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• Cruise Missile Basics

What is a cruise missile?

Cruise missiles, although similar to ballistic missiles in some regards, provide an alternate means to deliver a lethal payload rapidly and accurately to a target. Cruise missiles differ from ballistic missiles in that they fly towards their target at lower altitudes, remaining within the Earth’s atmosphere throughout their trajectory. Cruise missiles are defined as “an unmanned self-propelled guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path and whose primary mission is to place an ordnance or special payload on a target.” [1] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned control-guided helicopters or aircraft can be included in this definition [2] , but will not be discussed on this page.

The cruise missile has its beginnings in World War I, when the U.S. Army developed the Kettering Bug, an unmanned aerial bomb designed to strike targets beyond the range of artillery and too dangerous for piloted aircraft. However, the Kettering Bug was never used in combat. [3] Instead, the modern cruise missile originates more from the V-1 Flying Bomb used by the Germany in the last months of World War II. [4]

Launch Platforms

Cruise missiles are capable of being launched from multiple ground, air, sea and submarine platforms. Both fighter and long-range bomber aircraft are capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles. [5] On the ground, cruise missiles are most commonly launched by road-mobile systems due to the inherent advantages of mobility, but they can also be launched from fixed platforms. [6]

Russian warships in the Caspian Sea launch Kalibr cruise missiles towards targets inside Syria.

At sea, various surface ships and submarines can launch cruise missiles. Submarines are capable of launching while surfaced or submerged using torpedo fixtures or vertical launch tubes. [7] In April 2010 Kontsern-Morinformsistema-Agat, a Russian company, began marketing a version of the Russian Kalibr cruise missile housed in and capable of being launched from a standard shipping container. [8] This would allow any vehicle capable of carrying a standard shipping container to become a discreet platform from which to launch cruise missiles. [9]

Propulsion and Flight

Cruise missiles utilize jet engines as their primary method of propulsion. Most cruise missiles are subsonic and use Turbofan and Turbojet engines. While less common, supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles utilize Ramjet and Scramjet engines. [10] Some also use rocket motor propulsion as a booster in the first phase of flight [11]  or to accelerate to supersonic speeds in the terminal phase. [12]

Cruise missiles can fly to their targets at varying altitudes as long as they remain within the atmosphere. The trajectory of most remains close to the Earth’s surface, sometimes skimming just meters above the ground. Their low flight path makes it much harder for most radar and sensor systems to detect the missile, unless the radar or sensor system is airborne and directed towards the ground. [13] Some cruise missiles will fly only at high altitudes and dive sharply down once they reach their target. Flying at high altitude can extend the range of the missile because it’s more fuel-efficient than flying at lower altitudes. However, this also makes the missile more susceptible to missile defense systems since today’s radars and sensors are typically positioned to detect and track high altitude threats. [14] Cruise missiles can also mix their flight trajectory between high and low altitude in order to get the benefits of both. In this instance, cruise missiles will typically fly at a high altitude early in their flight to help extend their range, but as they approach their target, or missile defenses, they will fly down to a lower sea skimming/terrain hugging altitude to help it evade detection and defenses. [15]

Flight test of Pakistan’s Ra’ad cruise missile.

Cruise missiles can use multiple guidance methods in order to accurately place their ordinance on the desired target and avoid missile defense systems. One of the first methods used by cruise missiles was inertial guidance, which is still used today and allows the missile to fly along a flight path programmed prior to launch. [16] Another guidance method is terrain contour matching (TERCOM), which compares a terrain map to the current terrain the missile is flying over to ensure the missile is flying on the correct path. [17] Some use GPS systems, which require connection to either GPS or GLONASS satellite system, but can help ensure the missile follows the correct flight path and strikes the final target using specific coordinates with a high degree of accuracy. [18]

Other guidance methods are primarily used in the terminal phase of flight to increase accuracy. One is a laser guided system which uses a sensor to detect its target painted by a laser, however this can be unreliable because dust and smoke can interfere with the laser or the missile may not always be able to see the laser or painted target. [19] Another terminal guidance method is TV guidance, in which an operator uses a camera in the nose of the missile to visually identify and manually guide the missile to the target in its final phase. This method also gives the operator the option to abort the strike in the final phase if an anomaly is detected. [20]  A radar seeker is also used in the nose of some missiles to identify and/or keep the missile on target in the terminal phase. These radar seekers use either passive radar, which detect radar emissions of their target, or active radar, which emit their own radar to detect their target. [21] Infrared (IR) guidance – directing the missile towards heat emitting objects, such as engines [22] – may also be used by cruise missiles in the terminal phase. [23] However, because of its simplicity, IR guidance cannot differentiate between friendly, adversarial, or extraneous IR signals in a crowded battlefield, and is usually used in conjunction with other guidance systems. [24] The last guidance system used by cruise missiles is Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC), which uses a camera in the missile to find the desired target and match it to a stored image using an image correlator. [25]

Cruise missiles are typically armed with conventional or nuclear warheads, but can also be equipped with chemical or biological warheads. [26] The warhead weight and yield can vary widely, depending on the specific cruise missile and its mission.

[1] “Cruise Missiles.” Federation of American Scientists. http://fas.org/nuke/intro/cm/

[3] “Kettering Bug.” UAVGLOBAL. http://www.uavglobal.com/kettering-bug/ ; “War Machines: Cruise Missile.” National Geographic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD8Kr0f1tEY

[4] Hickman, Kennedy. “World War II: V-1 Flying Bomb.” About Education. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/artillerysiegeweapons/p/v1.htm

[5] N.R.P. “Explained: How Cruise Missiles Work!” Defencyclopedia. https://defencyclopedia.com/2014/08/01/explained-how-cruise-missiles-work/

[8] Stott, Michael. “Deadly New Russian Weapon Hides in Shipping Container.” Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-weapon-idUSTRE63P2XB20100426

[9] Lewis, Jeffrey, Nikolai Sokov. “Sokov on Russian Cruise Missiles.” Arms Control Wonk. http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/207801/sokov-on-russian-cruise-missiles/

[11] Brain, Marshall. “How Cruise Missiles Work.” How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/cruise-missile.htm

[12] N.R.P. “Explained: How Cruise Missiles Work!” Defencyclopedia. https://defencyclopedia.com/2014/08/01/explained-how-cruise-missiles-work/

[22] Kopp, Carlo. “Heat-Seeking Missile Guidance.” Air Power Australia. http://ausairpower.net/TE-IR-Guidance.html

[23] N.R.P. “Explained: How Cruise Missiles Work!” Defencyclopedia. https://defencyclopedia.com/2014/08/01/explained-how-cruise-missiles-work/

[25] Brain, Marshall. “How Cruise Missiles Work.” How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/cruise-missile.htm

[26] “Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat.” Federation of American Scientists.   http://fas.org/irp/threat/missile/naic/part02.htm ; Norris, Robert S., Hans M. Kristensen. “Nuclear Cruise Missiles.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. http://bos.sagepub.com/content/63/6/60.full

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A Short History of Cruise Missiles: The Go-To Weapons for Conventional Precision Strikes

The slow, stubby-winged cruise missile has become a major part of modern warfare. This is its story.

