Editorial: Is the Day of the Land Attack Cruise Missile Upon Us?

USS Cape St George fires a Tomahawk missile (Image: Wiki Info)

By Robert Farley

Russia’s campaign in Syria may signal that the heyday of the land attack cruise missile is here at last.

Earlier this week, Russia stepped up its military operations in Syria by launching a volley of land attack cruise missiles (LACMs) against Syrian opposition fighters. This type of attack, similar to a multitude of attacks by the United States, represents the culmination of several political and technological trends, and could herald a moment that many analysts have suggested is a long time in coming: the diffusion of precision LACMs across the international system.

Reports indicate that the Russian (apparently 3M-54 “Klub”) missiles were fired from two missile boats operating in the Caspian Sea, meaning that they needed to travel over a thousand miles of Iranian, Iraqi, and Syrian territory before striking their targets. Launching the missiles from the Caspian may have allowed Russia to avoid problems with the INF Treaty, which restricts development of ground launched cruise missiles.

LACMs, whether launched from ships, aircraft, or ground installations, face different obstacles than their anti-ship cousins. LACMs need to navigate complex land terrain, avoid air defenses, and figure out how to differentiate their targets from the rest of the landscape. Thus, using LACMs means overcoming fairly intense communication, data, and processing problems. This is one reason why, despite the spread of basic cruise missile technology [PDF] around the world, very few states have successfully integrated LACMs into their arsenals.

Read the full story at The Diplomat