Nuclear triad: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:00, 18 February 2025

Nuclear Triad

The Nuclear Triad refers to the three components of atomic weapons delivery systems: strategic bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). The purpose of having this triad is to significantly reduce the possibility that an enemy could destroy all of a nation's nuclear forces in a first-strike attack; this, in turn, ensures a credible threat of a second strike, and thus increases a nation's nuclear deterrence.

Strategic Bombers[edit]

Strategic bombers are large aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons. They are a key component of the nuclear triad due to their ability to deliver large payloads over long distances. Strategic bombers include aircraft such as the B-52 Stratofortress, B-2 Spirit, and the Tu-95.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles[edit]

Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are guided ballistic missiles with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometers. They are primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery. ICBMs have the advantage of being able to deliver a nuclear strike anywhere in the world within a short period of time.

Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles[edit]

Submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) are ballistic missiles which are launched from submarines. They provide a highly survivable and virtually undetectable nuclear deterrent, as they can be hidden in the vastness of the world's oceans.

Nuclear Deterrence[edit]

The concept of nuclear deterrence is central to understanding the purpose of the nuclear triad. The idea is to deter an enemy from attacking by promising a retaliatory second strike. The nuclear triad ensures that even if a first strike destroys one or two components of the triad, the remaining component(s) would be capable of a retaliatory strike.

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 [[Category:Cold War]]
 {{military-stub}}
+<gallery>
+File:Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:Minuteman_II_in_silo_1980.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:Jin_(Type_094)_Class_Ballistic_Missile_Submarine.JPG|Nuclear triad
+File:Agni-V_during_its_first_test_flight.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:Arihant_1.svg|Nuclear triad
+File:Dassault_Mirage_2000.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:Dnepr_rocket_lift-off_1.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:10-7175833-k-549.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:Tupolev_Tu-22M-3_taking_off_from_Soltsy-2.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:Image_Submarine_Golf_II_class.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:Titan_II_launch.jpg|Nuclear triad
+File:USS_George_Washington_(SSBN-598)_underway_at_sea,_circa_in_the_1970s.jpg|Nuclear triad
+</gallery>