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ballistic missile
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Peacekeeper missile
Peacekeeper missile Test launch of LGM-118A Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

ballistic missile

rocket
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ballistic missile, a rocket-propelled self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver a payload from its launch site to a predetermined target. Ballistic missiles can carry conventional high explosives as well as chemical, biological, or nuclear munitions. They can be launched from aircraft, ships, and submarines in addition to land-based silos and mobile platforms (see rocket and missile system: Ballistic missiles).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.