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The explosive must be delivered to the target, and missiles are usually utilized. The aim of missile design is for it to be as fast as possible and as far as possible without being obstructed. A secondary aim is versaility, air, land and sea to sea, land and air.
| Era / System |
Type |
Range |
Max Speed |
Propulsion / Fuel |
Guidance |
Warhead / Payload |
Status |
| V-2 (A-4) |
Ballistic (SRBM) |
320 km |
Mach 5 (1,670 m/s) |
Liquid: 75% ethanol + LOX |
Analog gyroscopes + accelerometers |
1,000 kg Amatol HE |
Inactive (1944) |
| Scud-B (R-17) |
Ballistic (SRBM) |
300 km |
Mach 5 |
Liquid: TG-02 + AK-20 (hypergolic) |
Inertial (crude gyros) |
985 kg conventional/nuclear |
Active (limited) |
| Minuteman III |
Ballistic (ICBM) |
13,000 km |
Mach 23 (reentry) |
3-stage solid propellant + liquid post-boost |
Inertial + stellar update + GPS (modernized) |
3× W78/W87 MIRV (~300 kt each) |
Active |
| Trident II D5 |
SLBM (ICBM-class) |
11,300+ km |
Mach 24 (reentry) |
3-stage solid propellant |
Inertial + GPS + stellar |
8× W76/W88 MIRV (100-475 kt) |
Active |
| RS-28 Sarmat |
Ballistic (ICBM) |
18,000 km |
Mach 25+ (reentry) |
Liquid: Storable hypergolic (UDMH/NTO) |
Inertial + GLONASS + terminal |
10× 1 Mt MIRV or Avangard HGV |
Active |
| DF-41 |
Ballistic (ICBM) |
12,000-15,000 km |
Mach 25+ |
Solid propellant (3-stage) |
Inertial + BeiDou + terminal |
10× MIRV (~1 Mt total) |
Active |
| BrahMos |
Cruise (Supersonic) |
290-800 km |
Mach 3 |
Solid booster + liquid ramjet |
Inertial + GPS + terminal radar |
200-300 kg conventional |
Active |
| 3M22 Zircon |
Cruise (Hypersonic) |
1,000-1,500 km |
Mach 8-9 |
Scramjet (hydrocarbon fuel) |
Inertial + active radar + datalink |
~400 kg conventional |
Active (Russia) |
| Avangard HGV |
Hypersonic Glide Vehicle |
6,000+ km (boosted) |
Mach 20-27 |
Rocket booster (liquid/solid) → unpowered glide |
Inertial + terminal maneuvering |
Nuclear or conventional |
Active |
| DF-17 + HGV |
Hypersonic Glide Vehicle |
~1,800-2,500 km |
Mach 5-10 |
Solid rocket booster → glide |
Inertial + terminal |
Conventional/nuclear |
Active |
| AGM-183A ARRW |
Air-launched HGV |
~1,600+ km |
Mach 20+ |
Solid rocket booster → glide |
Inertial + GPS + terminal |
Conventional |
Testing/Development |
| HACM (Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile) |
Hypersonic Cruise Missile |
Classified (est. 1,500+ km) |
Mach 5+ |
Scramjet (hydrocarbon) |
Inertial + GPS + terminal seeker |
Conventional |
Development (USA) |
| Type |
Characteristics |
Examples |
| Liquid Propellant |
Higher specific impulse, but toxic, requires fueling before launch, less stable storage |
V-2 (ethanol/LOX), Scud (hypergolic), Sarmat (UDMH/NTO) |
| Solid Propellant |
Storable, quick-launch, rugged, lower specific impulse than liquids |
Minuteman III, Trident II, DF-41 |
| Ramjet/Scramjet |
Air-breathing, efficient at hypersonic speeds, requires booster to ignition speed |
BrahMos (ramjet), Zircon/HACM (scramjet) |
| Hybrid/Post-Boost |
Liquid-fueled "bus" for MIRV deployment after solid boost stages |
Minuteman III PSRE, modern ICBMs |
| Era |
Technology |
Accuracy (CEP) |
| 1940s |
Mechanical gyroscopes + beam radio control (V-2) |
~10-17 km |
| 1960s-70s |
Analog/digital inertial navigation (INS) |
300-1,000 m |
| 1980s |
INS + stellar navigation updates |
90-300 m |
| 1990s-2000s |
INS + GPS/GLONASS + TERCOM/DSMAC (cruise missiles) |
10-30 m |
| 2010s+ |
INS + multi-constellation GNSS + terminal seekers (radar/IR) + AI-assisted |
<10 m (conventional), <100 m (nuclear) |
| Category |
Speed Range |
Flight Characteristics |
| Subsonic Cruise |
Mach 0.7-0.9 |
Low-altitude terrain-following, long endurance |
| Supersonic Cruise |
Mach 2-5 |
Ramjet-powered, shorter range, higher kinetic energy |
| Ballistic (Mid-course) |
Mach 15-25 |
Exo-atmospheric free-flight, predictable trajectory |
| Hypersonic Glide (HGV) |
Mach 5-27 |
Boost-glide, maneuverable in atmosphere, hard to intercept |
| Hypersonic Cruise (HCM) |
Mach 5-10 |
Powered atmospheric flight, scramjet, highly maneuverable |
| Class |
Abbreviation |
Range |
| Close-Range Ballistic Missile |
CRBM |
50–300 km |
| Short-Range Ballistic Missile |
SRBM |
300–1,000 km |
| Medium-Range Ballistic Missile |
MRBM |
1,000–3,500 km |
| Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile |
IRBM |
3,500–5,500 km |
| Intercontinental Ballistic Missile |
ICBM |
>5,500 km |
| Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile |
SLBM |
Varies (typically ICBM-range) |
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