Tactical ballistic missile

thumb|The [[MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missile firing]]

A tactical ballistic missile (TBM), or battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM), is a ballistic missile designed for short-range battlefield use. Typically, range is less than . Tactical ballistic missiles are usually mobile to ensure survivability and quick deployment, as well as carrying a variety of warheads to target enemy facilities, assembly areas, artillery, and other targets behind the front lines. Warheads can include conventional high explosive, chemical, biological, or nuclear warheads. Typically tactical nuclear weapons are limited in their total yield compared to strategic nuclear weapons.

Design

Tactical ballistic missiles fill the gap between conventional rocket artillery and longer-range short-range ballistic missiles. Tactical missiles can carry heavy payloads deep behind enemy lines in comparison to rockets or gun artillery, while having better mobility and less expense than the more strategic theatre missiles. Additionally, due to their mobility, tactical missiles are better suited to responding to developments on the battlefield.

For many nations, tactical missiles represent the upper limit of their land-based military equipment. They can provide a powerful weapon for a very economical price, and in some cases are sought to help level the playing field against opponents who are superior in other areas of military technology. Currently, tactical ballistic missile technology remains within reach for nations that may face difficulties in obtaining other advanced military technologies.

Ballistic missiles are still difficult to defeat on the battlefield. Newer air defense systems have improved ability to intercept tactical missiles, but still can not reliably protect assets against ballistic missile threats. This allows a moderate force of missiles to threaten a superior enemy by penetrating their air defenses better than with conventional aircraft, while providing a deeper strike than conventional artillery.

Propulsion

thumb|An [[Iskander-M solid-propelled rocket being launched in a 2018 exercise.]]

Early large rockets and missiles were propelled by liquid-propellant rocket engines, as the first types developed. These were replaced as soon as possible by solid fuel rocket motors. Liquid propellants involve cryogenic (liquid oxygen) or corrosive (nitric acid) oxidisers. These must be loaded before launch, delaying the rocket's time into action. This delay was a problem for large strategic missiles, but especially so for tactical.

Missiles, particularly in the Soviet Union, switched to using storable liquid propellants such as IRFNA, inhibited nitric acid. These were still hazardous to handle, but could be stored pre-loaded in the missile. This also allowed the development of single vehicle transporter erector launchers (TEL), rather than the previous convoy of carriers, launchers, fuel vehicles and service vehicles.

Western missiles adopted solid propellants instead, which were inherently storable, and later Warsaw Pact missiles followed suit. Tactical missiles are now almost universally solid-fuelled, except for some states using indigenous derivatives of the original Scud platform.

Country-specific tactical ballistic missiles

United States

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Name !! Operational range!! Maximum speed !! Introduction !! Current status !! Operators

! Precision Strike Missile (PrSM)

| 500 km

| 3.5 mach

| 2023

| In service

! MGM-140 ATACMS

| 300 km

|Mach 3

|1986

|In service

! MGM-52 Lance

| 120 km

| >Mach 3

| 1972

| Decommissioned

! MGM-18 Lacrosse

| 19 km

| Mach 0.8

| 1959

| Decommissioned

| (formerly)

! PGM-11 Redstone

| 92.5 - 323.5 km

| Mach 5.5

| 1958

| Decommissioned

| (formerly)

Specific tactical ballistic missiles

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! !! Propellant !! Range !! Introduction !! Withdrawal !! Origin !! Operators

! Al-Samoud 2

|Liquid

| 0160 180 km || 2001 || 2003 || ||

! Al-Hussein

| Liquid

|600–650 km||1987||1991|| ||

! Blue Water

| Solid

| || 1960 (first flight) || cancelled 1962 || ||

! MGM-140 ATACMS

| Solid

| 0300 300 km || 1986 || 2007 (program terminated, missile remains in service) ||

