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Top 7 hypersonic and cruise missiles in development.

This article delves into the dynamic landscape of military technology, highlighting seven cutting-edge missiles that nations worldwide are actively developing. These are the Top 7 Hypersonic and Cruise Missiles In Development

1. CAKIR (Turkey)

Cakir is a new-generation cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea, and air platforms with a range of more than 150 kilometers. It is designed by Turkish rocket and missile manufacturer RoketSan . The missile’s intended targets include surface targets, land and surface targets close to the shore, strategic land targets, field targets, and caves. The first firing from the UAV Bayraktar Akinci is planned for the end of 2022, with platform integration in 2023. Checkered can carry warheads weighing up to 70 kilograms and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 0.85.

2. GEZGIN (Turkey)

Turkey is developing a new sea-launched indigenous cruise missile named Gezgin, which is similar to American Tomahawk and Russian caliber missiles. While exact specifications have not been announced, it is expected that the Gezgin cruise missile will have an operational range of approximately 1,400 kilometers.

Integrating Gezgin missiles onto forthcoming Reis-class submarines or the indigenous milden (MILDEN-Milli Denizalti) class submarine, which is currently in the design phase, would significantly enhance the capability of silent underwater platforms with a long-range, high-precision strike asset.

3. R’AAD II (Pakistan)

The R’aad II missile is a Pakistani long-range air-launched cruise missile that was first publicly unveiled on March 23, 2017. Its range has increased from an initial 300 kilometers to its most recent test range of 600 kilometers, with enhancements to its guidance and flight control systems. The missile features a conventional tail fin configuration and measures 4.85 meters in length, with further details remaining classified.

4. Brahmos 2 (India-Russia)

Brahmos 2 is a Hypersonic cruise missile currently under joint development by India and Russia. It is the second in the Brahmos series of cruise missiles and is expected to have a range of 1,500 kilometers and a speed of Mach 8.

A scramjet air-breathing jet engine will propel the missile during its cruise stage. Production cost and physical dimensions of the missile have not yet been published, and testing, originally planned for 2020, has been delayed. Brahmos 2 is anticipated to be the fastest cruise missile in the world, with double the top speed of the current Brahmos 1.

5. Brahmos NG (India-Russia)

While Brahmos continues to maintain its position as the world’s best and fastest cruise missile system , advancements in military technology have led to the development of the Brahmos NG (Next Generation). This smaller and lighter weapon system promises increased versatility, lethality, and flexibility. It is expected to be one of the most potent weapon systems in the future.

6. Fattah (Iran)

Fattah Iran has recently unveiled Fatah, a Hypersonic ballistic missile capable of penetrating defense systems , raising concerns in the West and Israel. Fattah is a two-stage precision-guided solid-fueled missile with a top speed of up to Mach 15.

Its Warhead is powered by a spherical engine using solid fuel and features a movable nozzle, allowing it to accelerate and change direction. According to Iran, Fatah can navigate in and out of the atmosphere, avoiding anti-missile defense systems like the Iron Dome . It can also target anti-ballistic missile defense systems, leaving the adversary defenseless against Iran’s additional rockets.

7. FC/ASW (UK-France)

The Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon seeks to develop a new generation of deep-strike and anti-ship missiles by 2030. It aims to replace the capabilities provided by the Storm Shadow, SCALP air-launched cruise missile in the UK and France, the Exocet anti-ship missile in France, and the Harpoon anti-ship missile in the UK.

A Ramjet motor powers the Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon , measures 5 meters in length, weighs around 800 kilograms, and carries a payload comprising a 1,200-kilogram main Warhead and 250 kilograms of subsidiary Warheads. These Warheads can either contribute directly to the overall impact or be ejected from lateral bases before the missile reaches its target, effectively acting as submunitions.

That concludes the list of seven Hypersonic and cruise missiles that are currently under development.

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The world’s top air-to-surface missiles

From Lockheed Martin's JASSM-ER to Raduga's Kh-58UShKE, Airforce Technology lists the world’s top air-to-surface missiles by range.

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From Lockheed Martin ‘s JASSM-ER to Raduga’s Kh-58UShKE, Airforce Technology lists the world’s top air-to-surface missiles by range. The list excludes nuclear-armed air-to-surface missiles and air-launched ballistic missiles.

Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-ER (JASSM-ER) – 926km

The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) was developed by Lockheed Martin primarily for the US defence forces. The missile is currently in service with the US Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Finnish Air Force, and Polish Air Force.

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The long-range, air-to-surface missile uses infrared seeker and digital anti-jam GPS/inertial measurement unit guidance to engage high-value, well-fortified, stationary, and mobile targets in highly defended environments.

The JASSM-ER weighs approximately 1,000kg and can carry a 450kg blast fragmentation warhead. It can engage targets at a maximum distance of 926km with pinpoint accuracy. The missile is compatible with B-1B, B-52, F-16, and F-15E aircraft.

LRASM – 555km

The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is a new generation anti-ship standoff missile based on the combat-proven JASSM-ER missile. Lockheed Martin is offering the LRASM in air and surface-launched configurations.

The subsonic missile employs semi-autonomous guidance and a multi-mode electro-optical seeker. It carries a 450kg penetrating blast fragmentation warhead to a maximum range of 555km.

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The LRASM can penetrate advanced integrated air defence systems while its long-range ensures the engagement of hostile targets that are beyond the reach of direct counter-fire weapons.

