Cruise Missile

Description

Cruise missiles: an ultra-modern weapon of war delivery in the world’s complex warfare. They are long-range, jet-propelled, and pilotless aircraft delivering death with extraordinary accuracy over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. In modern warfare, against a background where delivery time is considered vital and accuracy is everything, cruise missiles are probably the most fearsome arms in the stockpile of any nation.

Land, air, sea or even submarines have significantly changed the nature of warfare. This paper will describe what cruise missiles are and how they work, then consider briefly their modern role in global defense strategies.

What are Cruise Missiles?

A cruise missile is a guided missile that sustains low-level unbroken flight, like an aircraft. It uses jet propulsion and can be armed with both conventional and nuclear warheads. Whereas ballistic missiles travel in an arc above the atmosphere, cruise missiles operate within the Earth’s atmosphere. They typically have extremely low flight levels presenting a much more difficult target for opposing radar to detect.

Cruise missiles are accurate, stealthy, long-range. After launch, they can travel a considerable distance evading any obstacle in their way to reach specific targets with pinpoint accuracy.

Key Features of Cruise Missiles

Cruise missiles come packed with state-of-the-art technology. Some of the maximum features are as follows:

Cruise missiles are the best choice in surgical strikes-in operations that require the delivery of extreme precision with minimum collateral damage.

Types of Cruise Missiles

Cruise Missiles are generally categorized into three types based on their launch platform:

Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM)

Launched from fighter jets or bombers, one very popular type is the U.S. AGM-86 ALCM that usually gets dropped from B-52 bombers.

Surface-Launched Cruise Missiles (SLCM)

Ground-based or surface naval vessels are used to launch it. The Tomahawk missile being used by America falls under this category.

Cruise Missiles Launched from Submarines (SLCM-sub)

They are usually launched from submarines while the vessel is still underwater. There is no match for their stealth and surprise attributes.

Tomahawk (USA): Much use by U.S. forces in the Gulf War and Syria known for long range and precision. BrahMos (India-Russia): Among the fastest supersonic cruise missiles, capable of launching from air, land, or sea. Kalibr (Russia): Employed by Russian naval forces strikes both ship and land targets has seen use in the Syrian conflict. Nirbhay (India): A subsonic long range cruise missile being developed by India for deep strike capabilities.

Each missile system is unique in its own way and adds up to the defense needs of that particular nation.

Strategic Importance of Cruise Missiles

Cruise missiles are of strategic importance, serving several purposes. They may be used in the opening stages of conflict to disable enemy command centers, radar stations, or airbases.

Since cruise missiles can be launched with minimum warning but can create significant damage, they usually become the central factors in diplomatic and military planning.

Problems with Cruise Missiles

These factors equally compel the nations to use cruise missiles responsibly and transparently.

Conclusion

Cruise missiles have, therefore, emerged as a hallmark of precision warfare delivering long-range accurate strikes with unprecedented flexibility in operation and firepower at the disposal of commanders. As investment increases in advanced missile systems across more nations, cruise missiles will certainly have an enlarged role to play in molding future military doctrines and strategies.

In defense, as a matter of deterrence, or within the actual conflict itself, one thing is for sure: cruise missiles will have forever altered the terrain of modern warfare.