China test-fires intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific

Sub: Sci

Sec: Defence

Context:

China test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, which sparked protests from other countries in the region.
China has stepped up its nuclear development and boosted defence spending in recent years.

Ballistic missile:

A ballistic missile follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver one or more warheads on a predetermined target.
Trajectory: The missile is powered by rockets during launch. After the propulsion phase, it follows a free-fall path dictated by gravity and aerodynamic drag, similar to a projectile.
Range: Ballistic missiles can vary widely in range, from short-range (less than 1,000 km) to intercontinental (over 5,500 km).
Warheads: They can carry conventional explosives, nuclear, chemical, or biological warheads.
Shorter range ballistic missiles stay within the Earth’s atmosphere.
Longer-ranged intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), are launched on a sub-orbital flight trajectory and spend most of their flight out of the atmosphere.
Ballistic missiles of India: Agni, K-4 (SLBM), Prahaar, Dhanush, and Prithvi.

Types of ballistic missiles based on range:

Short-range (tactical) ballistic missile (SRBM): less than 1,000 km.
Medium-range (theatre) ballistic missile (MRBM): 1,000 km to 3,500 km.
Intermediate-range (Long-Range) ballistic missile (IRBM or LRBM): 3,500 km and 5,500 km.
Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): more than 5,500 km.

Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM):

An intercontinental ballistic missile is a missile with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometres primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery.
Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons can also be delivered with varying effectiveness, but have never been deployed on ICBMs.
Countries that have ICBMs: India, Russia, the United States, North Korea, China, Israel, the United Kingdom and France.
ICBMs are differentiated by having greater range and speed than other ballistic missiles.