About - Strategic Systems Programs Facts Functional Elements of
the FBM System The ability to strike a target with a ballistic
missile warhead involves a precise determination of the launch
point, a computation of the path to the target, and a system
aboard the missile that will determine its course along the path
to the target. In addition, the SLBM requires a system to launch
the missile to the surface of the sea. The ship’s navigation
system provides the launch point, the ship’s fire control system
computes the path equation, the missile guidance system follows
this equation to release the reentry bodies that then fall on a
predetermined ballistic path to the target(s), and the ship’s
launcher system stows, protects, and launches the missile from
the submarine. Successfully striking a target with a ballistic
missile at long range requires accurate knowledge of both target
and launcher positions. In the FBM weapon system, the constant
change in launch position as the FBM submarine sails the world’s
oceans c