ballistic missile

A projectile that assumes a free-falling trajectory after an internally guided, self-powered ascent.

A weapon that consists of integral rocket propulsion, means of pointing or guiding the weapon's velocity vector to a prescribed orientationat the position and time of rocket engine shutoff or burnout, and a warhead. In certain applications, means of deploying multiple warheads or submunitions may be incorporated. Ballistic missiles are conceptually simple weapons whose implementation becomes more complex with increasing accuracy, range, and defense penetration requirements.

The term ballistic means that part or most of the missile's trajectory is not subject to propulsion or control. In its ballistic phase of flight, a missile's motion is affected only by gravitation and uncontrolled aerodynamic interactions with the atmosphere.

The ballistic missile follows an elliptical path due to action of the Earth's gravitational field. If both the burnout velocity and burnout altitude are large, then an upwardly slanted flight path will cause the missile's trajectory to rise high above the sensible atmosphere, thereby eliminating the retarding and disturbing influences of the Earth's atmosphere for most of the trajectory. See also Ballistics; Celestial mechanics.

All ballistic missiles incorporate means of pointing or guiding their velocity vectors so that their trajectories end coincidentally with the intended target. The simplest instance involves launching a missile from a guide rail or tube which the weapon operator points toward the intended target and upward at predetermined elevation angle that will result in a missile impact in the target area. The Army's Multiple Rocket Launching System (MRLS) is a good example of simple pointing as the means of initial-conditions guidance. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) wherein propulsion durations of several minutes are typical and precise pointing of the velocity vector at propulsion burnout is essential to achieve the desired accuracy in hitting the target area after intercontinental flight. ICBMs and theater nuclear weapons typically employ control over the direction of thrust from their rocket motors to change the orientation of the missile in response to guidance commands. Guidance is based upon the principles of inertial navigation. See also Guidance systems; Inertial guidance system.

Ballistic missiles are either land-based or sea-based.

Land-based versions are commonly categorized according to the distance they can fly. See also Army armament.

1. Battlefield ballistic missiles can hit targets from 12 to 300 mi (20 to 500 km) from the launch point, and generally employ conventional (nonnuclear) or submunition warheads.

2. Intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), which are sometimes referred to as intermediate nuclear forces (INF) or theater nuclear weapons, come in a variety of sizes, and can hit targets 300 to 3000 mi (500 to 5000 km) from the launch site. These missiles invariably carry one to three nuclear warheads.

3. ICBMs have flyout ranges between 5500 and 7500 mi (9000 and 12,000 km). Modern ICBMs carry from one to ten nuclear warheads in reentry vehicles that are independently targetable (multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles, or MIRVs).

Sea-based ballistic missiles are invariably based on submarines (submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs), providing considerable uncertainty as to their location as an important element of survivability. The flyout range of SLBMs has systematically increased from a few thousand kilometers to more than 5500 mi (9000 km), equaling the capability of ICBMs. SLBMs have employed MIRV warheads since the early 1970s, and accuracy enhancements of the 1980s provide SLBMs with effectiveness levels comparable to those of their land-based counterparts. See also Guided missile; Missile; Naval armament; Submarine.

A missile with a high, arching trajectory, that is initially powered and guided but falls under gravity onto its target.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

LARRY GILMAN

Any missile that lofts an explosive payload which descends to its target as a ballistic projectile—that is, solely under the influence of gravity and air resistance—is a ballistic missile. Missiles that do not deliver a free-falling payload, such as engine powered cruise missiles (which fly to their targets as robotic airplanes), are not "ballistic."

A ballistic missile has two basic components: a package contains guidance systems and explosives (the payload) and the rocket that lofts the payload into the upper atmosphere or into space (the booster). Ballistic missiles traverse distance rapidly; a long-range ballistic missile can travel to the other side of the world in 30 minutes. Because they give so little advance warning and deliver small, fast-moving payloads that may contain nuclear weapons capable of destroying entire cities, ballistic weapons are highly destructive and difficult to defend against.