Taurus KEPD 350 – 500km

The TAURUS KEPD 350 is a modern, high-precision modular stand-off missile system offered by TAURUS Systems, a joint venture of LFK-Lenkflugkörpersysteme and Saab Dynamics.

It is in service with the German, Spanish and Republic of Korea air forces.

The air-launched cruise missile is guided by a combination of GPS/INS with terrain reference and image-based navigation to engage strongly hardened and high-value point and area targets within a 500km range.

The missile carries a 481kg dual-stage warhead to destroy stationary and semi-stationary targets in all weather conditions. Powered by a high-thrust turbofan engine, the KEPD 350 offers high manoeuvrability at low and high subsonic speeds.

BrahMos Air-Launched Missile – 300km

The BrahMos air-launched missile forms part of the BrahMos medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile family developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture of NPO Mashinostroyeniya of Russia and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India.

The Indian Air Force test-fired the missile for the first time from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft in November 2017. The BrahMos air-launched configuration employs an inertial navigation system, active radar homing, and GPS/satellite guidance systems.

Powered by a solid-fuel rocket booster and a liquid-fuelled ramjet engine, the supersonic missile delivers a conventional warhead weighing up to 300kg for a maximum range of 300km.

RBS-15 – 300km

The RBS-15 Gungnir is a long-range air-to-surface/anti-ship missile developed by Saab. The latest variant of the missile, RBS15 Mk4, is available in air-launched, ship-launched, and land-based platform-launched configurations.

The missile measures 4.35m-long and weighs 810kg with boosters. It is equipped with active radar seeker to engage manoeuvring ships at sea and stationary land targets. The subsonic missile uses INS and anti-jam navigation to engage targets at a maximum range of 300km.

The RBS-15 missile carries a 200kg high-explosive blast and pre-fragmented warhead. Powered by a turbojet engine, the missile can engage targets in adverse weather and cluttered environments.

Kh-59MK2 – 285km

The Kh-59MK2 extended-range air-to-surface missile is a variant of the Kh-59M TV-guided air-launched missile developed by ‘Raduga’ State Engineering Design Bureau of Russia. It can be integrated with MiG-35, Su-30MK, Su-32, Su-35, and Su-24M aircraft.

The missile is guided by an active radar seeker to engage radar-contrast surface targets at a maximum range of 285km, during day or night, in adverse weather conditions. It weighs 930kg at launch and delivers a 320kg penetrating warhead.

Powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor and a turbofan engine, the Kh-59MK missile can travel at a maximum speed of 1,050km/h.

Kh-35UE – 260km

The Kh-35UE air-to-surface/anti-ship missile is a modern variant of the Kh-35E air-launched missile. It is in service with the Russian Navy, Indian Navy, and the Vietnamese People’s Navy.

The high-subsonic missile offers improved performance and range than its predecessor. It is guided by inertial and satellite navigation systems, as well as an active-passive radar seeker, which ensure better accuracy, and resistance against jamming. The advanced seeker further offers a 50km lock-on range compared with the 20km range of the Kh-35E.

Fitted with a 145kg high-explosive fragmentation penetrator warhead, the Kh-35UE missile is available in aircraft and helicopter-launched versions, which can strike targets within the range of 260km.

Storm Shadow/SCALP – 250km

The Storm Shadow/SCALP is a long-range deep strike missile designed by MBDA to meet the challenging needs of pre-programmed strikes against high-value fixed and mobile land-based targets. The combat-proven missile is deployed from Typhoon, Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Tornado aircraft fleet operated by six air forces.

It uses guidance from GPS/INS and terrain reference navigation systems, as well as an infrared (IR) imaging seeker and automatic target recognition to engage targets with minimal collateral damage.

Powered by a turbojet engine, the Storm Shadow missile can carry a blast/penetrator warhead weighing up to 450kg. It is capable of attacking targets at a maximum distance of 250km.

Stand-Off Missile (SOM) – 250km

The Stand-Off Missile (SOM) family, manufactured by Roketsan, includes SOM-A, SOM-B1, and SOM-B2 missile variants, which can be launched by F-4 and F-16 fighter jets. The missile is in service with the Turkish Air Force and Azerbaijan Air Force.

The SOM-A and B1 versions deliver a 230kg high-explosive blast/fragmentation warhead while the B2 version can carry a 230kg tandem penetrator warhead. Each variant is guided by an image infrared seeker, as well as GPS, INS, terrain reference, and image-based navigation systems.

The cruise missile is propelled by a turbojet engine, which ensures a high-subsonic speed of Mach 0.9. It can engage heavily defended surface or mobile naval targets at a maximum range of 250km.

Kh-58UShKE – 245km

The Kh-58UShKE anti-radiation missile was developed by ‘Raduga’ State Machine-Building Design Bureau to engage the radar infrastructure of Hawk, Nike Hercules, Patriot, and other surface-to-air missiles (SAM) systems.

The supersonic missile features a passive radar homing head and an automatic control system based on a platform-free navigation system. It can be launched from catapult launchers fitted to the external stations of modern aircraft such as MiG-35, Su-30MK, Su-32, and Su-35.

The Kh-58UShKE missile weighs 650kg and carries a 149kg high-explosive warhead to a maximum range of 245km.

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Cruise Missiles Rise To Top Of U.S. Weapons Agenda

After successfully fielding only one new cruise missile during the past 30 years, the U.S. Defense Department hopes to multiply that result over the next decade.

Two new candidates for a future hypersonic cruise missile are currently in testing, while a third has entered the design phase. A subsonic replacement for a nuclear version of the Boeing AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile is in development. Another replacement for the Navy’s RGM/UGM-109 Tomahawk is on the drawing board and may be adapted for a nuclear role as well.

