Frag Out! Magazine
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if craters formed by the explosions were filled with molten rock fragments; and difficulties in reaching the missiles for maintenance and repair during their service life. Particularly noteworthy are the next two missile deployment concepts. The first is consistent with available public information, including about actual government contracts placed at the time; the second, in a similar form, was intensively tested and later implemented in the Soviet Union. The first of these was the Reinforced Tunnel. The plan called for the construction of a facility completely resistant to enemy attack, located at a depth of at least 1,000 m below ground level. Depending on location, depth, thickness and type of overburden, and the geometry of the excavated tunnel, resistance to overpressure ranging from 3 to more than 30 MPa was assumed. The system's concept of operations was very simple: self-propelled ICBM launchers, or TLs (Transporter-Launchers), were to move through the excavated tunnel. In the event a nuclear strike needed to be carried out, the TLs would proceed to pre-prepared shafts or wait for such shafts to be excavated by specialized mining machines. One variant considered excavating, in the center of the complex, a large underground facility called a Citadel, which would house, among other things, nuclear weapon storage areas (missile warheads), living and technical spaces to support the crew and launcher personnel, repair workshops, a command center, and other facilities. The Citadel was to be connected to the intended missile launch points by a network of underground tunnels. A notable feature was that no launch shafts/silos linking the underground tunnels to the surface were planned in advance. The launch shafts were to be excavated in the event of an alert by specially designed mining machines. The tunnel layout in the concept under review, running parallel to a mountain slope and at a relatively shallow depth (a few hundred feet below the ridge line), clearly indicates that the planning work concerned an existing mountainous area rather than a purely theoretical one. To reduce costs, existing abandoned mine workings in Colorado and Michigan were to be used, for example. The advantages of this system were said to include outstanding survivability, minimal above-ground environmental impact, the absence of external infrastructure that would enable the enemy to locate the launchers, a guaranteed retaliatory strike capability, and protection against compromise and public scrutiny. The report's authors stated that this concept was superior to all the other options considered. Its drawbacks included launch procedures that would take too much time in the event launch shafts had to be excavated, significant technical risk, the need to develop high-capacity automated tunneling machines, the inability to verify the strength of the entire complex without nuclear tests, and high construction costs. It was estimated that tunneling one mile of 7.5 m diameter tunnel in hard rock would cost, at then-current prices, between $20 million and $40 million. To reduce costs and risk, it was assumed that the first step in implementing the project would be an extensive mining technology development program. The second concept deserving particular attention was the Commercial Rail system. To accomplish the mission, a single ICBM launcher was to be placed within a specially designed rail consist, or train. It was to comprise a locomotive, a command car, a power car, two support cars, and one launcher car. The command car would function as the train's command post and would also provide maintenance capability for the entire consist. It was to be equipped with missile-launch control gear and communications equipment enabling missile launches to be conducted. The power car would provide emergency electrical power, as well as reserves of fuel and lubricants for the duration of the rail system's autonomous operation. The support cars would contain food service, sanitary, recreational, administrative www.fragoutmag.com