History

The world's first ballistic missile was the V-2, developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The V-2, which was first test-launched on October 3, 1942, could deliver a 1,650-lb (750-kg) warhead to a target 225 miles away. Germany launched approximately 3,000 V-2s during the war, but with little military effect; the V-2, lacking the sophisticated guidance computers of later ballistic missiles, was inaccurate. Only 50% of V-2s aimed at a given point would, on average, land within 11 mi (17 km) of that point. The V-2 was therefore not aimed at military installations but, like its predecessor the V-1 (the first cruise missile, also developed by Nazi Germany), at the city of London. Some 518 V-2s struck London during the final years of World War II, killing over 20,000 people and making the V-2 the deadliest ballistic missile in history—so far. (The "V" in V-1 and V-2 stands for Vergeltungswaffe, German for "retaliation weapon," reflecting the fact that the V-2's primary purpose was not victory but vengeance.)

The United States and Soviet Union were far behind Germany in the design of large rockets during World War II, but both captured V-2 technicians and information at the end of the war and used them to accelerate their own missile programs. The U.S. began by experimenting with captured V-2s, and during the late 1940s built several new rockets of its own based on the V-2. During the 1950s both the Soviet Union and the United States turned their attention to the development of ballistic-missile boosters that could reach the other country's heartland from anywhere in the world. The Soviet Union flight-tested the world's first ICBM, the R-7, in August, 1957. Two months later the R-7 was used to launch the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, and four years later launched the world's first orbital manned space flight. The U.S. was not far behind, and by 1959 had deployed its own ICBMs, the liquid-fueled Atlas and Titan missiles. The Americans also used their ICBMs for early space-flight efforts; the first manned U.S. space flights (Mercury and Gemini programs) used the Redstone, Atlas, and Titan II missile boosters.

Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. and Soviet Union competed in the development of numerous types of ballistic missiles and built thousands of missiles in all range categories. At the peak of their buildup, which occurred in the late 1980s, the two superpowers together possessed approximately 70,000 nuclear weapons, many mounted on ballistic missiles. After the Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, arms-control agreements were made between Russia and the U.S. that reduced their combined nuclear arsenal to approximately 30,500 warheads. The number of ballistic missiles in all range categories was also drastically reduced.

Nevertheless, the U.S. and Russia still maintain hundreds of nuclear-armed long-range ballistic missiles (i.e., ICBMs and SLBMs) in a state of launch readiness, mostly in submarines and in concrete-lined holes in the ground (silos). Specifically, the U.S. as of 2003 has approximately 550 ICBMs carrying 2,325 warheads and 432 SLBMs carrying 3,616 warheads, while Russia (the nuclear inheritorstate of the now-dissolved Soviet Union) has approximately 756 ICBMs carrying 3800 warheads and 348 SLBMs carrying 2272 warheads. (The warhead numbers are greater than the missile numbers because of MIRVing.) The U.S. and Russia also maintain hundreds of nuclear warheads mounted on various BSRMBs, SRBMs, MRBMs, and IRBMs, and hundreds of nuclear weapons configured for delivery by aircraft rather than by ballistic missile.

Categories of Ballistic Missiles

With the exception of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), ballistic missiles are categorized according to range. Five commonly accepted categories of ballistic missile, with their associated ranges, are as follows: (1) battlefield short range ballistic missiles (BSRMBs: <93 mi [150 km]); (2) short range ballistic missiles (SRBMs: 93–497 mi [150–800 km]), (3) medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs: 497–1490 mi [800–2400 km]), (4) intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs: 1490–3416 mi [2400–5500 km]), and (5) intercontinental range ballistic missiles (ICBMs:>3416 mi [> 5500 km]).

Alternatively, the U.S. Department of Defense defines ballistic missiles with ranges less than 683 mi (1100 km) as SRBMs, those with ranges between 683 and 1708 mi (1100–2750 km) as MRBMs, those with ranges between 1708 and 3416 mi (1100–5500 km) as IRBMs.

Ballistic missiles can be launched from submarines, silos (i.e., vertical underground tubes), ships, or trailers. All ballistic missiles launched from submarines, regardless of range, are categorized as SLBMs; modern SLBMs have ranges comparable to those of ICBMs. The purpose of mounting ballistic missiles on submarines is to make them secure from attack. Modern missile submarines, such as those in the U.S. Trident class, are difficult to locate and can launch their missiles without surfacing.

