TOWARDS A LARGER CRUISE MISSILE ARSENAL

India's cruise missile capabilities and precision-guided missiles have largely evolved as a credible conventional-level deterrence since the turn of the new millennium. But, much more needs to be done

- JYOTI SINGH

The last century was a transformative and transitional period in the history of contemporary warfare as new generation kinetic strike weapons took to the skies after the Second World War.

Starting right from the first Gulf War in 1990 and ending with the Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria campaigns in the first two decades of the 21st century, and now as visible in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, the world has witnessed the usage of game-changing aerial weapons which tipped the balance in the aggressor's favour in the opening hours of the war. Such weapons play a very critical role not just in maintaining conventional deterrence, but also in executing tactical-level nuclear strikes over the enemy's ground-based infantry battalions and armoured mobile formations in case of an escalation.

The emergence of turbofan engine-powered terrain-hugging cruise missiles which can fly at lower altitudes (below enemy radar coverage) and treetop heights, are some of the most formidable and destructive weapons in the conventional battlefield. A heavy barrage of air-launched, ship-launched, submarine launched and ground-launched cruise missiles during wars can take out the enemy's airfields, dams, bridges, railheads, army garrisons, anti-aircraft positions, heavy-artillery bases, underground nuclear weapons storage facilities and other important strategic installations in the opening hours of the war thus clearing the way for an aerial kinetic bombardment campaign and simultaneous ground incursion inside hostile territory.

Unlike heavyweight ballistic missiles which have larger CEP (Circular Error Probability) and can be used for devastating nuclear strikes on enemy cities, cruise missiles are lightweight, tremendously manoeuvrable and highly accurate.