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A BGM-109 Tomahawk flying in November 2002

A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets, that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at an approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high precision. Modern cruise missiles are capable of traveling at high subsonic, supersonic, or hypersonic speeds, are self-navigating, and are able to fly on a non-ballistic, extremely low-altitude trajectory.

History

A Fieseler Fi-103, the German V-1 flying bomb

The idea of an "aerial torpedo" was shown in the British 1909 film The Airship Destroyer in which flying torpedoes controlled wirelessly are used to bring down airships bombing London.

In 1916, the American aviator Lawrence Sperry built and patented an "aerial torpedo", the Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane, a small biplane carrying a TNT charge, a Sperry autopilot and barometric altitude control. Inspired by the experiments, the United States Army developed a similar flying bomb called the Kettering Bug. Germany had also flown trials with remote-controlled aerial gliders (Torpedogleiter) built by Siemens-Schuckert beginning in 1916.

In the Interwar Period, Britain's Royal Aircraft Establishment developed the Larynx (Long Range Gun with Lynx Engine), which underwent a few flight tests in the 1920s.

In the Soviet Union, Sergei Korolev headed the GIRD-06 cruise missile project from 1932 to 1939, which used a rocket-powered boost-glide bomb design. The 06/III (RP-216) and 06/IV (RP-212) contained gyroscopic guidance systems. The vehicle was designed to boost to 28 km altitude and glide a distance of 280 km, but test flights in 1934 and 1936 only reached an altitude of 500 meters.

In 1944, during World War II, Germany deployed the first operational cruise missiles. The V-1, often called a flying bomb, contained a gyroscope guidance system and was propelled by a simple pulsejet engine, the sound of which gave it the nickname of "buzz bomb" or "doodlebug". Accuracy was sufficient only for use against very large targets (the general area of a city), while the range of 250 km was significantly lower than that of a bomber carrying the same payload. The main advantages were speed (although not sufficient to outperform contemporary propeller-driven interceptors) and expendability. The production cost of a V-1 was only a small fraction of that of a V-2 supersonic ballistic missile with a similar-sized warhead. Unlike the V-2, the initial deployments of the V-1 required stationary launch ramps which were susceptible to bombardment. Nazi Germany, in 1943, also developed the Mistel composite aircraft program, which can be seen as a rudimentary air-launched cruise missile, where a piloted fighter-type aircraft was mounted atop an unpiloted bomber-sized aircraft that was packed with explosives to be released while approaching the target. Bomber-launched variants of the V-1 saw limited operational service near the end of the war, with the pioneering V-1's design reverse-engineered by the Americans as the Republic-Ford JB-2 cruise missile.

Immediately after the war, the United States Air Force had 21 different guided missile projects, including would-be cruise missiles. All but four were cancelled by 1948: the Air Materiel Command Banshee, the SM-62 Snark, the SM-64 Navaho, and the MGM-1 Matador. The Banshee design was similar to Operation Aphrodite; like Aphrodite, it failed, and was canceled in April 1949. Concurrently, the US Navy's Operation Bumblebee, was conducted at Topsail Island, North Carolina, from c. 1 June 1946, to 28 July 1948. Bumblebee produced proof-of-concept technologies that influenced the US military's other missile projects.

During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union experimented further with the concept, of deploying early cruise missiles from land, submarines, and aircraft. The main outcome of the United States Navy submarine missile project was the SSM-N-8 Regulus missile, based upon the V-1.

The United States Air Force's first operational surface-to-surface missile was the winged, mobile, nuclear-capable MGM-1 Matador, also similar in concept to the V-1. Deployment overseas began in 1954, first to West Germany and later to the Republic of China and South Korea. On 7 November 1956, the U.S. Air Force deployed Matador units in West Germany, whose missiles were capable of striking targets in the Warsaw Pact, from their fixed day-to-day sites to unannounced dispersed launch locations. This alert was in response to the crisis posed by the Soviet attack on Hungary which suppressed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

Between 1957 and 1961 the United States followed an ambitious and well-funded program to develop a nuclear-powered cruise missile, Supersonic Low Altitude Missile (SLAM). It was designed to fly below the enemy's radar at speeds above Mach 3 and carry hydrogen bombs that it would drop along its path over enemy territory. Although the concept was proven sound and the 500-megawatt engine finished a successful test run in 1961, no airworthy device was ever completed. The project was finally abandoned in favor of ICBM development.