• Scramjet-powered cruise missiles gain traction
• INF Treaty demise restarts production of ground-launched cruise missiles

Meanwhile, new versions of the Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the Tomahawk missiles are set to enter production. Finally, a new class of air vehicle that blurs the line between a cruise missile and an unmanned aircraft system is gaining traction.

The  Biden administration, however, might intervene. Two nuclear cruise missile projects—the Air Force’s Raytheon Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) and the Navy’s sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N)—could become targets of a pending review by President Joe Biden’s appointees of the $1.2 trillion nuclear modernization program. And the extent to which Biden’s national security team supports conventional hypersonic cruise missiles is not yet apparent.

But U.S. military support has never been higher for a powered alternative to ballistic missiles with the capability to maneuver during a flight without sacrificing speed.

In the category of hypersonic weapons, scramjet-powered cruise missiles are seen as a more affordable and versatile option than the larger and more expensive hypersonic glide vehicles, such as the air-launched Lockheed AGM-183A.

As recently as December 2018, senior defense officials viewed scramjet propulsion as less mature than rocket-boosted hypersonic gliders. But scramjet technology has evolved rapidly in wind tunnel testing.

In 2020, Aerojet Rocketdyne demonstrated that an 18-ft.-long scramjet engine could generate 13,000-lb. thrust in a wind tunnel. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems achieved the same result with another scramjet design in 2019. Both engines are now set to enter flight testing in 2021 under DARPA’s Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept program; Aerojet has partnered with Lockheed, and Northrop has teamed up with Raytheon. A follow-on operational prototyping program, known as the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, is set to begin, and air-launched and sea-launched versions are possible.

A third option could enter the competition this year. In November, the Pentagon awarded Boeing a contract to complete a preliminary design and component-level testing of the Mach 5-plus HyFly 2, a concept for a dual-combustion, ramjet-powered cruise missile optimized for the Navy’s carrier decks.

All three conventional hypersonic cruise missiles are expected to enter service years before the Air Force fields the nuclear LRSO, but the program is making progress. The Air Force selected Raytheon over Lockheed to continue development of the LRSO, which will be armed with an upgraded W80-4 warhead.

The LRSO entered development under the Obama administration, but the SLCM-N joined the future arsenal following the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review. A Navy analysis recommended developing the SLCM-N as a nuclear variant for the Next-Generation Land Attack Weapon (NGLAW), which is intended to replace the ship- and surface-launched Tomahawk.

As a bridge to the fielding of the NGLAW, the Tomahawk itself reentered production in 2020 to support the improved Block V variant. The Maritime Strike Tomahawk, which integrates a new seeker, is scheduled to enter service in 2023.

Ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCM) also are making a comeback since the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August 2019. That 31-year-old pact compelled the Air Force to retire an arsenal of deployed BGM-109G Gryphon missiles. But conventional GLCMs will reenter the arsenal. Last November, the Army selected the BGM-109 Tomahawk to form half of a new Mid-Range Capability with a ground-launched version of the Raytheon SM-6 in 2023.

Lockheed’s AGM-158 JASSM provided the Air Force a stealthy option to strike targets at ranges of up to 500 nm. Although the AGM-158 fell far short of the AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missile, the Air Force allowed the latter to be retired from service with no direct replacement in November 2019. That gap will be addressed partially by the fielding in 2024 of the AGM-158D, a new version of the JASSM with a range of up to 1,000 nm and the same radar cross section.

Steve covers military aviation, missiles and space for the Aviation Week Network, based in Washington DC.

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Why it’s so hard to defend against cruise missiles

A recent conference raises the question: What kind of threat does this type of weapon pose to the United States?

By Kelsey D. Atherton | Published Jul 25, 2022 7:00 AM EDT

On July 14, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC held a one-day conference premised on a specific threat: What if, in the future, war comes to the United States via cruise missile? Pointing to new developments in cruise missile technology, and the limitations of existing early warning systems that are focused on the high arcing trajectories of ballistic missiles, the CSIS conference and accompanying report suggests that to defend the continental United States from such a threat, the military should adapt and deploy the kind of cruise missile defenses presently used as regional weapons.

Unlike ballistic missiles, which arc up into space before traveling back down towards earth, cruise missiles fly close to the ground, making it hard for radar on the ground that’s pointed up at space to see them.

The perceived threat from new cruise missiles is driven by tech developments occurring across the globe, as new materials, better aerodynamics, and sophisticated sensors and guidance systems make possible the fielding of weapons, like hypersonic missiles , that had mostly been just theoretical decades ago.

For the United States, the development of long-range bombers in the 1940s, followed by the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, shattered the notion that the enormous distances of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans were enough to protect the continental US from direct attack. (During World War II, US territories in the Pacific came under direct attack, but the only long-range assault on the 48 states came in the form of incendiary-carrying balloons launched by Japan into the jet stream and carried over to the US.)

With atomic and then thermonuclear payloads, bombers and long-range missiles threatened devastation on an unprecedented scale, and the United States built an elaborate system of early warning sensors focused on detecting early signs of launch, and expanded its first-in-the-world nuclear arsenal to deter attack. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is run by both Canada and the United States, and maintains a series of radars and other sensors designed to detect early attacks across the Arctic or elsewhere. (Every December, NORAD highlights its existence by tracking Santa Claus, turning a system designed to detect oblivion into a kid-friendly Christmas tradition .)

