US Military Ready to Equip New Ballistic Missiles with Multiple Warheads

Washington (ANTARA) - The United States military has stated that it is ready to equip the new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with multiple warheads, should President Donald Trump order it.

The head of the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Navy Admiral Rich Correll, said on Wednesday (February 25th) that the readiness to equip the missiles with multiple warheads is part of the planned replacement of the current Minuteman III ICBM, which is armed with a single warhead.

“We have the capability to do that. That is clearly a national decision that would be presented to the President,” Correll said, as quoted by the portal The War Zone.

The Sentinel missile is expected to begin replacing the Minuteman III in the 2030s, with the first test launch of the new design planned for 2027.

The LGM-30 Minuteman III, which is currently in operation, was originally capable of carrying three warheads. However, in order to comply with the provisions of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the missile was later equipped with only one warhead, according to The War Zone.

A Sentinel program official declined to comment on how many warheads could be equipped on a single Sentinel missile. It was also reported that previously, the plan announced to the public was that each missile would be armed with a single W87-1 warhead.

The United States plans to completely modernise its land-based nuclear arsenal by 2038, with the missiles expected to begin operating around 2030. Repeated delays and budget overruns have raised questions about the implementation of the program.

However, in early July 2024, the Pentagon announced that the development of the Sentinel ICBM would continue, despite the program’s costs having exceeded initial estimates by 81 percent, reaching $140.9 billion (approximately 2,362 trillion rupiah).

Source: Sputnik/RIA Novosti

Translator: Kuntum Khaira Riswan