While ballistic missiles were the preferred weapons for land targets, heavy nuclear and conventional weapon tipped cruise missiles were seen by the USSR as a primary weapon to destroy United States naval carrier battle groups. Large submarines (for example, Echo and Oscar classes) were developed to carry these weapons and shadow United States battle groups at sea, and large bombers (for example, Backfire, Bear, and Blackjack models) were equipped with the weapons in their air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) configuration.

Categories

Cruise missiles can be categorized by size, speed (subsonic or supersonic), range, and whether launched from land, air, surface ship, or submarine. Often versions of the same missile are produced for different launch platforms; sometimes air- and submarine-launched versions are a little lighter and smaller than land- and ship-launched versions.

Guidance systems can vary across missiles. Some missiles can be fitted with any of a variety of navigation systems (Inertial navigation, TERCOM, or satellite navigation). Larger cruise missiles can carry either a conventional or a nuclear warhead, while smaller ones carry only conventional warheads.

Hypersonic

A hypersonic cruise missile travels at least five times the speed of sound (Mach 5).

  • 14-X Brazil, a scramjet engine currently under development by Brazil.
  • 3M22 Zircon (>1000–1500 km) Russia hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile.
  • ASN4G (Air-Sol Nucléaire de 4e Génération) France, a scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile being developed by France
  • BrahMos-II (≈800–1500 km) India/Russia, a hypersonic missile under development as of 2011 in India and Russia.
  • FC/ASW (300 km) FranceUnited Kingdom (under development) – Franco-British stealth hypersonic cruise missile concept.
  • HSTDV India - hypersonic scramjet demonstration a carrier vehicle for hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles is being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • Hyfly-2 United States - hypersonic air-launched cruise missile first displayed at Sea Air Space 2021, developed by Boeing
  • Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC, pronounced Hawk) United States - a scramjet powered hypersonic air-launched cruise missile without a warhead that uses its own kinetic energy upon impact to destroy the target, developed by DARPA
  • Kh-90 (3,000–4,000 km) Soviet Union/Russia - a hypersonic air-to-surface cruise missile developed in 1990 by the USSR and later by Russia. This missile was designed to cruise from Mach 4 to Mach 6, eventually being able to travel at speeds lower than Mach 10–15. But this cruise-missile system did not enter service.
  • Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface (HALO) - air-launched anti-ship missile under Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 (OASuW Inc 2) program for the US Navy (Navy)
  • Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) United States - planned for use by the United States Air Force.
  • SCIFiRE United States/Australia - Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) is a joint program between the US Department of Defense and the Australian Department of Defence for a Mach 5 scramjet powered missile. In September 2021, the US Department of Defense awarded Preliminary Design Review contracts to Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Missiles & Defense.

Supersonic

BrahMos shown at IMDS 2007.

These missiles travel faster than the speed of sound, usually using ramjet engines. The range is typically 100–500 km, but can be greater. Guidance systems vary.

Examples:

  • 3M-54 Kalibr (range: up to 4,500 km, max speed: Mach 3) Russia Russia (the "Sizzler" variant is capable of supersonic speed at the terminal stage only)
  • 3M-51 Alfa (250 km, Mach 2.5) Russia
  • Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (300–500 km+, Mach 3) France France – supersonic stand-off nuclear missile
  • ASM-3 (400 km, Mach 3+) Japan Japan
  • BrahMos (block-I 290 km, Block-II 500 & Block-IIA 600 km, Mach 3.2) India/Russia India / Russia – the only one to complete the tactical cruise missile triad
  • Blyskavka Ukraine Artem Luch Pivdenmash 100 – 370 km
  • C-101 (50 km, Mach 2) China China
  • C-301 (100+ km, Mach )China China
  • C-803 (230 km, Mach 1.4)China China – supersonic terminal stage only
  • C-805 China China
  • CX-1 (280 km, Mach 3) China China
  • CJ-100 / DF-100 (2000–3000 km, Mach 5) China China
  • Hsiung Feng III (400 km, Mach 3.5) Taiwan Taiwan
  • Hyunmoo-3 (1500 km, Mach 1.2) South Korea South Korea
  • KD-88 (200 km, Mach 0.85) China China
  • Kh-20 (380–600 km, Mach 2) Soviet Union USSR
  • Kh-31 (25–110 km, Mach 3.5) Russia Russia
  • Kh-32 (600–1,000 km, Mach 4.6) Russia Russia
  • Kh-80 (3,000–5,000 km, Mach 3) Soviet Union/Russia
  • P-270 Moskit (120–250 km, Mach 2–3) Soviet Union/Russia USSR / Russia
  • P-500 Bazalt (550 km, Mach 3+) Soviet Union/Russia USSR / Russia
  • P-700 Granit (625 km, Mach 2.5+) Soviet Union/Russia USSR / Russia
  • P-800 Oniks / Kh-61 (600–800 km, Mach 2.6) Soviet Union/Russia USSR / Russia
  • P-1000 Vulkan (800 km, Mach 3+) Soviet Union/Russia USSR / Russia
  • YJ-12 (250–400 km, Mach 4) China China
  • YJ-18 (220–540 km, Mach 3) China China
  • YJ-91 (15–120 km, Mach 3.5) China China
  • Yun Feng (1200-2,000 km, Mach 3) Taiwan Taiwan
  • SSM-N-9 Regulus II (1,852 km, Mach 2) United States United States

Intercontinental-range supersonic

  • 9M730 Burevestnik (Unlimited Range) Russia Russia
  • Burya (8,500 km) Soviet Union USSR
  • MKR (8,000 km) Soviet Union USSR
  • RSS-40 Buran (8,500 km) Soviet Union USSR
  • SLAM (cancelled in 1964) United States United States
  • SM-62 Snark (10,200 km) United States United States
  • SM-64 Navaho (canceled in 1958) United States United States

Long-range subsonic

India's Nirbhay missiles mounted on a truck-based launcher

The United States, Russia, North Korea, India, Iran, South Korea, Israel, France, China and Pakistan have developed several long-range subsonic cruise missiles. These missiles have a range of over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) and fly at about 800 kilometres per hour (500 mph). They typically have a launch weight of about 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb) and can carry either a conventional or a nuclear warhead. Earlier versions of these missiles used inertial navigation; later versions use much more accurate TERCOM and DSMAC systems. Most recent versions can use satellite navigation.

Examples:

  • 3M-54 Kalibr (up to 4,500 km) Russia Russia
  • AGM-86 ALCM (from 1100 to >2400 km) United States United States
  • AGM-129 ACM (from 3450 to 3700 km) United States United States
  • AGM-181 LRSO (>2500 km) United States United States
  • BGM-109 Tomahawk (up to 1,700 km) United States United States
  • BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile (2,500 km) United States
  • Kh-55 (3,000 km) and Kh-65 Russia Russia
  • Kh-101 (4500–5500 km) Russia Russia
  • Iskander-K Russia not less than 3 500 km
  • Hwasal-2 North Korea North Korea > 2000 km
  • RK-55 (3,000 km) Soviet Union Soviet Union
  • Nirbhay India India (up to 1500 km)
  • MdCN (up to 1,400 km) France France
  • Paveh (1,650 km) Iran Iran
  • Asef (1,500 km) Iran Iran
  • Hoveyzeh (1,350 km) Iran Iran
  • Abu Mahdi (over 1,000 km) Iran Iran
  • Quds 1 Houthi Yemen
  • Hsiung Feng IIE Taiwan Taiwan (600 - 1,200 km)
  • Hyunmoo III South Korea South Korea (Hyunmoo IIIA-500 km, Hyunmoo IIIB-1000 km, Hyunmoo IIIC-1500 km)
  • Type 12 SSM (1,500 km under development) Japan Japan
  • MGM-13 Mace United States United States
  • DF-10/CJ-10 China China (CJ-10K - 1500 km, CJ-20 - 2000 km)
  • Popeye Turbo SLCM Israel Israel
  • GEZGİN (800-1,200 km) Turkey Turkey

Medium-range subsonic

Storm Shadow (France/UK)
A Pakistani Babur cruise missile launcher

These missiles are about the same size and weight and fly at similar speeds to the above category. Guidance systems vary.

