With North Korean ballistic missile tests and Russian guided cruise missiles crashing down on Ukrainian cities you may be wondering what exactly these weapons are. While they share many characteristics, their differences are critical to understanding both of these devastating weapons platforms.
A ballistic missile is a rocket propelled and self-guided system that follows a preset trajectory from the point of launch to the programmed target destination. They can carry conventional explosives, chemical, biological, and most significantly, nuclear warheads. Ballistic missile ranges vary from a few hundred to a few thousand miles, making some of them qualify as intercontinental ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles tend to have a high arc flight path, often entering space, in order to achieve their extensive range.
Cruise missiles are low flying, guided weapons systems meant to come in low and fast to avoid any radar and intercept. Cruise missiles are often equipped with a smaller explosive yield than ballistic missiles and this is because their capacity for pin point accuracy must be maintained.
Both weapons can be launched from sea, land, and air for devastating effect.
