Editing Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (section)

==MRV==
A multiple re-entry vehicle (MRV) system for a [[ballistic missile]] deploys multiple warheads above a single aimpoint which then drift apart, producing a cluster bomb-like effect. These warheads are not individually targetable. The advantage of an MRV over a single warhead is the increased effectiveness due to the greater coverage; this increases the overall damage produced within the center of the pattern, making it far greater than the damage possible from any single warhead in the MRV cluster; this makes for an efficient area-attack weapon and makes interception by [[anti-ballistic missile]]s more challenging due to the number of warheads being deployed at once.<ref name=":0" />

Improved warhead designs allow smaller warheads for a given yield, while better electronics and guidance systems allow greater accuracy. As a result, MIRV technology has proven more attractive than MRV for advanced nations. Multiple-warhead missiles require both a miniaturized [[physics package]] and a lower mass re-entry vehicle, both of which are highly advanced technologies. As a result, single-warhead missiles are more attractive for nations with less advanced or less productive nuclear technology. The United States first deployed MRV warheads on the [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris A-3]] [[Submarine-launched ballistic missile|SLBM]] in 1964 on the [[USS Daniel Webster (SSBN-626)|USS Daniel Webster]]. The [[Polaris A3 missile|Polaris A-3]] missile carried three warheads each having an approximate yield of {{convert|200|ktTNT|TJ}}. This system was also used by the Royal Navy who also retained MRV with the [[Chevaline]] upgrade, though the number of warheads in Chevaline was reduced to two due to the ABM counter-measures carried.<ref name=":0" /> The Soviet Union deployed 3 MRVs on the [[R-27 Zyb#R-27U (RSM-25)|R-27U]] SLBM and 3 MRVs on the [[R-36 (missile)#R-36P|R-36P]] ICBM. Refer to [[atmospheric reentry|atmospheric re-entry]] for more details.