Awarhead is the section of a device that contains theexplosive agent ortoxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by amissile,rocket,torpedo, orbomb.

Types of warheads include:

• Explosive: An explosive charge is used to disintegrate the target, and damage surrounding areas with ablast wave.
  • Conventional: Chemicals such asgunpowder andhigh explosives store significant energy within their molecular bonds. This energy can be released quickly by a trigger, such as anelectric 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 heavyarmour.
      • 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 runawaynuclear fission (fission bomb) ornuclear fusion (Thermonuclear weapon) reaction causes immense energy release.
• Chemical: A toxic chemical, such aspoison gas ornerve gas, is dispersed, which is designed to injure or kill human beings.
• Biological: An infectious agent, such asanthrax 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.

Explosive warheads containdetonators to trigger the explosion.

Types of detonators include:

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

1. "The B61 (Mk-61) Bomb".The Nuclear Weapon Archive. 9 January 2007.Archived from the original on Nov 30, 2023.
2. "B61".GlobalSecurity.org. April 16, 2017.Archived from the original on Mar 16, 2023.
3. "B61 Nuclear Gravity Bomb".Brookings Institution. Archived fromthe original on Mar 10, 2012.
4. Stephen I. Schwartz. "Atomic Audit - The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940". Brookings Institution Press, 1998.
5. "B61 Thermonuclear Bomb".Hill Air Force Base. 2008. Archived fromthe original on May 25, 2011.
6. "NNSA Achieves Significant Milestone for B61 Bomb".NNSA. June 30, 2006. Archived fromthe original on Jul 30, 2009.
7. Chuck Hansen, U.S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History, (New York: Orion Books, 1988), pp. 162–164.