Examples:

  • AGM-158 JASSM (370–1900 km) United States United States
  • AGM-158C LRASM (370 km+-560 km+) United States United States
  • Babur missile 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 3 (450–600 km)Pakistan Pakistan (300 km)
  • Harbah (250–450 km) Pakistan Pakistan
  • Hatf-VIII / Ra'ad Mark-2 ALCM (400 km) Pakistan Pakistan
  • Hsiung Feng IIE (600–2000 km) Taiwan Taiwan
  • Hyunmoo-3 (within 1500 km) South Korea South Korea
  • Type 12 SSM (within 1000 km under development) Japan Japan
  • KD-63 China China
  • Taurus KEPD 350 (500+ km) Germany/Sweden/Spain Germany / Sweden / Spain
  • Kh-50 (Kh-SD) and Kh-101 Kh-65 variants Russia Russia
  • MGM-1 Matador (700 km) United States United States
  • Ra'ad ALCM (350 km) Pakistan Pakistan
  • Raad Iran Iran (360 km)
  • SOM (SOM B Block I) Turkey Turkey (350 km range under serial production, 500 km + range under development) – 500 km, 1500 km and 2500 km versions
  • SSM-N-8 Regulus (926 km) United States United States
  • P-5 Pyatyorka (450–750 km) Soviet Union Russia Russia, North Korea North Korea
  • Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG (560 km, Mach 0.65) France/United Kingdom France/UK
  • Ya-Ali (700 km) Iran Iran
  • Zarb (320 km) Pakistan Pakistan

Short-range subsonic

These are subsonic missiles that weigh around 500 kilograms (1,102 lb) and have a range of up to 300 km (190 mi).

A Naval Strike Missile of the Norwegian Navy

Examples:

  • Apache (100–140 km) France France
  • AVMT-300 (300 km) Brazil Brazil
  • MICLA-BR (300 km) Brazil Brazil
  • Hyunmoo-3 (over 300 km) shorter range South Korea South Korea
  • SSM-700K Haeseong (180+ km) South Korea South Korea
  • Kh-35 (130–300 km) Russia Russia, KN-19 Ks3/4 North Korea North Korea
  • Kh-59 (115–550 km) Russia Russia
  • P-15 (40–80 km) Russia Russia, KN-1 North Korea North Korea
  • Nasr-1 Iran Iran
  • Zafar (25 km) Iran Iran
  • Noor Iran Iran
  • Qader Iran Iran
  • Naval Strike Missile (185–555 km) Norway Norway
  • RBS-15 Sweden Sweden
  • Korshun Ukraine a local derivative of Kh-55 and RK-55, made by Artem Luch Vizar (ZhMZ), KhAZ,
    Yuzhnoe Pivdenmash, powered by an AI Progress Motor Sich MS-400 like Neptun missile and same builders designer.
  • Neptune Ukraine Ukraine
  • V-1 flying bomb (250 km) Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Hsiung Feng II Anti-Ship Missile Display in Chengkungling
Hsiung Feng II
  • Hsiung Feng II Taiwan Taiwan
  • Wan Chien Taiwan Taiwan
  • VCM-01 Vietnam Vietnam 100–300 km
  • Aist Belarus Belarus 100 200 – 300 km
  • Marte ER 100+ km Italy
Sea Killer export variant Italy
  • Otomat (180 km) France/Italy France / Italy
Otomat Mk2 E / Teseo Mk2/E Italy 360 km new turbofan
  • C-801 (40 km) China China
  • C-802 (120–230 km) China China
  • C-803 China China
  • C-805 China China
  • C-602 China China
  • CM-602G China China
  • Delilah missile (250 km) Israel Israel
  • Gabriel IV (200 km) Israel Israel
  • Popeye turbo ALCM (78 km) Israel Israel
  • Sea breaker (missile) (300 km) Israel Israel
  • RGM-84 Harpoon (124–310 km) United States United States
  • AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (110 km) United States United States
  • AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (270 km) United States United States
  • Silkworm (100–500 km) China China
  • SOM Turkey Turkey
  • Atmaca Turkey Turkey
  • Çakır Turkey Turkey

