Tactical ballistic missile

Ballistic missile designed for short-range use on the battlefield

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Not to be confused with Theatre ballistic missile.

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 300 kilometres (190 mi).[according to whom?] 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

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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

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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,[i] 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

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| NATO reporting name | Propellant | Range | Introduction | Withdrawal | Origin | Operators

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Al-Samoud 2 |  | Liquid propelled | 0160 180 km | 2001 | 2003 |  Iraq |
Al-Hussein |  | Liquid propelled | 600–650 km | 1987 | 1991 |  Iraq |
Blue Water |  |  |  | 1960 (first flight) | cancelled 1962 |  United Kingdom |
MGM-140 ATACMS |  | Solid propelled | 0300 300 km | 1986 | 2007 (program terminated, missile remains in service) |  United States |

* Bahrain
* Greece
* Taiwan
* South Korea
* Turkey
* United Arab Emirates
* Romania
* Ukraine
* Morocco

MGM-52 Lance |  | Liquid propelled | 0120 120 km | 1972 | 1992 |  United States |

* Belgium West Germany
* Israel
* Italy
* Netherlands
* United Kingdom

PGM-11 Redstone |  | Liquid propelled | 92.5 km-323 km | 1958 | 1964 |  USA |
Precision Strike Missile |  |  | >500 km | 2023 |  |  USA |
MGM-18 Lacrosse |  |  | 19 km | 1959 | 1964 |  USA |
WS-1 |  |  | 0180 60–180 km | ≈1990 |  |  China |
WS-2 / WS-3 |  |  | 0180 70–200 km | ≈2004 |  |  China |
DTI-1 |  |  | 0180 60–180 km |  |  |  Thailand |
Hrim-2 |  |  | 0180 280–500 km |  |  |  Ukraine |
Shaurya |  | two-stage solid propelled | 700-1900 km | 2011 |  |  India |
Prahaar |  | Solid propelled | 150 km | 2011 |  |  India |
Pragati |  | Solid propelled | 170 km | 2013 |  |  India |
Pranash |  | Solid propelled | 200 km | TBD |  |

India

Pralay |  | Solid propelled | 150-500 km | TBD |  |  India |
Ghaznavi (missile) |  | Solid propelled | 0320290–320 km | 2004 |  |  Pakistan |
Nasr/Hatf IX |  | Solid propelled | 007070 km | 2013 |  |  Pakistan |
Abdali/Hatf-II |  | Solid propelled | 0180180 km | 2002 |  |  Pakistan |
Hatf-I |  | Solid propelled | 0100 70 km | 1990 |  |  Pakistan |
Hatif-1A |  | Solid propelled | 0100 100 km | 1990 |  |  Pakistan |
Hatif-1B |  | Solid propelled | 0100 100 km | 1990 |  |  Pakistan |
Sky Spear |  | Solid propelled | 0300 120–300 km | 2001 |  |  Taiwan |
J-600T Yıldırım |  | Solid propelled | 0900 150–900 km | 1998 |  |  Turkey |
TOROS |  | Solid propelled | 0160 100–160 km |  |  |  Turkey |
Bora |  | Liquid propelled | 0120 280–700 km  | 2017  |  |  Turkey |
T-300 Kasırga |  |  | 0120 100–120 km |  |  |  Turkey |
R-11 Zemlya | SS-1b Scud-A  | Liquid propelled | 0700 180 km | 1958 |  |  Soviet Union |
2K1 Mars | FROG-2  | Solid propelled | 0700 7–18 km |  |  |  Soviet Union |
R-17/R-300 Elbrus | SS-1c Scud-B SS-1d Scud-C SS-1e Scud-D  | Liquid propelled | 0700 300–700 km | 1964 |  |  Soviet Union |
OTR-21 Tochka | SS-21 Scarab  | Solid propelled | 0185 70–185 km | 1975 |  |  Soviet Union |

* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Bulgaria
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* Russia
* Ukraine
* Syria
* Yemen
Former:
* Czechoslovakia
* Czech Republic
* East Germany
* Germany
* Lithuania
* Poland
* Slovakia
* Soviet Union

OTR-23 Oka | SS-23 Spider  | Solid propelled | 0120 500 km | 1979 | 1987 |  Soviet Union |
2K6 Luna | Frog-3, Frog-5  |  | 0050 10–50 km | 1960 | 1982 |  Soviet Union |

* Afghanistan
* Algeria
* Cuba
* East Germany
* Egypt
* Iraq
* Libya
* North Korea
* Poland
* Romania
* Soviet Union
* Syria
* Yemen
* Yugoslavia

9K52 Luna-M | Frog-7  |  | 0050 70 km | 1964 |  |  Soviet Union |

* Algeria
* Afghanistan
* Belarus
* Egypt
* Libya
* North Korea
* Russia
* Syria
* Ukraine
* Yemen
Former
* Bulgaria
* Cuba
* Czechoslovakia
* East Germany
* Hungary
* Iraq
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Poland
* Romania
* South Yemen
* Soviet Union
* Yugoslavia

