The term warhead refers to the explosive material

Explosive material

An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...

 and detonator

Detonator

A detonator is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common....

 that is delivered by a missile

Missile

Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...

, rocket

Rocket

A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...

, or torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

.

Etymology

During the early development of naval torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

es, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This was referred to as a "peacehead". The explosive payload carried by weapons intended for use in combat became known as a warhead. The term "peacehead" subsequently fell out of use.

Classification

Types of warheads include:

• Explosive
  Explosive material
  An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
  
  : An explosive charge is used to disintegrate the target, and damage surrounding areas with a shock wave
  Shock wave
  A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance. Like an ordinary wave, it carries energy and can propagate through a medium or in some cases in the absence of a material medium, through a field such as the electromagnetic field...
  
  .
  • Conventional
    Conventional weapon
    The terms conventional weapons or conventional arms generally refer to weapons that are in relatively wide use that are not weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Conventional weapons include small arms and light weapons, sea and land mines, as well as ...
    
    : Chemicals such as gunpowder
    Gunpowder
    Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
    
     and high explosives store significant energy within their molecular bonds. This energy can be released quickly by a trigger, such as an electric spark
    Electric spark
    An electric spark is a type of electrostatic discharge that occurs when an electric field creates an ionized electrically conductive channel in air producing a brief emission of light and sound. A spark is formed when the electric field strength exceeds the dielectric field strength of air...
    
    . Thermobaric weapon
    Thermobaric weapon
    A thermobaric weapon, which includes the type known as a "fuel-air bomb", is an explosive weapon that produces a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives. This is useful in military applications where its longer duration increases the numbers of...
    
    s are something of a special case.
    • Blast: A strong shock wave is provided by the detonation of the explosive
    • Fragmentation
      Fragmentation (weaponry)
      Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
      
      : Metal fragments are projected at high velocity to cause damage or injury.
    • Continuous rod: Metal bars welded on their ends forming 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 unique planar "guillotine" effect that is particularly devastating against military aircraft, which are designed to be resistant to traditional shrapnel.
    • Shaped charge
      Shaped charge
      A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, to initiate nuclear weapons, to penetrate armor, and in the oil and gas industry...
      
      : 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
      Armour
      Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
      
      .
      • Explosively formed penetrator
        Explosively Formed Penetrator
        An explosively formed penetrator , also known as an explosively formed projectile, a self-forging warhead, or a self-forging fragment, is a special type of shaped charge designed to penetrate armour effectively at standoff distances...
        
        : Instead of turning a thin metal liner into a focused jet of metal plasma, the shaped charge is directed against a concave metal plate at the front of the warhead, propelling it at super high-velocity while simultaneously deforming it into a dense ogive
        Ogive
        An ogive is the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object.-Applied physical science and engineering:In ballistics or aerodynamics, an ogive is a pointed, curved surface mainly used to form the approximately streamlined nose of a bullet or other projectile.The traditional...
        
         projectile
  • Nuclear
    Nuclear weapon
    A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
    
    : A runaway nuclear fission
    Nuclear fission
    In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts , often producing free neutrons and photons , and releasing a tremendous amount of energy...
    
     or nuclear fusion
    Nuclear fusion
    Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
    
     reaction causes immense energy release.
• Chemical
  Chemical warfare
  Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
  
  : A toxic chemical, such as poison gas or nerve gas, is dispersed, which is designed to injure or kill human beings.
• Biological
  Biological warfare
  Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
  
  : An infectious agent, such as anthrax spores, is dispersed, which is designed to sicken or kill humans.
• Kinetic: Collides with the target at high speed. A detonation is not necessarily required.

Often, a biological or chemical warhead will use an explosive charge for rapid dispersal.

Detonators

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 Proximity fuze A proximity fuze is a fuze that is designed to detonate an explosive device automatically when the distance to target becomes smaller than a predetermined value or when the target passes through a given plane...	Using radar Radar Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio... , sound waves, a magnetic sensor, or a laser Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...  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 Fragmentation (weaponry) Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...  primarily towards the target that triggered it.
Remote	remotely detonated via signal from operator (Not normally used for warheads except for self-destruction)
Timed	Warhead is detonated after a specific amount of time.
Altitude	Warhead is detonated once it falls to a specified altitude Air burst An air burst is the detonation of an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target or a delayed armor piercing explosion.... .
Combined	Any combination of the above.

See also

• Guidance system
  Guidance system
  A guidance system is a device or group of devices used to navigate a ship, aircraft, missile, rocket, satellite, or other craft. Typically, this refers to a system that navigates without direct or continuous human control...
  
  
• List of aircraft weapons
• List of missiles
• Nuclear weapon yield
  Nuclear weapon yield
  The explosive yield of a nuclear weapon is the amount of energy discharged when a nuclear weapon is detonated, expressed usually in the equivalent mass of trinitrotoluene , either in kilotons or megatons , but sometimes also in terajoules...
  
  
• Missile
  Missile
  Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...