Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle

A multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle, or MIRV is a collection of nuclear weapons carried on a single intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM). Using a MIRV warhead, a single launched missile can strike several targets, or fewer targets redundantly. By contrast a unitary warhead is a single warhead on a single missile.

The military purpose of a MIRV is fourfold:

Provides greater target damage for a given missile payload. Radiation from a nuclear warhead diminishes as the square of the distance (called the inverse-square law), and blast pressure diminishes as the cube of the distance. For example at a distance of 4 km from ground zero, the blast pressure is only 1/64th that of 1 km. Due to these effects several small warheads cause much more target damage area than a single large one. This in turn reduces the number of missiles and launch facilities required for a given destruction level.
Reduces the number of missiles required to attack a given number of separate targets. With single warhead missiles, one missile must be launched for each target. By contrast with a MIRV warhead, the post-boost (or bus) stage can dispense the warheads against multiple targets across a broad area.
Reduces the impact of SALT treaty limitations. The treaty initially limited number of missiles, not number of warheads. Adding multiple warheads per missile provided more target destruction for a given number of missiles.
Reduces the effectiveness of an anti-ballistic missile system that relies on intercepting individual warheads. While a MIRVed attacking missile can have multiple (3-12 on various US missiles) warheads, interceptors can only have one warhead per missile. Thus, in both a military and economic sense, MIRVs render ABM systems less effective, as the costs of maintaining a workable defense against MIRVs would greatly increase, requiring multiple defensive missiles for each offensive one.

Mode of operation

In a MIRV, the main rocket motor (or booster) pushes a "bus" (See illustration) into a freely-falling suborbital ballistic flight path. After the boost phase the bus maneuvers using on-board small rocket motors and a computerised inertial navigation system. It takes up a ballistic trajectory that will deliver a reentry vehicle containing a warhead to a target, and then releases a warhead on that trajectory. It then maneuvers to a different trajectory, releasing another warhead, and repeats the process for all warheads.

Details are closely-held military secrets. The bus' on-board propellant limits the distances between targets of individual warheads. Some warheads may use small hypersonic airfoils during the descent to gain additional cross-range distance. It's possible the buses can release decoys to confuse interception devices and radars, such as aluminized balloons or electronic noisemakers. Accuracy is crucial, because doubling the accuracy decreases the needed warhead energy by a factor of four for radiation damage and by a factor of eight for blast damage. Navigation system accuracy and the available geophysical information limits the warhead target accuracy. Some writers believe that government-supported geophysical mapping initiatives and ocean satellite altitude systems such as Seasat may have a covert purpose to map mass concentrations and determine local gravitic anomalies, in order to improve accuracies of ballistic missiles. Accuracy is expressed as CEP (Circular Error Probable or Circle of Equal Probability). This is simply the radius of the circle that the warhead has a 50% chance of falling into when aimed at the centre. CEP is about 90-100 meters for the Trident II and Peacekeeper missiles.

External links

"MIRV: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MINUTEMAN and MULTIPLE REENTRY VEHICLES" by Daniel Buchonnet, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, February 1976.

Nuclear weapons

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Mode of operation

See also

External links