• They’re not like other missiles; instead, cruise missiles work more like drones.
• Ironically, the inspiration for the first cruise missiles involved pilots—the infamous kamikazes of World War II .

One weapon that establishes a military power in a completely different category from the rest is the cruise missile. Originally designed to deliver nuclear weapons at long distances, it’s become the go-to weapon for conventional precision strikes, and is currently front and center in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But as the cruise missile is now in its fifth decade of use, there are signs it’ll need some adjustments to stay relevant on the modern battlefield .

Divine Wind

A cruise missile is a subsonic guided missile that uses a turbojet, a smaller version of the jet engines that power today’s airplanes , to reach its targets. Cruise missiles often have small, stubby wings to allow them to bank and turn, following an invisible flight path in the sky. Modern cruise missiles use satellite navigation to guide themselves to target, and some can even take pictures of the target area, allowing operators to retarget them in midair. The missile’s payload is typically a warhead in the 1,000-pound weight class, often with the ability to penetrate earth and concrete to target underground shelters.

The first cruise missiles were Japan’s kamikaze planes of World War II. The kamikaze, or “divine wind,” was part of the Japanese Special Attack Units. Created out of desperation and meant to curb the inexorable advance of U.S. forces across the Pacific, kamikaze pilots were sent on one-way missions to target ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The planes were loaded with explosives, and the pilots flew low and fast to avoid detection until the last possible moment.

Kamikaze missions were incredibly successful. In the first four months of their use, an estimated 34 percent of all kamikazes reached their targets. Much of their success is likely attributable to American forces’ disbelief that pilots could commit suicide for their mission. But the low-flying mission profile and the pilot’s ability to recognize threats and avoid them were also undoubtedly factors. In the 1970s, when U.S. military planners originally conceived of the cruise missile, the kamikazes were likely not far from anyone’s mind.

How Cruise Missiles Work

Cruise missiles were originally designed to carry nuclear weapons long distances, allowing bombers to strike their targets without entering the range of an adversary’s air-defense weapons. Conventional rocket-powered missiles didn’t fit the bill: rocket engines are designed to provide speed, and burn up fuel quickly. A cruise missile would need an enormous rocket engine to reach a distant target, with the result being a missile so big only a few would be able to fit inside a bomber.

Instead of rockets, engineers took a different tack: small turbofan engines that burn jet fuel. Turbofan engines are much more efficient, allowing a 21-foot-long missile to carry enough fuel to fly 1,000 miles, plus a 1,000-pound high-explosive warhead (or W-80 thermonuclear warhead ) and a guidance system. The downside was that a turbofan-powered cruise missile could not fly particularly fast, just about 500 miles per hour.

A subsonic cruise missile flying a straight flight path and unable to take evasive action would prove easy meat to any enemy interceptor that happened upon it. The first modern cruise missile, the American-made Tomahawk , was designed to fly low, less than 100 meters above the ground. This limited the range at which ground-based radars could detect a cruise missile, as radar waves conform to the curvature of Earth. This also frustrated enemy fighters, whose nose-mounted radars found it difficult to pick out a cruise missile against the clutter created by the ground below. While cruise missiles were too slow to become first-strike weapons, they were effective for retaliatory strikes against heavily defended airspace.

Early Tomahawk cruise missiles followed a pre-programmed flight path to target using a system called terrain contour matching (TERCOM). In TERCOM , a radar altimeter scans the terrain below the missile, then compares it to a terrain elevation map stored in its onboard computer brain. If the two match, the missile is on the right flight path; if they don’t match, the missile adjusts course. Programming TERCOM for a long-range mission was a notoriously time-consuming process, and had to be done at a computer terminal.

As the Tomahawk neared its target, it switched over to a completely different navigation system: digital scene matching and area correlation ( DSMAC ). DSMAC used an optical sensor that took pictures of the ground and compared them to actual sites on the final route to the target. Together, TERCOM and DSMAC delivered unheard of accuracy, allowing Tomahawks to fly hundreds of miles and strike specific parts of land targets, even specific parts of buildings.

More recent cruise missiles, including newer versions of the Tomahawk, have done away with the old navigation systems in favor of using GPS to guide themselves to a fixed target. This has had the effect of making an already accurate missile even more accurate—reportedly to within 32 feet of a target. The Tomahawk Block IV version, introduced in the 2010s, included a camera that could send back imagery to the missile’s controllers, allowing a missile to be re-tasked in midair if its target was already destroyed. Block Va, the latest version, adds the ability to target and attack moving ships at sea.

The Tomahawk missile was the first cruise missile fired in anger. U.S. Navy warships fired a total of 288 Tomahawks during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Tomahawk missiles have also been fired at Bosnia, Sudan, Syria , Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Afghanistan. U.S. and U.K. forces have delivered just over 2,000 Tomahawk missiles against operational targets, with more than half against Iraq.

In recent years, other countries have also used cruise missiles in combat. In October 2017, Russia began cruise missile strikes against so-called terrorist targets in Syria. These Novator 3M14 Kalibr cruise missiles are very similar to Tomahawk missiles, but use Russia’s GLONASS satellite navigation system, an alternative to the American GPS. Russia has launched a steady stream of air- and sea-launched cruise missiles against Ukraine since the early hours of the invasion on February 24, 2022 , but a shrinking missile stockpile has led to the attacks becoming less frequent, supplemented by Iranian-made kamikaze drones.

The war in Ukraine has also seen the use of two European cruise missiles, the U.K.’s Storm Shadow and the French SCALP missile . The two are essentially the same, with a 340-mile range and 990-pound warhead. The missiles donated to Ukraine are launched from specially modified Su-24 Soviet-era strike jets . Storm Shadow/SCALP was also used against the Khaddafi regime in Libya in 2011, ISIS in 2015, and by Saudi Arabia against Yemeni rebels in 2016.

The Russo-Ukrainian War has also confirmed an important, long suspected fact: low-flying, subsonic cruise missiles are vulnerable to man-portable surface-to-air missiles. In 2022, a Ukrainian National Guardsman was filmed shooting down a Russian cruise missile with an Igla surface-to-air missile. It was the first known case of a shoulder-fired missile, typically carried by infantry, shooting down a multi-million dollar cruise missile. How this event will affect future cruise missiles remains to be seen.

The Takeaway

Cruise missiles have dramatically changed warfare, as one might expect from a weapon that can fly 1,000 miles and deliver a half-ton high-explosive warhead within 32 feet of a target. The missiles allow countries that can afford them the ability to execute precision strikes on heavily defended targets without endangering pilots or aircraft.

The war in Ukraine will likely impart lessons on the next generation of cruise missiles , but the platform isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News , and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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North Korea says it tested a new cruise missile in the latest example of its expanding capabilities

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday it conducted its first flight test of a new cruise missile , as it expands its military capabilities in the face of deepening tensions with the United States and neighbors.

