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Liquid fueled launch vehicles aren't storable/able to be made ready at a moment's notice, unlike solids. Liquid fueled historical artifact: https://en.wikipedi
by walrus01 3mo ago
Liquid fueled launch vehicles aren't storable/able to be made ready at a moment's notice, unlike solids. Liquid fueled historical artifact:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65_Atlas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65_Atlas
There's a reason all modern silo based (and submarine) ICBMs are solids.
- stickfigure 3mo ago> There's a reason all modern silo based (and submarine) ICBMs are solids. Believe it or not, here in 2026, this is incorrect! Those crazy Russians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-29RMU_Sineva https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-29RMU_Sineva https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-29RMU2_Lajner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-29RMU2_Lajner UDMH + nitrogen tetroxide. I would not want to be a Russian submariner. For all sorts of reasons.
- laughing_man 3mo agoTo be fair, while these missiles are still in service they're obsolete and are slated for retirement the coming decade.
- stickfigure 3mo agoThe most recent started service in 2014. They may in fact be obsolete but not because they are old by soviet standards.
- dmurray 3mo agoDo you need to be able to strike at a moment's notice? For a proper MAD-based nuclear deterrence, yes, you want to be able to launch a massive retaliation while your enemies' missiles are still in the air. Submarine-launched missiles also require stable storage. But having first-strike capabilities, the ability to wipe out any city in the world in return for a few weeks' planning, seems like something militaries would find valuable.