers hope, some protection from a nuclear first strike)
on submarines: submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs); most or all SLBMs have the long range of ICBMs (as opposed to IRBMs)
on heavy trucks; this applies to one version of the RT-2UTTH Topol M which may be deployed from a self-propelled mobile launcher, capable of moving through roadless terrain, and launching a missile from any point along its route
mobile launchers on rails; this applies, for example, to РТ-23УТТХ "Молодец" (RT-23UTTH "Molodets" -- SS-24 "Sсаlреl")
The last three kinds are mobile and therefore hard to find.

Land-based ICBMs and cruise missiles
The US Air Force currently operates just over 500 ICBMs at around 15 missile complexes located primarily in the northern Rocky Mountain states and the Dakotas. These are of the LGM-30 Minuteman III and Peacekeeper ICBM variants. Peacekeeper missiles were phased out in 2005[2]. All USAF Minuteman II missiles have been destroyed in accordance to START, and their launch silos have been sealed or sold to the public. To comply with the START II most US multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs, have been eliminated and replaced with single warhead missiles. However, since the abandonment of the START II treaty, the U.S. is said to be considering retaining 800 warheads on 500 missiles.[3]

Sea-based ICBMs
The US Navy currently has 14 Ohio-class SSBNs deployed. Each submarine is equipped with a complement of 24 Trident missiles, eight with Trident I missiles, and ten with Trident II missiles (336 missles total).
The French Navy constantly maintains at least four active units, relying on two classes of nuclear-powered ballistic submarines (SSBN): the older Redoutable class, which are being progressively decommissioned, and the newer Triomphant class. These carry 16 M45 missiles with TN75 warheads, and are scheduled to be upgraded to M51 nuclear missile around 2010.
The UK's Royal Navy has four Vanguard class submarines, each armed with 16 Trident II SLBMs.
China's People's Liberation Army Navy has one Xia class submarine with 12 single-warhead JL-1 SLBMs. The PLAN is also developing the new Type 094 SSBN that will have up to 16 JL-2 SLBMs (possibly MIRV), which are also in development.(link)
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Submarine-launched ballistic missiles or SLBMs are ballistic missiles delivering nuclear weapons that are launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) each of which carries a warhead and allows a single launched missile to strike a handful of targets. The first successful tests of a submarine-based launch platform were by German U-boats in World War II using a submarine towed launch platform. These and other early SLBM systems required vessels to be surfaced when they fired missiles, but after World War 2, launch systems were quickly adapted to allow underwater launching. In September of 1955, the Soviet Union was the first country in the world to launch a ballistic missile from a submarine.
Ballistic missile submarines have been of great strategic importance for the USA and Russia since the Cold War, as they can hide from reconnaissance satellites and fire their nuclear weapons without much warning, even close to the opponent's coast.
(link)
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The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (or ABM treaty) was a treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the limitation of the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems used in defending areas against missile-delivered nuclear weapons. On May 26, 1972, the President of the United States, Richard Nixon and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The treaty was in force for thirty years, from 1972 until 2002. On June 13, 2002, six months after giving the required notice of intent, the US withdrew from the treaty. .(link)
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links

ICBM definition

Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV)

Estimated Strategic Nuclear Weapons Inventories (September 2004)

Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM)

Announcement of Withdrawal from the ABM Treaty

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II)

START: BASIC PROVISIONS OF THE TREATY

Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions (SORT)

Russia and weapons of mass destruction

United States and weapons of mass destruction

Nuclear proliferation

Nuclear disarmament

American Nuclear Society

Center for Nonproliferation Studies

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

U.S. nuclear forces, 2006

Russian nuclear forces, 2005

IMAGES (from top):


- SLBN Comparison
- Polaris A3
- LGM-118A Peacekeeper ICBM
- LGM-118A Peacekeeper ICBM's W87 MIRV (Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle)
- diagram: LGM-118A Peacekeeper ICBM
- LGM-118A Peacekeeper ICBM with W87 MIRVs indicated in red




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