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A ballistic missile is defined by an initial powered ascent phase, followed by an unpowered trajectory governed by gravitational forces and atmospheric resistance.
Answer: True
This statement accurately describes the fundamental flight profile of a ballistic missile, characterized by a brief powered phase and a subsequent unpowered, gravity-driven trajectory.
In contrast to ballistic missiles, cruise missiles maintain powered propulsion and active guidance throughout their entire operational flight envelope.
Answer: True
This distinction is critical: ballistic missiles follow a ballistic arc after initial propulsion, while cruise missiles are powered and guided throughout their flight, typically within the atmosphere.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) typically achieve their highest altitude, known as the apogee, far above Earth's atmosphere during their unpowered mid-course phase.
Answer: True
ICBMs are designed to travel through space for the majority of their trajectory to achieve intercontinental ranges, reaching altitudes far exceeding the Earth's atmosphere.
The trajectory of a ballistic missile is conventionally divided into three primary phases: the boost phase, the mid-course phase, and the terminal phase.
Answer: True
These three phases—boost, mid-course, and terminal—are the standard descriptors for the flight path of a ballistic missile.
Throughout the boost phase, the missile's internal guidance computers are critical for maintaining its alignment along the pre-programmed trajectory.
Answer: True
During the initial powered boost phase, precise computer control is essential to ensure the missile follows its intended flight path.
The mid-course phase represents the longest duration of a ballistic missile's trajectory, commencing after the cessation of powered flight.
Answer: True
Following the boost phase, the unpowered mid-course phase constitutes the majority of the missile's flight time and distance.
During the terminal phase, as the re-entry vehicle descends through denser atmospheric layers, atmospheric drag becomes a significant factor influencing its trajectory, despite its high velocity.
Answer: True
While re-entry vehicles travel at extreme speeds, the increasing density of the atmosphere during the terminal phase exerts considerable drag, affecting the trajectory.
What is the defining characteristic of a ballistic missile's flight path?
Answer: A brief powered phase followed by an unpowered trajectory governed by gravity.
The fundamental distinction of a ballistic missile is its reliance on initial powered flight followed by an unpowered trajectory dictated by physics.
How does a cruise missile fundamentally differ from a ballistic missile in terms of flight?
Answer: Cruise missiles are powered and guided throughout their flight within the atmosphere, unlike ballistic missiles.
The key difference lies in sustained powered flight and guidance for cruise missiles versus the ballistic arc of ballistic missiles.
What is the typical altitude reached by ICBMs during their unpowered free-flight phase?
Answer: Around 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) above the surface.
ICBMs achieve very high altitudes, often reaching thousands of kilometers above the Earth's surface during their mid-course phase.
Which of the following is NOT one of the three distinct phases of a ballistic missile's flight trajectory?
Answer: Orbital Phase
The standard phases are boost, mid-course, and terminal. An orbital phase is not a typical characteristic of a ballistic missile's trajectory.
What is the primary function of internal computers during the boost phase of a ballistic missile?
Answer: To guide the missile along its programmed trajectory.
During the boost phase, computers are essential for maintaining the missile's alignment and ensuring it follows the intended flight path.
Which of the following phases of flight is described as the longest part of a ballistic missile's trajectory?
Answer: Mid-course Phase
The mid-course phase, characterized by unpowered flight through space, constitutes the longest duration of a ballistic missile's trajectory.
What significantly influences a ballistic missile's trajectory during the terminal phase?
Answer: Atmospheric drag
As the missile re-enters denser atmospheric layers, drag becomes a primary force affecting its path.
Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBMs) are characterized by a range classification of less than 300 km, distinct from longer-range classifications like ICBMs.
Answer: True
The classification system for ballistic missiles categorizes TBMs by their short range, typically under 300 km.
A quasi-ballistic missile deviates from a purely ballistic trajectory by possessing the capability for in-flight adjustments, allowing for changes in direction or range.
Answer: True
The defining characteristic of a quasi-ballistic missile is its ability to alter its trajectory during flight, unlike a standard ballistic missile which follows a predictable path post-boost.
The MGM-140 ATACMS is listed as an example of a quasi-ballistic missile.
Answer: True
The MGM-140 ATACMS is cited as an example of a missile system that falls under the quasi-ballistic classification due to its maneuverability.
While many ballistic missiles achieve hypersonic speeds (Mach 5+) during atmospheric re-entry, the term 'hypersonic ballistic missile' in military parlance typically denotes systems capable of maneuvering during this phase, such as hypersonic glide vehicles.