The report in state media came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected the North firing several cruise missiles into waters off its western coast. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not provide more specific assessments, including the number of missiles fired or their flight characteristics.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the Pulhwasal-3-31 missile is still in its development phase and that the launch did not pose a threat to neighbors. It described the missile as “strategic,” implying an intent to arm them with nuclear weapons.

The cruise missile launches were North Korea’s second known launch event of the year, following a Jan. 14 test-firing of the country’s first solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile , which reflected its efforts to advance its lineup of weapons targeting U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam.

North Korea’s cruise missiles are among its growing arsenal of weapons aimed at overwhelming missile defenses in South Korea and Japan. They supplement the country’s huge lineup of ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland.

While North Korean cruise missile activities are not directly banned under U.N. sanctions, experts say those weapons potentially pose a serious threat to South Korea and Japan. They are designed to be harder to detect by radar, and North Korea claims they are nuclear-capable and their range is up to about 1,240 miles, a distance that would include U.S. military bases in Japan.

Since 2021, North Korea has conducted at least 10 rounds of tests of what it described as long-range cruise missiles fired from both land and sea.

Tensions in the region have increased in recent months as Kim continues to accelerate his weapons development and make provocative threats of nuclear conflict with the United States and its Asian allies. In response, the United States, South Korea and Japan have been expanding their combined military exercises, which Kim condemns as invasion rehearsals and uses as a pretext to further ramp up his military demonstrations.

There are concerns that Kim could dial up pressure in an election year in the United States and South Korea.

South Korean experts and officials say Kim’s weapons drive has put further strain on a broken economy, decimated by decades of mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear ambitions.

In a separate report, KCNA said Kim during a two-day ruling party meeting held through Wednesday criticized officials for failures in sufficiently providing “basic living necessities including condiments, foodstuff and consumption goods” to people living in the countryside and less developed cities and towns.

Kim had called the meeting to discuss a 10-year project he announced last week to promote more balanced regional development, which includes a goal of building modern factories in every county nationwide.

Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press this week suggest North Korea has torn down a huge arch in its capital that symbolized reconciliation with South Korea, a week after Kim dismissed decades of hopes for peaceful reunification with the war-divided peninsula’s south.

Kim last week described the Pyongyang monument as an “eyesore” and called for its removal while declaring that the North was abandoning long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with South Korea and ordering a rewriting of the North’s constitution to define the South as its most hostile foreign adversary. He accused South Korea of acting as “top-class stooges” of the Americans and repeated a threat that he would use his nuclear weapons to annihilate the South if provoked.

Analysts say North Korea could be aiming to diminish South Korea’s voice in the regional nuclear standoff and eventually force direct dealings with Washington as it looks to cement its nuclear status.

The Associated Press

Everything To Know About Tomahawk Missiles: Speed, Cost, And Destructive Power

Tomahawk missiles have been world famous since the first Gulf War in 1991 when the United States used the missile against Saddam Hussein's forces in Iraq and Kuwait. Since then, the missile system has been used in nearly every conflict the United States has been involved in, including recent strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Given the weapon's ubiquity, it's worth exploring what exactly a Tomahawk missile is. The United States Navy reports that over 2,300 Tomahawks have been deployed in combat, with that number increasing by the day.

According to the Missile Defense Project from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Tomahawk (full name Tomahawk Land Attack Missile) has been in service since 1983 and were first developed for the United States Navy starting in 1972. It was designed to be launched from ships or submarines and was, from the outset, made with nuclear payloads in mind. However, nuclear-armed Tomahawks have not been used in combat and are currently deactivated.

Slow and steady

The Tomahawk missile itself is a 20.3 foot long craft with a wingspan of eight and a half feet, and it weighs 3,330 pounds with all of its components. It's powered by both a rocket booster and turbofan jet engine made by Williams International. According to PBS, the rocket booster engine launches the Tomahawk in the air (hence all the smoke you may see in news broadcasts or photos you see of the missile) and then its jet engine takes the missile the rest of the way to its target.

Despite being powered by rockets and a jet engine, the Tomahawk missile itself isn't that fast, at least comparatively. It reportedly travels at a speed of around 550 miles per hour. An F-16 fighter jet tops out at 1,500 miles per hour and the much larger Minuteman III ballistic missile can reach speeds of up to 15,000 miles per hour. Supposedly, the Tomahawk's relatively low speed helps it avoid radar systems more efficiently. Additionally, it flies at an altitude of between 100 and 300 feet, much lower than conventional fighter aircraft.

Range and power

The actual payload of the Tomahawk can consist of a number of different munitions. But the primary warhead of the Tomahawk is a 1,000-pound high explosive charge. It can also carry cluster munitions consisting of small bomblets, similar to the ATACMS currently used in Ukraine . For explosive force, Tomahawks were more than enough to disable runways or sink ships.

The exact guidance system and navigational dynamics of the Tomahawk missile are classified. However, it is known that it can use GPS or inertial guidance systems to hit the target. Additionally, the U.S. Navy states that up to 15 targets can be pre-programmed for missile salvos. The Tomahawk is capable of "loitering," meaning that, provided the missile has enough fuel, it can fly around in circles to relay information or wait for the right target. It has a range of around 1,500 miles, meaning that the ship or submarine launching the missile is well out of harm's way. It is accurate to within 10 meters.

The Tomahawk's combat history

The Tomahawk is primarily made by Raytheon Missile Systems. According to budget data from the United States Marine Corps from 2022, each Tomahawk costs around $2 million. As of now, the United States and the United Kingdom are the only countries to deploy Tomahawk missiles, although Australia and Japan have put out bids to purchase Tomahawks.

The U.S. Navy states that 140 total craft are capable of launching Tomahawks. That number consists of Ohio-class submarines, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and more. The United States Army has also tested launching Tomahawks from ground-based platforms. The USS Missouri, a World War II-era battleship and the very last of its kind, was fitted to fire Tomahawks during the opening salvos of the First Gulf War. It fired a total of 28 cruise missiles, in addition to its 16-inch deck guns.

The submarines USS Louisville and USS Pittsburgh launched Tomahawks in 1991 at targets in Iraq and became the first submarines to fire Tomahawks while submerged.

Several decades of service

Outside of the Gulf War, Tomahawks were used to attack Iraq several more times in the 1990s, against Bosnian targets in 1995, during NATO actions against Yugoslavia, and during the engagements against Afghanistan after 9/11. More recently, Tomahawks saw use in Libya as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, ISIS in Syria experienced the effects of Tomahawks, and Syrian chemical weapons facilities used by despot Bashar Al-Assad were struck by Tomahawks in 2017. In 2024, both American and British forces launched Tomahawks against Houthi rebels after the rebel group attacked shipping lanes and US-flagged vessels in the Red Sea.

Raytheon reports that the Tomahawk missile could stay in service until at least 2035. By that time, the cruise missile will have eclipsed 50 years of service. With its long range, ability to be launched practically anywhere in the world from above or below the waves, and its accuracy, the Tomahawk has proved literally thousands of times that it is a vital part of the arsenals of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy.

