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How do mobile launchers improve the survivability of ballistic missiles?
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rocket and missile system
U.S. soldiers firing an FGM-148 Javelin antitank guided missile during training in Grafenwöhr, Ger., 2006.
Mobile launchers improve the prelaunch survivability of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles by confounding an attacker with multiple moving targets.1
As missile accuracy improved, fixed, land-based silos became increasingly vulnerable to enemy strikes. To address this, military strategy shifted toward mobile systems. By utilizing platforms that can relocate, these systems prevent an adversary from targeting a static launch site, thereby significantly increasing the likelihood that the missiles will survive an initial attack.1