Kerberos Missile
| Kerberos | |
|---|---|
| <imgur w=300>fmEt8jM.png</imgur> | |
| Type | SLBM |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1995 - Present |
| Used by | Belfras |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Republic Institute of Nuclear Research |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 60,500 kg (133,400 lb) |
| Length | 13.75 m (45.1 ft) (Total length) |
| Diameter | 2.5 m (8.2 ft) (Total diameter) |
| Blast yield | Warhead dependent |
| Engine | Three solid-fuel motor first stage. Two solid-fuel motor second stage. One solid-fuel motor third stage. Liquid oxygen post-boost maneuvering engine. |
Operational range | More than 11,000 km (6,800 mi). Exact range classified. |
| Speed | >13,500 mph (21,700 km/h) |
Guidance system | Interial, star-sighting and GPS pre-launch upload. |
The Kerberos is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV). Designed by the Republic Institute of Nuclear Research and the Belfrasian Space Agency, the missile is armed with thermonuclear warheads and is used aboard the Chimera-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in service with the Republic Navy. The missile is named after the Eaglelander mythological three-headed dog that was the guardian of the underworld. In the Belfrasian mythology which runs parallel to Eaglelander, Kerberos went further in his duties and hunted the souls of the damned with his master, Hades.
Designed with extended range and yield than the previous SLBM utilized by the Republic Navy, the Kerberos serves along with the Phobos ICBM as Belfras' nuclear deterrence. Throughout it's lifespan, the missile has received a number of upgrades from a new computer system in 2005 to a complete first stage refit in 2008. The most recent upgrade to the missile came in 2014 when a far more efficient feed system was introduced to the second stage that provided a far greater thrust control and enabled the stage to shut off the flow entirely within seconds of an error being detected.
Despite having a declared estimated lifespan going into the 2020s, the missile system will likely receive further updates to extend it until the Chimera-class submarine itself is replaced. Ever since it's introduction in 1995 the weapon has faced criticism from anti-nuclear protest groups within the country and Parliamentary ministers insisting that the country doesn't need a nuclear deterrence. Several parties in the 2014 general election had a referendum on the nuclear program in their manifestos but the Unitary Democrats, who won the election, viewed the deterrence as a 'necessary evil' and guaranteed it's survival until at least the late 2020s.
Having initially served aboard the Bjorlan-class Submarine until the H.M.S Chimera was commissioned in 2003, the weapon system was deemed as a 'better fit' for the larger Chimera-class which offered larger observation and maintenance hatches that were hailed as being far better for the missiles level of maintenance whilst at sea and allows for greater ergonomic harmony with a reduced number of reported injuries resulting from 'straining to reach parts of the missile'. Updates on the missiles frame were made to better accommodate these hatches with one particular service hatch having connections for a roller bed frame to allow a sailor to 'roll' under the electronics hub similar to house a mechanic would under a vehicle.
The program has not been without incidents. In 2002 a disarmed missile was test fired in the Victorian Ocean only to misfire and plummet back into the water, causing structural but non-critical damage to the launching vessel. A further incident in 2009 resulted in injury when the electronics system shorted out unexpectedly during a test and required the missile to be removed for repairs. However, as of late 2015 the system has yet suffer another malfunction.
Design
The Kerberos was designed to be far more advanced than the previous Kharon Missile (retired in 2003), with a far greater range and warhead capabilities. The first stage of the rocket is powered by three separate motors that feed the two nozzles. The second and third stage is gradually declined with two motors for the second and a single motor for the third stage. All three stages are powered by solid fuel with retro-grade jets that flare from the frame of their particular stage. This was included in the design to ensure that the spent stage is kept straight during separation to avoid any impacts that may occur if the spent stage is discarded at a dangerous angle.
With the inclusion of a Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) brought about the design for the post-boost maneuvering vehicle, or PBMV. Warheads are attached to the vehicle which is considered the forth and final stage of the missile itself. The PBMV is powered by a pressure-fed monomethyl-hydrazine and nitrogen-tetroxide bi-engine system that feeds a single gimbaled primary engine and eight attitude control engines for in-flight control. A single-warhead PBMV is available with it's primary engine being powered by a solid rocket motor instead. In 1989 the Republic Institute formally partnered with the Belfrasian Space Agency for the design and construction of the motors, which also led to a total redesign of the engine system for the first stage. The engine, the Titan IV, was led by two influx pipes that were wrapped in kevlar and pressurized to avoid flooding during launch and to avoid any rupturing damage during loading. The design went further and in 2008 the missile systems were refitted with the Titan VI, offering far greater thrust vector control and utilized two exhausts with a slightly improved top speed.
The stages are separated by an interstage casing, which additionally contains the needed electronic equipment and ordnance for the casings to safely jettisoned whilst the stage-based retro engines fired to aid in the evened jettison. With both the first and second stages needing to be structurally sound and able to boost the weight of the missile through the thick atmosphere, both stages were further reinforced with a carbon-fiber polymer hull and kevlar-shielded tanks. The connection between the second and third stages of the missile includes an equipment adapter harness that centralizes the third stage and the forth stages vital payload during the initial two stages of boost flight. A nose fairing with an added aerodynamic spike helps protect the payload and the vastly improves the missiles aerodynamic during the initial flight. Following completion of atmospheric flight, the fairing is jettisoned safely whilst the ordnance is then armed. The aerospike, which is extended from within the fairing when the missile emerges from the water, decreases drag by an estimated 50% and when stowed acts as a pillar to increase the structural strength of the fairing whilst the missile is in the water.
Questions about the size of the missile in comparison to others were answered in a leak published in 2012 that displayed plans for a now outdated countermeasure system built into the third stage that allowed for mid-course countermeasures to be deployed against interceptor missiles. The document briefly hinted at a similar system for the post-boost maneuvering vehicle, but failed to give any specific details. Theories that emerged following the leak proposed that the PBMV utilizes an EMP-hardened computer system capable of launching decoys either away from itself or that it included a small casing with each warhead that fired decoys during the warheads descent along with spin-gas generators to stabilize the weapons. The PBMV is known to use a mixture of guidance systems and is documented to have an accuracy of only ten meters. Whilst accuracy is hardly an importance for something with such a destructive area, it allows for highly accurate low-yield blasts to destroy strategic locations.