Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV)
Cabezas nucleares múltiples de reentrada independiente (MIRV)
- Date
- 1970 · confidence medium
- Place
- Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, United States
- Credited to
- US Air Force and Navy (Minuteman III, Poseidon)
- Field
- Conflict
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A ballistic missile carrying several warheads that separate in space and follow trajectories to different targets. The Minuteman III with Mk-12 warheads entered service in June 1970, multiplying offensive capability and also the difficulty of missile defence.
Tests began in 1968; the Poseidon C-3 (1971) and the Soviet SS-18 (1975) followed. The location is that of the first deployment base, not of development.
What it led to
- the strategic arms race and the SALT and START treaties
- anti-missile systems and the defence shield
- Soviet and Chinese multiple-reentry arsenals