missiles

A missile is a guided or unguided projectile that is propelled by a rocket or jet engine and designed to deliver a warhead to a target at distance. Missiles differ from rockets primarily in their onboard guidance and control systems, which allow trajectory adjustment during flight.

Core components include a propulsion system, a guidance and control system, airframe with control surfaces, and a payload. Propulsion can be solid or liquid propellants; advanced systems may use ramjets or turbojets for cruise missiles and long-range missiles.

Missiles are commonly categorized by flight profile: ballistic missiles follow a suborbital arc and release their payload on impact or detonation; cruise missiles fly below or at the speed of sound with a guided path over long ranges. Other classes include air-to-air, air-to-surface, surface-to-air, and anti-ship missiles.

Guidance systems range from inertial navigation and satellite navigation (such as GPS) to terminal guidance using radar or infrared seekers, enabling precision targeting even in contested environments. Warheads are typically explosive, but may include submunitions, penetrators, or, in some cases, nuclear, chemical, or conventional payloads.

Missiles are launched from land, sea, and air platforms, with submarine-launched ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles among the most capable in modern arsenals. The use and proliferation of missiles have driven arms-control and export-control regimes aimed at preventing the spread of missile technologies while allowing legitimate research and defense needs.