warhead

Warhead refers to the payload carried by a missile, torpedo, or other delivery system, and is designed to achieve a strategic or tactical effect on target. The warhead is the portion that detonates or releases its content, separate from the vehicle’s guidance, propulsion, and fuzing systems. The term encompasses a broad range of devices, from conventional explosive warheads to those designed to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological, or other specialized payloads.

Categories include nuclear warheads, which use fissile material to trigger a nuclear reaction; conventional high-explosive warheads, which produce a blast and fragmentation; incendiary or submunition warheads, which deploy smaller munitions; and, historically, chemical or radiological warheads, though their development and use are heavily restricted by international law.

Deployment and architecture: in ballistic missiles, warheads may reside inside a reentry vehicle and are released during ascent or descent; some systems are designed to carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) to deliver several warheads from a single missile. Conventional warheads are also used on air-delivered bombs and ground-launched missiles.

Safety, control, and disposal: warheads are manufactured and stored under strict safety protocols, with safing, arming, and environmental-hardening measures to prevent accidental detonation. Arms-control treaties govern testing, deployment, dismantling, and verification to reduce proliferation and risk.