From Subsonic to Hypersonic Cruise Missiles: Revolution or Evolution in Land Attack Capabilities?
Since the beginning of the 1990s, the advent and success of US "cruise missile diplomacy"1 has resulted in the emergence of cruise missiles as a coercive political tool and a versatile military weapon. During the initial phase of the last two decades, cruise missiles were predominantly deployed by a select group of advanced industrial countries, in particular the United States. However, the last decade had witnessed a new trend with emerging industrial countries showing increased propensity to develop cruise missiles. In addition to the effectiveness in carrying out all weather precision strikes at standoff ranges, the rationale for acquiring cruise missiles is also driven due to the belief in the weapon systems' ability to penetrate air defenses and the affordability in development and deployment.2