The new START (Strategic Arms Reduction...
its range is greater than 8,000 kilometers; or (b) it is equipped for long-range nuclear air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) with a range in excess of 600 kilometers.The bomber"s 8,000-km range allows it to take off from Russian territory, to hit a target on U.S. territory (or vice versa) and to return to its home base with no more than one in-flight refueling. This definition was first coined during the initial Soviet-U.S. strategic arms limitation talks (SALT) in the 1970s.
At that time, the parties disagreed on the Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber which has a range of 7,000 km. The United States insisted that the bomber be listed as a heavy bomber and agreed not to consider it as such after the U.S.S.R. pledged not to equip the Tu-22M3 with aerial refueling systems and not to use it to launch ALCMs with a range above 600 kilometers.
Under the Treaty, the term "submarine-launched ballistic missile" or "SLBM" means a ballistic missile with a range in excess
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