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What are the differences between a ballistic missile and a cruise missile.

Many countries choose missiles because they may be deployed efficiently against an enemy with a strong air defense system , making the use of human aircraft in such an attack impossible or too expensive. There is less need for personnel, supplies, and upkeep when using missiles instead of manned aircraft.

So, What are the Differences between a Ballistic Missile and a Cruise Missile?

When a missile test is being reported, the terms “ballistic missile” and “cruise missile” are frequently used. Ballistic and cruise missile systems are seen as emblems of national power and a cost-effective armament by many governments. Cruise and ballistic missiles are widely used by many countries, both offensively and defensively.

How do cruise missiles and ballistic missiles maneuver, and what are the differences between the basic principles of these maneuvers?

Guided cruise and ballistic missiles were first used when Germany attacked targets in England and Northern Europe with V1 cruise missiles and V2 ballistic missiles during World War II . Although these missiles were inaccurate, their use resulted in tens of thousands of Allied casualties.

The Federation of American Scientists says that a ballistic weapon follows a ballistic path for most of its flight. That means once the rocket’s fuel is gone, it will keep moving, just like a bullet does after being shot out of a gun.

Ballistic missiles climb very high, exiting the atmosphere. According to Wikipedia, short-range ballistic missiles stay within the Earth’s atmosphere, while intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are launched on a sub-orbital trajectory.

According to one definition, a sub-orbital space flight reaches an altitude greater than 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. At this altitude, known as the Kármán line, once the fuel runs out, the missile’s direction cannot be altered; it follows a path based on the speed of its launch and the force of gravity attempting to pull it back to the Earth’s surface. Gravity eventually guides the missile and its payload toward its intended target, which could be a chemical or biological weapon or a nuclear device.

Ballistic missiles are broadly categorized into four groups based on their range:

• Short-range ballistic missiles cover distances less than 1,000 kilometers (approximately 620 miles).
• Medium-range ballistic missiles spanning 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers (approximately 620 to 1860 miles).
• Intermediate-range ballistic missiles range from 3,000 to 5,500 kilometers (approximately 1860 to 3410 miles).
• Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are capable of traveling over 5,500 kilometers, thus posing a threat to targets across the globe.

Top 10 Short Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBMs)

Short- and medium-range ballistic missiles are called theatre ballistic missiles, while ICBMs and long-range ballistic missiles are referred to as strategic ballistic missiles. On their flight path, ballistic missiles are capable of traveling at a high rate of speed. With terminal velocities of over 5,000 meters per second, an ICBM can strike a target within a range of 10,000 kilometers in approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Due to the limited time available, ballistic missiles are significantly more difficult to intercept than cruise missiles.

For example, the Russian RS-28 Sarmat ICBM can reach almost 25,000 kilometers per hour or over 15,000 miles per hour. To further complicate matters, most ICBMs carry not a unitary large warhead but several smaller and fully independent nuclear missiles called MIRVs (Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle). 

The Sarmat can carry up to 24 MIRVs; each MIRV carries nuclear warheads with yields ranging anywhere from hundreds of kilotons to a few megatons. Each MIRV can hit a target hundreds of kilometers away from each other, and some MIRVs will carry decoys and countermeasures, putting additional stress on defensive systems.

Even though cruise missiles are cheaper, more mobile, and more versatile, ballistic missiles are among the most feared armaments in existence. No nation has launched an ICBM as an act of war against another nation, although some nations have tested these missiles during training exercises.

Cruise missiles are unmanned vehicles that are propelled by jet engines, much like an airplane with turbofan engines, in particular being preferred due to their greater efficiency at low altitudes. They range in speed from subsonic to hypersonic, while less common supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles utilize ramjet and scramjet engines. They can be launched from ground, airplane, and sea platforms like submarines and surface warships.

They tend to have shorter ranges than ballistic missiles. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles are usually categorized by intended missions and launch mode instead of maximum range. The two broadest categories are land attack cruise missiles (LACMs ) and anti-shipping cruise missiles (ASCMs) . The success of U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles during the Persian Gulf War has heightened interest in cruise missile acquisition in many countries.

Cruise missiles can reach their objectives from a variety of altitudes so long as they remain within the atmosphere. The trajectory of the vast majority of objects remains close to the Earth’s surface, occasionally hovering just meters above the ground. Their low flight path makes it difficult for most radar and sensor systems to detect the missile unless the radar or sensor system is airborne and directed toward the ground.

Some cruise missiles can only fly at extremely high altitudes, and then they descend steeply once they’ve reached their destination. Higher-altitude flight uses less fuel than lower-altitude flight, allowing the missile to travel further. Unfortunately, modern radars and sensors are often set up to identify and track threats at high altitudes, making the missile more vulnerable to missile defense systems.

Altitude Variation for Tactical Advantage

Cruise missiles are renowned for dynamically altering their flight trajectory, capitalizing on both high and low altitudes. This strategic maneuver enhances their overall performance by combining the advantages of different altitudes. Typically, these missiles initiate their journey at high altitudes to extend their operational range. 

However, as they near their target or potential missile defenses, they adeptly descend to lower altitudes, skimming the sea or terrain. This transition serves to elude detection and countermeasures, highlighting the adaptability of cruise missiles in various operational scenarios.

Precision Strikes Defined

The hallmark characteristic of cruise missiles lies in their remarkable precision. Often boasting ranges under 300 kilometers, with the most extended variants reaching approximately 1600 kilometers, these missiles exhibit extraordinary accuracy. 

A frequently cited example underscores this accuracy, asserting that cruise missiles can cover a thousand miles and hit a target as compact as a single-car garage. This precision opens avenues for surgical strikes and minimizes collateral damage in contemporary warfare.

Guidance Mechanisms for Pinpoint Accuracy

Cruise missiles harness a repertoire of guidance methods to ensure the impeccable placement of their payloads on intended targets while outmaneuvering missile defense systems. Among these methods, inertial guidance stands as a foundational approach, relying on a pre-programmed flight path set before launch.

Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM): Navigating with Terrain

Another pivotal guidance method is Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) . This intricate mechanism involves the comparison of an onboard terrain map with the actual topography over which the missile traverses. This technique guarantees the missile’s adherence to the designated path, further reinforcing its accuracy and operational efficacy.

Precision Through Global Positioning: GPS and GLONASS

Several cruise missiles integrate GPS systems to achieve pinpoint accuracy. These systems necessitate connectivity with the GPS or GLONASS satellite networks and facilitate adherence to predetermined flight paths. Cruise missiles can strike designated targets with unparalleled precision by leveraging specific coordinates, augmenting their role in modern warfare.

Enhancing Terminal Phase Precision

Cruise missiles deploy advanced guidance methods in the terminal phase of flight to elevate their accuracy.

