Intercontinental ballistic missile

An intercontinental ballistic missile (acronym: ICBM) is a missile that can travel so far that it be used from one continent to another.[1] The United States and the Soviet Union made thousands of them during the Cold War, primarily to deliver nuclear weapons.

An ICBM is guided, which means it can be controlled to hit a target, usually by an inertial guidance system. The missile carries a warhead, which is usually a nuclear weapon but may be also a chemical or biological weapon. It can be launched from a silo in the ground or underwater from a submarine. Some of them can be launched from large ground vehicles.

References

  1. ↑ Wragg, David W. (1973). A Dictionary of Aviation (first ed.). Osprey. p. 162. ISBN 9780850451634.

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