Ballistic Missile –
- It is targeted as a projectile from a single launch force with not much added guidance. It can be understood as throwing something in the air, and it comes on the ground (target) by gravity.
- Parts of the missile gets separated from the main body step by step, the warhead left drops at the last.
- Ballistic missile is launched directly into high layers of the earth’s atmosphere.
- This missile can also be called as an orbiting satellite packed with explosive material orbiting very low so that it gets dropped back on earth.
- Ballistic missile has a boost stage and then falls unpowered on the target.
- It travel extremely fast at the terminal stage which can be 5-10 mach.
- Extremely hard to intercept
- Extremely hard to provide accurate guidance.
Cruise Missile –
- It is a self guided unmanned plane.
- They generally have onboard guidance and can follow pre-set paths to the target, including offsets.
- The motor of a cruise missile burns all the way until the target is reached.
- Cruise missiles have jet engines driving continuous thrust.
- It travels at low speed, and it increases speed when near to target. Fastest Cruise – Brahmos missile speed is 3 mach.
- These are high precision missiles.
- They are used as anti-tank, anti -aircraft missile. Precision of Brahmos 10 m.