Ballistic Missile Function

The flight of a ballistic missile can be divided into three phases: boost phase, cruise phase, and descent (terminal) phase. Boost phase begins with the ignition of the missile's booster rocket. The booster lofts the missile at a steep angle, imparting a high speed to the payload before burning out. The payload and booster then separate, beginning the cruise phase. The spent booster falls back to Earth while the payload, starting to lose speed, continues to gain altitude. If the missile is sufficiently long-range, its payload rises above the Earth's atmosphere during cruise phase, where it jettisons its aerodynamic protective shroud and arcs under the influence of gravity. The payload may be a single cone-shaped warhead or a flat "bus" with several warheads attached to it like upside-down icecream cones arranged circularly on a plate.

Individual warheads are not propelled downward toward their targets on the ground, but follow ballistic paths determined by gravity and aerodynamics, gaining speed as they lose altitude. Modern reentry vehicles usually feature small external fins or other steering devices that enable them to control their course, within limits, as they fall through the atmosphere; though such maneuverable reentry vehicles (MARVs) are not, strictly speaking, ballistic objects, missiles delivering them are still termed "ballistic" missiles for convenience. Maneuverability increases accuracy; a modern MARV delivered by ICBM or SLBM can land within a few hundred feet of its target after a journey of thousands of miles. Warheads may explode in the air high above their targets, on the surface, or under the surface after striking into the ground.

Boosters. The booster rockets of early ballistic missiles were powered by liquid fuels. A liquid-fuel rocket carries fuel (hydrazine, liquid hydrogen, or other) and liquid oxygen in tanks. Pressurized streams of fuel and oxygen are mixed and ignited at the top of a bell-shaped chamber: hot, expanding gases rush out of the open end of the bell, imparting momentum to the rocket in the opposite direction. Liquid fuels are unwieldy, as they must be maintained at low temperatures and may leak fuel or oxygen from tanks, pipes, valves, or pumps. Early U.S. ICBMs such as the Atlas and Titan I required several hours of above-ground preparation, including fueling, before they could be launched.

Since the late 1950s, ballistic-missile design has concentrated on solid-fuel boosters, which require less maintenance and launch preparation time and are more reliable because they contain fewer moving parts. Solid-fuel rockets contain long, hollow-core casts of a fuel mixture that, once ignited, burn from the inside out in an orderly way, forcing gases out the rear of the rocket. Starting in the early 1960s, liquid-fuel ballistic missiles were gradually phased out of the U.S. and Russian arsenals in favor of solid-fuel missiles. The first U.S. solid-fuel ICBM was the Minuteman I missile (so-called because of its near-instant response time), which was deployed to underground silos in the Midwest starting in 1962. Today, the ballistic-missile fleet of the United States consists almost entirely of solid-fuel rocket boosters. The Minuteman III, for example, like the Minuteman I and II it replaces, has a three-stage solid-fuel booster and a range of over 7000 miles. (Stages are independent rockets that are stacked to form a single, combined rocket. The stages are burned from the bottom up; each is dropped as it is used up, and the stage above it is ignited. The advantage of staging is that the booster lightens more rapidly as it gains speed and altitude. There are single-stage, two-stage, and three-stage ballistic missiles; the greater the number of stages, the longer the range of the missile.)

Payloads, warheads, and MIRVs. As mentioned above, the payload of a ballistic missile may be either a single warhead or a bus bearing several warheads which can each be sent to a different target in the same general area (e.g., the eastern United States). Such a payload is termed a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) system, and missiles bearing multiple independently targetable warheads are said to be MIRVed. The first MIRVed missiles were deployed the U.S. in 1970; only long-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs and SLBMs) are MIRVed. After a MIRV bus detaches from the burnt-out upper stage of its booster, it arcs through space in its cruise phase. It may possess a low-power propulsion system that enables it to impart slightly different velocities to each of its warheads, which it releases at different times. (Slight differences between individual warhead trajectories in space can translate to relatively large differences between trajectories later on, when the individual warheads are approaching their targets.) The U.S. Minuteman III ICBM is a modern MIRVed missile carrying up to three warheads; other MIRVed missiles, such as the MX, have been capable of carrying up to 10 warheads.