Answer: True
The term 'hypersonic ballistic missile' is often used to describe advanced systems that combine ballistic flight with hypersonic maneuverability, distinguishing them from standard ballistic missiles that simply reach high speeds.
Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBMs) typically remain within the Earth's atmosphere throughout their flight, unlike longer-range missiles.
Answer: True
Due to their shorter ranges, SRBMs follow trajectories that largely stay within the atmosphere, contrasting with the sub-orbital or orbital paths of ICBMs.
According to the source, what is the range classification for a Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM)?
Answer: 300 km to 1,000 km
SRBMs are defined by a range between 300 and 1,000 kilometers.
What capability distinguishes a quasi-ballistic missile from a standard ballistic missile?
Answer: Capability for in-flight maneuvers or changes in direction/range.
Quasi-ballistic missiles possess a degree of maneuverability during flight that standard ballistic missiles lack.
Which of the following is cited as an example of a quasi-ballistic missile?
Answer: Shaurya
India's Shaurya missile is listed as an example of a quasi-ballistic missile system.
What does the term 'hypersonic ballistic missile' commonly refer to in military discussions?
Answer: A ballistic missile capable of maneuvering before impact.
The term typically denotes systems that combine ballistic flight characteristics with hypersonic maneuverability, often involving glide vehicles.
The V-2 rocket, a product of Nazi Germany's wartime research, achieved operational status in 1944, not 1942.
Answer: True
While the V-2's first successful launch occurred in 1942, it did not enter operational service until September 1944. Its earlier launch in 1942 did, however, mark the first time a human-made object reached outer space.
The R-7 Semyorka holds the historical distinction of being the world's first operational Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
Answer: True
The Soviet R-7 Semyorka, developed in the 1950s, is widely recognized as the first ICBM to become operational.
While Wernher von Braun was instrumental in developing the V-2 for Nazi Germany, his post-war role was primarily with the U.S. Army's missile program, contributing significantly to the U.S. space program, including the Saturn V rocket.
Answer: True
Wernher von Braun's expertise was crucial for both the German V-2 program and later for the American space program, particularly in the development of large launch vehicles.
What significant milestone did the V-2 rocket achieve on June 20, 1944?
Answer: It became the first human-made object to reach outer space.
On June 20, 1944, a V-2 rocket became the first man-made object to cross the boundary of space.
Which missile is credited as the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)?
Answer: R-7 Semyorka
The Soviet R-7 Semyorka is recognized as the world's first operational ICBM.
Long- and medium-range ballistic missiles are frequently configured for nuclear payloads, as the high destructive yield of nuclear warheads offers superior cost-effectiveness per unit of weight compared to conventional explosives for such delivery systems.
Answer: True
The strategic value of nuclear warheads, providing immense destructive power relative to their weight, makes them the preferred payload for many long- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
Throw-weight is a critical metric that quantifies the effective weight of a ballistic missile's payload, encompassing warheads, penetration aids, and dispensing mechanisms, but excluding the booster stages and propellant.
Answer: True
Throw-weight specifically refers to the payload's weight, not the missile's structural or propulsive components.
During US-Soviet arms control negotiations, throw-weight was a significant, albeit contentious, metric used to compare missile capabilities, as it indicated potential payload capacity.
Answer: True
Throw-weight was a key factor in arms control discussions, as differences in throw-weight suggested disparities in strategic offensive capabilities.
The Russian SS-18 and the Chinese CSS-4 are historically recognized as missiles possessing some of the world's heaviest payloads.
Answer: True
These specific ICBMs are noted for their substantial payload carrying capacity.
In the Minuteman-III MIRV launch sequence, the post-boost vehicle (PBV) maneuvers and deploys the re-entry vehicles (RVs) after the third stage has completed its burn and separated.
Answer: True
The post-boost vehicle is responsible for the final maneuvers and deployment of re-entry vehicles after the main rocket stages have finished their work.
The primary function of the post-boost vehicle (PBV) is to execute precise maneuvers to accurately deploy multiple re-entry vehicles (RVs) towards their designated targets.
Answer: True
The PBV's role is crucial for ensuring that each re-entry vehicle is released on the correct trajectory for its specific target.
Re-entry vehicles (RVs) are versatile and can carry various payloads, including nuclear warheads, decoys, and chaff.
Answer: True
RVs are designed to deliver payloads, which can include not only warheads but also countermeasures to complicate interception.
