seminar on missile:part 2

3.0 Basic Types

Missiles are generally categorized by their launch platform and intended target. In broadest terms, these will either be surface (ground or water) or air, and then sub-categorized by range and the exact target type (such as anti-tank or anti-ship). Many weapons are designed to be launched from both surface or the air, and a few are designed to attack either surface or air targets (such as the ADATS missile). Most weapons require some modification in order to be launched from the air or ground, such as adding boosters to the ground launched version.

3.1 Surface-to-Surface/Air-to-Surface

3.1.1 Ballistic missiles

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheadsto a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the laws of orbital mechanics and ballistics. To date, ballistic missiles have been propelled during powered flight by chemical rocket engines of various types.

After the boost-stage, ballistic missiles follow a trajectory mainly determined by ballistics. The guidance is for relatively small deviations from that.

A ballistic missile trajectory consists of three parts: the powered flight portion, the free-flight portion which constitutes most of the flight time, and the re-entry phase where the missile re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Ballistic missiles can be launched from fixed sites or mobile launchers, including vehicles (transporter erector launchers, TELs), aircraft, ships and submarines. The powered flight portion can last from a few tens of seconds to several minutes and can consist of multiple rocket stages.

When in space and no more thrust is provided, the missile enters free-flight. In order to cover large distances, ballistic missiles are usually launched into a high sub-orbital spaceflight; for intercontinental missiles the highest altitude (apogee) reached during free-flight is about 1200 km.

Ballistic missiles can vary widely in range and use, and are often divided into categories based on range. Various schemes are used by different countries to categorize the ranges of ballistic missiles:

• Tactical ballistic missile: Range between about 150 km and 300 km
• Battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM): Range less than 100 km
• Theatre ballistic missile (TBM): Range between 300 km and 3,500 km
• Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM): Range 1,000 km or less
• Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM): Range between 1,000 km and 3,500 km
• Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) or long-range ballistic missile (LRBM): Range between 3,500 km and 5,500 km
• Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): Range greater than 5500 km
• Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM): Launched from ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), all current designs have intercontinental range.

3.1.2 Cruise missile:-

The V1 had been successfully intercepted during World War II, but this did not make the cruise missile concept entirely useless. After the war, the US deployed a small number of nuclear-armed cruise missiles in Germany, but these were considered to be of limited usefulness. Continued research into much longer ranged and faster versions led to the US's Navaho missile, and its Soviet counterparts, the Burya and Buran cruise missile. However, these were rendered largely obsolete by the ICBM, and none

were used operationally. Shorter-range developments have become widely used as highly accurate attack systems, such as the US Tomahawk missile, the Russian Kh-55 the German Taurus missile and the Pakistani Babur cruise missile. The BrahMos cruise missile which is a joint venture between India and Russia, is the fastest cruise missile in the world with a top speed of Mach 2.8-3.

Cruise missiles are generally associated with land attack operations, but also have an important role as anti-shipping weapons. They are primarily launched from air, sea or submarine platforms in both roles, although land based launchers also exist.

3.1.2.1 Anti-ship

A number of anti-submarine missiles also exist; these generally use the missile in order to deliver another weapon system such as a torpedo or depth charge to the location of the submarine, at which point the other weapon will conduct the underwater phase of the mission.

3.2.1.2 Anti-tank

By the end of WWII all forces had widely introduced unguided rockets using HEAT warheads as their major anti-tank weapon. However these had a limited useful range of a 100 m or so, and the Germans were looking to extend this with the use of a missile using wire guidance. While other guidance systems have been tried, the basic reliability of wire-guidance means this will remain the primary means of controlling anti-tank missile in the near future. Anti tank missiles may be launched from aircraft, vehicles or by ground troops in the case of smaller weapons.

3.2 Surface-to-air

3.2.1 Anti-aircraft

Anti-aircraft weapons exist for virtually every possible launch platform, with surface launched systems ranging from huge, self propelled or ship mounted launchers to man portable systems.

3.2.2 Anti-ballistic

As missiles are developing there is need of defense against missiles which carry explosive warheads. However, in the case of a large closing speed, a projectile without explosives is used, just a collision is sufficient to destroy the target.

An anti-missile missile is exactly what it sounds like--a missile designed to destroy another missile. Anti-missile missiles may be designed to shoot down any kind of missile, but they are typically meant to engage ballistic missiles in particular. A missile designed to destroy a cruise missile, on the other hand, would probably be classified as an air-to-air or surface-to-air missile most of the time.

3.2.3 Anti-satellite

Anti satellite weapons may be launched either by an aircraft or a surface platform, depending on the design. To date, only a few known tests have occurred.