Wikipedia

Intercontinental ballistic missile

(Redirected fromICBM)
"ICBM" redirects here. For other uses, seeICBM (disambiguation).

Anintercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) is aballistic missilewith arangegreater than 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi),[1]primarily designed fornuclear weapons delivery(delivering one or morethermonuclear warheads).Conventional,chemical,andbiologicalweapons can also be delivered with varying effectiveness, but have never been deployed on ICBMs. Most modern designs supportmultiple independently targetable reentry vehicle(MIRVs), allowing a single missile to carry several warheads, each of which can strike a different target. TheUnited States,Russia,China,France,India,theUnited Kingdom,Israel,andNorth Koreaare the only countries known to have operational ICBMs.Pakistanis the only nuclear-armed state that does not possess ICBMs.

Topol-Mlaunch from silo
Minuteman III launch fromVandenberg Space Force Base,California, United States of America on 9 February 2023.

Early ICBMs hadlimited precision,which made them suitable for use onlyagainst 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) demanded the use of a more precise, crewedbomber.Second- and third-generation designs (such as theLGM-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) andtactical ballistic missiles.

History

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World War II

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Primary views of anR-7 Semyorka,the world's first ICBM and satellite launch vehicle

The first practical design for an ICBM grew out ofNazi Germany'sV-2 rocketprogram. The liquid-fueled V-2, designed byWernher von Braunand his team, was then widely used by Nazi Germany from mid-1944 until March 1945 to bomb British and Belgian cities, particularly Antwerp and London.

UnderProjekt Amerika,von Braun's team developed theA9/10ICBM, intended for use in bombing New York and other American cities. Initially intended to be guided by radio, it was changed to be a piloted craft after the failure ofOperation Elster.The second stage of the A9/A10 rocket was tested a few times in January and February 1945.

After the war, the US executedOperation Paperclip,which took von Braun and hundreds of other leading Nazi scientists to the United States to developIRBMs,ICBMs, andlaunchersfor the US Army.

This technology was predicted by US General of the ArmyHap 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

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After World War II, the Americans and the Soviets started rocket research programs based on the V-2 and other German wartime designs. Each branch of the US military started its own programs, leading to considerable duplication of effort. In the Soviet Union, rocket research was centrally organized although several teams worked on different designs.

The US initiated ICBM research in 1946 with theRTV-A-2 Hirocproject. This was a three-stage effort with the ICBM development not starting until the third stage. However, funding was cut in 1948 after only three partially successful launches of the second stage design, that was used to test variations of the V-2 design. With overwhelming air superiority and truly intercontinental bombers, the newly formedUS Air Forcedid not take the problem of ICBM development seriously. Things changed in 1953 with the Soviet testing oftheir firstthermonuclear weapon,but it was not until 1954 that theAtlas missileprogram 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 exploded. The first successful flight of an Atlas missile to full range occurred 28 November 1958.[4]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,[5]and the missile was accepted for service on 1 September. TheTitan Iwas another US multistage ICBM, with a successful launch February 5, 1959, with Titan I A3. Unlike the Atlas, the Titan I was a two-stage missile, rather than three. The Titan was larger, yet lighter, than the Atlas. Due to the improvements in engine technology and guidance systems the Titan I overtook the Atlas.[6]

AnSM-65 Atlas,the first US ICBM, first launched in 1957

In the Soviet Union, early development was focused on missiles able to attack European targets. That changed in 1953, whenSergei Korolyovwas directed to start development of a true ICBM able to deliver newly developed hydrogen bombs. Given steady funding throughout, theR-7developed 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.[7]The first strategic-missile unit became operational on 9 February 1959 atPlesetskin north-west Russia.[8]

It was the sameR-7launch vehiclethat placed the first artificial satellite in space,Sputnik,on 4 October 1957. The firsthuman spaceflightin history was accomplished on a derivative of R-7,Vostok,on12 April 1961,bySovietcosmonautYuri Gagarin.A heavily modernized version of the R-7 is still used as thelaunch vehiclefor the Soviet/RussianSoyuz spacecraft,marking more than 60 years of operational history ofSergei Korolyov's original rocket design.

