These tables summarize world strategic and theater nuclear forces. In addition to forces traditionally classified as strategic, information on theater nuclear forces (range in excess of 500 km) are included, since many of these forces are (or could be) assigned strategic missions (in contrast to tactical, or battlefield, missions). Numbers of deployed systems are given for January 1992 (end of the Cold War), January 2000, January 2006 (present), and January 2012 (approximate culmination of START retirements).
These pages are under construction. Please refer to the Introduction for further details, explanation of table and abbreviations, and sources.
United States
| type | system | warhead | cep (m) |
range (km) |
number deployed | notes | sources | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1992 |
Jan 2000 |
Jan 2006 |
Jan 2012 |
|||||||
| ICBM | Minuteman II | 1 x 1.2 mt W56 (tn) |
450 | 13000 | 450 | 0 | 0 | 0 | in 1700-psi silos; IOC Jan 1966, off alert Sep 1991, retired May 1995 | C84a, N92a, N96a |
| Minuteman III Mk 12 | 3 x 170 kt W62 (bf?) |
190 | 13000 | 200 | 200 | 50 | 0 | in 2000-psi silos; IOC Aug 1970; as of 2006 based near Malmstrom AFB, MT | C84a, N92a, N00a, N06a | |
| 1 x 170 kt W62 (bf?) |
190 | . | 0 | 0 | 150 | 0 | in 2000-psi silos; as of 2006 based near FE Warren AFB in three states: WY (19), NE (85), and CO (46) | A98a, C84a, N00a, N06a | ||
| Minuteman III Mk 12A | 3 x 335 kt W78 (tn?) |
190 | 11300 | 300 | 300 | 150 | 0 | in 2000-psi silos; IOC Dec 1979; as of 2006 based near Malmstrom AFB, MT (150) and Minot AFB, ND (150) | A98a, C84a, N92a, N00a, N06a | |
| 2 x 335 kt W78 (tn?) |
190 | . | 0 | 0 | 150 | 300 | A98a, C84a, N00a, N06a | |||
| Minuteman III SERV | 1 x 300 kt W87 (tn) |
100 | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200 | in 2000-psi silos; IOC in 2006 | C84a, N06a | |
| MX Peacekeeper | 10 x 300 kt W87-0 (tn) |
80 | 11000 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | in 2200-psi silos; IOC Oct 1986, retired Sep 2005 | C84a, N00a, N06a | |
| Minuteman IV | 1 x ? | . | 13000? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | IOC in 2018? | N06a | |
| SLBM | Poseidon | 10 x 40 kt W68 (bf) |
460 | 4600 | 160 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 per Lafayette/James Madison/Benjamin Franklin-class SSBN; IOC Mar 1971, off alert Oct 1991, retired Aug 1992 | C84a, N92a |
| Trident I | 8 x 100 kt W76 (bf?) |
300 | 7400 | 192 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 per James Madison/Benjamin Franklin-class SSBN; IOC Oct 1979, retired 1994 | C84a, N92a | |
| 8 x 100 kt W76 (bf?) |
300 | 7400 | 192 | 192 | 0 | 0 | 24 per Ohio-class SSBN; IOC 1982, downloaded to 6 warheads each in 2001, retired in Oct 2005 | C84a, N92a, N00a, N06a | ||
| Trident II Mk 4 | 8 x 100 kt W76 (bf?) |
150 | . | 46 | 168 | 0 | 0 | 24 per Ohio-class SSBN; IOC 1992, downloaded to 6 warheads each in .; as of 2006 home ports at Bangor, WA (9 SSBN) and Kings Bay, GA (5 SSBN), includes 2 SSBN in refit, average 7 SSBN at sea on alert | N92a, N00a, N06a | |
| 6 x 100 kt W76 (bf?) |
150 | . | 0 | 0 | 272 | . | N00a, N06a | |||
| Trident II Mk 4A | ? x 60 kt W76-1 (bf?) |
150 | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | . | 24 per Ohio-class SSBN; IOC in 2008 | N06a | |
| Trident II Mk 5 | 8 x 475 kt W88 (tn-s?) |
120 | 7400 | 50 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 24 per Ohio-class SSBN; IOC Mar 1990, downloaded to 6 warheads each in ., mixed with missiles carrying W76 warheads, see above for basing | N92a, N00a, N06a | |
| 6 x 475 kt W88 (tn-s?) |
120 | . | 0 | 0 | 64 | . | N06a | |||
| Trident II E2 | 4 x ? MARV |
50 | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | . | 24 per Ohio-class SSBN | N06a | |
| ? | . | . | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | on new SSBN, IOC in 2029? | N06a | |
| SB | B-52G Stratofortress | <12 x ALCM and 4 x NGB | 10000 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | retired 1992 | N92a | |
| conventional | 10000 | 40 | . | . | . | for conventional missions; IOC 1958 | * | |||
| B-52H Stratofortress | <20 x ALCM | 12000 | 80 | 56 | 56 | . | as of 2006 based at Barksdale AFB, LA (38), and Minot AFB, ND (18); currently not on alert | N92a, N00a, N06a | ||
