NUCLEAR WEAPON DELIVERY

Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its intended target. Several methods have been developed to carry out this task.

Strategic nuclear weapons are used primarily as part of a doctrine of deterrence by threatening large targets, such as cities. These usually have very large explosive yield. Weapons meant for use in limited military maneuvers, such as destroying specific military, communications, or infrastructure targets, are known as tactical nuclear weapons, and are usually of much smaller yields. Differentiating the two based on yield can be problematic, however. The bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 perhaps be considered tactical by today's standards, though they were used strategically.