What makes a missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon? Is there an extra component on it?
And if ballistic is different from guided, does that mean there is no control once its launched? Thank again.
Nuclear warheads come in many sizes. Generally, the rocket (which really more what a ballistic missile is) has to be somewhat large. It’s less about an extra component than about the type of warhead, which would have to be tested to make sure the triggers work correctly in the compartment the warhead is riding in. That’s basically what North Korea is up to now. They’re testing the lift of the rocket and the triggers. And these types of missiles would not have control after launch. They’re very deadly, but not very sophisticated by today’s standard. I’d say this one in Syria is more about messaging, as in Putin saying, “I own Syria.”
Ballistic means a high arcing trajectory using attained altitude in the boost phase to maintain an unpowered, high velocity terminal phase. Ballistic trajectories are generally used for long range. The Iskander has a number of different models with different guidance modes and a terminal CEP
of 5-7 meters. While it is nuclear capable there are versions with several different conventional war heads.