Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than 5,500 km, primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery. ICBMs are typically equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing a single missile to carry several warheads that can strike different targets. The United States, Russia, China, France, India, the UK, Israel, and North Korea are the only countries known to have operational ICBMs. ICBMs have a long history dating back to World War II, when the Nazis developed the V-2 rocket, which was later used by the US and Soviet Union to develop their own ICBM programs. The US initiated ICBM research in 1946, but it was not until 1954 that the Atlas missile program was given high national priority, and the first successful ICBM flight was achieved in 1958.learn more on wikipedia