I wish we had magic zap rays mounted on clouds, but we don’t.
“Minuteman III is already a relic and will be utterly obsolete long before it reaches EOL in 2030.”
Minuteman III has been upgraded so many times that it is basically a new missile.
•Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting (REACT) Service Life Extension Program: The first REACT system was installed in the Minuteman III in the 1990s. REACT reduces the time required to re-target the missiles. In 2006 the Air Force began modernizing REACT to extend its service life. The Air Force completed the effort in 2006.
•Safety Enhanced Reentry System Vehicle (SERV): SERV modifies the reentry vehicles for the W-87’s that were removed from the Peacekeeper missiles and redeployed on the Minuteman III. The Air Force completed purchasing the reentry vehicles in FY2009. At that point they stopped requesting funding for the program, although installation is not expected to be completed until 2012.
•Propulsion Replacement Program (PRP): The PRP replaces the propellant in the Minuteman III. Although the program will not be completed until 2013, the Air Force indicated that the last year of funding for the PRP was FY2009.
•Guidance Replacement Program (GRP): The GRP extends and improves the reliability of the Minuteman III guidance sets. In FY 2012 the Air Force requested $.06 million to complete the installation of the new guidance sets.
•Propulsion System Rocket Engine Program (PSRE): PSRE is designed to replace the post-boost propulsion system components on the Minuteman III missiles. The Air Force completed procurement of the new components in FY 2011, and requested $26.1 million in FY 2012 to continue work installing the units.
•Solid Rocket Motor Warm Line Program: In FY 2009 Congress approved an Air Force program to continue producing the solid rocket motors for the Minuteman III in order to preserve the manufacturing capabilities. In FY 2012 the Air Force requested $34 million to work on the solid rocket motors.
“Moreover, it is tied to 14 aging SSBNs, each of which houses a significant percentage of our entire nuclear arsenal and represents a glaring single point of failure.”
The service life of the Ohio class boats has been extended from 30 years to 42-45 years. The first of the 14, USS Henry M. Jackson(SSBN-730) will be decommissioned in 2029. The Navy has already started a program called SSBN(X) to study the prospective replacement.