The New American Missile Designed to Deliver Massive Nuclear Strikes Across Russia, China and North Korea

The U.S. Air Force is planning to field a new class of ballistic missile by 2029 which will retain an intercontinental rage and be able to deliver multiple nuclear warheads at hypersonic speeds. The new missile is expected to replace the venerated Minuteman III, and will reportedly incorporate new technologies from the new Trident II D5 ballistic missiles recently integrated onto the U.S. Navy’s Ohio Class submarines. With the Minuteman III increasingly outmatched by its Russian and Chinese counterparts such as the Yars, Sarmat, Avangard and DF-41, and with the U.S. facing a new strategic challenge from North Korea’s Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 ICBMs which have demonstrated the ability to deliver nuclear strikes across the country, the new missile will be relied on to at least partly close the gap with the larger powers and ensure a continued advantage over the Koreans. The new missiles are expected to serve into the 2080s, and will improve on the survivability and payload of the minuteman while shortening the launch time.

Regarding the purpose of the missile program, Strategic Systems Program Executive Officer Major General Shaun Morris stated in the service's official 2018 Annual Acquisition Report that it was “ensuring our strategic deterrent is never doubted and always feared.” The deployment of new air defence systems by U.S. adversaries - most notably the S-500 and A-235 in Russia - have made the viability of the Minuteman questionable, and the new ballistic missile is expected to be developed with evasion of such systems in mind. With Russia and China both making rapid progress in the field of ballistic missile defence, it remains to be seen how long a new ballistic missile can remain viable and how ambitious its specifications will be. The U.S. Air Fore is reportedly planning to acquire up to 400 of the new ballistic missiles.