Upon atmospheric re-entry, re-entry vehicles typically attain extremely high velocities, ranging from 6 to 8 kilometers per second.
Answer: True
The speeds achieved by RVs during re-entry are hypersonic, measured in kilometers per second, not kilometers per hour.
Why are long- and medium-range ballistic missiles often preferred for delivering nuclear weapons over conventional explosives?
Answer: Nuclear warheads provide greater destructive yield for a given weight.
The immense power of nuclear warheads makes them a more efficient payload for long-range delivery systems compared to conventional explosives of equivalent weight.
What does 'throw-weight' measure for a ballistic missile?
Answer: The effective weight of the payload delivered by the missile.
Throw-weight is specifically defined as the weight of the payload components delivered by the missile.
How did throw-weight become a contentious issue in US-Soviet arms control talks?
Answer: Soviet missiles had larger throw-weights, suggesting heavier payload potential, causing concern.
The larger throw-weights of Soviet missiles raised concerns among US negotiators about potential payload advantages.
Which missiles are specifically mentioned as having the world's heaviest payloads?
Answer: SS-18 and CSS-4
The Russian SS-18 and Chinese CSS-4 are noted for possessing some of the heaviest payloads among ballistic missiles.
What is the role of the post-boost vehicle (PBV) after the third stage of a Minuteman-III missile finishes its burn?
Answer: To maneuver and deploy the re-entry vehicles.
Following third-stage separation, the PBV undertakes maneuvering to precisely release the re-entry vehicles towards their respective targets.
What types of items can be carried by re-entry vehicles (RVs)?
Answer: Nuclear warheads, decoys, and chaff.
Re-entry vehicles are equipped to carry nuclear warheads, as well as countermeasures like decoys and chaff.
What is the approximate speed range of re-entry vehicles (RVs) as they enter Earth's atmosphere?
Answer: 6-8 kilometers per second
Re-entry vehicles attain extremely high velocities, typically between 6 and 8 kilometers per second, upon entering the atmosphere.
A depressed trajectory is a non-optimal, lower, and flatter flight path for a ballistic missile, deliberately chosen to reduce flight time rather than maximize range.
Answer: True
Depressed trajectories prioritize speed and evasion over maximum range, making them strategically relevant for certain operational scenarios.
Employing a depressed trajectory primarily serves to minimize the time a ballistic missile is vulnerable to interception, particularly by anti-ballistic missile systems.
Answer: True
By reducing flight time, a depressed trajectory decreases the window during which a missile can be tracked and intercepted.
A lofted trajectory, characterized by a higher, arcing path, is the inverse of a depressed trajectory and is frequently utilized during missile testing to reduce range and facilitate impact observation.
Answer: True
Lofted trajectories are employed in testing scenarios to manage range and allow for easier monitoring and recovery of data.
What is the primary strategic advantage of using a depressed trajectory for a ballistic missile?
Answer: Minimizing flight time to evade interception.
Depressed trajectories reduce the time of flight, thereby decreasing the opportunity for defensive systems to intercept the missile.
A 'lofted' trajectory, often used for testing, is characterized by:
Answer: A higher, arcing path with reduced range.
Lofted trajectories involve a higher, more parabolic flight path, typically resulting in a shorter range compared to optimal trajectories, and are useful for testing.
The event on October 1, 2024, described as the largest ballistic missile attack in history, involved approximately 200 missiles targeting Israel.
Answer: True
On October 1, 2024, Iran launched approximately 200 missiles at Israel, an event noted as the largest ballistic missile attack in history.
Ballistic missiles exhibit considerable launch flexibility, being deployable from fixed land-based silos, mobile ground launchers, submarines, surface ships, and even aircraft.
Answer: True
Modern ballistic missile systems are designed for deployment from a wide array of platforms, enhancing strategic flexibility.
The event on October 1, 2024, described as the largest ballistic missile attack in history, involved approximately how many missiles?
Answer: Approximately 200 missiles
The attack on October 1, 2024, involved approximately 200 missiles, marking it as the largest ballistic missile attack recorded.
Which of the following is NOT listed as a possible launch platform for ballistic missiles?
Answer: Space Shuttles
While ballistic missiles can be launched from submarines, aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles, Space Shuttles are not a launch platform for ballistic missiles.
Which of these missiles is listed as having been used in combat?
Answer: OTR-21 Tochka
The OTR-21 Tochka is among the ballistic missiles documented as having been employed in combat operations.