The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
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Missiles and rockets have been around for a long time, as part of artillery and—as in the case of ICBMs—as the ultimate strategic weapons. But now they are being used in more flexible ways, as the Ukraine War battlefields and the recent Iranian barrage on Israel have shown. It's now a fact that tactical missiles have made much of the billion-dollar US and NATO blue water navies obsolete. The humble but brave Houthis have demonstrated that, for example. Think of what the Russians or Chinese could do. And drones, missiles and other forms of relatively inexpensive weapons have also significantly damaged the formidable Russian navy in the Black Sea. The world is changing, fast. So here's this sheet to clarify the subject a bit. —PG |
Fact Sheet: Ballistic vs. Cruise Missiles
Ballistic missiles are powered initially by a rocket or series of rockets in stages, but then follow an unpowered trajectory that arches upwards before descending to reach its intended target. Ballistic missiles can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads.
There are four general classifications of ballistic missiles based on their range, or the maximum distance the missile can travel:
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Short-range: less than 1,000 kilometers (approximately 620 miles), also known as “tactical” ballistic missiles.
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Medium-range: between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers (approximately 620-1,860 miles), also known as “theater” ballistic missiles.
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Intermediate-range: between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers (approximately 1,860-3,410 miles)
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Long-range: more than 5,500 kilometers (approximately 3,410 miles), also known as intercontinental or strategic ballistic missiles. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) can fly much further than the minimum range; for example, Russia could hit Chicago with an ICBM launched from the Krasnoyarsk ICBM base, which is located 9,156 kilometers (5,689miles) away. (See below)
Distance from Krasnoyarsk to ChicagoDistance is 9156 kilometers or 5689 miles or 4944 nautical milesThe distance is the theoretical air distance (great circle distance). Flying between the two locations' airports can be a different distance, depending on airport location and actual route chosen. Map – Shortest path between Krasnoyarsk and Chicago
The map is using a projection that makes land and oceans much wider near the south and north poles. The heading/course/bearing during a flight varies in most cases. Map based on image from NASA. |
Ballistic missiles have three stages of flight:
Boost Phase begins at launch and lasts until the rocket engine(s) stops firing and the missile begins unpowered flight. Depending on the missile, boost phase can last three to five minutes. Most of this phase takes place in the atmosphere.
Midcourse Phase begins after the rocket(s) stops firing. The missile continues to ascend toward the highest point in its trajectory, and then begins to descend toward Earth. This is the longest phase of a missile’s flight; for ICBMs, it can last around 20 minutes. During midcourse phase, ICBMs can travel around 24,000 kilometers per hour (15,000 miles per hour).
Terminal Phase begins when the detached warhead(s) reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and ends upon impact or detonation. During this phase, which can last for less than a minute, strategic warheads can be traveling at speeds greater than 3,200 kilometers per hour (1,988 miles per hour).
Cruise missiles are unmanned vehicles that are propelled by jet engines, much like an airplane. They can be launched from ground, air, or sea platforms.
Cruise missiles remain within the atmosphere for the duration of their flight and can fly as low as a few meters off the ground. Flying low to the surface of the earth expends more fuel but makes a cruise missile very difficult to detect.
Cruise missiles are self-guided and use multiple methods to accurately deliver their payload, including terrain mapping, global positioning systems (GPS) and inertial guidance, which uses motion sensors and gyroscopes to keep the missile on a pre-programmed flight path. As advanced cruise missiles approach their target, remote operators can use a camera in the nose of the missile to see what the missile sees. This gives them the option to manually guide the missile to its target or to abort the strike.
To learn about missile defense, check out our fact sheet.
Sources: Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency, Federation of American Scientists.
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Things to keep in mind...
Neo-Nazi ideology has become one of the main protagonists of political and social life in Ukraine since the 2014 coup d'état. Meanwhile, fascist ideology and blatant lies also permeate the consciousness of most people in the West. Those in the comfortable top 10%, the "PMCs" (Professional Managerial Class), are especially vulnerable. They support and disseminate such ideas. They are the executors of the actual ruling class' orders, those in the 0.001%, who remain largely invisible. The PMCs are the political class, the media whores, the top military brass, some people in academia, and the "national security/foreign policy" industry honchos.
Push back against these unethical, contaminated people with the truth while you can.
AND...where the US Government is at:
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Just wait till humans have invented very long-range Laser killer beams covering thousands of miles and more.