Britain develops unstoppable Polaris nuclear missile

Press, 23 September 1980, Page 8

Britain develops unstoppable Polaris nuclear missile

NZPA Londor Britain has developed a new improved version of. the Polaris nuclear missile which would be unstoppable by Russian defences, it was said yesterday. The $2440M “Chevaline” system • blinds and confuses opposing radar systems. It will shortly be fitted to missiles in Brita i n ’ s nuclear-deterrent submarines. ' According to information given to the British Press Association by various sources even the “death-ray” laser beams the . Russians are said to be developing for their a n t i-ballistic missile defences would be ineffective against it. The project was envisaged under the Harold

Wilson Government in the 19605, it is believed. Development began in the early 1970 s and continued under the , Conservative Government of Edward Heath and the Labour Governments of Mr .Wilson and Jim Callaghan. It is now nearing completion. The 52440 M cost was “hidden” each year in the defence budget, the sources confirmed.' As costs escalated, the project was questioned by politicians several times but it continued to get the green light. Chevaline is designed as a response to Soviet , improvement of anti-ballistic missile defences around Moscow, allowable under the 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty.

They are said to be developing two new different types of radar and working on a rapidly deployable anti-missile-missile to succeed the 20m Galosh rocket first seen in public in 1964. Chevaline is described by sources as a very sophisticated British-de-signed and made system which would trick Soviet defences. It takes the form of equipping missile warheads with “advanced penetration aids.” These could be either decoy “dummy” warheads or a refined version of the World War II “window” or “chaff’ used by R.A.F. bombers to “fuzz up” enemy radar. The aim is to make the defences either shoot at the wrong target or be

unable to see a target at all. A distribution system fitted to the “front end” of the missile scatters warheads at chosen moments in flight. The warheads can change direction in space after the scattering. The sources, would not comment on suggestions that the warheads would alter course just before impact further to confuse defences. Test flights from Cape Canaveral, Florida, have tried out the Chevaline system with remarkable success, according to the sources. But they acknowledged that there was a norma! share of failures. Further development and test launches are planned, it’ is believed.