Ballistic weapons are not just rockets that fly in an arc. Their principle of operation is based on the fact that after acceleration in the atmosphere, a shell or rocket moves by inertia in the field of gravity, like a thrown stone or a shell fired from a cannon. That is why the trajectory of such weapons is called ballistic. Three Phases of Flight The entire path of a ballistic missile from launch to target is divided into three distinct stages. Active segment (acceleration). The rocket takes off vertically or at an angle, the engines are working, accelerating it to an enormous speed. At this stage, navigation systems work, setting the direction and speed for the subsequent passive flight. As soon as the fuel runs out, the engines are turned off, and the rocket moves on to the next phase. Passive segment (free flight). This is the longest part of the journey (for intercontinental missiles up to 20 minutes). The rocket flies in space, where there is no air, and the only force acting on it is the gravity of the Earth. It is at this stage that the warheads are separated, if the rocket is equipped with a separating warhead: each warhead or decoy begins its own path to the target. Terminal segment (entry into the atmosphere). The warhead enters the dense layers of the atmosphere at an enormous speed (up to 20 Mach and above) and flies towards the target. Here it experiences colossal loads and heating: the temperature can reach thousands of degrees, and the loads can reach 50 G. Modern warheads can maneuver at this stage to avoid interception. How It Hits the Target The main difference between a ballistic missile and a guided bomb or cruise missile is the absence of an engine and aerodynamic surfaces for most of the journey. Therefore, its accuracy depends on how accurately it was accelerated at the very beginning. Early ballistic missiles had a huge dispersion (circular probable error — CPE — in kilometers). Modern missiles use inertial systems (gyroscopes and a ... Read more