Deployment

AGM-129 ACM being secured on a B-52H bomber

The most common mission for cruise missiles is to attack relatively high-value targets such as ships, command bunkers, bridges and dams. Modern guidance systems permit accurate attacks.

As of 2001, the BGM-109 Tomahawk missile model has become a significant part of the United States naval arsenal. It gives ships and submarines a somewhat accurate, long-range, conventional land attack weapon. Each costs about US$1.99 million. Both the Tomahawk and the AGM-86 were used extensively during Operation Desert Storm. On 7 April 2017, during the Syrian Civil War, U.S. warships fired more than 50 cruise missiles into a Syrian airbase in retaliation for a Syrian chemical weapons attack against a rebel stronghold.

The United States Air Force (USAF) deploys an air-launched cruise missile, the AGM-86 ALCM. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is the exclusive delivery vehicle for the AGM-86 and AGM-129 ACM. Both missile types are configurable for either conventional or nuclear warheads.

The USAF adopted the AGM-86 for its bomber fleet while AGM-109 was adapted to launch from trucks and ships and adopted by the USAF and Navy. The truck-launched versions, and also the Pershing II and SS-20 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles, were later destroyed under the bilateral INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) treaty with the USSR.

The British Royal Navy (RN) also operates cruise missiles, specifically the U.S.-made Tomahawk, used by the RN's nuclear submarine fleet. UK conventional warhead versions were first fired in combat by the RN in 1999, during the Kosovo War (the United States fired cruise missiles in 1991). The Royal Air Force uses the Storm Shadow cruise missile on its Typhoon and previously its Tornado GR4 aircraft. It is also used by France, where it is known as SCALP EG, and carried by the Armée de l'Air's Mirage 2000 and Rafale aircraft.

The Indian Army's BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles mounted on Mobile Autonomous Launchers (MAL)

India and Russia have jointly developed the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos. There are three versions of the Brahmos: ship/land-launched, air-launched, and sub-launched. The ship/land-launched version was operational as of late 2007. The Brahmos have the capability to attack targets on land. Russia also continues to operate other cruise missiles: the SS-N-12 Sandbox, SS-N-19 Shipwreck, SS-N-22 Sunburn and SS-N-25 Switchblade. Germany and Spain operate the Taurus missile while Pakistan has made the Babur missile Both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) have designed several cruise missile variants, such as the well-known C-802, some of which are capable of carrying biological, chemical, nuclear, and conventional warheads.

Nuclear warhead versions

China

China has CJ-10 land attack cruise missile which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Additionally, China appears to have tested a hypersonic cruise missile in August 2021, a claim it denies.

France

The French Force de Frappe nuclear forces include both land and sea-based bombers with Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (ASMP) high-speed medium-range nuclear cruise missiles. Two models are in use, ASMP and a newer ASMP-Ameliorer Plus (ASMP-A), which was developed in 1999. An estimated 40 to 50 were produced.

India

India in 2017 successfully flight-tested its indigenous Nirbhay ('Fearless') land-attack cruise missile, which can deliver nuclear warheads to a strike range of 1,000 km. Nirbhay had been flight-tested successfully.

Israel

The Israel Defense Forces reportedly deploy the medium-range air-launched Popeye Turbo ALCM and the Popeye Turbo SLCM medium-long range cruise missile with nuclear warheads on Dolphin class submarines.

