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How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

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How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

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When we look up at the starry sky, they are guarding the edge of the "sword".

When night falls, the vast galaxy, the stars are twinkling, as if within reach, and under this quiet night sky, guarding us, in addition to the silently dedicated soldiers, there are also those hidden in the depths of the "great power weapon" - missiles

From the majestic launch scene in the movie to the deafening "Dongfeng Express" in the news, missiles, as a symbol of modern military power, are always associated with words like "powerful" and "deterrence".

Missiles are not "disposable products"

How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

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Many people have the impression that missiles seem to be "disposable products" that complete their mission when they are launched, but in fact, the maintenance of missiles is as important as its development and manufacturing, and it can even be said that it runs through the entire "life cycle" of missiles

Imagine that the mobile phones and computers commonly used in our daily life need to be cleaned and charged regularly in order to maintain a good state of use, and the missile is a complex weapon system that integrates many high-precision and sophisticated technologies, and its internal structure is far more precise than we imagine, and all kinds of electronic components and precision instruments need to work normally in a suitable environment

Therefore, everything is fine when the missile is launched, and how to properly store and maintain it regularly so that it is always in the best "combat condition" is also the goal that experts from various countries are diligently pursuing

The "shelf life" of missiles

Like the food and medicine we buy in our daily life, missiles also have their own "shelf life", which is called "storage period" in technical terms

How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

The picture comes from the Internet

The internal structure of the missile is extremely complex, containing thousands of parts, which are made of various materials such as metal, plastic, and rubber, and the parts and components of the missile will inevitably undergo aging and corrosion due to the influence of material characteristics and the external environment

Oxidation of metal parts when exposed to air for a long time affects their strength and conductivity; Rubber parts can become brittle or hard in high or low temperature environments, lose elasticity and sealing, and these seemingly subtle changes may lead to a decrease in missile performance, or even trigger

In order to ensure that missiles can operate safely and reliably when they are in use, all countries will impose strict regulations on the storage period of missiles, generally speaking, the storage period of missiles is more than 7 years, and some models can even reach more than 10 years

The "secret to life extension" of missiles

Since missiles also have a "shelf life", how can the service life of missiles be extended so that they remain in good combat readiness for a longer period of time?

How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

The picture comes from the Internet

The answer is: meticulous maintenance!

Just as we regularly maintain our cars and clean our home appliances, our missiles also need regular inspections, maintenance, and maintenance to keep them in a "healthy" state

The maintenance of missiles mainly includes the following aspects:

1. Environmental control:

Missiles have very high requirements for the storage environment, requiring constant temperature, constant humidity, dustproof, shockproof, and some special types of missiles even need to be stored in special warehouses filled with inert gas to avoid oxidation of metal parts

How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

The picture comes from the Internet

2. Regular testing:

Regularly inspect the various systems and components of the missile, such as circuit testing, fuel testing, engine testing, etc., to find and eliminate potential faults in a timely manner

3. Replacement of parts:

For parts that have been aged or damaged, they should be replaced in time to ensure that the overall performance of the missile is not affected

Taking United States' "Minuteman III" ICBM as an example, this "veteran" that served in the 70s of the last century is still the backbone of United States' strategic nuclear forces, which in addition to its own advanced design, but also thanks to the continuous maintenance and upgrading of the United States military

How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

The picture comes from the Internet

It has been learned that the United States military will carry out a comprehensive overhaul of the "Minuteman III" missile every once in a while, replace aging parts, upgrade the electronic system, and even disassemble the missile's engine.

"Veterans" can also be reborn

Seeing this, some people may ask: If the missile exceeds the storage period, will it have to be scrapped?

The answer is: not necessarily!

In some cases, even missiles that have exceeded their storage period can still be returned to the battlefield after professional repair and maintenance

How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

The picture comes from the Internet

In the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that broke out in 2022, there was an unexpected scene: the Ukraine army used American-made "Hamm" anti-radiation missiles to successfully destroy many sets of Russian air defense systems, and this missile, as early as 2013, has exceeded its 10-year storage period

So how did United States give these "expired" missiles a new lease of life?

According to the analysis of military experts, the United States is likely to extend the life of these "Hamm" missiles, such as replacing aging electronic components, refueling, and so on, and the US military may also upgrade the software systems of these missiles to better adapt to the modern battlefield environment

The "resurrection" of the "Hamm" missile fully illustrates the importance of missile repair and maintenance technology, which can allow "veterans" to return to the battlefield and play a role in wartime. In peacetime, this technology is able to extend the service life of missiles and save military spending

epilogue

How long is the shelf life of the missile, it turns out that it is related to these factors, which requires special attention

The picture comes from the Internet

Missile maintenance technology, which seems to be unknown, plays a vital role in the field of national defense and security, and it is not only related to the integrity rate of weapons and equipment and the generation of combat effectiveness, but also related to the country's strategic security and development interests

In the future, with the progress of science and technology and the development of weapons and equipment, missile repair and maintenance technology will certainly develop in the direction of becoming more intelligent and refined; I believe that with the joint efforts of the vast number of scientific research personnel and front-line technicians, the mainland's missile repair and maintenance technology will surely achieve more brilliant achievements and make greater contributions to safeguarding national security and world peace!

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