At the conference held by CSIS, the threat from cruise missiles was discussed as a way that other countries could attack the United States that is hard to detect by employing existing, ICBM-focused measures. It is also considered hard to deter through threat of nuclear retaliation, operating on the assumption that if a cruise missile with a conventional warhead destroyed a building or killed people in the United States, the President would not immediately respond with a nuclear strike.

“You know, our adversaries are building diverse, expansive ranges of modern offensive missile systems, and we see them – we see them in the news every day,” Stan Stafira, Chief Architect of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, told the panel. “They’re capable of maneuvering in the midcourse and the terminal phases of their flight, like maneuvering reentry vehicles, multiple independent reentry vehicles, hypersonic glide vehicles, and cruise missiles.”

Part of the broader appeal of hypersonic weapons to nations like Russia, China, and the United States is that the speed and trajectories of the missiles make them harder to detect than ICBMs. The ballistic arc of ICBMs means the launch is visible to radar while it is still ascending, once it clears the horizon line. Meanwhile, both hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles, which travel at Mach 5 or above, are designed to fly below that radar horizon, with the cruise missile keeping a close trajectory to earth and the glide vehicle flying in the high atmosphere.

“I want to state that we absolutely believe that nuclear deterrence is the foundation of homeland defense,” said Lieutenant General AC Roper, deputy commander of Northern Command, the part of the US military responsible for North America. “However, we also must have credible deterrence options below the nuclear thresholds, options which allow for a balanced approach of deterrence by denial and deterrence by punishment or cost imposition.”

Deterrence, at its most straightforward, is a strategy of making a big threat on a condition: One country publicly declares it will launch nukes at another if it launches nukes at it, with the intended effect that neither country launches nukes. But because the payload of a cruise missile—it could be nuclear or conventional, unlike ICBMs, which are always nuclear—is unlikely to be known until impact, generals like Roper would prefer to have a range of weapons with which to respond.

Missile defense is one of those options, and the US already employs a few forms. Part of any missile defense system is the sensors, like specially focused radar, that can detect incoming attacks, and then track those weapons as they travel. These radars then send that tracking information to interceptors, which are missiles launched to fly and destroy the incoming attacking missile. Shooting missiles at other missiles is a hard problem because an incoming threat arrives at great speed, and because the cost calculus can favor an attacker. Interceptors, like shorter-ranged Patriot missiles or longer-ranged ballistic interceptors , are often more expensive than the missiles they are intercepting. And unlike interceptors, which have to hit precisely to work, missiles launched in attack can deploy decoys or countermeasures to redirect interceptors away, or can instead be fired in a greater volume, overwhelming interceptors through sheer numerical advantage.

“The resulting 20-year cost to provide even a light defense of a vast area ranged from $77 billion to $466 billion,” reads the CSIS report , citing an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office studying a range of cruise missile defense options. “The considerable cost variation is due to alternative combinations of sensors and interceptors and varying desired warning times of 5 or 15 minutes.”

Kelsey D. Atherton is a military technology journalist who has contributed to Popular Science since 2013. He covers uncrewed robotics and other drones, communications systems, the nuclear enterprise, and the technologies that go into planning, waging, and mitigating war.

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Top 10 Cruise Missiles in the World

Here is the list of Top 10 Cruise Missiles in the World , Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high precision. Today’s cruise missiles are even capable of traveling at supersonic or high subsonic speeds, are self-navigating, and can fly on a un ballistic extremely low altitude trajectory. Out of all the cruise missiles in the world today, we’ve chosen the ten best, and this list is based primarily on the quality performance guidance systems types of warhead and many other factors.

List of Top 10 Cruise Missiles in the World

10. rgm 84 harpoon block ii ( best cruise missile in the world ).

This is a ship-launched all-weather over-the-horizon anti-ship missile with a low-level seized gaming cruise trajectory, active radar guidance, and a warhead design that ensures great survivability and effectiveness against land and ship-stationed targets.

In port, the missile uses GPS-aided inertial navigation, and the 500-pound penetration high explosive burst payload offers considerable firepower to destroy coastal defense and surface-to-air missile positions, as well as aircraft ports and industrial installations.

9. RBS-15 MK III ( Best cruise missile in the world )

It is a long-range surface-to-surface and air-to-surface anti-ship missile that can also attack land targets. The rbs 15 guidance and control systems include an inertial navigation system and a GPS receiver as well as a radar altimeter and the Ku band radar target seeker.

The missile can be equipped with an optimized heavy high explosive blast fragmentation warhead and this resistance to enemy countermeasures the speed and range of these missiles are over Mach 0.9 and 250 kilometers standoff missile is Turkey’s first indigenous long-range autonomous high precision air-to-surface cruise missiles

8. STANDOFF MISSILE ( SOM ) ( Best cruise missile in the world )

For high precision guiding, it is outfitted with an imaging infrared seeker and an inertial measurement unit. The missile has a high rate of success against moving land and surface targets. stationary targets of high-value Strategic assets provide cover for exposed aircraft.

aircraft hangars, command and control centers, and sea surface threats. The SOM has a maximum speed of Mach 0.94 and a range of 180 kilometers. It can operate in all weather conditions as well as hostile environments.

7. NAVAL STRIKE MISSILE ( NSM ) ( Best cruise missile in the world )

This is a land-attack and anti-ship missile developed by the Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defense and aerospace The missile is constructed of materials designed to provide superior stealth capabilities.