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 technology. 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 Soviets in theSpace Raceand so US PresidentJohn F. Kennedyincreased the stakes with theApollo program,which usedSaturn rockettechnology that had been funded by PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower.

1965 graph of USAFAtlasand Titan ICBM launches, cumulative by month with failures highlighted (pink), showing howNASA'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 includeR-7,Atlas,Redstone,Titan,andProton,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 theLGM-30 Minuteman,PolarisandSkybolt.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 ofmutual assured destruction.In the 1950s and 1960s, development began onanti-ballistic missilesystems by both the Americans and Soviets. Such systems were restricted by the 1972Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.The first successful ABM test was conducted by the Soviets in 1961, which later deployed a fully operational system defending Moscow in the 1970s (seeMoscow ABM system).

The 1972SALTtreaty froze the number of ICBM launchers of both the Americans and the Soviets at existing levels and allowed newsubmarine-basedSLBMlaunchers only if an equal number of land-based 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 US and Soviets. SALT II was never ratified by theUS Senate,but its terms were honored by both sides until 1986, when the Reagan administration "withdrew" after it had accused the Soviets of violating the pact.

In the 1980s, PresidentRonald Reaganlaunched theStrategic Defense Initiativeas well as theMXandMidgetmanICBM programs.

China developed a minimal independent nuclear deterrent entering its own cold war after anideological splitwith the Soviet Union beginning in the early 1960s. After first testing a domestic builtnuclear weaponin 1964, it went on to develop various warheads and missiles. Beginning in the early 1970s, the liquid fuelledDF-5ICBM was developed and used as a satellite launch vehicle in 1975. The DF-5, with a range of 10,000 to 12,000 km (6,200 to 7,500 mi)—long enough to strike the Western United States and the Soviet Union—was silo deployed, with the first pair in service by 1981 and possibly twenty missiles in service by the late 1990s.[9]China also deployed theJL-1Medium-range ballistic missilewith a reach of 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi) aboard the ultimately unsuccessfulType 092 submarine.[10]

Post–Cold War

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Deployment history of land-based ICBM, 1959–2014

In 1991, the United States and theSoviet Unionagreed in theSTART Itreaty to reduce their deployed ICBMs and attributed warheads.

As of 2016,all five of the nations with permanent seats on theUnited Nations Security Councilhave fully operational long-range ballistic missile systems; Russia, the United States, and China also have land-based ICBMs (the US missiles are silo-based, while China and Russia have both silo and road-mobile (DF-31,RT-2PM2 Topol-Mmissiles).

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

Indiasuccessfully test firedAgni V,with a strike range of more than 5,000 km (3,100 mi) on 19 April 2012, claiming entry into the 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]On 15 December 2022, first night trial of Agni-V was successfully carried out by SFC from Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The missile is now 20 percent lighter because the use of composite materials rather than steel material. The range has been increased to 7,000 km.[15]

By 2012 there was speculation by someintelligence agenciesthatNorth Koreais developing an ICBM.[16]North Korea successfully put asatelliteinto space on 12 December 2012 using the 32-metre-tall (105 ft)Unha-3rocket. The United States claimed that the launch was in fact a way to test an ICBM.[17](SeeTimeline of first orbital launches by country.) In early July 2017, North Korea claimed for the first time to have tested successfully an ICBM capable of carrying a large thermonuclear warhead.

In July 2014, 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 withMIRVtechnology.[18]

Most countries in the early stages of developing ICBMs have used liquid propellants, with the known exceptions being theIndianAgni-V,the planned but cancelled[19]South African RSA-4 ICBM, and the now in service IsraeliJericho III.[20]

TheRS-28 Sarmat[21](Russian: РС-28 Сармат;NATO reporting name:SATAN 2), is a Russianliquid-fueled,MIRV-equipped,super-heavythermonucleararmed intercontinental ballistic missile in development by theMakeyev Rocket Design Bureau[21]from 2009,[22]intended to replace the previousR-36 missile.Its large payload would allow for up to 10 heavywarheadsor 15 lighter ones or up to 24 hypersonic glide vehiclesYu-74,[23]or a combination of warheads and massive amounts ofcountermeasuresdesigned to defeatanti-missile systems;[24]it was announced by the Russian military as a response to the USPrompt Global Strike.[25]

