[GOP_1900AD]

What is the source of the figure "20?" Curious... that has been the "official figure" for quite a while (years).

[Poohbah]

The US government, which has an understandable interest in eyeballing Chinese ICBM production.

Those 20 missiles are essentially liquid-fuel Titan II knock-offs. As I observed earlier, liquid-fuel birds are vulnerable during pre-boost phase to a weapons system known as a "dropped wrench." We lost a Titan II at Blythe, Arkansas because of a butterfingered technician...