The NSM’s stealth design allows the anti-ship missile to penetrate shipboard defenses. The missile detects and discriminates the targets using GPS-aided mid-course guidance and a dual-band imaging infrared seeker. The missile will weigh little more than 400 kilograms, travel at a speed of Mach 0.7 to 0.9, and have a range of kilometers or more.

6. AGM-86B ALCM ( Best cruise missile in the world )

This is a Boeing-built subsonic air launch cruise missile operated by the United States Air Force. This missile was created to improve the effectiveness and survivability of the Boeing B-52H. Strategic bomber Stratofortress During the flight, it is directed by a lightweight inertial navigation system element with ter-com updates.

This technology compares surface characteristics to maps of planned flight routes recorded in onboard computers to establish the missile’s location. As the missile gets closer to its target, the comparisons get increasingly exact, guiding the missile to target with pinpoint accuracy. Traditionally, the AGM-86b ALCMtransports a 200 kiloton w81 nuclear weapon for a distance of approximately 2 500 kilometers. It is 6.32 meters in length and weighs 1458 kilos.

5. STORM SHADOW ( Best cruise missile in the world )

This is a long-range air-launched stand-off assault missile created and developed by MBTA systems in France. The missile has fire-and-forget technology and is designed to target high-value stationary assets such as air bases, radar stations, communication hubs, and port facilities.

The missile’s navigation technology integrates GPS inertial navigation and terrain reference navigation for enhanced control over the course and accurate target strike. The storm shadow can engage targets precisely in any weather conditions, day or night, and can penetrate deep through hard rock targets.

4. TOMAHAWK BLOCK IV ( Best cruise missile in the world )

This is a long-range, all-weather jet-powered cruise missile employed primarily by the US Navy and the Royal Navy in the ship and submarine-based land strike operations. The Tomahawk Block 4 follows a predetermined trajectory using GPS navigation and a satellite data link.

The missile can be armed with a nuclear or unitary warhead or a conventional submunitions dispenser containing combined effect bomblets, and it can strike high-value or heavily protected land targets.

3. P-800 ONIKS ( Best cruise missile in the world )

This is a Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by NPO machine Australia as a ramjet version of the p80 zuber it is guided with mid-course inertial guidance active radar homing passive radar seeker head the p800 has two ways it can approach its target it can fly just above the sea the entire way which reduces its range to 120 kilometers but increases its accuracy

It can either fly high at first and then drop towards the target, giving the p800 a maximum range of 300 kilometers. According to some reports, the p800 has a range of 600 kilometers. Its top speed is Mach 2.5, which may be too fast for close-range weapon systems.

2. 3M54 KALIBR ( Best cruise missile in the world )

This is a class of Russian surface ships, submarine launchers, aerial anti-ship and coastal anti-ship land-attack cruise missiles, and anti-submarine missiles designed by the Novator design bureau. It is guided by inertial guidance, terminal active radar homing, and Turcom DSM-ac.

This missile is a five-version modular system. two types of anti-shipping weapons, one for land attack and two anti-submarine weapons In contrast to the conventional linear flight path of other anti-ship cruise missiles, the three m54 caliber missiles are capable of making very high angle defensive high-speed maneuvers.

1. BRAHMOS ( fastest cruise missile in the world )

Brahmos is a supersonic cruise missile being developed by an Indian-Russian joint venture. The ship and land-based Brahmos missiles can carry a conventional semi-armor-piercing warhead of 200 kilograms, while the aerial variant can carry a 300-kilogram warhead. It is guided with active radar homing GPS global orbiting navigational satellite system and GPS aided geo augmented navigation satellite guidance.

These missiles can intercept surface targets as low as 10 meters in altitude. Brahmos has a top speed of Mach 3, making them the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in use. When completely built, the hypersonic version of the Brahmos missile will be the fastest hypersonic missile in the world, capable of traveling at speeds ranging from Mach 5 to Mach 7.

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• International

Israel wages war on Hamas

School shooter parents sentencing

September 13, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Jessie Yeung , Andrew Raine , Rob Picheta , Aditi Sangal , Elise Hammond , Maureen Chowdhury and Tori B. Powell , CNN

10 cruise missiles launched at Russian shipyard, Moscow military blogger says

From Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych

A prominent Russian military blogger says that the attack on the Sevastopol shipyard overnight was carried out by the Ukrainian Air Force, which launched 10 Storm Shadow cruise missiles at the facility. 

The blogger, Rybar, said that the missiles were launched from Su-24M aircraft over the Black Sea. Rybar said air defenses, including a Pantsir-S1, had brought down seven missiles, but added that “unfortunately, three Storm Shadow missiles reached their target: the landing ship Minsk and the submarine Rostov-on-Don, which were in dry dock, received varying degrees of damage.”

The Rostov-on-Don is a relatively modern Kilo-class submarine capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles. There is no independent confirmation of the extent of damage done to any vessel.

“After a long break, cruise missile attacks on Crimea have resumed,” Rybar said. “With a very high degree of probability, raids will continue in the coming days (and not only in Sevastopol).”

What Ukraine is saying: In an apparent reference to the overnight attack, the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, said that “in addition to sanctions pressure and depriving the Russian military-industrial complex of the ability to produce weapons, we need to deprive the Russian army of logistics. Without it, they will not be able to hold our territory.” 

“The way to victory on the battlefield is to knock out the logistics of the Russians.”

Fire has been extinguished: The attack damaged eight houses and caused a fire at the shipyard which has now been extinguides, the official Russian news agency TASS reported.