Regional or approximate targeting for each MIRVed warhead is achieved by bus maneuvering and release timing during cruise phase. During descent phase, the warhead may steer itself to its precise target by means of inertial guidance, radar, or a combination of the two. Inertial guidance is based on the principle that every change in an object's velocity can be sensed by that object as an acceleration. By knowing its exact prelaunch location and state of motion (e.g., by consulting the Global Positioning System) and by precisely measuring all accelerations during and after launch, an inertial guidance system can calculate its location at all times without needing to make further observations of the outside world. Ballistic-missile payloads rely primarily on inertial guidance to strike their targets; MARVs may refine their final course by consulting the Global Positioning System (as is done, for example, by the Chinese CSS-6 SRBM) or by using radar to guide themselves during final approach (as was done, for example, by the Pershing II IRBM deployed by the U.S. in Europe during the 1980s).

The nuclear warheads mounted on modern long-range ballistic missiles are usually thermonuclear warheads having yields in the range of several hundred kilotons to several megatons. (One kiloton equals the explosive power of one thousand tons of the chemical explosive TNT; one megaton is equivalent to a million tons of TNT.) Those nations that do not possess nuclear weapons mount conventional-explosive warheads on their ballistic missiles.

Proliferation. Ballistic missiles offer the ability to inflict sudden damage on a distant foe. This is the central military motive behind their invention by the U.S. and Soviet Union and behind their more recent development or purchase by many states. The U.S. Department of State estimates that at least 27 nations now possess, or are in the process of developing, ballistic missiles. However, China, France, and the United Kingdom are the only countries beside the U.S. and Russia to possess long-range ballistic missiles (i.e., ICBMs and SLBMs): China, 20 ICBMs with 20 warheads; France, 64 SLBMs with 384 warheads; and the UK, 48 SLBMs with 185 warheads.

Of the many countries that possess some type of ballistic missile, only China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and (as of early 2003) possibly North Korea have nuclear weapons to mount on them. India and Pakistan, which in the 1990s and early 2000s fought several border wars in the last few decades, are engaged in a competitive ballistic-missile development race in which India is distinctly ahead. India has produced an SRBM, the Prithvi (range 155 mi [250 km]), and an IRBM, the Agni (range 1550 mi [2,500 km]); it also has built several space-launch rockets capable of being used as ICBMs. Pakistan manufactures several BSRMBs and SRBMs of its own (the Hatf I, II, and III missiles, all with ranges of 373 mi [600 km] or less) and has purchased M-11 SRBMs from China. Israel's Jericho 2B IRBM (range 930 mi [1,500 km]) can reach southern Russia and much of the Middle East; North Korea's Taep'o Dong 2 IRBM (range 2,480–3,720 mi [4,000–6,000 km]) can reach much of mainland Asia, Japan, the Pacific, and probably Scandinavia. Some states (e.g., Japan, Sweden) are technically capable of building both ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons but have refrained from doing so; however, many more states are likely to develop ballistic missiles in the near future.

Further Reading

Books

Cimbala, Stephen J. Nuclear Strategy in the Twenty-First Century. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2000.

Cochran, Thomas B., William M. Arkin, and Milton M. Hoenig. Nuclear Weapons Databook: Vol. I, U.S. Nuclear Forces and Capabilities. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company, 1984.

Electronic

"Ballistic Missile Threats." Centre for Defense and International Security Studies, Lancaster University, UK. Aug. 10, 2001. <http://www.cdiss.org/bmthreat.htm>; (March 3, 2003).

Daniel Smith. "A Brief History of 'Missiles' and Ballistic Missile Defense." Center for Defense Information. 2000. <http://www.cdi.org/hotspots/issuebrief/ch2/> (March 3,2003).

A guided rocket-powered delivery vehicle for use against ground targets. A large portion of its flight is in a ballistic (freefall) trajectory. Ballistic missiles are an optimal delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction because it is difficult to deter them.

A guided rocket-powered delivery vehicle for use against ground targets. A large portion of its flight in a ballistic (freefall) trajectory. Ballistic missiles are an optimal delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction because it is difficult to deter them.

(DOD, NATO) Any missile which does not rely upon aerodynamic surfaces to produce lift and consequently follows a ballistic trajectory when thrust is terminated. See also aerodynamic missile; guided missile.

