Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Iceland to continue discussions about scaling back IRBM arsenals in Europe.

An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometres (1,900–3,400 mi), categorized between a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Classifying ballistic missiles by range is done mostly for convenience.

In principle there is little difference between a high-performance IRBM and a low-performance ICBM, because decreasing payload mass can increase the range over the ICBM threshold. The range definition used here is used within the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Agni-IV 2014 (cropped)
Agni-IV 2014 (cropped) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981
Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Portrait of Ronald Reagan, Neil Reagan, Jack Reagan, and Nelle Reagan in Galesburg, Illinois
Portrait of Ronald Reagan, Neil Reagan, Jack Reagan, and Nelle Reagan in Galesburg, Illinois (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
RIAN archive 850809 General Secretary of the CPSU CC M. Gorbachev (crop)
RIAN archive 850809 General Secretary of the CPSU CC M. Gorbachev (crop) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Watch: How Does an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Work?

From the US Military Power channel.

Sources and further reading: Wikipedia — Intermediate-range ballistic missile, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Reykjavík Summit (CC BY-SA). Images: Wikimedia Commons.