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Although the missiles themselves are not intended to explode, malfunctions can cause the missiles to explode in flight. This was a repeated problem during early development of most missiles intended to carry nuclear warheads; some even exploded directly on the launchpad. One Titan II missile even exploded in its silo, throwing its warhead nearly a mile away (but without the warhead exploding).

The nuclear warhead or warheads carried by the missile are clearly explosive, some with yields up to 20 megatons. But they are no longer attached to the missle when they explode. The missile carries the warhead or warheads into space, where they separate and the warhead or warheads reenter the atmosphere, then explode about a mile above a city or just below the ground surface near a missile silo or other fortified military facility.

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6y ago
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6mo ago

Nuclear missiles utilize nuclear reactions to produce explosive energy, so they are inherently explosive. The explosive power of a nuclear missile is derived from the release of energy during a nuclear detonation.

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Q: Are nuclear missiles explosive
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