Cruise missiles have become a devastatingly effective weapon for modern militaries. Capable of avoid radar detection and flying long distances at high speeds, they can precisely strike targets on land and sea with large conventional or even nuclear warheads. The versatility and lethality of cruise missiles continue to increase with ongoing technological innovations in areas like propulsion, stealth, navigation, and targeting.
This guide will provide an expert overview of 10 of today‘s most powerful and advanced cruise missiles employed for anti-surface ship, land attack, and anti-submarine roles. From long range standoff missiles packing heavy conventional payloads to cutting-edge hypersonic designs, each profiled weapon offers unique capabilities tailored for key mission requirements.
1. RGM-84 Harpoon Block II
The RGM/UGM-84 Harpoon Block II represents one of the most successful and widely adopted anti-ship cruise missiles ever designed. Originally developed by McDonnell Douglass (now Boeing) in the 1970s, over 7,500 copies have been built to date. Dozens of countries utilize it as their standard anti-ship weapon.
Key features that make the latest Block II variant so effective include:
- 152 km range and active radar homing seeker supporting all-weather capability
- 488 kg penetrating blast fragmentation warhead capable of inflicting catastrophic damage
- Low-altitude sea-skimming flight profile below radar detection range
- GPS and inertial navigation + midcourse data link updates for excellent accuracy
Its upgraded guidance package and heavier warhead greatly improve the probability of a mission kill against even well-defended targets. The RGM-84 remains one of the most feared and respected anti-ship cruise missiles today.
2. RBS-15 Mk3
The Swedish-developed RBS-15 Mk3 represents one of the longest range anti-ship missiles in existence today. Manufactured by defense giant Saab Dynamics, over 1,000 have been produced since the program began in the 1970s.
Specificaitons of this formidable missile include:
- 250+ km engagement range
- Inertial + GPS navigation with radar and infrared imaging terminal targeting for high hit probability
- 200 kg blast/fragmentation or semi-armor-piercing warhead variants
- Sea-skimming terminal attack profile
- Can engage land targets and has anti-air capability with proximity fuze
The Mk3 variant introduced in the 2000s brought a significantly enlarged rocket motor allowing for extended firing range. The combination of very long standoff distance and smart target discrimination makes the RBS-15 extremely difficult to defeat for enemy defenses.
3. SOM Cruise Missile
The SOM (SOM Stand Off Missile) represents Turkey‘s first indigenous cruise missile development program. Operational since 2012, it was designed specifically for anti-ship warfare roles.
Details regarding its advanced capabilities:
- 180 km maximum range
- Sea-skimming terrain hugging flight
- Multi-mode seeker (imaging infrared, semi-active radar homing, passive RF)
- 450 kg penetrating blast fragmentation warhead
- Mission planning and re-targeting post launch
- Network enabled connectivity with launch platforms
Low radar observability characteristics and a variety of sophisticated guidance modes give this missile strong countermeasure resistance and high single shot kill probability. Ongoing upgrades aim to extend the SOM‘s range to over 300 km.
4. Naval Strike Missile (NSM)
The Norwegian designed Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an exceptionally stealthy long range sea-skimming anti-ship weapon. Adopted by the Royal Norwegian Navy in 2008, it has been subsequently exported to Poland, Malaysia, and the U.S. Navy for littoral combat ship use.
It possesses many attributes key for penetrating anti-access/area-denial defenses:
- Over 185 km operational range
- Multi-mode seeker (passive RF + imaging infrared + target database comparison)
- High-G and randomized evasive maneuvering
- Low radar signature airframe design + passive emitter targeting
- 500 kg tandem HEAT warhead to defeat ship armor
By leveraging stealthy characteristics and intelligent seekers, even sophisticated air-defense networks will have difficulty detecting and intercepting an incoming NSM. This impressive technology helped secure it as a missile system of choice for the U.S. Navy.
5. AGM-86 ALCM
The only cruise missile appearing on this list designed for a strategic nuclear strike role, the AGM-86 ALCM entered service in 1982 as a means of enabling U.S. bomber aircraft to launch standoff attacks on heavily defended targets from outside adversary airspace.
It possesses capabilities tailored for this mission including:
- Fired from B-52H bombers
- Up to 2,500 km range
- Terrain contour matching + inertial navigation + initial GPS guidance
- W80 variable yield nuclear warhead up to 200 kilotons
- Highly destructive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effect
While no longer produced, the AGM-86A remains operational with the USAF as part of America‘s nuclear triad. It offers an extremely long reach compared to bombs or shorter range missiles, enabling penetration of the most in-depth defensive networks to deliver a devastating payload.
6. Storm Shadow/SCALP EG
The long range Storm Shadow (also called SCALP EG) air launched cruise missile resulted from Anglo-French defense cooperation in the 1990s to produce an advanced standoff weapon for major NATO allies. Since entering use this low observable missile has been combat proven in conflicts over Iraq, Libya, and Syria.
