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surface-to-surface missile

{{Short description|Missile type}}

A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed installations, or from a ship. They are often powered by a rocket engine or sometimes fired by an explosive charge, since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving slowly. They usually have fins and/or wings for lift and stability, although hyper-velocity or short-ranged missiles may use body lift or fly a ballistic trajectory.{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Aviation |first=David W. |last=Wragg |isbn=9780850451634 |edition=first |publisher=Osprey |year=1973 |page=254}} The first operational surface-to-surface missile was the V-1 flying bomb, it was powered by a pulsejet engine.

Contemporary surface-to-surface missiles are usually guided. An unguided surface-to-surface missile is usually referred to as a rocket (for example, an RPG-7 or M72 LAW is an anti-tank rocket), whereas a BGM-71 TOW or AT-2 Swatter is an anti-tank guided missile.

Examples of surface-to-surface missile include the MGM-140 ATACMS{{cite web|url=http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/us-armys-new-ground-launched-missile-raining-down-death-500-17606|title=US Army's New Ground-Launched Missile: Raining Down Death from 500 Kilometers Away|first=Kris|last=Osborn|website=Nationalinterest.org|date=6 September 2016|access-date=30 August 2017}} and the Scud family of missiles.{{Cite web |title=SS-1 "Scud" |url=https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/scud/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=Missile Threat |language=en-US}}

Examples

Types

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There are a wide variety of surface-to-surface missiles, and they can be categorized by their intended usage, intended target (such as anti-ship), flight profile, and launch platform, with these categorizations often overlapping. They may be launched from fixed silos, road-mobile vehicle, railcar, or naval launch platforms.

Cruise missiles travel at lower speeds and trajectories (often a few meters above ground), always within the atmosphere, and their motor burns during the entire flight. Ballistic missiles travel at higher speeds and trajectories with a short powered flight (boost phase) followed by a period of typically unpowered flight often exiting the atmosphere (midcourse phase), followed by a high speed unpowered terminal re-entry. They are typically classified by range band, from shortest to longest:

  • Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM): Range less than 1,000 km.{{Cite web |title=Worldwide Ballistic Missile Inventories {{!}} Arms Control Association |url=https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/worldwide-ballistic-missile-inventories#:~:text=Medium-range%20ballistic%20missiles,%20traveling,traveling%20more%20than%205,500%20kilometers. |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241225162236/https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/worldwide-ballistic-missile-inventories |archive-date=2024-12-25 |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=www.armscontrol.org |language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23317724/defense-primer-ballistic-missile-defense-nov-23-2022.pdf|title=Defense Primer: Ballistic Missile Defense|work=Congressional Research Service|date=23 November 2022|access-date=26 November 2022}}
  • Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM): Range between 1,000 km and 3,000 km.
  • Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM): Range between 3,000 km and 5,500 km.
  • Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): Range greater than 5,500 km.

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Category:Missile types