Bhadra IAS Academy

Classification of Missile

Type :

 Cruise Missile
 Ballistic Missile

Launch Mode :

 Surface-to-Surface Missile
 Surface-to-Air Missile
 Surface (Coast)-to-Sea Missile
 Air-to-Air Missile
 Air-to-Surface Missile

Range :

 Short Range Missile

 Medium Range Missile
 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile
 International Ballistic Missile

i) CRUISE MISSILE : A cruise Missile is an unmanned self-propelled (till the

time of impact) guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for
most of its flight path & whose primary mission is to place an ordinance or
special payload on a target. They fly within the earth’s atmosphere & use jet
engine technology. These vehicles vary greatly in their speed & ability to
penetrate defaces. Cruise missile can be categorized by size, speed (subsonic or
supersonic), range and whether launched from land, air, surface ship or
submarine.

Depending upon the speed such missile are classified as:

1) Subsonic cruise missile

2) Supersonic cruise missile

3) Hypersonic cruise missile

Subsonic cruise missile:

Flies at a speed lesser than that of sound. It travels at a speed of around 0.8
Mach. The well-known subsonic missile is the American Tomahawk cruise
missile. Some other Examples are Harpoon of USA & Exocet of France.

Supersonic cruise missile:

Travels at a speed of around 2-3 Mach i.e.; it travels a kilometre approximately

in a sec. The modular design of the missile and its capability of being launched
at different orientations enable it to be integrated with a wide spectrum of
platforms like warships, submarines, different types of aircraft, mobile
autonomous launches & silos. The combination of supersonic speed and
warhead mass provides high kinetic energy ensuring tremendous lethal effect.
BRAHMOS is the only known versatile supersonic cruise missile system which
is in service.

Hypersonic cruise missile:

www.bhadraiasacademy.in - 8638391721 Page 1

Travels at the speed of 5 Mach. Many countries are working to develop
hypersonic cruise missile. BrahMos aerospace is also in the process of
developing a hypersonic cruise missile, BRAHMOS-II, which would fly at the
speed greater than 5 Mach.

ii) Ballistic Missile:

A ballistic missile is a missile that has a ballistic trajectory over most of its flight
path, regardless of whether or not it is a weapon-delivery vehicle. Ballistic
missiles are categorized according to their range, maximum distance measured
along the surface of earth’s ellipsoid from the point of launch to the point of
impact of the last element of their payload. The Missile carry a huge payload.
The carriage if a deadly warhead is justified by the distance the missile travels.
Ballistic missile can be launched from ships and land based facilities for
example, Prithvi I, Prithvi II, Agni I, Agni II, & Dhanush ballistic
missiles are currently operational in the Indian defence forces.

Missile Name Country Type Range

Air-to-air missiles
Astra India active radar homing 60 – 80
beyond-visual-range air- km
to-air missile
(BVRAAM)Air-to-Air
Missiles
K-100 Russia & Medium Range air-to-air 300–400
India missile km
MICA IAF Air-to-Air Missiles

Surface-To-Air Missiles
Akash India Medium-range surface- 30-35km
to-air missile
Barak 8 Israel / India Long Range surface to air 100 km
Missile
Trishul India Low Range surface to air 9km
missile
Pradyumna Ballistic Ballistic Missile 300
Missile Interceptor interceptor , surface to air to
or missile 2,000 km
Prithvi Air Defence
(PAD)

Defence Missile
Prithvi Air Defence India Subsonic cruise 1,000 -
(PAD) missile(Ship, submarine, 1500 km
aircraft and land)

Advanced Air Defence India Endo atmospheric Anti-

(AAD) ballistic missile Altitude-
30km

Prithvi Defence Vehicle India Exo-atmospheric Anti-

(PDV) ballistic missile Altitude-
120km

Cruise Missiles
Nirbhay India Subsonic cruise 1,000 -
missile(Ship, submarine, 1500 km
aircraft and land)

www.bhadraiasacademy.in - 8638391721 Page 2

BrahMos Russia & Fastest Cruise Missile in 290 km
India the world Supersonic
cruise missile(Ship,
submarine, aircraft and
land)
BrahMos II India Hypersonic cruise 300km
missile(Ship, submarine,
aircraft and land)
BrahMos-A Air launched Cruise
Missile.
Brahmos-M Smaller variant of the air- 290 km
launched BrahMos
BrahMos-NG Mini version based on the 290-km
existing BrahMos
Surface-to-surface missiles
Agni-I India Medium-range ballistic 700-
missile (MRBM) 1250 km
Agni-II India Intermediate-range 2,000–
ballistic missile(IRBM) 3,000 km
Agni-III India Intermediate-range 3,500 km
ballistic missile(IRBM) – 5,000
km
Agni-IV India Intermediate-range 3,000 –
ballistic missile(IRBM) 4,000 km
Agni-V India Intercontinental ballistic 5000 –
missile(ICBM) 8000Km
Prithvi I India Short Range Ballistic 150 km
Missile(Tactical)
Prithvi II India Short Range Ballistic 350 km
Missile(Tactical)
Prithvi III Short Range Ballistic 350 km
Missile(Tactical) to 600
km
Dhanush India Short Range Ballistic 350 –
Missile(Tactical) 600 km
Prahaar(Pragati) India Short Range Ballistic 150 km
Missile(Tactical)
Shaurya India Hypersonic surface-to- 750 to
surface tactical missile 1,900 km
Medium-Range Ballistic
Missile (MRBM)
Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles
Sagarika (K-15) India Submarine Launched 700 –
Ballistic Missile 1900Km
K-4 India Submarine Launched 3,500–
Ballistic Missile 5,000 km
K-5 India Submarine Launched 6,000 km
Ballistic Missile
Anti-Tank Missile
Nag India Anti-Tank Guided 4km
Missile

Helina(HELIcopter India Anti-Tank Guided 7-8km

launched NAg) Missile

Amogha-1 India Anti-Tank Guided 2.8 km

Missile

Ashwin Ballistic Missile Ballistic Missile 150 km+

Interceptor or Advanced interceptor / anti aircraft
Air Defence (AAD) missile

www.bhadraiasacademy.in - 8638391721 Page 3