| Country: |
United States of America |
| Alternate Name: |
LGM-118, MX |
| Class: |
ICBM |
| Basing: |
Silo based |
| Length: |
21.80 m |
| Diameter: |
2.34 m |
| Launch Weight: |
87750 kg |
| Payload: |
10 MIRV Mk 21 RVs |
| Warhead: |
Nuclear W87 300 to 475 kT |
| Propulsion: |
3-stage solid |
| Range: |
9600 km |
| Status: |
Terminated |
| In Service: |
1986-2005 |
Details
LGM-118 Peacekeeper is an intercontinental-range, silo-based, solid propellant ballistic missile. It is currently the only truly modern missile defending the United States from foreign aggression. The program began as the MX system in the late 1970s, as a way to increase the US counterstrike capabilities against the Soviet Union, which was focusing on hardened shelters and a highly capable missile defense. The MX was designed with an advanced guidance system and a large number of warheads. It was the first US surface missile to use a cold-launch system, meaning it is ejected from the silo before the engine ignites, as the large size of the Peacekeeper prevents it from being launched out of Minuteman silos in the normal fashion. Like the Minuteman III, the Peacekeeper is technically a four-stage missile, due to propulsion on the Post-Boost Vehicle (PBV), but it is not referred to as such because of treaty restrictions. Multiple contractors were used to develop the Peacekeeper, but the primary coordinator for the program was Lockheed Martin.
The Peacekeeper is the most advanced strategic asset developed by the United States. The system easily has the range to reach its primary targets in Russia and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). With its Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) warheads, powerful payload, extremely high accuracy, and modern penetration aids, the Peacekeeper is highly effective against multiple hardened targets, which is its main function. The original 50 Peacekeeper missiles could theoretically destroy as many as 500 Soviet missile silos. However, the Soviet deployment of road mobile systems, missile submarines, and early warning radars would render such an attack futile. For this reason, it is likely that the Peacekeeper missiles were targeted at Soviet cities, in keeping with official US doctrine.
The Peacekeeper is deployed purely out of Minuteman missile silos, although it was originally planned to deploy another 50 in railcars. The missile can be launched within several minutes of a nuclear strike, has emergency airborne launch controllers, and is protected from nuclear strikes with its hardened silo and shock-protected launch canister. In the worst case scenario, only a handful of Peacekeeper missiles could do a tremendous amount of damage to an enemy nation, greatly increasing the risk of a failed first strike. Its high reliability and survivability makes it extremely effective as a counterstrike weapon. Its cold-launch system allows for a sustained nuclear conflict, as silos could be refurbished and reloaded with another missile.
The Peacekeeper has a range of 9,600 km (5, 965 miles) while carrying 10 MIRV warheads. It has the capability to carry 12, but Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) restrictions prevent the number of warheads from exceeding 10. Each warhead uses an Mk 21 RV and has a 300-475 kT yield W87 nuclear warhead. The system is equipped with a highly advanced inertial navigation system that provides an accuracy of 90 m CEP for each warhead. The missile is highly compact for its capabilities, with a length of 21.8 m, a width of 2.34 m and a launch weight of 87,750 kg. It has a three-stage solid propellant design.
The LGM-118 Peacekeeper missile started in 1972 with a demand for a new ICBM which was to be designed around the concept of a large number of warheads coupled with silo-killing capabilities. The full-scale development of the Peacekeeper began in 1979 with the first flight test occurring in 1983. The number of missiles planned to be deployed in silos was reduced from 100 to 50 in 1984. Another 50 were planned to be deployed in railcar launchers, but this was cancelled in 1991. The missile was first deployed in 1986 at the F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming in modified Minuteman silos. A total of 114 missiles were produced by the end of 1988. In 2002 it was declared that the Peacekeeper would be phased out of service from October 2002 to December 2005.
The removal of the Peacekeeper missile, one of the most advanced ballistic missile systems in the world, from service is likely due to three primary considerations. The first is the belief that the existence of counterforce weapons are destabilizing, a concept that hinges upon the success of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) and is discussed elsewhere on this site. The second is that by decreasing the effectiveness and number of warheads of our missile force, the threat of our missiles is decreased and rival countries will have less incentive to try to destroy them. This is to prevent a use-it-or-lose-it situation where the missiles will either be launched or destroyed by enemy action. Whether this concept is reasonable is dubious, and the smaller number of warheads significantly decreases our ability to counterstrike should an attack occur. The final rationale is that the Peacekeeper is not financially practical to keep in service, as there have not been enough produced to simplify maintenance. The switchover to entirely Minuteman III missiles will significantly decrease the cost of maintaining our missile force, though it comes at the detriment of our nuclear force.
Plans for a civilian satellite launch version, the Eagle S-1 and S-2, were reported in 1995 but was cancelled by 1998, presumably due to the Peacekeeper design being ill-suited for such use.(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 46 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2007), 597-598.
Formal Peacekeeper Deactivation Ceremony
September 19, 2005 :: News
The gradual retirement of the American Peacekeeper ballistic missile, the most powerful land-based missile in our arsenal, came to an end with the formal ceremony today at Francis E. Warren Air Force base in Wyoming. The ceremony marks the conclusion of the missile’s deactivation. The Peacekeeper, which could carry up to ten independently targetable nuclear warheads, was designed and built in response to a considerable Soviet lead in offensive nuclear warheads, as a means to shore up the United States deterrent against a Soviet first strike attack. (Article, Link)
» Missile details: Peacekeeper
Peacekeeper Missile’s Last Month
August 4, 2005 :: News
The last remaining U.S. Peacekeeper missiles, more popularly known as the MX missile, will be decommissioned entirely by mid-September. A Peacekeeper missile was last tested in July 2004. (Link)
» Missile details: Peacekeeper
Peacekeeper Missile Test Launched
July 21, 2004 :: The Lompoc Record :: News
The United States today test launched an unarmed Peacekeeper (also called the “MX”) missile, the second to last test scheduled for the program. The routine Peacekeeper test took place from Vandenberg Air Force Base, and was directed to the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Pacific Ocean, some 4,800 miles distant. The test is said to have included the delivery of eight unarmed warheads to the missile range. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Peacekeeper
» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS)
MX Missiles Could be Armed with Conventional Warheads
May 7, 2004 :: Arms Control Today :: News
The Department of Defense is considering using a number of now deactivated MX or “Peacekeeper” missiles rather than destroying them altogether, possibly to arm them with conventional warheads, in an effort to both find a replacement for the aging Minuteman III force and to maintain a credible deterrent, both nuclear and otherwise. Conventionally armed missiles need not be directed at only Russia and China, but could also be used to destory targets in rogue states. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Peacekeeper
