Thunder over the Horizon: From V-2 Rockets to Ballistic Missiles (War, Technology, and History)

In this general history of the development of rockets and missiles, Chun traces the technology that made "attack from beyond the horizon" possible. A former missile launch officer, he focusess not only on the development and employment of the ballistic missile--from early German V-2 use to today--but on their subsequent impact on national strategies, doctrine, force structure, and politics. The development of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads had a profound impact on superpower rivalries and structured international relations for decades. The advent of the ballistic missile changed the way nations believed war was to be fought in the future. Ballistic missiles (land based and submarine-launched) are now global in scope. Accordingly, the book covers Russia, China, North Korea, South Asia, and the Middle East. It details actual use in combat, as well as current countermeasures and future missile defense systems.