The greatest strategic threat to the United States is an attack by one or more ballistic missiles armed with nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction. Today, the United States remains completely vulnerable to this form of attack.
Missilethreat.com is dedicated to explaining this threat, and the urgent need for robust and layered missile defenses. Systems based on land, sea, air, and in space which are capable of intercepting a missile during any phase of its flight are necessary to provide for the common defense.
Pakistan is reporting the successful test of a Hatf VII (known as the "Babur") 700km-range cruise missile. The missile, after launching to a height of 600 meters from a ground-based (for now) vertical launch, then flips onto its side and travels between 100 and 200 meters from the ground. This is a highly maneuverable and 'terrain-hugging' cruise missile. The missile can carry up to 450 kilograms of conventional ordinance, or a nuclear payload between 10 and 35 kilotons. 