Warhead

{{Short description|Section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic material}}{{Other uses}} {{no footnotes|date=February 2014}} [[File:B-61 bomb (DOE).jpg|thumb|300px|A B61 nuclear bomb in various stages of assembly; the nuclear warhead is the bullet-shaped silver canister in the middle-left of the photograph.]]

A '''warhead''' is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb.

==Classification== Types of warheads include: *Explosive: An explosive charge is used to destroy the target and damage surrounding areas with a blast wave. **Conventional: Chemicals such as gunpowder and high explosives store significant energy within their molecular bonds. This energy can be released quickly by a trigger, such as an electric spark. Thermobaric weapons enhance the blast effect by utilizing the surrounding atmosphere in their explosive reactions. ***Blast: A strong shock wave is provided by the detonation of the explosive. ***Fragmentation: Metal fragments are projected at high velocity to cause damage or injury. ***Continuous rod: Metal bars welded on their ends form a compact cylinder of interconnected rods, which is violently expanded into a contiguous zig-zag-shaped ring by an explosive detonation. The rapidly expanding ring produces a planar cutting effect that is devastating against military aircraft, which may be designed to be resistant to shrapnel. ***Shaped charge: The effect of the explosive charge is focused onto a specially shaped metal liner to project a hypervelocity jet of metal, to perforate heavy armour. ****Explosively formed penetrator: Instead of turning a thin metal liner into a focused jet, the detonation wave is directed against a concave metal plate at the front of the warhead, propelling it at high velocity while simultaneously deforming it into a projectile. **Nuclear: A runaway nuclear fission (fission bomb) or nuclear fusion (Thermonuclear weapon) reaction causes immense energy release. *Chemical: A toxic chemical, such as poison gas or nerve gas, is dispersed, which is designed to injure or kill human beings. *Biological: An infectious agent, such as anthrax spores, is dispersed, which is designed to sicken or kill humans.

Often, a biological or chemical warhead will use an explosive charge for rapid dispersal and enhanced damage.

== Detonators == Explosive warheads contain detonators to trigger the explosion.

Types of detonators include:

{| class="wikitable"

!Type !Definition |- |Contact |When the warhead makes physical contact with the target, the explosive is detonated. Sometimes combined with a delay, to detonate a specific amount of time after contact. |- |Proximity |Using radar, sonar, a magnetic sensor, or a laser, the warhead is detonated when the target is within a specified distance. It is often coupled with directional explosion control system that ensures that the explosion sends the fragmentation primarily towards the target that triggered it. |- |Timed |Warhead is detonated after a specific amount of time. |- |Altitude |Warhead is detonated once it falls to a specified altitude, usually in an air burst. |- |Remote |Remotely detonated via signal from operator. (Not normally used for warheads except for self-destruction) |- |Combined |Any combination of the above. |}

==References== {{Commons category|Warheads}} #{{Cite web |date=9 January 2007 |title=The B61 (Mk-61) Bomb |url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/B61.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130163335/https://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/B61.html |archive-date=Nov 30, 2023 |website=The Nuclear Weapon Archive}} #{{cite web |website=GlobalSecurity.org |title=B61 |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b61.htm |date=April 16, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316070648/https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b61.htm |archive-date= Mar 16, 2023 }} #{{Cite web |title=B61 Nuclear Gravity Bomb |url=http://www.brookings.edu/projects/archive/nucweapons/b61.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310070922/http://www.brookings.edu/projects/archive/nucweapons/b61.aspx |archive-date=Mar 10, 2012 |website=Brookings Institution}} #Stephen I. Schwartz. "[http://www.brookings.edu/press/Books/1998/atomic.aspx Atomic Audit - The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940]". Brookings Institution Press, 1998. #{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=B61 Thermonuclear Bomb |url=http://www.hill.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5707 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525134453/http://www.hill.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5707 |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |website=Hill Air Force Base}} #{{Cite web |date=June 30, 2006 |title=NNSA Achieves Significant Milestone for B61 Bomb |url=http://nnsa.energy.gov/news/1032.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730194433/http://nnsa.energy.gov/news/1032.htm |archive-date=Jul 30, 2009 |website=NNSA}} #Chuck Hansen, U.S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History, (New York: Orion Books, 1988), pp. 162–164.

Category:Ammunition Category:Explosive weapons Category:Missiles