New rocket answer to SS2O?

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 7

New rocket answer to SS2O?

NZPA-Reuter Brussels A new nuclear missile carried by aircraft could be the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s answer to the; Soviet three-headed SS2O “city-buster” rocket, diplomatic sources in Brussels have said. The proposal is part of a wide-ranging review by the Western alliance to find a response to Moscow’s SS-20. which is capable of hitting, anv target in Europe. The Soviet Union can pro- 1 duce and deploy it in any 1 number because the SS2O. not being an intercontinental weapon, is not covered by the strategic arms limitation talks. The West has nothing comparable in its arsenal. faced with the need to

modernise its tactical nu-l ; clear weapons, N.A.T.0.1 1 must now decide whether to; ; have a similar missile, or] ■ promise not to build it ini J exchange for some restraint; : ]by the Soviet Union. )■ An airborne system using] - a fleet of carriers based on] ; a string of airfields from the] Baltic to the Black Sea t could be politically more ; acceptable to public opinion i in Europe than ground-based , missiles, the sources said. >i West Germany has let it i be known it will not be the -(only European country to .•! accept the deployment of I. American medium-range 1 missiles capable of hitting /(the Soviet Union. As the Nordic countries ? do not allow nuclear weapons on their territory □ and the Netherlands has a

I vocal anti-nuclear lobby, i (possible candidates ftirp i ground-based missiles are p ‘Belgium and Luxemburg,] (and to a lesser extent Italy,] Greece, and Turkey. I But it would be difficult] ] to sell to public opinion the i (siting in a specific area ofl ] ground-based missiles likely I i to bring nuclear devastation ; in case of war. A system mounted in fast I take-off wide-bodied planes is technically feasible, although the missiles would > be less accurate than similar; i ground-based ones. f But a Pentagon study has] > concluded that it would be] >.more costly than construe-] ting a svstem in which the 1 5 rockets "would be shuttled r around a series of under- , ground silos, experts say. i The Soviet Union is said

to have deployed some 120,i SS2Os in the Western parts]] (of the country. They are!' (replacing earlier SS4 and SSS missiles, which were ,: not tipped with multiple (independently-targeted reientry vehicles and did not] (have the same devastating! laccuracy. N.A.f.O. is developing a! new 1400 km range tactical] missile, the Pershing-11. The] . United States Army and the] West Germans have a total! of 110 Pershing-l missiles; I with a range of about , 1700 km. The whole problem of >| modernising N.A.T.O.’s tactical nuclear forces will be r discussed by eight N.A.T.O. 1; Defence Ministers at the Nu-, ■ (clear Planning Group meet-; I ing in Florida on April 24 Land 25. * I