In July 2023, North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile that landed short of Japanese waters. The launch follows North Korea's threat to retaliate against the US for alleged spy plane incursions.[26]

Flight phases

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The following flight phases can be distinguished:[27][28]

  1. Boost phase,which can last from 3 to 5 minutes. It is shorter for asolid-fuel rocketthan for aliquid-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). The altitude of the missile at the end of this phase is typically 150 to 400 km (93 to 249 mi).
  2. Midcourse phase,which lasts approx. 25 minutes, issub-orbital spaceflightwith the flightpath being a part of anellipsewith a vertical major axis. Theapogee(halfway through the midcourse phase) is at an altitude of approximately 1,200 km (750 mi). Thesemi-major axisis between 3,186 and 6,372 km (1,980 and 3,959 mi) and the projection of the flightpath on the Earth's surface is close to agreat circle,though slightly displaced due to earth rotation during the time of flight. In this phase, the missile may release several independent warheads andpenetration aids,such as metallic-coated balloons, aluminumchaff,and full-scale warheaddecoys.
  3. Reentry/Terminal phase, which lasts two minutes starting at an altitude of 100 km; 62 mi. At the end of this phase, the missile's payload will impact the target, with impact 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 alsomaneuverable reentry vehicle.

ICBMs usually use the trajectory which optimizes range for a given amount of payload (theminimum-energy trajectory); an alternative is adepressed trajectory,which allows less payload, shorter flight time, and has a much lower apogee.[29]

Modern ICBMs

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Schematic view of a submarine-launchedTrident IID5 nuclear missile system, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads up to 8,000 km (5,000 mi)

Modern ICBMs typically carrymultiple independently targetable reentry vehicles(MIRVs), each of which carries a separatenuclearwarhead,allowing a single missile to hit multiple targets. MIRV was an outgrowth of the rapidly shrinking size and weight of modern warheads and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALT IandSALT II), which imposed limitations on the number of launch vehicles. It has also proved to be an "easy answer" to proposed deployments ofanti-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 United States during the 1970s. TheSafeguard ABMfacility, located in North Dakota, was operational from 1975 to 1976. The Soviets deployed theirABM-1 Galoshsystem around Moscow in the 1970s, which remains in service. Israel deployed a national ABM system based on theArrow missilein 1998,[30]but it is mainly designed to intercept shorter-ranged theater ballistic missiles, not ICBMs. The Alaska-basedUnited States national missile defensesystem attained initial operational capability in 2004.[31]

ICBMs can be deployed fromtransporter erector launchers(TEL), such as the RussianRT-2PM2 Topol-M

ICBMs can be deployed from multiple platforms:

The last three kinds are mobile and therefore hard to detect prior to a missile launch. During storage, one of the most important features of the missile is its serviceability. One of the key features of the firstcomputer-controlledICBM, theMinuteman missile,was that it could quickly and easily use its computer to test itself.

SS-24rail-based ICBM launch

After launch, aboosterpushes the missile and then falls away. Most modern boosters areSolid-propellant rocket motors,which can be stored easily for long periods of time. Early missiles usedliquid-fueled rocket motors.Many liquid-fueled ICBMs could not be kept fueled at all times as thecryogenic fuelliquid oxygenboiled 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 Nazi Germany invented themissile silothat protected the missile fromStrategic Bombingand also hid fueling operations underground.[citation needed]

Although theUSSR/Russia preferred ICBM designs that use hypergolic liquid fuels, which can be stored at room temperature for more than a few years.

