misiles

Missiles are self-propelled weapons designed to deliver a payload to a target over a distance. They can be unguided or guided and are launched from land, sea, aircraft, or submarines. Guided missiles use onboard or remote navigation systems to adjust their flight path, while unguided missiles follow a predetermined trajectory after launch.

Core components of a missile include propulsion, guidance, control surfaces, airframe, and warhead. Propulsion is typically provided by solid or liquid rocket motors, though some designs use turbojets or ramjets. Guidance systems may include inertial navigation, global positioning, terrain contour matching, radar or infrared homing, and command guidance, often used in combination to improve accuracy. Control surfaces and fins enable steering during flight, while the warhead delivers the destructive payload.

Missiles carry a variety of warheads, ranging from conventional high-explosive and fragmentation types to submunitions, and in some cases specialized payloads such as nuclear, anti-ship, or anti-tank warheads. The platforms that launch missiles are diverse and include surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, air-to-air missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic or cruise missiles.

In development and use, missiles evolved from early rockets to modern guided systems, with expanding range, precision, and versatility. Ballistic missiles ascend under powered propulsion, coast, then re-enter toward the target, whereas cruise missiles fly within the atmosphere with continuous guidance. International controls, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime, seek to limit proliferation by restricting access to certain missile technologies and related components.