Diagram of V-2, the first ballistic missile.

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads (often nuclear) to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the laws of orbital mechanics and ballistics. To date, ballistic missiles have been propelled during powered flight by chemical rocket engines of various types.

Contents 1 History 2 Flight 3 Missile types 4 Quasi ballistic missiles 5 Specific missiles 5.1 Argentina 5.2 China 5.3 France 5.4 India 5.5 Iran 5.6 Israel 5.7 Iraq 5.8 Nazi Germany 5.9 North Korea 5.10 Pakistan 5.11 Soviet Union/Russia 5.12 South Korea 5.13 Turkey 5.14 United States 6 Ballistic missile submarines 6.1 China 6.2 France 6.3 Russia 6.4 United Kingdom 6.5 United States 6.6 India 7 See also 7.1 Related 8 References 9 External links

History

The first ballistic missile was the A-4, commonly known as the V-2 rocket, developed by Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s under direction of Walter Dornberger. The first successful launch of a V-2 was on October 3, 1942 and began operation on September 6, 1944 against Paris, followed by an attack on London two days later. By the end of World War II May 1945 over 3,000 V-2s had been launched.

A total of 30 nations have deployed operational ballistic missiles. Development continues, with around 100 ballistic missile flight tests (not including those of the US) in 2007, mostly by China, Iran and the Russian Federation.^[1]

Flight

A ballistic missile trajectory consists of three parts: the powered flight portion, the free-flight portion which constitutes most of the flight time, and the re-entry phase where the missile re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Ballistic missiles can be launched from fixed sites or mobile launchers, including vehicles (transporter erector launchers, TELs), aircraft, ships and submarines. The powered flight portion can last from a few tens of seconds to several minutes and can consist of multiple rocket stages.

When in space and no more thrust is provided, the missile enters free-flight. In order to cover large distances, ballistic missiles are usually launched into a high sub-orbital spaceflight; for intercontinental missiles the highest altitude (apogee) reached during free-flight is about 1200 km.

The re-entry stage begins at an altitude where atmospheric drag plays a significant part in missile trajectory, and lasts until missile impact.

Missile types

Royal Navy Vanguard class submarine launched Trident II ballistic missile being fired.

Ballistic missiles can vary widely in range and use, and are often divided into categories based on range. Various schemes are used by different countries to categorize the ranges of ballistic missiles:

• Tactical ballistic missile: Range between about 150 km and 300 km
  • Battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM): Range less than 200 km
• Theatre ballistic missile (TBM): Range between 300 km and 3500 km
  • Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM): Range 1000 km or less
  • Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM): Range between 1000 km and 3500 km
• Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) or long-range ballistic missile (LRBM): Range between 2500 km or 3000 km and 5500 km
• Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): Range greater than 5500 km
• Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM): Launched from ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), all current designs have intercontinental range.

Short- and medium-range missiles are often collectively referred to as theater or tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs). Long- and medium-range ballistic missiles are generally designed to deliver nuclear weapons because their payload is too limited for conventional explosives to be efficient (though the U.S. may be evaluating the idea of a conventionally-armed ICBM for near-instant global air strike capability despite the high costs).^[2]

The flight phases are like those for ICBMs, except with no exoatmospheric phase for missiles with ranges less than about 350 km.

Quasi ballistic missiles

A quasi ballistic missile (also called a semi ballistic missile) is a category of missile that has a low trajectory and/or is largely ballistic but can perform maneuvers in flight or make unexpected changes in direction and range.^[1]

At a lower trajectory than a ballistic missile, a quasi ballistic missile can maintain higher speed, thus allowing its target less time to react to the attack, at the cost of reduced range.

Missiles that combine a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) with a terminal guidance system, allowing them to adjust the flight path as they near their target, are thought to be under development in China for use as anti-ship ballistic missiles.