Once the booster falls away, the remaining "bus" releases several warheads, each of which continues on its own unpowered ballistictrajectory,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.[citation needed]

Many[who?]authorities say that missiles also release aluminized balloons, electronic noisemakers, and other decoysintended to confuse interception devices and radars.[citation needed]

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. In one design, warhead components are contained within an aluminiumhoneycomb substructure,sheathed in apyrolytic carbon-epoxysynthetic resincomposite materialheat shield.[citation needed]Warheads are also often radiation-hardened (to protect against nuclear armed ABMs or the nearby detonation of friendly warheads), one neutron-resistant material developed for this purpose in the UK isthree-dimensional quartz phenolic.[citation needed]

Circular error probableis crucial, because halving the circular error probable decreases the needed warhead energy by afactor of four.Accuracy is limited by the accuracy of the navigation system and the availablegeodeticinformation.

Strategic missile systems are thought to use customintegrated circuitsdesigned to calculatenavigationaldifferential equationsthousands to millions ofFLOPSin 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 – theFractional Orbital Bombardment System– had a partialorbitaltrajectory, 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,[who?]Russia is working on the newSarmatICBM which leverages Fractional Orbital Bombardment concepts to use a Southern polar approach instead of flying over the northern polar regions.[citation needed]Using that approach, it is theorized, avoids the American missile defense batteries in California and Alaska.

New development of ICBM technology are ICBMs able to carry hypersonic glide vehicles as apayloadsuch asRS-28 Sarmat.

On 12 March 2024 India announced that it had joined a very limited group of countries, which are capable of firing multiple warheads on a single ICBM. The announcement came after successfully testing multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology.[32]

Specific ICBMs

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Main articles:Comparison of ICBMsandList of ICBMs

Land-based ICBMs

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A USPeacekeepermissile launched from a silo
Testing of thePeacekeeperre-entry vehiclesat theKwajalein Atoll.All eight fired from only one missile. Each line, if its warhead were live, represents the potential explosive power of about 300kilotonsof TNT, about nineteen times larger than thedetonationofthe atomic bombinHiroshima.
Operational
Under development
Decommissioned or cancelled
Type Minimum range (km) Maximum range (km) Country
LGM-30 MinutemanIII 14,000 United States
RS-28 Sarmat 18,000 Russia
RT-2UTTH "Topol M" (SS-27) 11,000 Russia
RS-24 "Yars" (SS-29) 11,000 Russia
UR-100N 10,000 Soviet Union

Russia

R-36 (SS-18) 10,200 16,000 Soviet Union

Russia

DF-4 5,500 7,000 China
DF-31 7,200 11,200 China
DF-5 5,000 9,000 China
DF-41 12,000 15,000 China
Hwasong-14 6,700 10,000 North Korea
Hwasong-15 13,000 North Korea
Hwasong-17 15,000 North Korea
Hwasong-18 15,000 North Korea
Hwasong-19 18,000 North Korea
Agni-V 7,000 10,000 India
Jericho III 11,500 Israel
LGM-35 Sentinel United States
Agni-VI 8,000 12,000 India
RS-26 Rubezh 5,800 Russia
Surya 12,000 16,000 India
Jericho IV[33] Israel
LGM-30F Minuteman II 11,265 United States
LGM-30A/B Minuteman I 10,186 United States
LGM-118 Peacekeeper 14,000 United States
Titan II(SM-68B, LGM-25C) 16,000 United States
Titan I(SM-68, HGM-25A) 11,300 United States
SM-65 Atlas(SM-65, CGM-16) 10,138 United States
MGM-134 Midgetman 11,000 United States
RTV-A-2 Hiroc 2,400 8,000 United States
RT-2 10,186 Soviet Union
RT-23 Molodets 11,000 Soviet Union

Russia

RT-21 Temp 2S 10,500 Soviet Union
R-9 Desna 16,000 Soviet Union
R-16 13,000 Soviet Union
R-26 12,000 Soviet Union
MR-UR-100 Sotka 1,000 10,320 Soviet Union

Russia

UR-100 10,600 Soviet Union
UR-200 12,000 Soviet Union
RT-20P 11,000 Soviet Union
R-7 Semyorka 8,000 8,800 Soviet Union
Hwasong-13 1,500 12,000 North Korea

