Missiles in Modland: The ICBM Truck in Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
In Grand Theft Auto: London 1969, players can stumble upon a strangely named vehicle called the "ICBM" — short for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. It’s not an actual missile launcher or military truck, just a repainted firetruck model with a missile on top. So why the reference?
The ICBM plays a central role in a key mission in GTA: London 1969, where the villain Hans Nemesis successfully steals a nuclear missile. Acting on the orders of Endeavour Chambers, the protagonist must track down two separate trucks located across London, each containing part of the launch code needed to stop the missile. The mission is time-sensitive—if the player fails to retrieve the codes quickly enough, the ICBM will launch and devastate London. Ultimately, the player manages to intercept the codes and prevent the missile from unleashing its deadly payload.
Visual Resemblance to Soviet Missile Trucks
Interestingly, the ICBM vehicle in GTA: London 1969 doesn’t resemble any specific Western missile system. Instead, its bulky shape and aggressive stance more closely evoke Soviet mobile missile launchers — especially the massive MAZ transporter-erector-launchers used to carry not quite the ICBMs like the Topol-M, but the smaller tactical ballistic missiles instead, like the Scuds. These trucks, with their oversized wheels, elongated bodies, and utilitarian design, became iconic images of Soviet military might during the Cold War.
This also reflects broader differences in Cold War nuclear doctrine: while the United States relied heavily on strategic bombers like the B-52 and submarine-launched missiles, the Soviet Union invested in massive road-mobile ICBMs with longer ranges — often mounted on MAZ transporter-erector-launchers like the ones that inspired the in-game vehicle’s design.
While the ICBM in the game is obviously not a replica, its exaggerated proportions — a long, heavy frame and an industrial silhouette — suggest a pop culture remix of these vehicles. In fact, it looks like a MAZ-543/MAZ-7310 "Uragan" erector launcher. Rockstar’s choice to name a vehicle after an intercontinental missile, and to give it that kind of visual weight, may reflect lingering Western impressions of Soviet firepower: slow-moving, unstoppable, and ominous, often seen in Soviet military parades. It’s a design joke, but one with roots in a very real Cold War image library.
The term ICBM usually brings to mind Cold War-era nuclear weapons, particularly those developed by the US and Soviet Union. During the Cold War, these missiles symbolized the threat of total annihilation under Mutually Assured Destruction[1]. Britain, as a NATO member and nuclear power, played its own role in that tense global atmosphere[2].
In the game, the ICBM truck feels more like a gag than a threat. It’s an example of Rockstar’s early use of dark humor — placing a weapon of mass destruction's name on a driveable vehicle in a game about British gangsters. It mocks how Cold War fears once saturated everyday life, even sneaking into pop culture and entertainment.
Conclusion: Just a Wee Bit of Uncle Cyril's Whistle
The ICBM truck in GTA: London 1969, while not a direct reference to Russia or the Soviet Union, is a small, satirical touch that quietly nods to Cold War paranoia. It doesn't aim to be historically deep — just funny, absurd, and a little unsettling. A nuclear missile on wheels? Only in Rockstar’s London.
Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
Country: 
United Kingdom
Initial release: June 12, 1999
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Composer: Various Artists
Genres: Open world, Action-adventure, Top-down shooter
Developers: DMA Design
Publishers: Rockstar Games
About: Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 is a standalone expansion of the original Grand Theft Auto that reimagines 1960s London as a chaotic top-down criminal sandbox. Mixing mod culture, satire, and Cold War references, it offers players a playful twist on Britain’s underworld with a historic flavor.
References
- Freedman, L. (2003). The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hennessy, P. (2010). The Secret State: Preparing for the Worst 1945–2010. Penguin UK.