Specific missiles

Shaheen-I Missile

Specific types of ballistic missiles include:

Argentina

• Condor SRBM

China

• DF-1: MRBM
• DF-2: MRBM
• DF-3A: IRBM
• DF-4: ICBM
• DF-5: ICBM
• DF-11: SRBM
• DF-15: SRBM
• DF-21: IRBM
• DF-25: IRBM
• DF-31: ICBM
• DF-41: ICBM
• JL-1: SLBM IRBM
• JL-2: SLBM ICBM
• B-611: TBM SSM^[3]
• P-12: TBM SSM
• DF-21: ASBM (anti-ship ballistic missile)

France

• Hadès: SRBM
• M45: SLBM
• M51: SLBM
• Pluton: SRBM

India

• Prithvi I: SRBM
• Prithvi II: SRBM
• Prithvi III: MRBM
• Agni I: MRBM
• Agni II: IRBM
• Agni III: ICBM (Agni III (A), Agni III (B), Agni III (3C), Agni III (SLBM) )
• Agni V: ICBM (under development)
• Sagarika: SLBM
• Shaurya: MRBM (Quasi-ballistic missile)
• Dhanush: ShipLBM

Iran

• Shahab-1: SRBM
• Zelzal-1: SRBM
• Shahab-2: SRBM
• Zelzal-2: SRBM
• Zelzal-3: SRBM
• Fateh-110: SRBM
• Shahab-3: MRBM
• Fajr-3: MRBM
• Ashoura: MRBM
• Ghadr-110: MRBM
• Sejjil-1: MRBM
• Sejjil-2: MRBM

Israel

• Jericho I: SRBM
• Jericho II: MRBM
• Jericho III: IRBM

Iraq

• Al Abbas:
• Al Hijarah:
• Al Hussein:
• Al Hussein II:
• Al Samoud:
• Al Samoud II:

Nazi Germany

• V-2

North Korea

• Hwasong-5: SRBM
• Hwasong-6: SRBM
• Rodong-1: MRBM
• Rodong-2: MRBM
• Musudan: IRBM
• Taepodong-1: IRBM
• Taepodong-2: ICBM

Pakistan

• Abdali-I: SRBM
• Ghauri-I: MRBM
• Ghauri-II: MRBM
• Ghauri-III: IRBM
• Ghaznavi: SRBM
• Hatf-I: BRBM
• Shaheen: MRBM
• Shaheen-II: MRBM
• Shaheen-III: IRBM (under development)
• Shaheen-IV: ICBM (future development)

Soviet Union/Russia

• Scud:
• SS-18 missile: ICBM
• SS-24 missile: ICBM
• RT-2UTTH Topol M: ICBM
• SS-N-23: SLBM

South Korea

• Hyunmoo I: SRBM
• Hyunmoo II: SRBM

Turkey

• J-600T Yıldırım I: SRBM
• J-600T Yıldırım II: SRBM

United States

• Atlas: ICBM
• Titan: ICBM
• Minuteman: ICBM
• Peacekeeper: ICBM
• Polaris: SLBM
• Poseidon: SLBM
• Trident SLBM
• Skybolt Air-Launched Ballistic Missile (ALBM)

Ballistic missile submarines

Specific types of ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) include:

China

• Type 092 (Xia class)
• Type 094 (Jin class)
• Type 096 - under construction

France

• Triomphant class
• Redoutable class

Russia

• Delta class
• Typhoon class

United Kingdom

• Vanguard class
• Resolution class

United States

• Ohio class

India

• Advanced Technology Vessel under construction.

Additional ballistic missile submarines

See also

• Cruise missile
• Surface-to-surface missile
• Quasiballistic missile

Related

• Anti-ballistic missile
• Anti-ballistic missile treaty
• Atmospheric reentry
• Weapons of mass destruction

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Executive overview: Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems". Jane's. 3/7/2008. http://www.janes.com/news/defence/systems/jsws/jsws080703_1_n.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-08-20. 
2. ^ Hebert, Adam J. (October 2003) (^{[dead link]} – ^{Scholar search}). The Future Missile Force. 86. http://www.afa.org/magazine/oct2003/1003missile.asp. Retrieved on 2006-05-26. 
3. ^ www.sinodefence.com/weapons/report/zhuhai_airshow_2008b.asp

Bate, Mueller, White (1971). Fundamentals of Astrodynamics. Dover Publications, New York. ISBN 0-486-60061-0

Cirincione, Joeseph & Andrew Wade (2007). "Get Smart on Ballistic Missiles" www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/05/missiles.html – The Center for American Progress

External links

• An introduction to ballistic missiles

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