Minuteman III

06.06.2024

Minuteman III

Why in the news?                        

         The US recently conducted an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test from the Californian Vandenberg Space Force Base.

About Minuteman III:

• The LGM-30G Minuteman III is a solid-fueled, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which the United States Air Force (USAF) first deployed in the 1960s.

○The "L" in LGM is the Department of Defense designation for silo-launched; "G" means surface attack; "M" stands for guided missile, the 30 stands for the Minuteman series of missiles and the G after “30” is the current Minuteman III.

• It is the sole land-based component of the S. nuclear triad.
• It was designed and manufactured by the Boeing Corporation.
• Originally, it was only supposed to be kept in service for about ten years, but instead, it has been modernized as its replacement, the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), is due to become available for use in 2029.
• It was the first U.S. missile fitted withmultiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs).
• The United States currently has an estimated 440 Minuteman III missiles in its arsenal.

Features:

• It is a three-stage, solid-fuel missile.
• The missile is 18.2 m long with a diameter of 1.85 m and a launch weight of 34,467 kg.
• It has a maximum range of 13,000 km and is capable of carrying a payload of three reentry vehicles.
• It now carries a single nuclear warhead pursuant to arms control agreements between the United States and Russia.
• It has a fast launch time, nearly 100 percent testing reliability, and backup airborne launch controllers to preserve retaliatory capabilities.

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

• It is a missile with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometres primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery.
• Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons can also be delivered with varying effectiveness, but have never been deployed on ICBMs.
• Countries that have ICBMs: India, Russia, the United States, North Korea, China, Israel, the United Kingdom and France.
• They are differentiated by having greater range and speed than other ballistic missiles.
• Short and medium-range ballistic missiles are known collectively as the theater ballistic missiles.

                                                       Source: Hindustan times

Ques :- Statement-I

The LGM-30G Minuteman III is a solid-fueled, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

Statement-II

It was designed and manufactured by the Boeing Corporation

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Answer A