Pentagon Plans To Test Ballistic Missiles That Could Destroy Half Of Jakarta

Illustration of an atomic bomb test explosion on the beach of Bikini, Marshall Islands, July 1, 1946. (photo: unspalsh)

JAKARTA - The Pentagon plans to begin flight tests of their newest intercontinental ballistic missile in 2023. The missile, named Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) will replace the Minuteman III, which is still active in the Pentagon's nuclear strike force.

This new nuclear missile can provide a fast response nuclear delivery system that can hit almost any point on Planet Earth within minutes.

The GBSD will be armed with the W87-1 thermonuclear warhead, which has a yield of 335,000 to 350,000-tonnes of TNT. In comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, had a power of about 15 kilotons of TNT.

You could say GBSD has the power of 23 times the bomb in Hiroshima. If the first atomic bomb destroys an area of 13 km square meters, then GBSD can destroy an area of 303 square km or half of DKI Jakarta.

The GBSD can be lifted by B-2 and B-52 bombers. It can also be loaded in Ohio-class submarines which have been equipped with Trident II D-5 nuclear missiles. The GBSD will replace the Minuteman III ICBM, the US's largest nuclear missile, which debuted in 1970.

The US Air Force itself continues to seek to improve the Minuteman III, its missiles and infrastructure. Today there are even 400 missiles of this type located in silos scattered throughout the West coast.

However, it is predicted that until it reaches the end of its life, Minuteman III will never be used to attack any object in advance. As for the missile and its support systems, it is now in its fifth decade and is becoming increasingly difficult to service. This fact led critics of US defense to sharply criticize the project.

GBSD is currently under "critical design review" as the US Air Force reports. Northrop Grumman is also building the missile and the B-21 Raider, as a replacement for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Both bombers must be able to carry GBSD.

The GBSD program manager said the missile was "months away" from its first test flight, which is scheduled to start from Vandenberg Air Force Base in late 2023.

Northrop is currently still developing the GBSD using digital engineering techniques, which allow contractors to build missiles faster and learn different configurations without actually building them.

While the US Air Force is reportedly likely to build 400 new ICBMs to replace the Minuteman III directly. The estimated total cost of the GBSD program—currently around US$61 billion (around 888 trillion rupiah) over 10 years.

In addition, the Pentagon is currently preparing to build new missile submarines and nuclear-capable bombers. This high cost of GBSD has prompted critics to vigorously propose canceling, delaying, or replacing the system.

But to cancel this project is not easy. Because if it is canceled it will cost the US government 25 billion US dollars (around 364 trillion rupiah).