Talk:Warhead

What about the following proximity detonators: sonar/acoustic, altimeter-based and magnetic? They used to be used. Are they still? --rmhermen

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Sonar / acoustic and perhaps magnetic are still probably used, and should be mentioned regardless. Magnetic was most often used on ship mines, though.

Altimeter-based fusing is primarily used with bombs, which I tend to distinguish from warheads. Most nuclear warheads are air-burst, so it may be that some of them used altimeter-based fusing. I think they're all radar based now, but I can't confirm that.

In my mind at least, a bomb isn't the same as a warhead, though they both explode. I consider a warhead to always be a part of a weapon, with it's own delivery system. -- ansible

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Actually I was thinking of torpedoes. How would they fit? - they are self-propelled. --rmhermen

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I'm not quite sure what you mean there.

At any rate, all these things are self-propelled delivery vehicles:

• rockets

• missles (tactical, cruise, ballistic)

• torpedos

Therefore, the explosive part of these devices is called a warhead.

These things don't have warheads:

• mines (land, sea)

• bombs

• demolition charges, etc.

They do indeed explode, but they don't go to the target by their own power.

--ansible

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