For reasons I have never completely figured out, missiles seem to have CP that is very far forward. They either have large fins moved somewhat forward of the aft end, or else they just have huge fins up front (e.g.: Nike Hercules). This means that models typically need a lot of nose weight.
I can cobble together in my head an assortment of reasons why this is the case but I'm not completely satisfied with any of them. Clearly it has to do with the fact that they use active guidance and need to be maneuverable, and also they likely have a lot of natural weight up front from the explosive payload. But that still doesn't completely explain why they are designed the way they are.
Can some of the experts out there enlighten me?
I can cobble together in my head an assortment of reasons why this is the case but I'm not completely satisfied with any of them. Clearly it has to do with the fact that they use active guidance and need to be maneuverable, and also they likely have a lot of natural weight up front from the explosive payload. But that still doesn't completely explain why they are designed the way they are.
Can some of the experts out there enlighten me?