Public Perspectives On The Us Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Force Federation Of American Scientists
By discarding the reduced stages as they burn up their propellant, a multi-stage missile progressively loses weight, which enables it to fly farther than a comparably sized, single-stage missile. The guidance program is generally the key challenge, followed in order of difficulty by propellant manufacturing, and by mating the warhead to the missile in such a way as to shield it from the heat of reentry and from vibration in the course of launch. The bigger hole in RAAF capability however lies in the plan for a lightweight fighter fleet, centred in F/A-18A and later JSF, with minimal tanker assistance....