Laser-Guided Precision: Target Painting

Laser-guided systems emerge as a crucial asset in this phase. Equipped with sensors, these systems detect targets designated by laser markers. While immensely accurate, this method can be vulnerable to interference from environmental factors such as dust and smoke, potentially hindering target acquisition.

TV Guidance: Human Intervention

Terminal guidance can also involve TV guidance, where an operator employs a nose-mounted camera to identify the target and manually guide the missile visually. This dynamic approach allows operators to abort the strike if anomalies are detected, underscoring the human element in precision warfare.

Radar Seekers: Radar-Equipped Accuracy

Certain cruise missiles integrate radar seekers in their nose sections to identify and remain on course toward their targets during the terminal phase. These seekers may utilize passive radar to detect emissions from the target’s radar or active radar to emit signals for target detection.

Infrared (IR) Guidance: Homing in on Heat

Infrared (IR) guidance presents yet another terminal phase technique, steering missiles toward heat-emitting sources like engines. Despite its efficacy, IR guidance’s simplicity renders it incapable of distinguishing between friendly, adversarial, or extraneous IR signals in crowded battlefields. Consequently, it is often employed alongside other guidance systems.

Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC): Image-Reliant Precision

Among the diverse guidance methods, Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) relies on an onboard camera to identify the target. This image is then compared to a stored reference image using an image correlator, accentuating the missile’s ability to refine target identification during the terminal phase.

Cruise Missiles: Transformative Force in Modern Warfare

Cruise missiles hold a pivotal role across all military branches, reshaping the landscape of modern warfare. Their effective utilization in contemporary conflicts has the potential to sway the outcome without resorting to nuclear options. 

As technology advances, the horizon holds promises of more intelligent, self-managing, and hypersonic cruise missiles entering the global market. Irrespective of these changes, cruise missiles are poised to endure as one of the most dependable weapons in the foreseeable future.

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Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

April 27, 2017

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:

• Short-range: less than 1,000 kilometers (approximately 620 miles), also known as “tactical” ballistic missiles.
• Medium-range: between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers (approximately 620-1,860 miles), also known as “theater” ballistic missiles.
• Intermediate-range: between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers (approximately 1,860-3,410 miles)
• 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 (5,689 miles) away.

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 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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The Simple Difference Between Ballistic Missiles and Cruise Missiles

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In 2017, North Korea unexpectedly staged a test launch of what was then a new ballistic missile , the Pukguksong-2. The launch took place when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was on a state visit to the United States . There have been many more test launches of ballistic missiles by North Korea since. Between May and October 2019, North Korea launched as many as 12 ballistic missiles or other projectiles. But they have all been just test launches.

Things got real, though, on Jan. 7, 2020, when Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops. This was not a test launch. It was Iran's retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed Iran Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, 2020. There were no casualties and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif defended the missile strike on the U.S. bases in Iraq, saying it was an act of "self-defense."

But for the non-military minded among us, these ballistic missile launches — both the constant test launches in North Korea and the intentional strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq — may raise a good question: What exactly is a ballistic missile, anyway? Is there something about the ballistic part that makes a missile even more dangerous? After all, when someone freaks out we say they've "gone ballistic."

According to the Federation of American Scientists , a ballistic missile is one that has a ballistic trajectory over most of its flight path. What that means is that once the missile burns up the fuel that propels it, the missile keeps moving, the same way that a bullet does after it's been fired out of a gun. Once the fuel is gone, the missile's direction can't be altered. It follows a path determined by the speed of its launch and the force of gravity trying to pull it back toward the Earth's surface. Eventually, gravity guides the missile — and its payload, which might be an explosive, a chemical or biological weapon, or a nuclear device — down toward its target.

Ballistic missiles are different than cruise missiles. Cruise missiles are self-propelled for the majority of their time in the air, flying in a relatively straight line and at lower altitudes thanks to a rocket propellant. Think of a ballistic missile's flight path as a large arc up and back down again, while that of a cruise missile — fired from a warship, for instance — is closer to a straight line.

Ballistic missiles first came into use during World War II, when the Germans used a ballistic missile called the V-2 to attack London. British air defenses designed to stop aircraft couldn't stop the V-2s, because the rockets traveled too high into the upper atmosphere and moved too fast.

After the war, the U.S., with the help of captured German technology and scientists, built its own arsenal of even more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of unleashing nuclear destruction upon targets on the other side of the world. The Soviet Union and China built ICBMs as well, setting up a world where a nuclear war was deterred by the prospect of mutual assured destruction.

The North Korean regime successfully tested intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July and November 2017. Its Hwasong-15 ICBM reached an altitude of 2,780 miles (4,475 kilometers) and flew about 590 miles (1,000 kilometers) before landing in the sea off the coast of Japan. Analysts estimate the Hwasong-15 has a potential range of 8,100 miles (13,000 kilometers). If it's fired on a flatter trajectory, it could reach potentially reach anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

Which countries have intercontinental ballistic missiles?

What is meant by ballistic trajectory, what is difference between a ballistic and a cruise missile, how high do ballistic missiles fly, are ballistic missiles nuclear.

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Video Shows Russian Cruise Missile Release Decoy Flares In Flight During Dnipro Dam Attack

A new video shows a Russian missile releasing countermeasures during its terminal stage of flight.

On Mar. 22, 2024, Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack against Ukraine targeting Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih, primarily aiming at the Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Zaporizhzhia’s Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric station, was among the targets hit by one the largest attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector in recent weeks.

Overnight, Ukrainian forces shot down 92 of the 151 russian aerial targets. The terrorist state attacked Ukraine with: •63 Shahed UAVs •12 Iskander-M ballistic missiles •40 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles •5 Kh-22 cruise missiles •7 Kh-47 M2 (Kinzhal) aeroballistic missiles… pic.twitter.com/orRb9pSd5I — Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 22, 2024

Among the videos shared online during and after the attack, one is particularly interesting, as it shows, once again, a Russian cruise missile approaching the dam and releasing countermeasures during the terminal stage of its flight.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Footage from earlier this morning showing one of the Russian Kh-101 Air-Launched Cruise Missile which Struck the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Station appearing to Deploy Flares before Impacting the Dam. pic.twitter.com/EtXhtUxfPm — Spy (@TodayDefenceNew) March 23, 2024

Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles are known to have been equipped with radio frequency countermeasures, commonly known as chaffs, since the beginning of 2023. This upgrade was discovered from the analysis of photos of Kh-101s’ wreckages, which showed the countermeasures dispensers.

In December 2023, a Kh-101 releasing flares to deceive Ukrainian air defenses during an attack was first filmed . The one on Mar. 22, would be the second time the use of countermeasures by a Russian cruise missile was caught on camera.

While the quality of the latest clip does not allow a proper identification of the missile, it seems likely it’s again a Kh-101.

Here’s a slowed down version of the same footage.

The russian rocket wich flew to the Dniprodam and blew up the dam. pic.twitter.com/m6AU5MnDMJ — Sander (@SanderRegter) March 22, 2024

The Kh-101 is a fairly recently developed long range cruise missile roughly analogous to the U.S. Tomahawk family of cruise missiles, which was already employed in Syria  during Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 bomber strikes in 2016 and 2017. Eight Kh-101 cruise missiles can be carried by a Tu-95 bomber, while twelve can be carried by a Tu-160.

