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{{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 bombB61 nuclear bombA 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 disintegrate 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.

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 fuze>Proximity	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 (weaponry)>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.

See also

• Guidance system
• List of aircraft weapons
• List of missiles
• Nuclear weapon yield
• Missile

References

{{Commons category|Warheads}}

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

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