Intercontinental ballistic missiles are ballistic missiles with a range of more than 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles). In general, these types of missiles are built for nuclear purposes and are capable of carrying one or more nuclear warheads, but can also be armed with conventional or chemical and microbial warheads. Most of todays intercontinental ballistic missiles benefit from multiple independent targeting capabilities; that is, they are armed with multiple warheads, each of which can hit a separate target.