Minuteman II

missile

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June 30, 2026

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The Minuteman II was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that served as a key part of the United States' land-based nuclear arsenal. It was the second generation of Minuteman missiles, first deployed in 1966 to replace the Minuteman I. This missile featured improved propulsion, giving it a longer range of approximately 13,000 km (8,000 miles). Its reentry vehicle carried a powerful 1.2-megaton thermonuclear warhead and was equipped with countermeasures to penetrate Soviet antiballistic missile defenses. The Minuteman II was retired by 1995.1

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Minuteman missile
…I was replaced by the Minuteman II. Improved propulsion gave this missile a longer range of about 13,000 km (8,000 miles), and its reentry vehicle, carrying a 1.2-megaton thermonuclear warhead, was equipped with electronic jammers and other devices designed to penetrate radar-directed antiballistic missile defenses around cities and military sites…
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…I was replaced by the Minuteman II. Improved propulsion gave this missile a longer range of about 13,000 km (8,000 miles), and its reentry vehicle, carrying a 1.2-megaton thermonuclear warhead, was equipped with electronic jammers and other devices designed to penetrate radar-directed antiballistic missile defenses around cities and military sites…
Read More