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Tactical ballistic missile

Ballistic missile designed for short-range use on the battlefield

Ballistic missile designed for short-range use on the battlefield

A tactical ballistic missile (TBM), or battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM), is a ballistic missile designed for short-range battlefield use. Typically, range is less than 1000 km. Tactical ballistic missiles are usually mobile to ensure survivability and quick deployment, as well as carrying a variety of warheads to target enemy facilities, assembly areas, artillery, and other targets behind the front lines. Warheads can include conventional high explosive, chemical, biological, or nuclear warheads. Typically tactical nuclear weapons are limited in their total yield compared to strategic nuclear weapons.

Design

Tactical ballistic missiles fill the gap between conventional rocket artillery and longer-range short-range ballistic missiles. Tactical missiles can carry heavy payloads deep behind enemy lines in comparison to rockets or gun artillery, while having better mobility and less expense than the more strategic theatre missiles. Additionally, due to their mobility, tactical missiles are better suited to responding to developments on the battlefield.

For many nations, tactical missiles represent the upper limit of their land-based military equipment. They can provide a powerful weapon for a very economical price, and in some cases are sought to help level the playing field against opponents who are superior in other areas of military technology. Currently, tactical ballistic missile technology remains within reach for nations that may face difficulties in obtaining other advanced military technologies.

Ballistic missiles are still difficult to defeat on the battlefield. Newer air defense systems have improved ability to intercept tactical missiles, but still can not reliably protect assets against ballistic missile threats. This allows a moderate force of missiles to threaten a superior enemy by penetrating their air defenses better than with conventional aircraft, while providing a deeper strike than conventional artillery.

Propulsion

Early large rockets and missiles were propelled by liquid-propellant rocket engines, as the first types developed. These were replaced as soon as possible by solid fuel rocket motors. Liquid propellants involve cryogenic (liquid oxygen) or corrosive (nitric acid) oxidisers. These must be loaded before launch, delaying the rocket's time into action. This delay was a problem for large strategic missiles, but especially so for tactical.

Missiles, particularly in the Soviet Union, switched to using storable liquid propellants such as IRFNA, inhibited nitric acid. These were still hazardous to handle, but could be stored pre-loaded in the missile. This also allowed the development of single vehicle transporter erector launchers (TEL), rather than the previous convoy of carriers, launchers, fuel vehicles and service vehicles.

Western missiles adopted solid propellants instead, which were inherently storable, and later Warsaw Pact missiles followed suit. Tactical missiles are now almost universally solid-fuelled, except for some states using indigenous derivatives of the original Scud platform.

Country-specific tactical ballistic missiles

United States

NameOperational rangeMaximum speedIntroductionCurrent statusOperatorsPrecision Strike Missile
(PrSM)MGM-140
ATACMSMGM-52
LanceMGM-18
LacrossePGM-11
Redstone
500 km3.5 mach2023In serviceUSA
300 kmMach 31986In service{{collapsible listtitle = See list
120 kmMach 31972Decommissioned{{collapsible listtitle = See list
19 kmMach 0.81959DecommissionedUSA (formerly)
92.5 - 323.5 kmMach 5.51958DecommissionedUSA (formerly)

Specific tactical ballistic missiles

PropellantRangeIntroductionWithdrawalOriginOperatorsAl-Samoud 2Al-HusseinBlue WaterMGM-140 ATACMSMGM-52 LancePGM-11 RedstonePrecision Strike MissileMGM-18 LacrosseWS-1WS-2 / WS-3DTI-1Hrim-2ShauryaPrahaarPragatiPranashPralayGhaznavi (missile)Nasr/Hatf IXAbdali/Hatf-IIHatf-IHatf-1AHatf-1BSky SpearJ-600T YıldırımTOROSBoraT-300 KasırgaR-11 Zemlya2K1 MarsR-17/R-300 ElbrusOTR-21 TochkaOTR-23 Oka2K6 Luna9K52 Luna-MLORAHwasong-11 (KN-02)Hwasong-11A (KN-23)Hwasong-11B (KN-24)Hwasong-11DKN-259K720 IskanderPredator HawkHyunmoo-1Hyunmoo-2AUre-1BRE8 King Dragon/Fire DragonBurkan-1al-Najm al-Thaqib-1al-Najm al-Thaqib-2Fajr-5Shahab-1Shahab-2Fateh-110Fateh-313Qiam 1Zelzal-1Zelzal-2Zelzal-3Naze'at 6-HNaze'at 10-HJerina-1Jerina-2ITBM-600
Liquid0160 180 km20012003Iraq
Liquid600–650 km19871991Iraq
Solid1960 (first flight)cancelled 1962United Kingdom
Solid0300 300 km19862007 (program terminated, missile remains in service)United States
Liquid0120 120 km19721992United States
Liquid92.5 km-323 km19581964USA
500 km2023USA
19 km19591964USA
0180 60–180 km≈1990China
0180 70–200 km≈2004China
0180 60–180 kmThailand
0180 280–500 kmUkraine
Two-stage solid700-1900 km2011India
Solid150 km2011India
Solid170 km2013India
Solid200 kmTBD
Solid150-500 kmTBDIndia
Solid0320290–320 km2004Pakistan
Solid007070 km2013Pakistan
Solid0180180 km2002Pakistan
Solid0100 70 km1990Pakistan
Solid0100 100 km1990Pakistan
Solid0100 100 km1990Pakistan
Solid0300 120–300 km2001Taiwan
Solid0900 150–900 km1998Turkey
Solid0160 100–160 kmTurkey
Solid0120 280–700 km2017Turkey
0120 100–120 kmTurkey
Liquid0700 180 km1958USSR
Solid0700 7–18 kmUSSR
Liquid0700 300–700 km1964USSR
Solid0185 70–185 km1975USSR
Solid0120 500 km19791987USSR
0050 10–50 km19601982USSR
0050 70 km1964USSR
0120 400–800 km2005IsraelAzerbaijan
Solid0160 120–160 km2008North Korea
Solid450 km2018North Korea
Solid410 km2019North Korea
Solid100–300 km2022North Korea
0160 380 km2019North Korea
Solid0500 400–500 km2006Russia
0120 300–400km2016IsraelMorocco
Solid0500 180 km1977South Korea
Solid0500 300 km2006South Korea
Solid0500 180 km2022South Korea
Solid0500 280–300 km2014?China
0800 800 km2016Yemen
045 45 km2015Yemen
075 75 km2015Yemen
Solid180 km1990sIran
0350 350 km1987~2016Iran
Liquid500 km19902016Iran
Solid300 km2002Iran
Solid500 km2015Iran
Liquid800 km2010Iran
Solid160 km1990Iran
Solid210 km1998Iran
Solid200–250 km2007Iran
Solid80–100 km1980'sIran
Solid100–130 km1980'sIran
Solid285-300 km2017
Liquid75 km2017
Solid80-280 km2025Turkey (derived from PRC)

Notes

References

References

  1. Davenpot, Kesley. "Worldwide Ballistic Missile Inventories".
  2. "KN-23".
  3. "KN-24".
  4. "EDePro, Engine Development and Production".
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