The Kh-101 cruise missile has an effective combat range of 2,790-3,000 miles (about 4,500+ kilometers) and can carry a variety of different warheads depending on the target to be struck. The missile is reported to have  low-observable (“stealth”) characteristics  and is capable of adjusting its targeting while in flight to the assigned target. The Kh-101 missile is, in fact, believed to use a combination of inertial guidance and satellite navigation using the Russian GLONASS system, with opto-electronic flight correction system. Its accuracy is reported as “within 10 meters”.

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• Missiles of the World

Kh-101 / Kh-102

The Kh-101 / Kh-102 is a line of conventional and nuclear capable air-launched cruise missiles (ALCM) developed and deployed by Russia. A stealthy missile, the Kh-101/-102 is designed to defeat air defense systems by flying at low, terrain-hugging altitudes to avoid radar systems. The Kh-101 carries a conventional warhead, while the Kh-102 is believed to carry a 250 kt nuclear payload.

Kh-101 / Kh-102 at a Glance

Kh-101 / Kh-102 Development

Kh-101 / kh-102 specifications, service history.

Since entering service in 2012, the Russian air force has employed the Kh-101 several times in combat operations.

• Andrei Akulov, “Russian Kh-101 Air to Surface Cruise Missile: Unique and Formidable,” Strategic Culture , October 19, 2016, https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/10/19/russian-kh-101-air-to-surface-cruise-missile-unique-and-formidable.html.
• “Kh-101/-102” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. James C O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2016), 189.
• Ibid; Russian Ministry of Defense, “Strategic Tu-95MS bombers destroyed the ISIS militants’ command post and storages in Syria with missile attack,” July 5, 2017, http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12132186@egNews.
• Dave Majumdar, “Ready for War: Russia’s Stealthy Kh-101 Cruise Missile Debuts in Syria,” National Interest , November 18, 2015 http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/ready-war-russias-stealthy-kh-101-cruise-missile-debuts-14387; Akulov.
• “Tactical Missile Corporation plans to upgrade Kh-101 Cruise Missile,” Russian Aviation, August 19, 2016 https://www.ruaviation.com/news/2016/8/19/6541/?h.
• O’Halloran, 189.
• Ibid; Akulov.
• “Kh-101/-102” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, 189.
• “Kh-65/ Kh-SD/ Kh-101,” Federation of American Scientists, https://fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/bomber/kh-101.htm.
• RC Porter, “Top-Notch Kh-101 Cruise Missiles that Russia Unleashes on Daesh in Raqqa,” Fortuna’s Corner (blog), February 19, 2017, https://fortunascorner.com/2017/02/19/the-cruise-missiles-russia-is-using-in-syria/; Nicholas de Larrinaga “Russia Launches Long Range Air Sorties into Syria,” IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly , November 17, 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20151118145706/http://www.janes.com/article/56062/russia-launches-long-range-air-sorties-into-syria.
• David Cenciotti, “Russia Tu-95 Bear Bombers Escorted by Su-30SM Jets Carry Out Air Strike in Syria using Kh-101 Strategic Cruise Missiles,” The Aviationist , July 5, 2017, https://theaviationist.com/2017/07/05/russian-tu-95-bear-bombers-escorted-by-su-30sm-jets-carry-out-air-strike-in-syria-using-kh-101-strategic-cruise-missile/.
• “Russia hits Islamic State in Syria with advanced cruise missiles,” Reuters , July 5, 2017 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-idUSKBN19Q1QP.
• Russian Ministry of Defense, “Tu-95MS bombers fired cruise missiles at terrorist objects’ in Syria,” September 26, 2017, http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12143592@egNews.

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How Israel managed to intercept '99 per cent' of Iran's drone and missile attack

Over five hours of missile and drone strikes on Saturday night, Iran launched an attack on Israel unlike anything the world has seen. 

The skies were alight, sirens blared and fighter jets roared as waves of strikes were launched towards Israeli territory.

But despite  more than 300 munitions being fired in Iran's unprecedented blitz , Israel says more than "99 per cent" were intercepted. 

The minimal damage was being attributed to Israel's multi-layered defence systems and a "coalition" of allies that came together for the first time to counter Tehran's attack.

Analysts say it's unlikely any other country could have withstood such an onslaught, and the attack is a lesson in how to prepare for future conflicts. 

Only one direct target hit

Last week,  the US warned Tehran was planning a "significant attack"  in response to several Iranian military leaders being killed at the start of April in an air strike – believed to have been launched by Israel –  on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.

And late on Saturday night, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel from its territory. 

The Israeli military said hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were fired by Iran. 

But the majority were intercepted while travelling the more than 1,770 km to Israel.

US officials said Iran's intent was to "destroy and cause casualties" and that if successful, the strikes would have caused an "uncontrollable" escalation.

At one point, at least 100 ballistic missiles were in the air with just minutes of flight time to Israel, the officials said.

Just a few missiles made it through defences and the only damage was reported at the Nevatim air force base in southern Israel's Negev desert.

It was reported to be "lightly hit" and the Israeli military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the base was "still functioning".

The only serious injury reported within Israel was a seven-year-old who was hurt by shrapnel.

Most of the attacks were launched from Iranian territory, but the Pentagon said US forces intercepted "dozens of missiles" and drones from Iraq, Syria and Yemen that were headed toward Israel.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon said it had fired two barrages of rockets at an Israeli military base in the annexed Golan Heights.

Iranian forces also operate in Syria and Iran is allied with militant groups in Iraq and Yemen.

How were the strikes intercepted?

Israel's multi-layered air defence capabilities were readied for the attacks, and they managed to shoot down most of the projectiles with help from the US, Britain, France and Jordan.

Israel's air defences are made up of three key systems that the US has been helping to develop, providing $US3.4 billion ($5.2 billion) in funding since 2009. 

• Iron Dome:  Intercepts short-range surface-to-surface rockets (bottom layer)
• David's Sling:  Intercepts short to medium, and medium to long range surface-to-surface missiles (middle layer)
• Arrow-2 and 3:  Intercepts medium to long range, and long-range missiles (upper layer)

Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in defence capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), said Israel has the most sophisticated integrated air and missile defence systems in the world.

The US comes close, but it doesn't have anything comparable to Israel's Iron Dome, he said.

Director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) Moshe Patel told politico that 40 years of investment in Israel's Star Wars missile defence program had paid off. 

"All of the defence systems proved themselves well," he said.

Israel's Iron Dome has been described as one of the most effective air defence systems on the planet.

It was designed to respond to short-range threats from Gaza and southern Lebanon, and has intercepted thousands of rockets since it became operational in 2011.

Israel has 10 Iron Dome batteries deployed around the country.

They are equipped with a radar that detects rockets and uses a command-and-control system and its own interceptors to quickly thwart threats. 

It can provide city-sized coverage against rockets with ranges of between 4 and 70 kilometres, according to the Israel Defense Force (IDF). 

David's Sling

Developed with the US, David's Sling is meant to intercept medium-range missiles, such as those possessed by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It is designed to shoot down rockets fired from 100km to 200km away.

It was first successfully deployed in May 2023 during cross-border fighting with Gaza militants.

The long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 system, developed by Israel with an Iranian missile threat in mind, is designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere, using a detachable warhead that collides with the target.

On October 31, Israel's military said it had used the Arrow aerial defence system for the first time since the October 7 outbreak of the war with Hamas to intercept a surface-to-surface missile in the Red Sea fired towards its territory.

Israel helped by how the attack unfolded 

Dr Davis says what was seen from Iran was "something entirely new".

"Certainly this is one of the largest attacks we've seen involving ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and also drones," he told the ABC.

He said the sophistication of Israel's air defence systems played a major role in stopping the barrage from reaching targets, but how the attacked played out also gave them an advantage. 

Iran was expected to launch drones first — the slowest of the weapons — followed by the cruise missiles, then the ballistic missiles last.

This would have meant they were timed to reach Israel simultaneously and overwhelm air defence systems, Dr Davis said.

"What actually happened was that the Iranians launched the ballistic missiles quite early in the piece," he said.

"And because they're a lot faster, it allowed the US the UK, France, as well as the Israelis, to attack each component of that attack sequentially, rather than having to deal with it simultaneously." 

He said it could be argued this was due to Iran's "incompetence" but it seemed more likely to be a deliberate decision, to give Israel less justification to retaliate.

But if that was the strategy, it didn't work.

On late Monday local time, the Israeli military said the attack "will be met with a response".

International coalition played a 'crucial' role

Israeli leaders credited a "strong fighting" international military coalition led by the US for its ability to thwart the Iranian attack. 

"This was the first time that such a coalition worked together against the threat of Iran and its proxies in the Middle East," Rear Admiral Hagari said.

It is unknown which Middle Eastern countries were involved, but Jordan was named by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a video message posted to X on Sunday.

"Thanks to an international coordinated effort, which the UK participated in, almost all of these missiles were intercepted, saving lives not just in Israel but in neighbouring countries like Jordan as well," Mr Sunak said. 

However, Jordan said its actions were in self defence.

"There was an assessment that there was a real danger of Iranian marches and missiles falling on Jordan, and the armed forces dealt with this danger," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said in an interview on Al-Mamlaka state television.

President Joe Biden lauded American forces who helped Israel down "nearly all" of the drones and missiles fired by Iran.

The US, supported by US European Command destroyers, took out more than 80 one-way attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles aimed at Israel from Iran and Yemen, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday.

This included a ballistic missile on its launcher vehicle and seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) destroyed on the ground prior to their launch in areas controlled by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, CENTCOM said in a post on X.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement the US took out dozens of the attacks, but did not provide details on ships or aircraft involved in the operation that commanders had been preparing for over the past two weeks.

Mr Sunak said British fighter jets had shot down "a number of drones".

The UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) had deployed several jets to the region in response to Iranian threats. 

The drones were intercepted in Syrian and Iraqi airspace, but the Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not specify how many RAF Typhoons were airborne. 

Dr Davis said the international support in the attacks was "crucial".

"The fact that Israel had UK, US, France there shooting down ballistic missiles as they were coming in, and shooting cruise missiles, really allowed the Israelis to concentrate on the slower cruise missiles and drones," he said.

A lesson for future conflicts

Iran's onslaught gives an indication of what can be expected of future warfare, where the battle space is flooded with large numbers of attack drones, Dr Davis said.

And countries need to start better preparing their defence systems. 

Iran reportedly used many of its one-way Shahed attack drones during the weekend strikes.

They are the same "kamikaze drones" Iran has supplied to Russia throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

They have been used to exhaust Ukrainian air defences and hit infrastructure far from the front lines. 

"What we saw in the skies of Israel was ironically a fairly small attack compared to what could happen," Dr Davis said.

"Particularly in a major power war, for example involving China, who have large numbers of drones."

He said Australia was among the countries that should be taking note to start building integrated air defence missile systems. 

"It's an area really Australia is completely lacking in and after the events of the weekend," he said.

"I think the government should be lighting a fire under Defence to get them to move more swiftly on integrated air and missile defence."

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Iran launches retaliatory attack on Israel with hundreds of drones, missiles

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Russian missiles hit the port of Pivdennyi in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Friday, damaging Ukrainian and Singaporean facilities at the site, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Half of the missiles Iran fired at Israel failed on launch or malfunctioned and crashed, reports say

• Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel largely failed, with many intercepted or malfunctioning.
• Around 60 of Iran's missiles failed on their own, multiple reports say.
• Iran appears to remain confident about possible future conflict with Israel.

Half of the missiles Iran fired at Israel over the weekend failed on launch or malfunctioned and crashed, according to reports.

More than 300 missiles and drones were fired toward Israel from Iran on Saturday evening in retaliation for an airstrike on the country's consulate in Syria.

Around 99% of the missiles launched were intercepted by Israel, the US , the UK, France, and Jordan.

Iran had warned for weeks that the attack was coming . That gave Israel's allies time to prepare — and avoided targeting civilian locations.

Israel praised the defense effort as a "significant strategic achievement." But around 60 of Iran's missiles failed on their own, according to several reports.

An estimated 50% of Iran's 120 ballistic missiles failed to launch or crashed in flight, unnamed US officials told CBS News and The Wall Street Journal .

The attack also consisted of 170 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 30 cruise missiles, none of which crossed into Israeli territory, according to an online statement shared by a spokesperson for Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

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Speaking to CBS News, two US officials said five ballistic missiles made it through air defenses and impacted Israeli territory.

Four landed at Navatim Air Force Base, which was thought to be Iran's primary target. One hit a runway, one hit an empty hanger, and another hit a hanger that wasn't in use, the publication said. Meanwhile, another missile appeared to be aimed at a radar site in northern Israel but missed, the outlet added.

At the time of writing on Monday, one person — an unnamed 10-year-old girl — was reported as "severely injured" by shrapnel, the IDF confirmed. The details of her condition have not been released.

Though Israel has not yet said how it plans to respond, the IDF spokesperson said it is "prepared and ready for further developments and threats."

"We are doing and will do everything necessary to protect the security of the civilians of the State of Israel," they added.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, told Sky News that reports of Israel's forthcoming response are a "threat" and "talk, not an action."

He said Israel "would know what our second retaliation would be" and that they "understand the next one will be most decisive."

Iran ignored warnings from the US before it launched its attack. President Biden said on Friday that he expected Iran to attack Israel "sooner, rather than later." His message to Iran was short and simple: "Don't."

Sean McFate, a national security and foreign policy expert at Syracuse University, previously told BI that the Biden administration is losing its authority as its military support for Israel and simultaneous humanitarian aid for Gaza is sending mixed messages.

