Norfolk Status: Going Home Time Frame

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

No. It doesn't. As indicated by the quotes I made from the books in my earlier posts.
It only says a total of 1MT which it specifically states in the notes "not necessarily as a single weapon". Notice I've once again quoted the books here.

Howling Wilderness states ' The severity of the attack on each target point is represented by the megaton (Mt) rating of the weapons exploded there (not necessarily as a single weapon).'

So yes it may not have been a single weapon, but then again it may also have been one as the statement is ambiguous. However Howling Wilderness does not state what Soviet missile was launched at Norfolk/Portsmouth, nor does it tell us that it was a MIRV. There is only one Soviet warhead with a yield of 1 Mt and it was deployed on the SS-N-6 SLBM.

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

The R-36 is capable of carrying up to 10 warheads with 40 penetration aids (aka decoys).

Only the R-36UTTkh carried ten warheads and the yield of the warheads were 0.55 Mt. It was specifically designed and deployed to attack American ICBM silos and hardened targets. From 1988 it began to be replaced by the more accurate R-36M2 which also had ten warheads with yields of 0.55 or 0.75 Mt or higher according to Western estimates. The R-36M2 like the R-36UTTkh was designed and deployed specifically to attack American ICBM silos and hardened targets.

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

The warheads could be anywhere between 0.5MT and 25MT.

No they weren't. There was ten different models of the R-36 (SS-9 and SS-18) and they were specifically designed with either single warheads of high mega tonnage, or were designed as MIRV's with smaller warhead yields. The Soviets like everyone else did not mix and match the yields of the warheads on their MIRV's, all the warheads were of the same yield.

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

The whole point of my last few posts is that it's possible within a strict interpretation of the information we have that more than one warhead was used to attack Norfolk. Given a little research I believe that it is likely the missile used was probably an R-36M carrying eight (8) 0.5MT warheads.

Western sources estimated the yield of the R-36M's warheads at 0.6 Mt or 1.5 Mt. Also the R-36M had serious flaws in its post-boost vehicle design and was entirely replaced by the R-36UTTh from 1983.

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

This missile also delivered warheads as far north as Washington DC. Likely targets in this particular scenario included:
Andrews AFB, MD: Presidential Emergency Facility (.5 Mt, ground burst).
Fort Meade, MD: Presidential Emergency Facility (.5 Mt, ground burst).
Camp David, MD: Presidential Emergency Facility (.5 Mt, ground burst).
Arlington, VA: The Pentagon (.5 Mt, ground burst).
Quantico, VA: Presidential Emergency Facility (.5 Mt, ground burst).
Fort A.P. Hill, VA: Presidential Emergency Facility (.5 Mt, ground burst).
Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA: Atlantic Command Headquarters, port and facilities (1 Mt).

You'll note this adds up to exactly 8 of those 0.5MT warheads the R-36M carries and all those targets are within the likely throw range for the warheads from one missile.

Not with an R-36M