ballistic missile
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Related to ballistic missile: cruise missile, intercontinental ballistic missile, Ballistic Missile Defense
ballistic missile:
see guided missileguided missile,self-propelled, unmanned space or air vehicle carrying an explosive warhead. Its path can be adjusted during flight, either by automatic self-contained controls or remote human control. Guided missiles are powered either by rocket engines or by jet propulsion.
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Ballistic Missile
a missile whose flight follows a ballistic trajectory. A ballistic missile, in contrast to a winged missile, does not have support surfaces intended to create aerodynamic lift during flight in the atmosphere. In some cases ballistic missiles are supplied with stabilizers to ensure aerodynamic stability in flight. Ballistic missiles consist of military missiles of various types (including intercontinental), carrier rockets, and space rockets.
ballistic missile
[bə′lis·tik ′mis·əl] (ordnance)
A missile capable of guiding and propelling itself in a direction and to a velocity such that it will follow a ballistic trajectory to a desired point.
ballistic missile
Any missile that does not rely upon aerodynamic surfaces to produce lift and, consequently, follows a ballistic trajectory when thrust is terminated. It is initially guided during the upward portion of its flight but drops under the force of gravity, following a trajectory similar to that of an artillery shell.