ballistic missile
탄도미사일
A missile that follows a ballistic trajectory, powered only during a brief initial boost phase and then coasting under inertia for the remainder of its flight. It is fundamentally distinct from a cruise missile, which sustains guided, powered flight within the atmosphere, and from a bomber aircraft; ballistic missiles are far harder to intercept and reach their targets in minutes, making them the backbone of Cold War nuclear deterrence. At the 1986 Reykjavik summit, Reagan proposed eliminating all US and Soviet ballistic missiles within ten years, one of the most radical proposals in the history of nuclear arms control.
In depth
Flight principles
A ballistic missile's flight has three phases. In the boost phase, rocket engines burn for several minutes, accelerating the missile onto a pre-programmed trajectory. The mid-course phase is the longest: unpowered, outside the atmosphere, and for ICBMs apogee reaches roughly 4,500 km while speeds exceed 20,000 km/h. In the terminal phase, the warhead re-enters the atmosphere and strikes the target. Quasi-ballistic missiles deviate from this path by maneuvering within the atmosphere.
Classification by range
- Tactical ballistic missile (TBM): under 300 km
- Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM): 300–1,000 km
- Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM): 1,000–3,500 km
- Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM): 3,500–5,500 km
- Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): over 5,500 km
History
The first operational ballistic missile was Nazi Germany's V-2 (A-4), which struck Paris and London in September 1944. The V-2 could not be intercepted; after the war, the US and USSR captured its technology, personnel, and documents, making it the foundation of both countries' missile and space programs. The Soviet R-7 Semyorka completed the first successful ICBM flight in August 1957, and a modified version placed Sputnik 1 into orbit that October. Solid-fuel propulsion, MIRV technology, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) later made ballistic missiles the core of the nuclear triad.
Role in arms control
Ballistic missiles, fast and nearly impossible to intercept, were at the centre of arms control. The 1972 ABM Treaty limited defences against them; the 1987 INF Treaty eliminated all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500–5,500 km. At Reykjavik (October 1986), Reagan proposed eliminating all ballistic missiles within ten years and Gorbachev countered with the elimination of all strategic nuclear forces. The summit broke down over a single word, laboratories, governing SDI testing, but its proposals paved the way for the INF Treaty and START.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) core article: flight phases, range classification, history from V-2 through Cold War ICBMs, MIRVs, SLBMs, and arms control treaties
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian-language article: definition, Циолковский theoretical foundations, V-2 lineage, Soviet missile development from R-1 through R-7
- armscontrol.org Arms Control Association analysis by Amb. James Goodby: Reykjavik summit details, Reagan proposal to eliminate all ballistic missiles within 10 years, distinction between ballistic missiles and other nuclear forces, the 'laboratories' breakdown, and the summit's link to INF/START treaties
- ahf.nuclearmuseum.org Nuclear Museum: Reykjavik summit narrative, Gorbachev's January 1986 three-stage elimination proposal, Reagan's counter-proposal, SDI as the sticking point