W78 warhead

E442909

The W78 warhead is an American MIRV-capable thermonuclear warhead designed for deployment on intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf nuclear weapon
thermonuclear warhead
associatedProgram Minuteman III modernization
associatedWithBranch United States Strategic Command NERFINISHED
belongsToNuclearPosture U.S. strategic nuclear posture
classification classified design details
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
deliverySystem ballistic missile
deployedOn Minuteman III MIRV bus NERFINISHED
deploymentEnvironment silo-based ICBM
deploymentMode multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles
deploymentPlatformType land-based ICBM
designedDuring 1970s
designedForUseOn LGM-30G Minuteman III NERFINISHED
intercontinental ballistic missile
designedToCounter hardened targets
designer Los Alamos National Laboratory NERFINISHED
era Cold War
guidanceDependentOn host missile guidance system
isPartOf U.S. nuclear arsenal
United States strategic nuclear forces NERFINISHED
MIRVCapable true
nuclearExplosiveType boosted primary with thermonuclear secondary
nuclearWeaponCategory MIRVed ICBM warhead
nuclearWeaponDesign two-stage thermonuclear
operator Air Force Global Strike Command NERFINISHED
purpose strategic strike
rangeClassOfCarrier intercontinental
role counterforce capability
strategic deterrent
safetyFeatures enhanced safety compared to earlier warheads
serviceEntryDecade 1970s
serviceEntryPeriod late 1970s
status in service
strategicUse long-range nuclear strike
successorCandidate W87 warhead NERFINISHED
W87-1 warhead NERFINISHED
technologyBase thermonuclear fusion-fission design
treatyRelevance subject to New START counting rules
subject to START limitations
usedBy United States Air Force
usedIn U.S. nuclear triad land leg
usedInDoctrine flexible response
mutually assured destruction
warheadFamily U.S. W-series nuclear warheads
warheadType thermonuclear
yieldType variable yield

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.