[Illustration: 72. Launch of Poseidon from nuclear-powered
submarine.]
This two-stage solid-propellant Fleet Ballistic Missile is launched
underwater from nuclear-powered submarines. The Poseidon is launched by
compressed air, with first-stage ignition just after the missile is
clear of the hull. Poseidon carried the Mk-3 Multiple Independently
targeted Reentry Vehicles (MIRV)—thermonuclear weapons which enable a
single missile to cover a number of targets.
The first successful test flight of Poseidon was from Cape Canaveral on
August 16, 1968, and the first submarine launch was from the U.S.S.
_James Madison_ on August 3, 1970.
The Poseidon C-3 is from the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Aircraft
Corporation.