Russia, the United States, China, North Korea, India and Israel are the only countries currently known to possess land-based ICBMs.[34][35]

AMinuteman IIIICBM test launch fromVandenberg Air Force Base,United States

The United States currently operates 405 ICBMs in threeUSAFbases.[36]The only model deployed isLGM-30G Minuteman-III.All previous USAFMinuteman IImissiles were destroyed in accordance withSTART II,and their launch silos have been sealed or sold to the public. The powerful MIRV-capablePeacekeepermissiles were phased out in 2005.[37]

A SovietR-36M(SS-18 Satan), the largest ICBM in history, with athrow weightof 8,800 kg

The RussianStrategic Rocket Forceshave 286 ICBMs able to deliver 958 nuclear warheads: 46 silo-basedR-36M2 (SS-18),30 silo-basedUR-100N(SS-19), 36 mobileRT-2PM "Topol" (SS-25),60 silo-basedRT-2UTTH "Topol M" (SS-27),18 mobileRT-2UTTH "Topol M" (SS-27),84 mobileRS-24"Yars" (SS-29), and 12 silo-basedRS-24"Yars" (SS-29).[38]

China has developed several long-range ICBMs, like theDF-31.The Dongfeng 5 orDF-5is a 3-stage liquid fuel ICBM and has an estimated range of 13,000 kilometers. The 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. TheDong 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.

TheDF-41or CSS-X-10 can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, which areMIRVsand has a range of approximately 12,000–14,000 km (7,500–8,700 mi).[39][40][41]The DF-41 deployed underground in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Inner Mongolia. The mysterious underground subway ICBM carrier systems are called the "Underground Great Wall Project".[42]

Israel is believed to have deployed a road mobile nuclear ICBM, theJericho 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 threeMIRVwarheads. It is believed to be based on theShavitspace 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 tested an ICBM believed to be an upgraded version of the Jericho III.[12]

Indiahas a series of ballistic missiles calledAgni.On 19 April 2012, India successfully test fired its firstAgni-V,a three-stage solid fueled missile, with a strike range of more than 7,500 km (4,700 mi). Missile was test-fired for the second time on 15 September 2013.[13]On 31 January 2015, India conducted a third successful test flight of the Agni-V from theAbdul Kalam Islandfacility. The test used a canisterised version of the missile, mounted over a Tata truck.[43]On 15 December 2022, first night trial of Agni-V was successfully carried out by SFC from Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The missile is now 20 percent lighter because the use of composite materials rather than steel material. The range has been increased to 7,000 km.[15]

Submarine-launched ICBMs

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Main article:Submarine-launched ballistic missile
Operational
Under development
Decommissioned or Cancelled
Type Minimum range (km) Maximum range (km) Country
UGM-133 Trident II(D5) 12,000 United States

United Kingdom

RSM-54 R-29RMU "Sineva" 11,500 Russia
RSM-54 R-29RMU2 "Layner" 8,300 12,000 Russia
RSM-56 R-30 "Bulava" 8,000 9,300 Russia
M51 8,000 10,000 France
JL-2 7,400 8,000 China
JL-3 10,000 12,000 China
K-5 5,000 India
K-6 8,000 12,000 India
M45[44] 6,000 France
UGM-96 Trident I(C-4) 12,000 United States
RSM-40[45]R-29 "Vysota" 7,700 Soviet Union

Russia

RSM-50[45]R-29R "Vysota" 6,500 Soviet Union

Russia

RSM-52[45]R-39 "Rif" 8,300 Soviet Union

Russia

RSM-54 R-29RM "Shtil" 8,300 Soviet Union

Russia

Missile defense

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Main articles:Anti-ballistic missileandMissile 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. The United States, Russia, India, France, Israel, and China[46]have now developed anti-ballistic missile systems, of which the RussianA-135 anti-ballistic missile system,the AmericanGround-Based Midcourse Defense,the IndianPrithvi Defence Vehicle Mark-IIand the IsraeliArrow 3are the only systems having the capability to intercept and shoot down ICBMs carryingnuclear,chemical,biological,or conventionalwarheads.

See also

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References

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Further reading

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