Qader Cruise Missile:
Iran fired Qader Cruise missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
- It is a medium-range shore-based anti-ship cruise missile developed by Iran and deployed by its naval forces.
- It is used by naval forces to target ships.
- It is an upgraded version of the Noor missile, which is based on Chinese missile design.
- The missile has a reported range between 120 and 300 kilometres.
- It is designed for sea targets such as warships and tankers.
- It uses a turbojet engine.
- It flies at low altitude over the sea. This is called sea-skimming.
- This flight path helps the missile avoid radar detection.
- It flies only a few metres above the sea surface.
- This reduces the reaction time for defence systems.
- A cruise missile is a guided missile that flies at low altitudes, often following the contours of the terrain to avoid radar detection.
- It flies at low altitude, powered by jet engines, can maneuver around obstacles
- Guidance System: GPS, terrain contour matching, inertial navigation
- Speed: Subsonic to supersonic (Mach 0.8-3);
- Range Short to medium (50-2,500 km)
- Launch Platforms: Air, sea, and land platforms.
- Examples: BrahMos, Nirbhay, Tomahawk
