New Delhi:
Russia has reportedly launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into Ukraine, marking the weapon’s first combat use since its creation nearly 60 years ago. In addition, Moscow used multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technologies to target “critical infrastructure” in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, also a first-time use of the technology.
ICBMs have a range of more than 5,500 kilometers and are built to carry nuclear, chemical, and biological warheads. It can also carry a conventional warhead, which Russia reportedly used on its RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile. The missile was fired from Russia’s Astrakhan region, more than 1,000 kilometers from the site of the damage in Ukraine.
Social media and Telegram handles have at least shown videos of warheads re-entering and targeting Ukrainian infrastructure. Kiev has acknowledged the use of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but Russia “refuses to comment” on the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The launch took place just one day after President Putin signed changes to nuclear doctrine. Under this doctrinal change, any attack from a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear state would be considered by Russia to be a joint attack on Russia. Recently, the US allowed Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike deep into Russia.
ICBM and MIRV technology
Lubezi is a solid-fuel ICBM equipped with MIRV technology. It was developed in 2011 and successfully tested for the first time in 2012, hitting a target 5,800 kilometers away from the launch site.
Solid-fuel missiles do not require refueling immediately after launch and are often easier to operate. This is a mixture of fuel and oxidizer, bound together by a hard rubber-like material and packed in a metal case.
When the RS-26’s solid propellant burns, the oxygen from the fuel elements generates tremendous energy, generating thrust and aiding liftoff.
Ballistic missiles follow parabolic trajectories during boost, mid-course, and terminal stages. The highest point a missile reaches is called the apogee, which for ICBMs is over 4,000 km. During atmospheric entry and the terminal stage, the kinetic energy and speed of the missile reach Mach 10 or higher, making it difficult to intercept the missile.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles with MIRV technology allow the same missile with multiple warheads to attack multiple targets in different locations. These warheads may be nuclear or non-nuclear warheads.
These bombs can target locations hundreds of kilometers away with the help of this technology, and some MIRV missiles can even hit targets 1,500 kilometers away.
In Dnipro, at least six bombs or warheads have been dropped over the area, and anti-ballistic missiles (ABMs) have to engage these weapons individually. Therefore, ABM systems attempt to destroy the missile before the warhead stage is separated.
The United States was the first country to develop MIRV technology, fielding MIRV-enabled intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in 1970 and MIRV-enabled submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) in 1971. The Soviet Union soon followed suit, developing MIRV-capable ICBM and SLBM technology by the end of the 1970s.
The signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was important in easing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The bill required the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate and permanently abandon all nuclear missiles and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. This is the first time that both countries have agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenals.
As a result of the INF Treaty, the United States and the Soviet Union had destroyed a total of 2,692 short-, intermediate-, and medium-range missiles by the June 1, 1991 deadline for implementing the treaty. In 2019, the United States officially withdrew from the INF Treaty. This treaty no longer exists.
India’s intercontinental ballistic missiles and MIRV technology
This year, India successfully conducted the first flight test of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) carrying Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully tested MIRV technology, which has been under development for several years, adding India to the elite list of countries with the capability.
The Agni-5 missile has an operational range of at least 5,000km that can target cities, and MIRV technology targets many cities within that range, with a wider safety net and several within the missile’s reach. Provide a location. The true range of a missile is always unknown.
