Interest in Air-to-Ground Ballistic Missiles Following Israeli Attack on Iran

It is expected that Israel's effective use of air-to-ground ballistic missiles in recent airstrikes on Iran will encourage other countries to purchase and utilize this type of weaponry. Most major military powers have preferred to use other types of weapons such as cruise missiles or guided bombs instead of air-to-ground ballistic missiles. The Israeli army claims that on the morning of October 27, in three waves of attacks by its air force, it destroyed missile production facilities and Iranian air defense centers. Experts, citing satellite images, say one of these targets was the military facility in Parchin, located on the outskirts of Tehran, which had previously been used in nuclear programs. Justin Bronk, a weapons expert at the Royal United Services Institute (a defense research institute in London), told Reuters that Iran protects such facilities with 'diverse and powerful' air defense systems. For attacking facilities and targets protected by a diverse and powerful array of air defense and missile defense systems, cruise missiles are considered better weapons compared to ballistic missiles. However, the difference is that cruise missiles are usually launched from known launch platforms and their flight paths cannot be altered after launch. Experts say that the fast and highly accurate ballistic missiles that the Israeli army possesses, such as the air-to-ground missiles known as 'Rampage', which are produced by the country's military industries and launched from fighter jets, have greater maneuverability compared to cruise missiles and ground-to-ground ballistic missiles that have longer ranges and fly at a certain altitude. Jeffrey Lewis, a senior expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, states: 'The superiority of air-to-ground ballistic missiles compared to cruise missiles launched from aircraft is their speed to penetrate air defense systems, and it seems that their major problem, which is targeting weakness, has largely been resolved.' The common missile weaponry in many countries, which Iran used in its two attacks on Israel and has been employed by both sides since the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, includes ballistic missiles and ground-to-ground cruise missiles that the armed forces of most countries possess. However, because the launch point of air-to-ground ballistic missiles carried by fighter jets is variable and flexible, it significantly aids in the precise planning of attack targets. Uzi Rubin, a senior expert at the Jerusalem Strategic and Security Institute and one of the architects of Israel's missile systems, said: 'The superiority of this type of missile is that since they are launched from the air, they can move towards their targets from any point and path, making defense against them more difficult.' The IRGC missile base in Shahroud has reportedly 'sustained serious damage' due to the Israeli attack. However, these types of missiles are not invulnerable to missile defense systems. For example, the Patriot missile defense systems of the 'PAC-3' model produced by the American company Lockheed Martin have performed well in intercepting and destroying Russian air-to-ground missiles 'Kinzhal'. Many Western powers, including the US and the UK, experimentally used air-to-ground ballistic missiles during the Cold War. However, it is currently believed that only Israel, Russia, and China utilize this type of weaponry. The US has tested an air-to-ground hypersonic missile called 'AGM-183' produced by Lockheed Martin, but apparently, its development and production have not been included in the 2025 defense budget. The US military, due to having a large and diverse arsenal of cruise missiles and long-range ground-to-ground ballistic missiles, has not prioritized the development of air-to-ground missiles launched by fighter jets. A senior US military official, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the US Air Force does not use air-to-ground ballistic missiles. A technical expert from the US armed forces, who also wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, said that the US military has tested a model of an anti-aircraft missile called 'Raytheon SM-6' repurposed for air-to-air and ground-to-ground launches. According to this expert, the results of tests for using this model against ground targets or large floating objects have been successful, but the US military has not classified this model as an air-to-ground missile in at least public documents. A senior military industry manager, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the topic, stated that since air-to-ground ballistic missiles carried and launched by fighter jets include tracking and targeting systems, explosive warheads, and propulsion, many countries with guided missiles can prioritize their development and production. He added: 'Using the technologies and capabilities they have, they can create a new and interesting weapon that will add a very effective type of missile to their arsenal at a relatively low cost.'