.c.uru"y, coupled with clesign improvenents r,rh ich more than aloubled the yleld of the warhead, increased the prob;biliiy of a single-shot kill against a hardened nissile site several Lhousand niles away to 80 per cent. Evidence on the accuracy of soviet missiles is available only fron non-soviet sources but a circular error probability cornparable to that of uinuteman III has been attributed to the Soviet ss-l8 ana the question of whether or not it is accurate is less important than the evidence that the soviet union has significantly inproved the accuracy of its nissiles (see A/35/392, annex). 34. TechnoLogical advances in accuracy antl lethality have a direct bearlng on the spatial orientation anal the quantitatlve aspects of the nuclear arms race' nlsrmlnq that its ultitnate objective is to ensure that any target that can be seen shouldbeaccuratelyhitandtotallydestroyed,theraceforaccuracydemands constant improvemenls in the comrnunicat ions, connand and control systens, on the one hand, and an expanslon of existing arsenals, on the other' The gronlng militarization of sPace, for exanple' can be easily seen as reflecting.the expanding reach of the technological thrust for inprovements in cormunication' consnand ind control systems. Between 1958 and 198f, over 1,917 sateuites are estinated to have been launched, over I'900 by the united states and the Soviet Union. 15,/ The types that have been launched so farr and those in the experimental stage or on the tlrawing board' are rePorted to be related -to precislon mapping of both missiles and launching sites and targetsi sophisticated guidance technoiogy benefitting from the accurate napping of Earthts gravitational fieldt improvements in re*en!ry vehicles ttesigneal to overcone meteorologieal disturbancest andterninalguidancesystensintenctedlforthenextgenerationofimprovedr'arheads. 35. Many of these military develotrments have come out of civilian space progralunes and, essentially, the two ire not readily separable' rn technical terns' MIRV nas a direct descendant of nultiPle satellit; Iaunching systenst much as manoeuvring
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the advancements in military technology, particularly in the field of nuclear missiles, and how these advancements have impacted the nuclear arms race. The text mentions specific technical details, such as circular error probability, guidance technology, and re-entry vehicles, which suggests that the topic is more closely related to scientific and technological advancements rather than economic or social issues.

**Category**
Science and Technology, Defense