Cruise Missiles: Evolution, Proliferation and Future

Sitakanta Mishra, Cruise Missiles: Evolution, Proliferation and Future (New Delhi: KW, 2011), Pages: xx+206, Price: Rs. 680.00.Man has always striven to invent and improve upon technology for establishing and then maintaining his dominance over others. From the simplest bow-andarrow to the most sophisticated weapons, technologies are essentially born out of specific necessities of a given juncture. The sustainability of a technology of course depends on its reliability and consistency of utility. A weapon system's adaptability to the demands of the battlefield and its performance often decides its longevity. There are also economic and political considerations behind the introduction of a weapon system.Defence scholars and military establishments around the world have been occupied with the proliferation threat of nuclear weapons. But a weapon more easily accessible and highly usable, which has continuously proven its battle-readiness and is the weapon of the future, seems to be of scant interest. The discourse on nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles has pervaded the strategic domain, while actual use of cruise missiles greatly exceeds that of ballistic missiles (p. 2).Commencing with a useful survey of literature on the subject, the author argues that there has hardly been any perspective on the concept of a cruise missile and its operational principles. The opening chapter is an attempt at building a concept around the technology of cruise missiles, the various perspectives on their utility and the spread of this weapon system.To encompass the many variants of cruise missiles, the author quotes a widely accepted definition that a cruise missile is an unmanned, expendable, armed, aerodynamic, air-breathing autonomous vehicle (p. 13). Based on the basic parameters of speed, range and precision, the book inquires into some important principles shaping the development of cruise missiles and the various problems encountered on its way to maturation. The discourse incorporates the impact of political and security considerations on the technological evolution of this weapon system.Although many early experiments were conducted to develop unmanned aerial vehicles, the German Buzz bomb (V-1) developed during World War II, despite many limitations, proved the most effective. Through an empirical study of the evolution of cruise missiles backed by a conceptual understanding of the subject, the author tries to present a chronological map of the various factors that impacted the course of its development.Significant improvements in various subsystems like propulsion, airframe and penetration aids and in the navigation and guidance systems have taken this weapon to a new level. The emergence of cruise guidance systems like the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the improved Wide Area Differential GPS (DGPS) have led to game-changing equations. Cruise missiles like the BrahMos (India-Russia joint venture supersonic missile) use a two-stage propulsion system, combining a solid-propellant rocket and a liquid-fuelled ramjet.Demand-driven adaptations show the versatility of cruise missiles; the introduction of stealth technologies and the effort to develop intelligent cruise missiles infusing decision-making capabilities adds a further edge to the weapon. Improved missile defence mechanisms would always prove a challenge for cruise missiles but, according to the author, upgraded technology has given it radically increased capabilities. Various analogies like Big Sticks and Poor Man's Air Force have been used to capture the utility of cruise missiles for major powers and less developed countries respectively. …