The Middle East has once again heated up following a joint attack by\nthe United States (US) and Israel on Iran on Saturday (28 February\n2026). In fact, tensions among the three countries have intensified and\nspread to the Gulf region as of last Saturday. Loud explosions were\nheard in several major cities in the region, including Dubai in the\nUnited Arab Emirates (UAE), Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain.\nAttacks were also reported in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.<\/p>\n
The escalation in the Middle East has prompted global interest in the\nmilitaries of various countries involved in the conflict. One of the\nweapon systems of particular interest is the ballistic missile. A\nmissile is the military rocket with an automatic guidance system\ndesigned to seek a target or adjust its trajectory. Missiles are\ndesigned to destroy targets by delivering explosive, chemical, or\nnuclear payloads.<\/p>\n
Ballistic missiles, meanwhile, are strategic weapons that follow\nballistic trajectories to convey a payload from their launch site to a\npredetermined target. Originally, ballistic missiles were associated\nwith rockets, but they later transitioned to free-fall trajectories\ntoward their targets without sustained propulsion.<\/p>\n
Based on range, ballistic missiles can be classified as\nintermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) and intercontinental\nballistic missiles (ICBM). Here are the details of ballistic missiles by\ntheir range.<\/p>\n
Modern land-based strategic missiles almost all have ICBM ranges,\nwhereas nearly all ballistic missiles launched from submarines\n(submarine-launched ballistic missiles\/SLBM) have intermediate\nranges.<\/p>\n
After discussing ballistic missiles by their range, several countries\npossess credible missile systems, with two superpowers\u2014the United States\n(US) and Russia\u2014surely owning such arsenals. So which countries have\nlong-range ballistic missiles? Here is the list:<\/p>\n
This missile is one of the most ambitious projects in Russia\u2019s arms\nhistory. Using a compact nuclear reactor as a power source, the\nBurevestnik can fly thousands of kilometres without refuelling, with\nspeeds reaching Mach 8\u20139. Russia claims the missile can carry a nuclear\nwarhead of up to 1 megaton, and can circumnavigate the globe to strike\nfrom an unexpected direction. In a test conducted in October 2025, the\nmissile covered more than 14,000 km in 15 hours non-stop, making it a\nsymbol of Russia\u2019s military-technology supremacy.<\/p>\n
The Tomahawk missile is the United States\u2019 emblem of precision attack\npower. This subsonic, medium-range cruise missile is launched from\nwarships and submarines, providing long-range, highly accurate strike\ncapability. In its latest variant, Block IV TLAM-E, the cruise missile\nhas a range of up to 1,600 km and a warhead weighing around 450 kg. Its\nstrength lies in its ability to change targets en route and even perform\na loitering flight in the air to await confirmation of a target. With\nreal-time guidance and high speed, the Tomahawk remains a cornerstone of\nUS strategic strike capability.<\/p>\n
The Zircon (Tsirkon) is the world\u2019s first hypersonic cruise missile\nthat has been officially operated by Russia. Zircon can be launched from\nsurface ships or submarines, with a range of 1,000\u20131,500 km and speeds\nreaching Mach 9. This missile uses scramjet propulsion and is designed\nto penetrate advanced air defences such as the US Aegis system.<\/p>\n
The BrahMos (PJ-10) is a joint project between India and Russia. It\ntravels at Mach 2\u20132.8, making it one of the world\u2019s fastest supersonic\ncruise missiles. BrahMos has a range of 300\u2013500 km, depending on variant\nand launch platform. It can be launched from warships, aircraft, land\nplatforms, and even underwater barges. Propelled by a twin-stage ramjet,\nit can carry a warhead of 200\u2013300 kg and is equipped with stealth\ntechnology to evade radar. Its high speed makes BrahMos difficult to\nintercept and highly lethal against maritime and land targets.<\/p>\n
Kalibr, or SS-N-30A, is the backbone of the Russian Navy\u2019s long-range\ncruise missiles. The latest 3M14 variant has a range of 1,500\u20132,500 km\nand can carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Kalibr became widely\nknown after Russia used it in operations in Syria and Ukraine. This\nmissile is launched from ships.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-world-could-be-destroyed-a-list-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-missiles-1772968253", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }