An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a guided ballistic
missile with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi)[1]
primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or
more thermonuclear warheads). Similarly, conventional, chemical, and
biological weapons can also be delivered with varying effectiveness,
but have never been deployed on ICBMs. Most modern designs support
multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing a
single missile to carry several warheads, each of which can strike a
different target.
Early ICBMs had limited precision, which made them suitable for use
only against the largest targets, such as cities. They were seen as a
"safe" basing option, one that would keep the deterrent force close to
home where it would be difficult to attack. Attacks against military
targets (especially hardened ones) still demanded the use of a more
precise manned bomber. Second- and third-generation designs (such as
the LGM-118 Peacekeeper) dramatically improved accuracy to the point
where even the smallest point targets can be successfully attacked.
ICBMs are differentiated by having greater range and speed than other
ballistic missiles: intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs),
medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), short-range ballistic
missiles (SRBMs) and tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs). Short and
medium-range ballistic missiles are known collectively as theatre
ballistic missiles.
Contents
1 History
1.1 World War II
1.2 Cold War
1.3 Post-Cold War
2 Flight phases
3 Modern ICBMs
4 Specific ICBMs
4.1 Land-based ICBMs
4.2 Submarine-launched
5
Missile

Missile defense
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
History[edit]
World War II[edit]
Primary views of an R-7 Semyorka, the world's first
ICBM

ICBM and satellite
launch vehicle
The development of the world's first practical design for an ICBM,
A9/10, intended for use in bombing New York and other American cities,
was undertaken in
Nazi Germany
.jpg/440px-Westfaelischer_Friede_in_Muenster_(Gerard_Terborch_1648).jpg)
Nazi Germany by the team of
Wernher von Braun

Wernher von Braun under
Projekt Amerika. The
ICBM

ICBM A9/A10 rocket initially was intended to be
guided by radio, but was changed to be a piloted craft after the
failure of Operation Elster. The second stage of the A9/A10 rocket was
tested a few times in January and February 1945. The progenitor of the
A9/A10 was the German V-2 rocket, also designed by von Braun and
widely used at the end of World War II to bomb British and Belgian
cities. All of these rockets used liquid propellants. Following the
war, von Braun and other leading German scientists were relocated to
the United States to work directly for the US Army through Operation
Paperclip, developing the IRBMs, ICBMs, and launchers.
This technology was also predicted by US Army General Hap Arnold, who
wrote in 1943:
Someday, not too distant, there can come streaking out of somewhere
– we won't be able to hear it, it will come so fast – some kind of
gadget with an explosive so powerful that one projectile will be able
to wipe out completely this city of Washington.[2][3]
Cold War[edit]
In the immediate post-war era, the US and USSR both started rocket
research programs based on the German wartime designs, especially the
V-2. In the US, each branch of the military started its own programs,
leading to considerable duplication of effort. In the USSR, rocket
research was centrally organized, although several teams worked on
different designs. Early designs from both countries were short-range
missiles, like the V-2, but improvements quickly followed.
In the USSR early development was focused on missiles able to attack
European targets. This changed in 1953 when
Sergei Korolyov

Sergei Korolyov was
directed to start development of a true
ICBM

ICBM able to deliver newly
developed hydrogen bombs. Given steady funding throughout, the R-7
developed with some speed. The first launch took place on 15 May 1957
and led to an unintended crash 400 km (250 mi) from the
site. The first successful test followed on 21 August 1957; the R-7
flew over 6,000 km (3,700 mi) and became the world's first
ICBM.[4] The first strategic-missile unit became operational on 9
February 1959 at Plesetsk in north-west Russia.[5]
It was the same R-7 launch vehicle that placed the first artificial
satellite in space, Sputnik, on 4 October 1957. The first human
spaceflight in history was accomplished on a derivative of R-7,
Vostok, on 12 April 1961, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. A heavily
modernized version of the R-7 is still used as the launch vehicle for
the Soviet/Russian Soyuz spacecraft, marking more than 60 years of
operational history of Sergei Korolyov's original rocket design.
An SM-65 Atlas, the first US ICBM, first launched in 1957
The U.S. initiated
ICBM

ICBM research in 1946 with the RTV-A-2 Hiroc
project. This was a three-stage effort with the
ICBM

ICBM development not
starting until the third stage. However, funding was cut after only
three partially successful launches in 1948 of the second stage
design, used to test variations on the V-2 design. With overwhelming
air superiority and truly intercontinental bombers, the newly forming
US Air Force

US Air Force did not take the problem of
ICBM

ICBM development seriously.
Things changed in 1953 with the Soviet testing of their first
thermonuclear weapon, but it was not until 1954 that the Atlas missile
program was given the highest national priority. The Atlas A first
flew on 11 June 1957; the flight lasted only about 24 seconds before
the rocket blew up. The first successful flight of an Atlas missile to
full range occurred 28 November 1958.[6] The first armed version of
the Atlas, the Atlas D, was declared operational in January 1959 at
Vandenberg, although it had not yet flown. The first test flight was
carried out on 9 July 1959,[7][8] and the missile was accepted for
service on 1 September.
The R-7 and Atlas each required a large launch facility, making them
vulnerable to attack, and could not be kept in a ready state. Failure
rates were very high throughout the early years of
ICBM

ICBM technology.
Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight programs (Vostok, Mercury, Voskhod, Gemini, etc.)
served as a highly visible means of demonstrating confidence in
reliability, with successes translating directly to national defense
implications. The US was well behind the
Soviet Union
.jpg/460px-Soviet_Union-1964-stamp-Chapayev_(film).jpg)
Soviet Union in the Space
Race, so U.S. President
John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy increased the stakes with the
Apollo program, which used Saturn rocket technology that had been
funded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1965 graph of USAF Atlas and Titan
ICBM

ICBM launches, cumulative by month
with failures highlighted (pink), showing how NASA's use of ICBM
boosters for Projects Mercury and Gemini (blue) served as a visible
demonstration of reliability at a time when failure rates had been
substantial.
These early ICBMs also formed the basis of many space launch systems.
Examples include R-7, Atlas, Redstone, Titan, and Proton, which was
derived from the earlier ICBMs but never deployed as an ICBM. The
Eisenhower administration supported the development of solid-fueled
missiles such as the LGM-30 Minuteman, Polaris and Skybolt. Modern
ICBMs tend to be smaller than their ancestors, due to increased
accuracy and smaller and lighter warheads, and use solid fuels, making
them less useful as orbital launch vehicles.
The Western view of the deployment of these systems was governed by
the strategic theory of Mutual Assured Destruction. In the 1950s and
1960s, development began on Anti-Ballistic
Missile

Missile systems by both the
U.S. and USSR; these systems were restricted by the 1972 ABM treaty.
The first successful ABM test were conducted by the USSR in 1961, that
later deployed a fully operating system defending Moscow in the 1970s
(see Moscow ABM system).
The 1972 SALT treaty froze the number of
ICBM

ICBM launchers of both the
U.S. and the USSR at existing levels, and allowed new submarine-based
SLBM

SLBM launchers only if an equal number of land-based
ICBM

ICBM launchers
were dismantled. Subsequent talks, called SALT II, were held from 1972
to 1979 and actually reduced the number of nuclear warheads held by
the U.S. and USSR.
SALT II

SALT II was never ratified by the United States
Senate, but its terms were nevertheless honored by both sides until
1986, when the Reagan administration "withdrew" after accusing the
USSR of violating the pact.
In the 1980s, President
Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan launched the Strategic Defense
Initiative as well as the MX and Midgetman
ICBM

ICBM programs.
China

China developed a minimal independent nuclear deterrent entering its
own cold war after an ideological split with the Soviet Union
beginning in the early 1960s. After first testing a domestic built
nuclear weapon in 1964, it went on to develop various warheads and
missiles. Beginning in the early 1970s, the liquid fuelled
DF-5

DF-5 ICBM
was developed and used as a satellite launch vehicle in 1975. The
DF-5, with range of 10,000 to 12,000 km (6,200 to 7,500 mi)
long enough to strike the western US and the USSR, was silo deployed
with the first pair in service by 1981 with possibly twenty missiles
in service by the late 1990s.[9]
China

China also deployed the JL-1
Medium-range ballistic missile

Medium-range ballistic missile with a reach of 1,700 kilometres
(1,100 mi) aboard the ultimately unsuccessful type 92
submarine.[10]
Post-Cold War[edit]
Deployment history of land-based ICBM, 1959-2014
In 1991, the United States and the
Soviet Union
.jpg/460px-Soviet_Union-1964-stamp-Chapayev_(film).jpg)
Soviet Union agreed in the START I
treaty to reduce their deployed ICBMs and attributed warheads.
As of 2016[update], all five of the nations with permanent seats on
the
United Nations Security Council

United Nations Security Council have operational long-range
ballistic missile systems; Russia, the United States, and
China

China also
have land-based ICBMs (the US missiles are silo-based, while
China

China and
Russia

Russia have both silo and road-mobile (DF-31, RT-2PM2 Topol-M
missiles).
Israel

Israel is believed to have deployed a road mobile nuclear ICBM, the
Jericho III, which entered service in 2008; an upgraded version is in
development.[11][12]
India

India successfully test fired Agni V, with a strike range of more than
5,000 km (3,100 mi) on 19 April 2012, claiming entry into
the
ICBM

ICBM club.[13] The missile's actual range is speculated by foreign
researchers to be up to 8,000 km (5,000 mi) with India
having downplayed its capabilities to avoid causing concern to other
countries.[14]
By 2012 there was speculation by some intelligence agencies that North
Korea is developing an ICBM.[15]
North Korea

North Korea successfully put a
satellite into space on 12 December 2012 using the 32-metre-tall
(105 ft)
Unha-3

Unha-3 rocket. The United States claimed that the launch
was in fact a way to test an ICBM.[16] (See Timeline of first orbital
launches by country.) In early July 2017,
North Korea

North Korea claimed for the
first time to have tested successfully an
ICBM

ICBM capable of carrying a
large thermonuclear warhead.
In July 2014,
China

China announced the development of its newest generation
of ICBM, the Dongfeng-41 (DF-41), which has a range of 12,000
kilometres (7,500 miles), capable of reaching the United States, and
which analysts believe is capable of being outfitted with MIRV
technology.[17]
Most countries in the early stages of developing ICBMs have used
liquid propellants, with the known exceptions being the Indian Agni-V,
the planned but cancelled[18] South African RSA-4 ICBM, and the now in
service Israeli Jericho III.[19]
The RS-28 Sarmat[20] (Russian: РС-28 Сармат; NATO reporting
name: SATAN 2), is a Russian liquid-fueled, MIRV-equipped, super-heavy
thermonuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missile in development
by the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau[20] from 2009,[21] intended to
replace the previous R-36 missile. Its large payload would allow for
up to 10 heavy warheads or 15 lighter ones or up to 24 hypersonic
glide vehicles Yu-74,[22][23] or a combination of warheads and massive
amounts of countermeasures designed to defeat anti-missile
systems;[24][25] it was heralded by the Russian military as a response
to the U.S. Prompt Global Strike.[26]
Flight phases[edit]
The following flight phases can be distinguished:
boost phase: 3 to 5 minutes; it is shorter for a solid-fuel rocket
than for a liquid-propellant rocket; depending on the trajectory
chosen, typical burnout speed is 4 km/s (2.5 mi/s), up to
7.8 km/s (4.8 mi/s); altitude at the end of this phase is
typically 150 to 400 km (93 to 249 mi).
midcourse phase: approx. 25 minutes—sub-orbital spaceflight with a
flightpath being a part of an ellipse with a vertical major axis; the
apogee (halfway through the midcourse phase) is at an altitude of
approximately 1,200 km (750 mi); the semi-major axis is
between 3,186 and 6,372 km (1,980 and 3,959 mi); the
projection of the flightpath on the Earth's surface is close to a
great circle, slightly displaced due to earth rotation during the time
of flight; the missile may release several independent warheads and
penetration aids, such as metallic-coated balloons, aluminum chaff,
and full-scale warhead decoys.
reentry/terminal phase (starting at an altitude of 100 km,
62 mi): 2 minutes – impact is at a speed of up to 7 km/s
(4.3 mi/s) (for early ICBMs less than 1 km/s
(0.62 mi/s)); see also maneuverable reentry vehicle.
ICBMs usually use the trajectory which optimizes range for a given
amount of payload (the minimum-energy trajectory); an alternative is a
depressed trajectory, which allows less payload, shorter flight time,
and has a much lower apogee.[27]
Modern ICBMs[edit]
Schematic view of a submarine-launched Trident II D5 nuclear missile
system, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads up to
8,000 km (5,000 mi)
Modern ICBMs typically carry multiple independently targetable reentry
vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a separate nuclear warhead,
allowing a single missile to hit multiple targets.
MIRV

MIRV was an
outgrowth of the rapidly shrinking size and weight of modern warheads
and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties which imposed limitations
on the number of launch vehicles (
SALT I

SALT I and SALT II). It has also
proved to be an "easy answer" to proposed deployments of
Anti-ballistic missile

Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems—it is far less expensive to add
more warheads to an existing missile system than to build an ABM
system capable of shooting down the additional warheads; hence, most
ABM system proposals have been judged to be impractical. The first
operational ABM systems were deployed in the U.S. during the 1970s.
Safeguard ABM facility was located in North Dakota and was operational
from 1975 to 1976. The USSR deployed its
ABM-1 Galosh

ABM-1 Galosh system around
Moscow in the 1970s, which remains in service.
Israel

Israel deployed a
national ABM system based on the Arrow missile in 1998,[28] but it is
mainly designed to intercept shorter-ranged theater ballistic
missiles, not ICBMs. The Alaska-based United States national missile
defense system attained initial operational capability in 2004.[29]
ICBMs can be deployed from transporter erector launchers (TEL), such
as the Russian RT-2PM2 Topol-M
ICBMs can be deployed from multiple platforms:
in missile silos, which offer some protection from military attack
(including, the designers hope, some protection from a nuclear first
strike)
on submarines: submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs); most or
all SLBMs have the long range of ICBMs (as opposed to IRBMs)
on heavy trucks; this applies to one version of the Topol which may be
deployed from a self-propelled mobile launcher, capable of moving
through roadless terrain, and launching a missile from any point along
its route
mobile launchers on rails; this applies, for example, to
РТ-23УТТХ "Молодец" (RT-23UTTH "Molodets"—SS-24
"Sсаlреl")
The last three kinds are mobile and therefore hard to find. During
storage, one of the most important features of the missile is its
serviceability. One of the key features of the first
computer-controlled ICBM, the Minuteman missile, was that it could
quickly and easily use its computer to test itself.
Artist's concept of an
SS-24

SS-24 deployed on railway
After launch, a booster pushes the missile and then falls away. Most
modern boosters are solid-fueled rocket motors, which can be stored
easily for long periods of time. Early missiles used liquid-fueled
rocket motors. Many liquid-fueled ICBMs could not be kept fueled all
the time as the cryogenic fuel liquid oxygen boiled off and caused ice
formation, and therefore fueling the rocket was necessary before
launch. This procedure was a source of significant operational delay,
and might allow the missiles to be destroyed by enemy counterparts
before they could be used. To resolve this problem the United Kingdom
invented the missile silo that protected the missile from a first
strike and also hid fuelling operations underground.
Once the booster falls away, the remaining "bus" releases several
warheads, each of which continues on its own unpowered ballistic
trajectory, much like an artillery shell or cannonball. The warhead is
encased in a cone-shaped reentry vehicle and is difficult to detect in
this phase of flight as there is no rocket exhaust or other emissions
to mark its position to defenders. The high speeds of the warheads
make them difficult to intercept and allow for little warning,
striking targets many thousands of kilometers away from the launch
site (and due to the possible locations of the submarines: anywhere in
the world) within approximately 30 minutes.
Many authorities say that missiles also release aluminized balloons,
electronic noise-makers, and other items intended to confuse
interception devices and radars.
As the nuclear warhead reenters the Earth's atmosphere its high speed
causes compression of the air, leading to a dramatic rise in
temperature which would destroy it if it were not shielded in some
way. As a result, warhead components are contained within an aluminium
honeycomb substructure, sheathed in a pyrolytic carbon-epoxy synthetic
resin composite material heat shield. Warheads are also often
radiation-hardened (to protect against nuclear-tipped ABMs or the
nearby detonation of friendly warheads), one neutron-resistant
material developed for this purpose in the UK is three-dimensional
quartz phenolic.
Circular error probable

Circular error probable is crucial, because halving the circular error
probable decreases the needed warhead energy by a factor of four.
Accuracy is limited by the accuracy of the navigation system and the
available geodetic information.
Strategic missile systems are thought to use custom integrated
circuits designed to calculate navigational differential equations
thousands to millions of
FLOPS in order to reduce navigational errors
caused by calculation alone. These circuits are usually a network of
binary addition circuits that continually recalculate the missile's
position. The inputs to the navigation circuit are set by a general
purpose computer according to a navigational input schedule loaded
into the missile before launch.
One particular weapon developed by the Soviet Union—the Fractional
Orbital Bombardment System—had a partial orbital trajectory, and
unlike most ICBMs its target could not be deduced from its orbital
flight path. It was decommissioned in compliance with arms control
agreements, which address the maximum range of ICBMs and prohibit
orbital or fractional-orbital weapons. However, according to reports,
Russia

Russia is working on the new
Sarmat
ICBM

ICBM which leverages Fractional
Orbital Bombardment concepts to use a Southern polar approach instead
of flying over the Northern polar regions. Using this approach, it is
theorized, avoids the US missile defense batteries in California and
Alaska.
New development of
ICBM

ICBM technology are ICBMs able to carry hypersonic
glide vehicles as a payload such as RS-28 Sarmat.
Specific ICBMs[edit]
Main articles:
Comparison of ICBMs and List of ICBMs
Land-based ICBMs[edit]
A U.S. Peacekeeper missile launched from a silo
Testing of the Peacekeeper re-entry vehicles at the Kwajalein Atoll.
All eight fired from only one missile. Each line, if its warhead were
live, represents the potential explosive power of about 300 kilotons
of TNT, about nineteen times larger than the detonation of the atomic
bomb in Hiroshima.
Specific types of ICBMs (current, past and under development) include:
Type
Minimum Range (km)
Maximum Range (km)
Country
Status
LGM-30 Minuteman

LGM-30 Minuteman III
13,000
United States
Operational
LGM-30F Minuteman II
11,265
United States
Decommissioned
LGM-30A/B Minuteman I
10,186
United States
Decommissioned
LGM-118 Peacekeeper
14,000
United States
Decommissioned
MGM-134 Midgetman
11,000
United States
Decommissioned
Titan II (SM-68B, LGM-25C)
16,000
United States
Decommissioned
Titan I (SM-68, HGM-25A)
11,300
United States
Decommissioned
SM-65 Atlas

SM-65 Atlas (SM-65, CGM-16)
10,138
United States
Decommissioned
RTV-A-2 Hiroc
2,400
8,000
United States
Decommissioned
RS-28 Sarmat
10,900
Russia
RS-26 Rubezh
6,000
12,600
Russia
Operational
RS-24

RS-24 "Yars" (SS-29)
11,000
Russia
Operational
RT-2UTTH "Topol M" (SS-27)
11,000
Russia
Operational
UR-100N
10,000
Soviet Union
Operational
R-36 (SS-18)
10,200
16,000
Soviet Union
Operational
RT-23 Molodets
11,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
RT-2PM "Topol" (SS-25)
10,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
RT-21 Temp 2S
10,500
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
R-9 Desna
16,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
R-16
13,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
R-26
12,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
MR-
UR-100

UR-100 Sotka
10,250
10,320
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
UR-100
10,600
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
UR-200
12,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
RT-20
11,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
RT-2
10,186
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
R-7 Semyorka
8,000
Soviet Union
Decommissioned
DF-4
5,500
7,000
China
DF-31
7,200
11,200
China
DF-5
12,000
15,000
China
DF-41
12,000
15,000
China
KN-08
1,500
12,000
North Korea
Hwasong-14
6,700
10,000
North Korea
Hwasong-15
13,000
North Korea
Agni-V
5,000
8,000
India
Russia, the United States, China,
North Korea

North Korea and
India

India are the only
countries currently known to possess land-based ICBMs,
Israel

Israel has also
tested ICBMs but is not open about actual deployment.[30][31]
A Minuteman III
ICBM

ICBM test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
United States
The United States currently operates 405 ICBMs in three USAF
bases.[32] The only model deployed is LGM-30G Minuteman-III. All
previous USAF
Minuteman II

Minuteman II missiles were destroyed in accordance with
START II, and their launch silos have been sealed or sold to the
public. The powerful MIRV-capable Peacekeeper missiles were phased out
in 2005.[33]
A Soviet R-36M (SS-18 Satan), the largest
ICBM

ICBM in history, with a
throw weight of 8,800 kg
The Russian
Strategic Rocket Forces

Strategic Rocket Forces have 286 ICBMs able to deliver 958
nuclear warheads: 46 silo-based R-36M2 (SS-18), 30 silo-based UR-100N
(SS-19), 36 mobile RT-2PM "Topol" (SS-25), 60 silo-based RT-2UTTH
"Topol M" (SS-27), 18 mobile RT-2UTTH "Topol M" (SS-27), 84 mobile
RS-24

RS-24 "Yars" (SS-29), and 12 silo-based
RS-24

RS-24 "Yars" (SS-29).[34]
China

China has developed several long range ICBMs, like the DF-31. The
Dongfeng 5 or
DF-5

DF-5 is a 3-stage liquid fuel
ICBM

ICBM and has an estimated
range of 13,000 kilometers. The
DF-5

DF-5 had its first flight in 1971 and
was in operational service 10 years later. One of the downsides of the
missile was that it took between 30 and 60 minutes to fuel. The Dong
Feng 31 (a.k.a. CSS-10) is a medium-range, three-stage,
solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile, and is a
land-based variant of the submarine-launched JL-2.
The
DF-41 or CSS-X-10 can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, which are
MIRVs and has a range of approximately 12,000–14,000 km
(7,500–8,700 mi).[35][36][37][38] The
DF-41 deployed in
underground Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Inner Mongolia area. The
mysterious underground subway
ICBM

ICBM carrier systems they called
"Underground Great Wall Project[39]".
Israel

Israel is believed to have deployed a road mobile nuclear ICBM, the
Jericho III, which entered service in 2008. It is possible for the
missile to be equipped with a single 750 kg (1,650 lb)
nuclear warhead or up to three
MIRV

MIRV warheads. It is believed to be
based on the
Shavit

Shavit space launch vehicle and is estimated to have a
range of 4,800 to 11,500 km (3,000 to 7,100 mi).[11] In
November 2011
Israel

Israel tested an
ICBM

ICBM believed to be an upgraded version
of the Jericho III.[12]
India

India has a series of ballistic missiles called Agni. On 19 April
2012,
India

India successfully test fired its first Agni-V, a three-stage
solid fueled missile, with a strike range of more than 7,500 km
(4,700 mi). The missile was test-fired for the second time on 15
September 2013.[13] On 31 January 2015,
India

India conducted a third
successful test flight of the
Agni-V

Agni-V from the Wheeler Island facility.
The test used a canisterised version of the missile, mounted over a
Tatra truck.[40]
Submarine-launched[edit]
Main article: Submarine-launched ballistic missile
Type
NATO Name
Minimum Range (km)
Maximum Range (km)
Country
Status
UGM-96 Trident I

UGM-96 Trident I (C-4)
12,000
United States
Decommissioned
UGM-133 Trident II

UGM-133 Trident II (D5LE)
12,000
United States
Operational
RSM-40[41] R-29 "Vysota"
SS-N-8 "Sawfly"
7,700
Soviet Union/Russia
Decommissioned
RSM-50[41] R-29R "Vysota"
SS-N-18

SS-N-18 "Stingray"
6,500
Soviet Union/Russia
Decommissioned
RSM-52[41] R-39 "Rif"
SS-N-20

SS-N-20 "Sturgeon"
8,300
Soviet Union/Russia
Decommissioned
RSM-54 R-29RM "Shtil"
SS-N-23 "Skiff"
8,300
Soviet Union/Russia
Decommissioned (Under rebuild to R-29RMU "Sineva")[42]
RSM-54 R-29RMU "Sineva"
SS-N-23 "Skiff"
8,300
Soviet Union/Russia
Operational
RSM-54 R-29RMU2 "Layner"
8,300
12,000
Soviet Union/Russia
Operational
RSM-56 R-30 "Bulava"
SS-NX-32[43]
8,000
8,300
Soviet Union/Russia
Operational
UGM-133 Trident II

UGM-133 Trident II (D5)
12,000
United Kingdom
Operational
M45
6,000
France
Operational
M51
8,000
10,000
France
Operational
JL-2
7,400
8,000
China
Operational
K-5
6,000
India
under deployment[44][45]
Pukkuksong-1/KN-11
500
6,700
North Korea
Under development[46]
Missile

Missile defense[edit]
Main articles:
Anti-ballistic missile

Anti-ballistic missile and
Missile

Missile defense
An anti-ballistic missile is a missile which can be deployed to
counter an incoming nuclear or non-nuclear ICBM. ICBMs can be
intercepted in three regions of their trajectory: boost phase,
mid-course phase or terminal phase. Currently China[47], the US,
Russia, France,
India

India and
Israel

Israel have developed anti-ballistic missile
systems, of which the Russian A-135 anti-ballistic missile system, US
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense, Systems have the capability to
intercept ICBMs carrying nuclear, chemical, biological, or
conventional warheads.
See also[edit]
Anti-Ballistic
Missile

Missile Treaty
Atmospheric reentry
DEFCON
Dense Pack
Emergency Action Message
General Bernard Adolph Schriever
Heavy ICBM
High-alert nuclear weapon
ICBM

ICBM address
List of ICBMs
List of states with nuclear weapons
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear navy
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear weapon
SLBM
Submarine
Throw-weight
MARV
Re-entry vehicle
Universal Rocket
References[edit]
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Special Weapons Primer.
Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
^ Dolman, Everett C.; Cooper, Henry F., Jr. "19: Increasing the
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Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 19 April
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^ Correll, John T. "World's most powerful ballistic missile".
Retrieved 2018-02-22.
^ Wade, Mark. "R-7". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved
2011-07-04.
^ "This Week in
EUCOM

EUCOM History: February 6–12, 1959". EUCOM. 6
February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012.
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^ "Atlas". The Exploration of Space. Century of Flight. Retrieved
2012-12-14.
^ "Atlas D".
Missile

Missile Threat. Archived from the original on 10 February
2012. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
^ "Atlas". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Astronautix. Retrieved
2012-04-19.
^ "DF-5". Weapons of Mass Destruction / WMD Around the World.
Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
^ "Type 92 Xia". Weapons of Mass Destruction Around the World.
Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
^ a b Feickert, Andrew (5 March 2004).
Missile

Missile Survey: Ballistic and
Cruise Missiles of Foreign Countries (PDF). Congressional Research
Service (Report). Library of Congress. RL30427. Retrieved
2010-06-21.
^ a b Pfeffer, Anshel (2 November 2011). "IDF test-fires ballistic
missile in central Israel". Haaretz. Reuters. Retrieved
2011-11-03.
^ a b Mallikarjun, Y; Subramanian, TS (19 April 2012). "Agni-V
successfully test-fired". The Hindu. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
^ "
India

India downplayed Agni-V's capacity: Chinese experts". Beijing,
China: The Hindustan Times. Indo-Asian News Service. 20 April 2012.
Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 13 July
2014.
^ "North Korea's Taepodong and Unha Missiles". Programs. Federation of
American Scientists. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
^ "
North Korea

North Korea says it successfully launched satellite into orbit".
NBC News. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
^ "
China

China 'confirms new generation long range missiles'".
Telegraph.co.uk. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
^ "South Africa". astronautix.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
^ "Jericho". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Astronautix. Archived from the
original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
^ a b Новую тяжелую ракету "Сармат" будут
делать в Красноярске Rossiyskaya Gazeta, 2 Feb 2015.
^ "РС-28 / ОКР Сармат, ракета 15А28 - SS-X-30
(проект) - MilitaryRussia.Ru — отечественная
военная техника (после 1945г.)".
militaryrussia.ru. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ Batchelor, Tom (15 June 2016). "
Russia

Russia testing hypersonic nuclear
glider that holds 24 warheads and travels at 7,000mph". Retrieved 20
February 2018.
^ Sputnik. "Russian Top Secret Hypersonic Glider Can Penetrate Any
Missile

Missile Defense". sputniknews.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ "SS-30 ?? / R-X-?
Sarmat New Heavy ICBM". globalsecurity.org.
Retrieved 17 January 2015.
^ "
Russia

Russia plans new
ICBM

ICBM to replace Cold War 'Satan' missile".
Reuters. 17 Dec 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
^ "Минобороны рассказало о тяжелой
баллистической ракете - неуязвимом
для ПРО ответе США". Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ Science & Global Security, 1992, Volume 3, pp.101-159 Depressed
Trajectory

Trajectory SLBMs: A Technical Evaluation and Arms Control
Possibilities [1]
^ "Israeli Arrow ABM System is Operational as War Butts Darken".
Israel

Israel High-Tech & Investment Report. November 2002. Retrieved
2012-04-19.
^ "Fort Greely". Systems.
Missile

Missile Threat. 8 December 1998. Archived
from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
^ "ICBM". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
^
India

India test launches
Agni-V

Agni-V long-range missile, UK: BBC News, April
19, 2012, retrieved 2016-03-11 .
^ "New START Treaty Aggregate Numbers of Strategic Offensive Arms".
Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ Edwards, Joshua S. (20 September 2005). "Peacekeeper missile mission
ends during ceremony". US: Air force. Archived from the original on
2012-10-18. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
^ Podvig, Pavel (13 December 2007). "Strategic Rocket Forces". Russian
Strategic Nuclear Forces. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ "Five types of missiles to debut on National Day". Xinhua. 2
September 2009. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015.
Retrieved 6 April 2010.
^ "DF-41, CSS-X-10". Weapons of Mass Destruction. Global security.
Retrieved 6 April 2010.
^ "
DF-41 (CSS-X-10; China)". Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems. Jane's
Information Group. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
^ "
DF-41 (CSS-X-10)".
Missile

Missile Threat. Archived from the original on 8
April 2016. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
^ Zhang, Hui. "China's underground Great Wall: subterranean ballistic
missile". Power & Policy. Power and Policy, Belfer Center for
Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government,
Harvard University. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
^ "Agni 5, India's Longest Range Ballistic Missile, Successfully
Test-Fired". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
^ a b c Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt
Peterburg, 2003, ISBN 5-8172-0069-4
^ "SSBN K-51 Verkhoturye arrived to Zvezdochka for repairs today".
Rusnavy.com. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
^ NASIC-1031-0985-09
^ "Going nuclear at sea". The Indian Express. 19 March 2015. Retrieved
11 January 2017.
^ "India's First Ballistic
Missile

Missile Sub to Begin Sea Trials". The
Diplomat. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
^ (2nd LD) N.K. leader calls
SLBM

SLBM launch success, boasts of nuke
attack capacity – Yonhap, 25 August 2016 08:17 am
^ "
China

China conducts successful interception of ballistic missile".
Retrieved 20 February 2018.
Further reading[edit]
J. K. Golovanov, M., "Korolev: Facts and myths", Nauka, 1994,
ISBN 5-02-000822-2
"Rockets and people" – B. E. Chertok, M: "mechanical engineering",
1999. ISBN 5-217-02942-0 (in Russian);
"Testing of rocket and space technology - the business of my life"
Events and facts - A.I. Ostashev, Korolyov, 2001.[2]
"Nesterenko" series Lives of great people - Authors: Gregory Sukhina
A., Ivkin, Vladimir Ivanovich, publishing house "Young guard" in 2015,
ISBN 978-5-235-03801-1
External links[edit]
Missile

Missile Defense Agency, US: Department of Defense, archived from the
original on 1 March 2006 .
Estimated Strategic Nuclear Weapons Inventories, Rice, September
2004 .
The 10 longest range Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles .
Intercontinental Ballistic and Cruise Missiles (guide), US: FAS
Hawes, Kingdon R. "King", Lt Col, USAF (Ret.), A Tale of Two
Airplanes, RC135 .
ICBM

ICBM Modernization: Approaches to Basing Options and Interoperable
Warhead
.jpg/600px-B-61_bomb_(DOE).jpg)
Warhead Designs Need Better Planning and Synchronization: Report to
Congressional Committees Government Accountability Office
v
t
e
Types of missile
By platform
Cruise missile
Air-launched cruise missile

Air-launched cruise missile (ALCM)
Submarine-launched cruise missile

Submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM)
Air-to-air missile
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Air-to-air missile (AAM)
Air-to-surface missile

Air-to-surface missile (ASM)
Surface-to-air missile

Surface-to-air missile (SAM)
Surface-to-surface missile (SSM)
Ballistic missile
Air-launched ballistic missile

Air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM)
Intercontinental ballistic missile

Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
Intermediate-range ballistic missile

Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM)
Medium-range ballistic missile

Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM)
Short-range ballistic missile

Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM)
Tactical ballistic missile
Theatre ballistic missile
Submarine-launched ballistic missile

Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)
Standoff missiles
Shoulder-fired missile
Hypersonic glide vehicle
Beyond-visual-range missile

Beyond-visual-range missile (BVR)
By target type
Anti-ballistic missile

Anti-ballistic missile (ABM)
Anti-satellite weapon

Anti-satellite weapon (ASAT)
Anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM)
Anti-ship missile
.jpg/440px-AGM-84_Harpoon_launched_from_USS_Leahy_(CG-16).jpg)
Anti-ship missile (AShM)
Anti-submarine missile
Anti-tank missile

Anti-tank missile (ATGM)
Land-attack missile (LACM)
Man-portable air-defense systems

Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS)
By guidance
Unguided
Radar guidance
Radar altimeter
Active radar guidance (ARH)
Semi-active radar guidance (SAHR)
Passive radar
Passive homing
Track-via-missile (TVM)
Anti-radiation (ARM)
Command guidance
Command to line-of-sight guidance

Command to line-of-sight guidance (CLOS)
Command off line-of-sight guidance (COLOS)
Manual command to line of sight (MCLOS)
Semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS)
Automatic Command to Line-Of-Sight (ACLOS)
Pursuit guidance
Q-guidance
Beam riding (LOSBR)
Infrared guidance
Laser guidance
Wire guidance
Satellite guidance
Inertial guidance
Astro-inertial guidance
Terrestrial guidance
TERPROM
TERCOM
DSMAC
Terminal guidance
Automatic target recognition

Automatic target recognition (ATR)
Radio guidance
TV guidance
Contrast seeker
Compass
Fire-and-forget
Lists
List of military rockets
List of missiles
List of missiles by country
List of anti-ship missiles
List of anti-tank missiles
List of ICBMs
List of surface-to-air missiles
See also: Sounding rocket
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