U.S. Air Force Plans Next Generation ICBMs

U.S. Air Force officials have said that the next generation of nuclear-capable ICBMs could be a mobile missile force of varying accuracies, ranges and payloads, Inside the Pentagon reported yesterday (see GSN, March 26).

Air Force Space Command is set to begin an analysis soon to determine the best way to replace the U.S. arsenal of 500 Minuteman 3 ICBMs, which are expected to begin losing operational effectiveness in 2018, according to Inside the Pentagon. The Air Force has anticipated that it will begin an acquisition program for the new land-based strategic deterrent as early as next year, Inside the Pentagon reported.

Col. Rick Patenaude, head of the Air Force Space Command’s deterrence and strike requirements directorate, said the new ICBMs might have varied capabilities, instead of the uniformity of the Minuteman 3s. “We certainly see the possibility where you don’t have the same thing in every silo,” he said, adding that the replacement missiles might not be silo-based (David Perera, Inside the Pentagon, April 15).

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