"The fact that the Biden administration is both arming Israel and sending aid to Gaza shows the world that the Biden team has no strategic competence," McFate said. "They've already lost control."

Representatives for the IDF, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Watch: Israel bombards Lebanon and Gaza in retaliatory attack

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Israel strikes Iran with a missile, U.S. officials say, as Tehran downplays Netanyahu's apparent retaliation

Updated on: April 19, 2024 / 12:04 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Two U.S. officials told CBS News on Thursday night that an Israeli missile had struck Iran. The strike came less than a week after Iran's unprecedented retaliatory  drone and missile attack on Israel, to which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to respond.

The U.S. officials did not provide any information about the location or extent of the Israeli strike, and the Israel Defense Forces would not comment on the attack when asked by CBS News.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said air defense batteries fired across several provinces, but it didn't elaborate on why the batteries had fired. Iranians did report hearing the sound of explosions in several locations, but there was no urgent meeting called of Iran's ruling High National Council, state television said, and it appeared the Iranian government was trying to downplay the impact of the Israeli attack.

State media and Iranian sources speaking with various news outlets mentioned only small drones flying around a couple sites in the country, without any reference to a missile strike. There were no immediate reports of damage.

Iran's President, Ebrahim Raisi, speaking during a visit on Friday to the city of Damghan, east of Tehran and hundreds of miles north of Isfahan, didn't even reference the Israeli strike. Instead, he spoke of Iran's assault a week earlier against Israel, which he called "necessary, obligatory" and a "sign of the power of the Islamic republic and its armed forces." 

A senior Israeli official told The Washington Post the Israeli counterattack "was intended to signal to Iran that Israel can attack its territory." 

The Reuters news agency cited an unnamed Iranian official as saying there were no plans in Tehran to respond to the Israeli retaliation. 

"I think it's a measured response," Efraim Halevi, an Israeli intelligence expert and former director of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, told CBS News on Friday. "It is in no way proportionate to the attack we had to deal with a couple of days ago, but it is enough to send the message to the leadership in Iran."

Dubai-based airlines Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting flights around western Iran early Friday morning, after news of the Israeli strike. The carriers offered no explanation, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.

Iran announced that it had grounded commercial flights in Tehran and across areas of its western and central regions, but state television later said normal flight operations had resumed.

"No damage to Iran's nuclear sites"

IRNA said Iranian air defenses had fired at a major air base in the city of Isfahan, which has long been home to Iran's fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcat fighter jets, which were purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Isfahan is also home to several sites associated with Iran's alleged nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site, which has been repeatedly targeted by suspected Israeli attacks .

Iran's state media, however, denied any attack on the country's nuclear facilities and described all sites as "fully safe." 

The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency also said it could "confirm that there is no damage to Iran's nuclear sites."

Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program and insists all its enrichment work is for civilian purposes, but it has continued enriching uranium and plutonium to higher levels of purity, pushing it closer to the theoretical ability to produce a nuclear weapon. Israel has vowed never to allow Iran to obtain that capacity.

State television said three small drones were shot down in an area east of Isfahan, and the network ran what it said were live pictures showing calm, normal conditions in Isfahan.

Three Iranian officials told The New York Times the attack on the air base included small drones that may have been launched from inside Iran, saying radar systems had not detect any unidentified aircraft in Iranian airspace.  

Reaction to Israel's strike on Iran

"No one wants a war with Iran at the moment," Natan Eshel, a close associate and former chief of staff of Netanyahu's, said in a statement shared Friday by the prime minister's Likud party. "We have proven to them that we can penetrate and damage their domain and they have not succeeded in ours. The messages are more important than the bickering. We currently have more important tasks as well in Gaza and in Lebanon, the people are blessed to have a leader like Netanyahu."

One of the most hard-line members of Netanyahu's cabinet, however, far-right politician and current National Security Minister  Itamar Ben-Gvir , posted a one word message on social media as news of the strike on Iran emerged, saying simply: "Lame." 

Netanyahu had been under opposing pressures from the U.S., which had sought a calibrated response based on the minimal impact of the Iranian missile and drone barrage, and ultranationalist members of his government such as Ben-Gvir who have long advocated for tough military action against Iran. 

Oman, which often acts as an intermediary between Tehran and the West, condemned the "Israeli attack" on Friday, according to French news agency AFP.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was "becoming increasingly evident that the tensions that were initially caused by Israel's illegal attack on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus risk turning into a permanent conflict," and urging "all parties to refrain from steps that could lead to a wider conflict." 

Turkey said the international community's priority "should be to stop the massacre in Gaza and to ensure lasting peace in our region by establishing a Palestinian state."

Speaking as he hosted a meeting of his fellow G7 foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Italy's top diplomat Antonio Tajani told journalists on Friday that the U.S. had been informed of Israel's military action at "the last minute, but there was no involvement on the part of the United States — it was simply information that was provided."

Blinken, speaking later, was pressed to confirm the Israeli strike but would say only that the U.S. was "not involved in any offensive operation."  

Tajani said he believed "the small-scale of the event," referring to Israel's retaliation, was "also the result of the efforts of the G7," which along with the U.S. had urged Netanyahu to carry out a measured response.   

In a joint statement, the G7 foreign ministers urged Israel and Iran to avoid any further escalation.

Reports of strikes in Syria and Iraq

Around the time that the sound of explosions were heard in Iran, Syria's state-run SANA news agency cited a military official as saying Israel had carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in the country's south, causing material damage.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based opposition war monitoring organization, said the strike hit a military radar installation. It wasn't clear if there were casualties, the Observatory said. Israel has carried out a number of strikes inside Syria in recent years, often targeting cites associated with Iran-backed groups.

Meanwhile in Iraq, where a number of Iranian-backed militias are based, residents of Baghdad reported hearing explosion sounds, but the source of the noises wasn't immediately clear. 

The background to the Israeli strike

Iran last weekend launched an unprecedented retaliatory strike against Israel in response to a deadly attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria that killed seven officers, including two generals, from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran's attack on Israel included 170 drones, over 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles, according to the IDF and U.S. officials. None of the drones crossed into Israeli territory before they were shot down by Israel and its allies, including the U.S., the IDF said. 

Five of the ballistic missiles struck Israel, with four of them hitting Israel's Nevatim Air Base, where Israeli F-35s are based, U.S. officials told CBS News. The officials believe the base was likely Iran's primary target, as the strike against the consulate in Syria is believed to have been carried out by an F-35.

The U.S. and other Israeli allies had urged Netanyahu to exercise restraint with any response to the Iranian attack, and U.S. officials had said the U.S. would not participate in an Israeli retaliation.

In the aftermath of Iran's attack, which the IDF said caused "very little damage," President Biden pressed the Israeli prime minister, "to think about what that success says all by itself to the rest of the region," according to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

— Margaret Brennan, James LaPorta, David Martin, Michal Ben-Gal, Olivia Gazis, Haley Ott, Tucker Reals and Brian Dakss contributed reporting.

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