What you need to know about the Putin-Kim meeting

From CNN staff

North Korea’s leader  Kim Jong Un has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a closely watched summit that the West has warned could result in an arms deal to bolster Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

A state dinner held in Kim's honor has just begun, after initial talks and a tour of an eastern Russian spaceport.

Here’s what we know so far about the summit:

• Putin hints at helping Kim: The Russian President signaled willingness to assist North Korea in developing its space and satellite program Wednesday, as he gave Kim Jong Un a tour of Russia’s vast Vostochny space launch site ahead of their  expected arms talks . When asked by a reporter whether Russia would help North Korea launch its own satellites and rockets, Putin responded: “That’s exactly why we came here.”
• Kim heaps praise on Russia: Initial talks between the duo lasted just over an hour, and focused on “economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, and the situation in the region,” Putin said. Kim said   the two countries have “many issues” that they can cooperate on. He praised Russia for having “stood up against the hegemonic forces” to defend its sovereignty and security – a veiled reference to the US and the West – and said he has expressed “the full and unconditional support to all that Russia does in response.”
• US arms warning: The US government  said last week  that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing,” and further talks could take place as part of Russia’s efforts to find new suppliers for weapons to use in its war against Ukraine. Pyongyang could meanwhile seek access to weapons it has been banned from having by United Nations sanctions, especially for its nuclear-capable ballistic missile program.
• Deepening ties: Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton warned Tuesday that the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un is "quite significant," and "goes well beyond” a potential arms deal. "From North Korea's point of view, this gets them back into really significant contact with Russia for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union," Bolton told CNN.
• North Korea fires missiles: Hours before the summit, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area — a rare move when Kim is out of the country. Analysts say Pyongyang may be trying to demonstrate its military readiness and capabilities. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) called the launches “a significant provocative act.”

Russian state dinner for Kim Jong Un begins

Russia's state dinner for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has begun. 

The event is being held at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, according to the menu released by Russian state news. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin began the reception, saying "Your current visit is taking place in a truly comradely, friendly, benevolent atmosphere."

Putin shows Kim presidential limo during Russian spaceport visit

From CNN’s Jake Kwon and Anna Chernova

Russian President Vladimir Putin showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a presidential limousine manufactured by the Russian luxury automobile maker Aurus while visiting the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Wednesday.

Putin told Kim: "The car is called Aurus, this is what we started producing in Russia," according to video released by state news Russia 1 and the Russian state military TV channel Zvezda.

Aurus Motors was founded in 2018, originally to produce Russia's official state cars, according to Russian media. According to the company's website, the Aurus Senat Limousine is the official presidential vehicle and offers "ballistic protection."

It's unknown whether Kim was shown the vehicle before or after talks with Putin. 

Former US President Donald Trump also gave North Korean leader a viewing of the presidential Cadillac limousine nicknamed “the Beast” during their talks in Singapore in 2018.

During his opening remarks after Kim's arrival, Putin told the North Korean leader: "We, of course, need to talk about issues of economic cooperation, issues of a humanitarian nature, and the situation in the region," according to a Kremlin readout.

Russia to hold state dinner for Kim Jong Un featuring duck, crab and marbled beef

From CNN's Anna Chernova and Alex Stambaugh 

Russia will host a lavish official state dinner on Wednesday in honor of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit, according to Russian state news agency TASS. 

The dinner comes after Kim held talks for more than an hour with President Vladimir Putin and Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur province, in the Far East region.

The menu, shared by state news agency Russia 1, features dishes including:

• Duck salad with figs and nectarines
• Dumplings with Kamchatka crab
• Grass carp fish soup
• Sea buckthorn sorbet
• Sturgeon with mushrooms and potatoes
• Marbled beef entrecote with baked vegetables
• Taiga lingonberries with pine nuts and condensed milk

This is the second state dinner Russia has held for Kim; a state reception was held in his honor during Kim's 2019 visit to Vladivostok.

Ukraine launches extensive missile attack on Sevastopol shipyard, with fire breaking out and 24 injured

From CNN's Tim Lister, Josh Pennington and Olga Voitovych

Ukrainian forces launched an extensive attack on a ship repair facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol overnight, according to both the Russian Defense Ministry and Ukrainian accounts.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Ukrainian armed forces “launched a strike with 10 cruise missiles against the S. Ordzhonikidze ship repair plant in the city of Sevastopol.” It added that Ukraine “sent three uncrewed boats at a detachment of Black Sea Fleet ships on a sea crossing.”

It claimed that air defense forces shot down seven cruise missiles, and a patrol ship destroyed all the uncrewed boats — but acknowledged that “two ships under repair were damaged by enemy cruise missiles.”

Fire breaks out: The Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, also confirmed a substantial attack in messages overnight, saying missile strikes caused a fire.

He said 24 people were injured, with four in "moderate condition."

Videos and images purportedly from the area, some posted by Razvozhaev, show a large plume of smoke and a fire raging. 

One unofficial Russian military blogger also said that two ships were damaged: a diesel-electric submarine, Rostov-on-Don, and the large landing ship Minsk, which caught fire. Both vessels were undergoing repairs in dry docks.

It’s not possible to independently verify the account. Another unofficial account claimed that Ukraine had used British-made Storm Shadow missiles.

Ukrainian message: The commander of Ukraine’s air force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, thanked the Ukrainian Air Force pilots "for their excellent combat work" on Wednesday, adding that "the occupiers are still recovering from the night-time bombardment in Sevastopol."

The attack appears to have been the most ambitious yet launched on the port by Ukrainian forces. There have been previous drone attacks on Sevastopol, as well as attempts to penetrate the harbor with maritime drones.  