Pakistan

Pakistan currently has four cruise missile systems: the air-launched Ra'ad-I and its enhanced version Ra'ad-II; the ground and submarine launched Babur; ship-launched Harbah missile and surface launched Zarb missile. Both, Ra'ad and Babur, can carry nuclear warheads between 10 and 25 kt, and deliver them to targets at a range of up to 300 km (190 mi) and 450 km (280 mi) respectively. Babur has been in service with the Pakistan Army since 2010, and Pakistan Navy since 2018.

Russia

Export variant of the Kalibr missile

Russia has Kh-55SM cruise missiles, with a range similar to the United States' AGM-129 range of 3000 km, but are able to carry a more powerful warhead of 200 kt. They are equipped with a TERCOM system which allows them to cruise at an altitude lower than 110 meters at subsonic speeds while obtaining a CEP accuracy of 15 meters with an inertial navigation system. They are air-launched from either Tupolev Tu-95s, Tupolev Tu-22Ms, or Tupolev Tu-160s, each able to carry 16 for the Tu-95, 12 for the Tu-160, and 4 for the Tu-22M. A stealth version of the missile, the Kh-101 is in development. It has similar qualities as the Kh-55, except that its range has been extended to 5,000 km, is equipped with a 1,000 kg conventional warhead, and has stealth features which reduce its probability of intercept.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the most recent cruise missile developed was the Kalibr missile which entered production in the early 1990s and was officially inducted into the Russian arsenal in 1994. However, it only saw its combat debut on 7 October 2015, in Syria as a part of the Russian military campaign in Syria. The missile has been used 14 more times in combat operations in Syria since its debut.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union was attempting to develop cruise missiles. In this short time frame, the Soviet Union was working on nearly ten different types of cruise missiles. However, due to resources, most of the initial types of cruise missiles developed by the Soviet Union were Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles or Submarine-Launched Cruise Missiles (SLCMs). The SS-N-1 cruise missile was developed to have different configurations to be fired from a submarine or a ship. However, as time progressed, the Soviet Union began to work on air-launched cruise missiles as well (ALCM). These ACLM missiles were typically delivered via bombers designated as "Blinders" or "Backfire". The missiles in this configuration were called the AS-1, and AS-2 with eventual new variants with more development time. The main purpose of Soviet-based cruise missiles was to have defense and offensive mechanisms against enemy ships; in other words, most of the Soviet cruise missiles were anti-ship missiles. In the 1980s the Soviet Union had developed an arsenal of cruise missiles nearing 600 platforms which consisted of land, sea, and air delivery systems.

United States

An AGM-129 ACM of the United States Air Force

The United States has deployed nine nuclear cruise missiles at one time or another.

  • MGM-1 Matador ground-launched missile, out of service
  • MGM-13 Mace ground-launched missile, out of service
  • SSM-N-8 Regulus submarine-launched missile, out of service
  • SM-62 Snark ground-launched missile, out of service
  • AGM-28 Hound Dog air-launched missile, out of service
  • BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile, out of service
  • AGM-86 ALCM air-launched cruise missile, 350 to 550 missiles and W80 warheads still in service
  • BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile in a nuclear submarine-, surface ship-, and ground-launched models, nuclear models out of service but warheads kept in reserve.
  • AGM-129 ACM air-launched missile, out of service

Efficiency in modern warfare

Currently, cruise missiles are among the most expensive of single-use weapons, up to several million dollars apiece. One consequence of this is that its users face difficult choices in target allocation, to avoid expending the missiles on targets of low value. For instance, during the 2001 strikes on Afghanistan the United States attacked targets of very low monetary value with cruise missiles, which led many to question the efficiency of the weapon. However, proponents of the cruise missile counter that the weapon can not be blamed for poor target selection, and the same argument applies to other types of UAVs: they are cheaper than human pilots when total training and infrastructure costs are taken into account, not to mention the risk of loss of personnel. As demonstrated in Libya in 2011 and prior conflicts, cruise missiles are much more difficult to detect and intercept than other aerial assets (reduced radar cross-section, infrared and visual signature due to smaller size), suiting them to attacks against static air defense systems.

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