It brings extended-reach precision strike capability including:
- 560 km range from high/low altitude launch
- 1,300 kg penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead
- Terrain contour matching guidance system + GPS and inertial navigation + target scene matching terminal homing
- Mission planning/in-flight re-targeting capability
- Low radar signature composite airframe with limited infrared signature
Storm Shadow offers fully autonomous guidance to enable some of the most accurate and discriminating target strikes possible from outside heavily defended airspace. These attributes have made it an extremely effective addition to NATO coalition airpower.
7. BGM/RGM-109 Tomahawk Block IV
Since debuting with Operation Desert Storm in 1991, successive variants of the BGM/RGM-109 Tomahawk have defined state-of-the-art in land attack cruise missiles. The current Block IV Tactical Tomahawk (TacTom) produces by Raytheon entered service in 2004 with enhancements for engaging time critical, hardened, or heavily defended targets from naval surface ships and submarines.
Upgrades encompassed in Block IV include:
- 2,500 km+ range
- Satellite data-link for in-flight retargeting
- Hard target capable WDU-42/B penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead
- 2-way high speed satellites data link communications
- Integrated Digital Scene-Mapping Area Correlator (DSMAC) for enhanced navigation accuracy
TacTom significantly boosted the flexibility, responsiveness, accuracy, survivability – and overall lethality – of the world‘s most widely used conventionally armed cruise missile. These attributes plus future planned upgrades will sustain Tomahawk‘s dominance in surface strike missions.
8. P-800 Oniks/Yakhont
One of Russia‘s most capable current anti-ship cruise missiles lies in the P-800 Oniks, NATO designation (SS-N-26 Strobile) export name Yakhont. First introduced in 2002, this large missile flies at supersonic velocities capable of defeating naval air defenses that are inadequate against such high-speed threats.
Additional specifications include:
- 600 km engagement range (export limited to 300 km)
- Ramjet-rocket hybrid propulsion sustaining Mach 2.5+ throughout cruise phase
- Sea-skimming guidance that hugs terrain and randomly changes altitude
- 250 kg semi-armor piercing warhead designed to disable or sink large ships including carriers by causing massive flooding
- Salvo and combined time-to-target modes allowing coordinated saturation attacks or strikes from different directions
The P-800‘s uniquely high velocity – which is sustained during terminal attack phase – poses an immense challenge for modern naval fleets to counter before impact.
9. Kalibr Cruise Missile Family
Russia‘s advanced Kalibr family of modular cruise missiles encompasses several potent weapons tailored for anti-ship (3M54), land attack (3M14), and anti-submarine (3M54) roles depending on the selected warhead and guidance package. Fielded since the 2010s, Kalibr complements Russia‘s existing anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles while pioneering new anti-submarine capabilities.
All variants leverage common core features:
- 500-2,500+ km range depending on flight profile
- Speeds in Mach 3 range
- Sea and submarine launched capabilities
- Terrain contour matching guidance system + satellite navigation + active radar or imaging infrared seekers depending on sub-variant
- High resistance to electronic countermeasures during terminal targeting phase
The multirole nature and extended firing reach of Kalibr missiles enhances their utility across diverse operational needs – while the modular design improves logistics. Their deployment continues to progress across ships and submarines of the Russian Navy.
10. BrahMos
Undoubtedly the fastest cruise missile in operational service presently lies in the BrahMos – jointly developed by India‘s DRDO with Russia‘s NPO Mashinostroyeniya. Capable of attaining velocities above Mach 3, it represents the culmination of Russian and Indian expertise in high-speed ramjet propulsion technology paired with advanced indigenous electronics and guidance systems.
Salient BrahMos characteristics as the premier Indian cruise missile include:
- 290 km + range (surface and submarine launched variants)
- Sustained Mach 3+ flight in cruise phase
- Steep diving top attack profile during terminal phase makes interception nearly impossible
- 660 pound tandem HEAT warhead designed to inflict catastrophic damage on armor plated warships
- Indian GPS guidance plus Russian active radar seeker for redundancy and enhanced effectiveness in electronic warfare environments
The unmatched velocity – combined with an already heavy warhead – furnishes BrahMos with destructive kinetic energy rivaling dedicated anti-ship ballistic missiles. Yet it retains the flexibility of a cruise missile via multirole seekers and navigational systems able to engage land targets or ships, both at sea or in port.
Ongoing work aims to extend BrahMos‘ reach and capabilities further, including hypersonic (Mach 5+) variants offering even greater speed.
Advanced cruise missiles continue to emerge as a weapon of choice for contemporary armed forces seeking precision long range strike options. Russian, European, and Chinese developers compete intensely with American domination in this domain – yielding increasingly high performance missiles across speed, range, accuracy, and lethality parameters.
The 10 profiled weapons in this guide represent foremost examples of cruise missiles purpose built for anti-surface ship warfare, land attack operations, or anti-submarine roles. From venerable designs like Harpoon and Tomahawk, towards new wave offerings like BrahMos and Kalibr, each expanding capability set serves national military strategies prioritizing defense penetration and offensive technology asymmetry.
Observers anticipate faster, stealthier, smarter, and longer endurance cruise missile designs arriving in coming years – ensuring these munitions remain highly valued armament.