Kremlin says Kim and Putin will not sign documents, but may discuss "sensitive areas, such as military interaction"

From CNN's Anna Chernova and Alex Stambaugh

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters there are no plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to sign documents regarding their Wednesday meeting at the Russian space center, according to state media.

The two leaders met and held closed-door talks for more than an hour at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's space rocket launch site, in Amur province in the Far East region.

When asked about reports of arms talks between the two, Peskov said "the full range of relations [between the two countries] implies dialogue and interaction in sensitive areas, such as military interaction," according to state-run outlet Russia 1.

"All other issues concern only our two sovereign countries," he added. "And they should not be a subject of concern to any third state. Our cooperation is carried out for the benefit of the peoples of our two countries, but not against anyone."

"North Korea is our close neighbor. And despite any comments from the outside, we will build relationships with our neighbors in a way that is beneficial to us and our neighbors."

7 people injured in Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa and Sumy regions

From CNN's Olga Voitovych

Seven people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian regions of Odesa and Sumy, the head of Odesa region military administration Oleh Kiper said on Wednesday morning.

“A total of seven civilians were injured as a result of Russian attack drones at the Izmail district. Six people in Reni and one in Izmail,” Kiper wrote on Telegram. “Two men from Reni are in serious condition, in the intensive care unit, today they will be transported to Odesa.”

He added that four others are in a “moderate condition” and will be treated in the city of Reni.

Drones struck down: The Ukrainian Air Force said out of a total of 44 Shahed-136/131 drones launched towards Ukraine, 32 were destroyed. The Air Force said the attacks were launched from the Russian town Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kursk and Chauda in Russian-occupied Crimea.

“Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine were involved in repelling the attack,” the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Talks between Putin and Kim have ended: Russian state media

From CNN's Anna Chernova

Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have ended on Wednesday after more than an hour, according to state media Russia 1.

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The Army Has a Plan to Kill Drones: Frickin' Laser Beams

And missiles and microwaves.

This news dropped at the same time as newly released plans explained that the Army was re-allocating human resources away from its special ops units. The intention is to instead stand up a larger force of short-range air defense with the goal of protecting soldiers from attacking drones, mortar rounds and cruise missiles. The urgency for such defenses was reinforced after an Iranian-designed kamikaze drone killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on January 27.

The Army’s short-range air defense (SHORAD) units—which the services is increasing to at least nine battalions—come in two flavors. Indirect Fire Protection Capability battalions protect static military bases and semi-permanent command posts using Stinger missiles and automated Land Phalanx gatling cannons. Divisional M-SHORAD battalions, on the other hand, defend frontline forces on the move using Avenger Humvee and Stryker vehicles also armed with Stingers.

But not only is the tried-and-true Stinger growing long in the tooth—it’s out of production. And a missile designed to shoot down manned aircraft costing millions of dollars is too expensive ( over $120,000 for each refurbished expired missile) to cost-efficiently tackle drones costing just hundreds or thousands of dollars each, and which may be fielded in large numbers. Indeed, in Ukraine, both sides are expending over 10,000 kamikaze drones per month .

That’s why the Army doesn’t want to rely only on gun and missile-based defenses. Instead, it has several alternatives , like the laser-armed DE-Stryker and new drone-hunting Coyote Counter-UAS batteries equipped with interceptor drones.

The new drone threat

The affordable small civilian drones that rose to prominence in the early 2010s were rapidly weaponized and employed by insurgents in Iraq and Syria—a then novel, but not game-changing threat. But subsequent fighting in Ukraine has revealed that state actors could procure such low-cost quadcopters drones (and modestly more expensive fixed-wing military ones) in huge quantities and swiftly evolve them into surrogates for precision artillery, anti-tank missiles, and even long-distance strategic cruise missiles at a relatively cheap price.

Videos show reusable grenade-dropping drones and single-use kamikaze drones hunting down individual soldiers in trenches, devastating armored vehicles in the open, and even roaming around inside warehouses to kill vehicles concealed within.

Larger drones costing in the tens of thousands of dollars have flown long distances to assail capital cities and remote airbases, occasionally destroying fighter jets , strategic bombers, and cargo planes on the ground worth tens of millions of dollars each. And such tallies don’t reflect what is possibly the most lethal use of drones: spotting targets for precision targeting by artillery, mortars, and tanks.

Ukraine’s drone warfare innovations were soon replicated by Russia, and it was clear that similar tactics could be effective against the U.S. military. Furthermore, the most commonly used types of drones in Ukraine were from China and Iran—unsurprising, as both emerged as major producers of lower-cost drones in the 2010s.

Bringing out the big (laser) guns

Lasers weapons have their upsides: precision, unparalleled speed, and limited risk of collateral damage. But they also have their downsides: very high energy requirements and reduced performance in obscuring weather .

But, crucially, lasers have a trivial cost per shot, which encourages their use against small, cheap drones. That matters when—as videos recorded in Ukraine have shown—the same vehicle or building is attacked in succession by many kamikaze drones (each costing just a few hundred dollars) to guarantee a kill.

That’s the logic behind the Army’s eight-wheeled Stryker variant called DE M-SHORAD, which complements the service’s existing Stryker M-SHORADS armed with Stingers, Hellfire missiles, and 30-millimeter cannons . The laser-armed DE M-SHORADS might be tasked with defending brigade and divisional command posts.