LORA |  |  | 0120 400–800 km | 2005 |  |  Israel |  Azerbaijan

Morocco

KN-02 Toksa |  | Solid propelled | 0160 120–160 km | 2008 |  |  North Korea |  Syria
KN-23 |  | Solid propelled | 450 km[1] | 2018  |  |  North Korea |
KN-24 |  | Solid propelled | 410 km[2] | 2019  |  |  North Korea |
KN-25 |  |  | 0160 380 km | 2019 |  |  North Korea |
9K720 Iskander | SS-26 Stone  | Solid propelled | 0500 400–500 km | 2006 |  |  Russia |
Predator Hawk |  |  | 0120 300–400km  | 2016 |  |  Israel |  Morocco
Hyunmoo-1 |  | Solid propelled | 0500 180 km | 1977 |  |  South Korea |
Hyunmoo-2A |  | Solid propelled | 0500 300 km | 2006 |  |  South Korea |
Ure-1 |  | Solid propelled | 0500 180 km | 2022 |  |  South Korea |
BRE8 King Dragon/Fire Dragon |  | Solid propelled | 0500 280–300 km | 2014? |  |  China |
Burkan-1 |  |  | 0800 800 km | 2016 |  |  Yemen |
al-Najm al-Thaqib-1 |  |  | 045 45 km | 2015 |  |  Yemen |
al-Najm al-Thaqib-2 |  |  | 075 75 km | 2015 |  |  Yemen |
Fajr-5 |  | Solid propelled | 180 km | 1990s |  |  Iran |

* Syria
* Yemen
* Iraq
* Lebanon

Shahab-1 |  |  | 0350 350 km | 1987 | ~2016 |  Iran |  Syria
Shahab-2 |  | liquid propelled | 500 km | 1990 | 2016 |  Iran |  Syria
Fateh-110 |  | Solid propelled | 300 km | 2002 |  |  Iran |

* Syria
* Lebanon

Fateh-313 |  | Solid propelled | 500 km | 2015 |  |  Iran |  Syria
Qiam 1 |  | Liquid propelled | 800 km | 2010 |  |  Iran |  Yemen
Zelzal-1 |  | Solid propelled | 160 km | 1990 |  |  Iran |  Syria
Zelzal-2 |  | Solid propelled | 210 km | 1998 |  |  Iran |

* Syria
* Yemen
* Lebanon

Zelzal-3 |  | Solid propelled | 200–250 km | 2007 |  |  Iran |  Syria
Naze'at 6-H |  | Solid propelled | 80–100 km | 1980's |  |  Iran |
Naze'at 10-H |  | Solid propelled | 100–130 km | 1980's |  |  Iran |
Jerina-1 |  | Solid propelled[3] | 285-300 km | 2017 |  |

Serbia

Jerina-2 |  | Liquid propelled | 75 km | 2017 |  |

Serbia

## See also

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* List of missiles

## Notes

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1. ^ The liquid-fuelled MGM-52 Lance was one exception, remaining in service until the end of the Cold War.

## References

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1. ^ "KN-23". Missile Threat. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
2. ^ "KN-24". Missile Threat. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
3. ^ "EDePro, Engine Development and Production".

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Types of missile

By platform|

* Air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM)
* Air-launched cruise missile (ALCM)
* Air-to-air missile (AAM)
* Air-to-surface missile (ASM)
* Ballistic missile
* Cruise missile
* Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
* Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM)
* Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM)
* Shoulder-fired missile
* Standoff missile
* Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)
* Submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM)
* Surface-to-air missile (SAM)
* Surface-to-surface missile (SSM)
* Tactical ballistic missile (TBM)

By target type|

* Anti-ballistic missile (ABM)
* Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
* Anti-satellite weapon (ASAT)
* Anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM)
* Anti-ship missile (AShM)
* Anti-submarine missile (ASuM)
* Anti-tank missile (ATGM)
* Land-attack missile (LAM)
* Man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS)

By guidance|

* Unguided
* Radar guidance
* Radar altimeter
* Active radar homing (ARH)
* Semi-active radar homing (SARH)
* Passive radar
* Passive homing
* Track-via-missile (TVM)
* Anti-radiation
* Command guidance
* Command to line-of-sight (CLOS)
* Command off line of sight (COLOS)
* Manual command to line of sight (MCLOS)
* Semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS)
* Automatic command to line of sight (ACLOS)
* Pursuit guidance
* Beam riding (LOSBR)
* Infrared guidance
* Laser guidance
* Wire guidance
* Satellite guidance
* Global Positioning System (GPS)
* GLONASS
* Inertial guidance
* Astro-inertial guidance
* Terrestrial guidance
* TERCOM
* DSMAC
* Automatic target recognition (ATR)
* Radio guidance
* TV guidance
* Contrast seeker
* Compass
* Predicted line of sight (PLOS)

Lists|

* List of military rockets
* List of missiles
* List of missiles by country
* List of anti-ship missiles
* List of anti-tank missiles
* List of ICBMs
* List of surface-to-air missiles

See also: Sounding rocket

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