! MGM-52 Lance

| Liquid

| 0120 120 km || 1972 || 1992 || ||

! PGM-11 Redstone

| Liquid

| 92.5 km-323 km || 1958 || 1964 || ||

! Precision Strike Missile

| >500 km || 2023 || || ||

! MGM-18 Lacrosse

| 19 km || 1959 || 1964 || ||

! WS-1

| 0180 60–180 km || ≈1990 || || ||

! WS-2 / WS-3

| 0180 70–200 km || ≈2004 || || ||

! DTI-1

| 0180 60–180 km || || || ||

! Hrim-2

| 0180 280–500 km || || || ||

! FP-7 (Ballistic Missile)

|Solid

| 0180 >200 km || || || ||

! Shaurya

| Two-stage solid

| 700-1900 km || 2011 || || ||

! Prahaar

| Solid

| 150 km || 2011 || || ||

! Pragati

| Solid

| 170 km || 2013 || || ||

! Pranash

| Solid

| 200 km || TBD || ||

! Pralay

| Solid

| 150-500 km || TBD || || ||

! Ghaznavi (missile)

| Solid

| 0320290–320 km || 2004 || || ||

! Nasr/Hatf IX

| Solid

| 007070 km || 2013 || || ||

! Abdali/Hatf-II

| Solid

| 0180180 km || 2002 || || ||

! Hatf-I

| Solid

| 0100 70 km || 1990 || || ||

! Hatf-1A

| Solid

| 0100 100 km || 1990 || || ||

! Hatf-1B

| Solid

| 0100 100 km || 1990 || || ||

! Sky Spear

| Solid

| 0300 120–300 km || 2001 || || ||

! J-600T Yıldırım

| Solid

| 0900 150–900 km || 1998 || || ||

! TOROS

| Solid

| 0160 100–160 km || || || ||

!Bora

| Solid

|0120 280–700 km

|2017

! T-300 Kasırga

| 0120 100–120 km || || || ||

! R-11 Zemlya

| Liquid

| 0700 180 km || 1958 || || ||

! 2K1 Mars

| Solid

| 0700 7–18 km || || || ||

! R-17/R-300 Elbrus

| Liquid

| 0700 300–700 km || 1964 || || ||

! OTR-21 Tochka

| Solid

| 0185 70–185 km || 1975 || ||

! OTR-23 Oka

| Solid

| 0120 500 km || 1979 || 1987 || ||

! 2K6 Luna

| 0050 10–50 km || 1960 || 1982 ||

! 9K52 Luna-M

| 0050 70 km || 1964 || ||

! LORA

| 0120 400–800 km || 2005 || || ||

! Hwasong-11 (KN-02)

| Solid

| 0160 120–160 km || 2008 || || ||

!Hwasong-11A (KN-23)

| Solid

|450 km

|2018

!Hwasong-11B (KN-24)

| Solid

|410 km

|2019

!Hwasong-11D

| Solid

|100–300 km

|2022

! KN-25

| 0160 380 km || 2019 || || ||

! 9K720 Iskander

| Solid

| 0500 400–500 km || 2006 || || ||

! Predator Hawk

|0120 300–400km

| 2016 || || ||

! Hyunmoo-1

| Solid

| 0500 180 km || 1977 || || ||

! Hyunmoo-2A

| Solid

| 0500 300 km || 2006 || || ||

! Ure-1

| Solid

| 0500 180 km || 2022 || || ||

! BRE8 King Dragon/Fire Dragon

| Solid

| 0500 280–300 km || 2014? || || ||

! Burkan-1

| 0800 800 km ||2016|| || ||

! al-Najm al-Thaqib-1

| 045 45 km ||2015 || || ||

! al-Najm al-Thaqib-2

| 075 75 km ||2015 || || ||

! Fajr-5

| Solid

|| 180 km || 1990s || || ||

! Shahab-1

|0350 350 km || 1987 || ~2016 || ||

! Shahab-2

| Liquid

|| 500 km || 1990 || 2016 || ||

! Fateh-110

| Solid

|| 300 km || 2002 || || ||

! Fateh-313

| Solid

||500 km|| 2015 || || ||

! Qiam 1

| Liquid

||800 km||2010|| || ||

! Zelzal-1

| Solid

||160 km||1990|| || ||

! Zelzal-2

| Solid

||210 km||1998|| || ||

! Zelzal-3

| Solid

||200–250 km||2007|| || ||

! Naze'at 6-H

| Solid

||80–100 km||1980's|| || ||

! Naze'at 10-H

| Solid

||100–130 km||1980's|| || ||

!Fath-360

|Solid

|30–120 km; Fath-360L: 180 km

|2022

! Jerina-1

| Solid

| |285-300 km||2017|| ||

! Jerina-2

| Liquid

| |75 km||2017|| ||

! ITBM-600

| Solid

||80-280 km||2025|| || (derived from ) ||

!Al-Qari

|Solid

|Unknown

|2026

Tactical ballistic missile

Design

Propulsion

Country-specific tactical ballistic missiles

United States

Specific tactical ballistic missiles

See also

Notes

References