Guided missile is a flying weapon that is steered to its target. Some guided missiles steer themselves. They contain a computer and other special equipment that guides them. Some of these guided missiles can even chase and destroy a moving target, such as an airplane or another missile. Others fly under human control, though they carry no pilot. They follow directions radioed to them from controllers who may be far away.
Most guided missiles are long and slender. Their shape minimizes air resistance, called drag, during flight. On most guided missiles, wings, tail surfaces, or both stick out from the body to enable the missile to be steered during flight. Some missiles use a steering method called thrust vectoring. In this method, the engine s exhaust is deflected that is, its direction of flow is changed to steer the missile.
Most missiles are powered by either a rocket engine or a jet engine. But some guided missiles are winged bombs that have no engine. These missiles glide to their target after being dropped from an airplane.
Missiles generally are designed to deliver an explosive payload called a warhead that explodes to destroy a target. But some antimissile missiles do not use a warhead and are instead designed to destroy a target missile by hitting it in the air.
Guided missiles are made in a wide range of sizes. A small rocket about 4 feet (1.2 meters) long can be launched on the battlefield at a tank or an airplane. A giant missile about 60 feet (18 meters) tall can reach one-third of the way around the world. Such a missile, with a nuclear warhead, can destroy an entire city. A small, but increasing, number of nations possess nuclear missiles. However, no nation has ever launched a nuclear missile against an enemy.
