A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM)[1] is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed installations, or from a ship. They are often powered by a rocket engine or sometimes fired by an explosive charge, since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving slowly. They usually have fins and/or wings for lift and stability, although hyper-velocity or short-ranged missiles may use body lift or fly a ballistic trajectory.[2] The first operational surface-to-surface missile was the V-1 flying bomb, it was powered by a pulsejet engine.
Contemporary surface-to-surface missiles are usually guided. An unguided surface-to-surface missile is usually referred to as a rocket (for example, an RPG-7 or M72 LAW is an anti-tank rocket), whereas a BGM-71 TOW or AT-2 Swatter is an anti-tank guided missile.
Examples of surface-to-surface missile include the MGM-140 ATACMS and the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB).[3][4][5][6]
Examples
editTypes
editSurface-to-surface missiles are usually divided into a number of categories:
- Ballistic missiles travel in a high trajectory, motor burns out partway through flight
- Tactical ballistic missile: Range between about 150 km and 300 km
- Battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM): Range less than 200 km
- Theatre ballistic missile (TBM): range between 300 km and 3500 km
- Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM): Range 1000 km or less
- Medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM): Range between 1000 km and 3500 km
- Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) or Long-range ballistic missile (LRBM): Range between 3500 km and 5500 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.
- Tactical ballistic missile: Range between about 150 km and 300 km
- Cruise missiles travel low to the ground, motor burns during entire flight, typical range 2,500 km (1,500 mi)
- Anti-tank guided missiles travel low to the ground, may or may not burn motor throughout flight, typical range 5 km (3 mi)
- Anti-ship missiles travel low over the ground and sea, and often pop up or jink before striking the target ship; typical range 130 km (80 mi)
Different parties break down missile type by the range differently. For example, the United States Department of Defense has no definition for LRBM, and thus defines an ICBM as those missiles with ranges greater than 5,500 km (3500 mi). The International Institute for Strategic Studies also does not define a range for LRBMs, and defines SRBMs as having somewhat shorter ranges than the definition used by the Department of Defense.
References
edit- ^ "The world's top air-to-surface missiles". November 2019.
- ^ Wragg, David W. (1973). A Dictionary of Aviation (first ed.). Osprey. p. 254. ISBN 9780850451634.
- ^ Mehta, Aaron (10 March 2015). "Boeing, Saab Unveil Ground Launched SDB". Defensenews.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB)". Archived from the original on 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
- ^ "Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB)". Army-technology.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ Osborn, Kris (6 September 2016). "US Army's New Ground-Launched Missile: Raining Down Death from 500 Kilometers Away". Nationalinterest.org. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "The Army Plans to Fire Its Version of the Navy's SM-6 Missile from This Launcher". 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Roketsan - KARA ATMACA Surface-To-Surface Cruise Missile".