Currently, the service is testing a platoon of four Stryker A1s with a ‘Guardian’ turret by Raytheon/Kord Systems—one packing a 50 kilowatt laser sufficient for timely disabling of drones, helicopters , artillery rockets, and mortar rounds. Generally, laser-armed Strykers have performed excellently against drones, but encountered difficulties swatting faster artillery rockets and mortar bombs.

The Army also plans to test a buggy-style 4x4 Infantry Squad Vehicle armed with a 20-kilowatt laser for killing smaller Group 1 or 2-class drones.

Drone swarms a problem? Microwave’em!

Lasers may solve the cost-per-shot dilemma of blasting cheap drones, but defense analysts point out that they can only effectively engage one drone at a time. In future wars, however, drones enhanced with autonomous AI and mass-produce on an industrial scale may attack simultaneously in cooperative swarms of large numbers to overwhelm defenses with too many targets.

So, in 2023, the Army awarded $66 million to Epirus for the delivery of a platoon of four prototype high-powered microwave-weapons (HPMs) based on the company’s Leonidas counter-drone system. Leonidas uses a low-temperature gallium-nitride antenna combined with AI-enhanced smart power management system to project electromagnetic pulses that can affect a broad arc—a single pulse can disable multiple nearby drones. And despite the area of effect, Leonidas can also discriminate and exclude friendly systems from their pulses.

While electronic warfare can also have a broad area of effect against drones, it may be ineffective against drones with strong autonomous features that remove their dependency on satellite navigation and remote control signals. An EMP pulse doesn’t care about autonomy, as it’s directly disabling the drone’s electrical systems. Of course, that effect could also be potent against manned systems.

Offsetting those big advantages is Leonidas’s shorter range—a few hundred meters, which is much shorter than than the ranges of lasers —meaning its most effective against kamikaze or grenade-dropping drones that must get close to their targets, and less effective against surveillance or missile-armed drones. Thus, laser- and microwave-based defenses may complement rather than compete with each other.

The Army will test trailer-based HPM systems this year, though there’s also a pod for mounting on an 8x8 Stryker vehicle, which means the APC may be fielded in three different air defense variants.

Beyond Stinger: towards new cruise missile defenses

Army IFPC battalions must also tackle one more threat that their mobile counterparts can’t handle: downing cruise missiles . While Stinger and Land Phalanx have some anti-cruise missile capability, neither is ideal, due to limited range.

Upgrading a laser to rapidly cause major physical damage requires a notable leap in output. That the Stryker’s 50-kilowatt weapon can burn drones out of the sky is notable, but the Army is also testing a ‘Valkyrie’ truck armed with a 300-kilowatt High Energy Laser powerful enough to burn through the skins of cruise missile before they reach their target. If testing this year is successful, the Army may procure Valkyrie in 2025 for its IFPC battalions. An even more powerful 500-kilowatt air defense laser is also being developed by the Army.

But the cruise missile threat is deadly and costly enough that it does also warrant the expenditure of counter-missiles. Back in 2019, Congress forced the Army to test-adopt two Israeli-designed Iron Dome batteries for cruise missile defense. But the Army was never enthused by them, and leased those systems back to Israel after the outbreak of war in Gaza last October. It’s now pursuing an “Increment 2” alternate solution based on the Enduring Shield launcher by Leidos/Dynetics, armed with heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles and seen as more capable against faster cruise missiles.

The service began receiving the first of 16 launchers in an Enduring Shield battery for testing in December of 2023—15 months behind schedule. Each launcher is truck-mountable, and holds up to eighteen heat-seeking AIM-9X Sidewinders (though only 60 Sidewinders are being delivered for testing). It’s also compatible with laser-guided AGM-114L Hellfire missiles and (possibly) Iron Dome’s low-cost Tamir interceptor missile.

If the Army’s plans come to fruition, these launchers may deploy alongside new sensor and guidance systems: Leidos’s secrecy-veiled ALPS 360-degree passive persistent surveillance sensor, Lockheed’s RIG-360 remote guidance datalink, and improved Sentinel AN/MPQ-64A4 radars (one for every four-launcher platoon). The Sentinel A4 features a new jam-resistant gallium-nitride AESA antenna with greater resolution, new capability to detect and determine the origin point of mortar and rocket artillery attacks, and a 75% range boost.

At the same time, the Army has allocated $204 million in 2025 for Raytheon and Lockheed to develop proposed successors to the Stinger missile for M-SHORAD units called the Next-Generation Short Range Interceptor, with a production decision scheduled by 2027. The Army specifies that NGSRI should remain compatible with existing Stinger launchers while flying faster to target, being more resilient against countermeasures, and remaining effective against drones with low heat signatures.

Under the same budget heading, the Army is funding the development of proximity air-bursting XM1223 multi-purpose shells to enhance the lethality of the 30-millimeter guns on air defense Strykers.

The diversity of new systems being developed and fielded reflects the breadth of air defense threats posed by drones and cruise missiles, which may approach at speeds ranging from 60 to 4,000 miles per hour and at altitudes ranging from near ground level to tens of thousands of feet high. While the optimal mix of systems is being determined, effective integrated air defenses (IADS) are multi-layered and incorporate diverse defeat mechanisms so that no single counter-counter-measure on an incoming drone or missile guarantees success.

Sébastien Roblin has written on the technical, historical, and political aspects of international security and conflict for publications including 19FortyFive, The National Interest, MSNBC, Forbes.com, Inside Unmanned Systems and War is Boring. He holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University and served with the Peace Corps in China. You can follow his articles on Twitter . 

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