throw weight
or throw·weight
noun
the lifting power, or payload maximum, of a ballistic missile exclusive of the weight of the rocket itself, and including the weight of the warhead or warheads and of guidance and penetration systems; ballistic delivery power: larger Soviet missiles with a throw weight of up to 20 megatons.
Origin of throw weight
First recorded in 1965–70
Words nearby throw weight
throw to the wolves,
throw together,
throw up,
throw up one's hands,
throw up to,
throw weight,
throw-weight,
throwaway,
throwback,
throwed,
thrower
British Dictionary definitions for throw-weight
throw weight
noun
the maximum weight of supplementary mechanisms that can be lifted by the boost stages of a particular missile
Cultural definitions for throw-weight
throw-weight
The size of the nuclear warhead or set of warheads that a missile, such as a ballistic missile, can carry. A nation might make up for the inaccuracy of its missiles by increasing their throw-weight.