| conventional | 12000 | 15 | 38 | 38 | . | reserve aircraft; IOC 1961 | N06a | |||
| B-1B Lancer | 16 x NGB/ALCM | 9000 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | IOC Oct 1986, all converted to conventional roles by 1997 | N92a, N00a | ||
| non-nuclear | 9000 | 13 | 94 | 67 | . | conventional missions or training/testing; as of 2006 based at Dyess AFB, TX (38) and Ellsworth AFB, SD (29) | N00a | |||
| B-2A Spirit | NGB | . | 0 | 16 | 16 | 21 | IOC 1995, currently not on alert; as of 2006 based at Whiteman AFB, MO | N00a, N06a | ||
| B-2A Spirit | conventional | . | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | for testing, as of 2006 based at Whiteman AFB, MO | N00a, N06a | ||
| ALCM | ALCM-B | 1 x 150 kt W80-1, variable yield 5-150 kt |
30 | 2400 | 1600 | 400 | 400 | . | IOC Dec 1982; as of 2006 based at Barksdale AFB, LA (300) and Minot AFB, ND (100) | A98a, N06a |
| ACM | 1 x 150 kt W80-1, variable yield 5-150 kt |
30 | 3000 | 100 | 460 | 400 | . | IOC Mar 1991; as of 2006 based at Barksdale AFB, LA (300) and Minot AFB, ND (100) | A98a, N06a | |
| JECM | 1 x 150 kt? | . | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | possible ALCM replacement | N06a | |
| NGB | B53 Y1 | 1 x 9 mt (tn-d) |
. | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | IOC Oct 1962, retired 1997, as of 2006 awaiting disassembly | * |
| B61-6/7 | 1 x 500 kt (tn) yield selectable from 10/100/345/500 kt |
150 | 0 | 800 | 0 | 0 | 0 | IOC Sep 1985 | N06a | |
| B61-11 | 1 x 350 kt (tn) yield selectable from 10/100/350 kt |
150 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 128 | 168 | IOC Feb 1997 | N06a | |
| B83-1 | 1 x 1.2 mt (tn) yield variable low-1200 kt |
150 | 0 | 700 | 128 | 128 | 168 | IOC 1984 | N06a | |
| type | system | warhead | cep (m) |
range (km) |
number deployed | notes | sources | |||
| Jan 1992 |
Jan 2000 |
Jan 2006 |
Jan 2012 |
|||||||
| SLCM | Tomahawk TLAM/N | 1 x 200 kt W80-0 (tn) variable yield |
20 | 2500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | formerly based on SSN, surface ships; IOC Jun 1984, off alert 1992; as of 2006 about 320 in storage at Kings Bay, GA, and Bangor, WA, could be used on SSN | C84a, N06a |
| TB | F-15E Strike Eagle | 2 x B61-3/4/10 | . | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | IOC 1992; as of 2006 based at RAF Lakenheath, UK (55), and Seymour Johnson AFB, NC (25), none on alert; additional conventional-armed aircraft at various locations | A98a, K05a, N04a, N05a, N06a | |
| F-16A/B | 1 x B61-3/4 | . | 40 | 40 | 40 | . | IOC .; non-US NATO aircraft carrying US weapons; as of 2006 based at Kleine Brogel AB, Belgium (20), and Volkel AB, Netherlands (20), none on alert | A98a, K05a, N04a | ||
| F-16C/D | 2 x B61-3/4/10 | . | 125 | 100 | 100 | . | IOC .; as of 2006 based at Ramstein AB, Germany (55), Incirlink AB, Turkey (20), and Aviano AB, Italy (25), none on alert; additional conventional-armed aircraft at various locations | A98a, K05a, N04a, N05a, N06a | ||
| F-35 JSF | 1 x B61 | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | IOC 2012 | N06a | ||
| Tornado PA-200 | 1 x B61-3/4 | . | 60 | 40 | 40 | . | IOC .; non-US NATO aircraft carrying US weapons; as of 2006 based at Buchel AB, Germany (20) and Ghedi Torre AB, Italy (20), none on alert | A98a, K05a, N04a | ||
| NGB | B61-3 | 1 x 170 kt (tn) yield selectable from 0.3, 1.5, 60, 170 kt |
150 | 0 | 220 | 150 | 150 | . | IOC .; in US and forward based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, UK (see above) | K05a, N04a, N06a |
| B61-4 | 1 x 45 kt (tn) yield selectable from 0.3, 1.5, 10, 45 kt |
150 | 0 | 220 | 150 | 150 | . | IOC .; in US and forward based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, UK (see above) | K05a, N04a, N06a | |
| B61-10 | 1 x 80 kt (tn) yield selectable from 0.3, 5, 10, 80 kt |
150 | 0 | 70 | 140 | 140 | . | IOC .; in US and forward based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, UK (see above) | K05a, N04a, N06a | |
© 2000-2005, 2006 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 5 February 2006.
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