- For the map, see ICBM (map).
An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (often abbreviated to ICBM or IBM) is a nuclear weapon of mass destruction which can, as its name implies, be launched towards any region on the face of the planet, from virtually any platform, including missile silos, submarines and mobile launchers.
World War II[]
The first appearance of ICBMs in the Call of Duty franchise are that of the world's first. The German designed V-2 Rocket were the first functioning Ballistic Missiles in existence (they had an intercontinental range although they were never targeted outside Europe) these ballistic missiles were not nuclear weapons although they had a significant amount of explosives inside them for weapons of their time. In the Call of Duty mission V-2 Rocket Site the player must assault a launch site and destroy the rockets. Strangely enough, the missiles do not detonate when blown apart, as none of the explosions in the game are the actual yield of a V-2 Rocket.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare[]
ICBMs were later seen in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, where Imran Zakhaev ordered the launch of two captured RT-2UTTH Topol-M ICBMs, and later on four more, from a former Russian Loyalist ICBM facility, as revenge for the death of his son.
They were launched at the eight most important cities in the East Coast of the United States: Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Richmond and Norfolk. Another four missiles were launched but their targets are unknown, possibly heading to the UK or the Western United States. Since the missiles carried multiple independent nuclear warheads, and each warhead carried the equivalent to 550 kilotons of TNT, it was estimated that the nuclear holocaust on the US soil would effect 41 million US citizens either by incinerating them in the blast or from the radioactive fallout, around 15% of the American population.
John "Soap" MacTavish, under the command of Captain Price, with also an American sniper team, was tasked with destroying the missiles in mid flight by capturing the launch room and aborting the missiles from there. After the crisis, the government passes the launches off as Russian missile tests, showing they don't want the public to know what really happened.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[]
The missiles are seen again in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Captain Price rigs one that is about to be sent in "Contingency", setting it to detonate in the atmosphere, destroying the International Space Station and creating an EMP which disables electronic equipment for the Americans and Russians, but gives the defenders a significant advantage. The launch and explosion are viewable in the mission "Second Sun", where the player takes control of Sat1.
