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 ).
Surface-to-surface missiles are usually broken down into a number of categories:
- Ballistic Missiles travel in a high trajectory, motor burns out partway through flight
- --- tactical SSMs are usually Short-range Ballistic Missile s (SRBMs), <1,000 km (600 mi)
- --- strategic SSMs are usually:
-- Medium-range Ballistic Missile s (MRBMs), 1,000–3,000 km (600-2,000 mi)
-- Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile s (IRBMs), 3,000–4,800 km (2,000-3,000 mi)
-- Long-range Ballistic Missiles (LRBMs), 4,800-8,000 km (3,000–5,000 mi)
-- Submarine-launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM)
-- Intercontinental Ballistic Missile s (ICBMs), >8,000 km (5,000 mi)
- Cruise Missiles travel low to the ground, motor burns during entire flight, typical range 2,500 km (1,500 mi)
- Anti-tank Guided Missile s travel low to the ground, may or may not burn motor throughout flight, typical range 5 km (3 mi)
- Anti-ship Missile s travel low over the ground and sea, often pop up or jink before striking 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 (U.S. DoD) has no definition for LRBM and thus defines ICBM as those with a range greater than 5,500 km (3500 mi). The International Institute For Strategic Studies does not define LRBM either, but their definition of SRBM is somewhat shorter than that of the U.S. DoD. Figures above are thus representative but not definitive.
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