Tactical ballistic missile explained

Tactical ballistic missile should not be confused with Theatre ballistic missile.

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 300km (200miles). 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

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.

Specific TBMs

	NATO reporting name	Propellant	Range	Introduction	Withdrawal	Origin	Operators
Al-Samoud 2		Liquid propelled	0160 180 km	2001	2003
Al-Hussein		Liquid propelled	600–650 km	1987	1991
Blue Water				1960 (first flight)	cancelled 1962
MGM-140 ATACMS		Solid propelled	0300 300 km	1986	2007 (program terminated, missile remains in service)
MGM-52 Lance		Liquid propelled	0120 120 km	1972	1992
PGM-11 Redstone		Liquid propelled	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
Shaurya		two-stage solid propelled	700-1900 km	2011
Prahaar		Solid propelled	150 km	2011
Pragati		Solid propelled	170 km	2013
Pranash		Solid propelled	200 km	TBD
Pralay		Solid propelled	150-500 km	TBD
		Solid propelled	0320290–320 km	2004
Nasr/Hatf IX		Solid propelled	007070 km	2013
Abdali/Hatf-II		Solid propelled	0180180 km	2002
Hatf-I		Solid propelled	0100 70 km	1990
Hatif-1A		Solid propelled	0100 100 km	1990
Hatif-1B		Solid propelled	0100 100 km	1990
Sky Spear		Solid propelled	0300 120–300 km	2001
J-600T Yıldırım		Solid propelled	0900 150–900 km	1998
TOROS		Solid propelled	0160 100–160 km
Bora		Liquid propelled	0120 280–700 km	2017
T-300 Kasırga			0120 100–120 km
	SS-1b Scud-A	Liquid propelled	0700 180 km	1958
	FROG-2	Solid propelled	0700 7–18 km
	SS-1c Scud-B SS-1d Scud-C SS-1e Scud-D	Liquid propelled	0700 300–700 km	1964
	SS-21 Scarab	Solid propelled	0185 70–185 km	1975
	SS-23 Spider	Solid propelled	0120 500 km	1979	1987
	Frog-3, Frog-5		0050 10–50 km	1960	1982
	Frog-7		0050 70 km	1964
			0120 400–800 km	2005
KN-02 Toksa		Solid propelled	0160 120–160 km	2008
KN-23		Solid propelled	450 km^[1]	2018
KN-24		Solid propelled	410 km^[2]	2019
KN-25			0160 380 km	2019
	SS-26 Stone	Solid propelled	0500 400–500 km	2006
			0120 300–400km	2016
		Solid propelled	0500 180 km	1977
		Solid propelled	0500 300 km	2006
		Solid propelled	0500 180 km	2022
		Solid propelled	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 propelled	180 km	1990s
Shahab-1			0350 350 km	1987	~2016
Shahab-2		liquid propelled	500 km	1990	2016
Fateh-110		Solid propelled	300 km	2002
Fateh-313		Solid propelled	500 km	2015
Qiam 1		Liquid propelled	800 km	2010
Zelzal-1		Solid propelled	160 km	1990
Zelzal-2		Solid propelled	210 km	1998
Zelzal-3		Solid propelled	200–250 km	2007
Naze'at 6-H		Solid propelled	80–100 km	1980's
Naze'at 10-H		Solid propelled	100–130 km	1980's
Jerina-1		Solid propelled^[3]		285-300 km	2017
Jerina-2				75 km	2017

See also

• List of missiles

Notes and References

1. Web site: KN-23. 2021-03-12. Missile Threat. en-US.
2. Web site: KN-24. 2021-03-12. Missile Threat. en-US.
3. Web site: EDePro, Engine Development and Production .