text: Threat
  3-24. Many countries have cruise missiles in their arsenal. Some countries have nuclear-capable cruise
  missiles.
  3-25. Technological advances are now making hypersonic glide vehicles and missiles flying non-ballistic
  trajectories practicable. Hypersonic glide vehicles are a new class of weapon propelled to hypersonic velocity
  by ballistic missile boosters. After launch, they are essentially unpowered cruise missiles.
  TACTICAL AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES
  3-26. These missiles are air-launched, precision-guided munitions designed to strike ground targets. They
  are ideal against targets such as bridges that are difficult to destroy with conventional dumb bombs. Tactical
  air-to-surface missiles are an extremely lethal threat because of their versatility and pinpoint accuracy.
  3-27. Most variants employ radio-command, laser, anti-radiation homing, or electro-optical guidance
  systems. Missiles that employ anti-radiation homing systems are referred to as anti-radiation missiles; they
  represent the greatest threat to radars such as those employed by ADA forces. An aircraft firing an anti-
  radiation missile will usually launch from outside the lethal envelope of the ADA system defending the asset.
  Laser-guided systems provide the least standoff range, generally less than 10 kilometers. Electro-optical or
  video-guided systems and anti-radiation missiles offer the greatest standoff range and aircraft survivability.
  Some electro-optical systems have ranges of approximately 100 kilometers.
  HYPERSONIC WEAPONS
  3-28. Technological advances are now making hypersonic weapons practicable. There are two main types
  of hypersonic weapons: hypersonic cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles. Hypersonic cruise missiles,
  which are powered by scramjet, are restricted below 100,000 feet; hypersonic glide vehicles can travel higher.
  Hypersonic weapons, by definition, travel five or more times the speed of sound.
  3-29. Some weapon systems have characteristics of both ballistic and cruise missiles. For example, ballistic
  missile-launched hypersonic glide vehicles are essentially unpowered cruise missiles. Future
  supersonic/hypersonic powered cruise missiles may be launched by large rocket boosters that have
  traditionally been associated with ballistic missiles.
  3-30. Hypersonic glide vehicles are being developed as a new type of ballistic missile payload. They are
  maneuverable vehicles that travel at hypersonic (greater than Mach 5) speed and spend most of their flight at
  much lower altitudes than a typical ballistic missile. The combination of high speed, maneuverability, and
  relatively low altitude makes them challenging targets for missile defense systems.
  UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS
  3-31. An unmanned aircraft system is that system whose components include the necessary equipment,
  network, and personnel to control an unmanned aircraft (JP 3-30). Threat UASs are categorized in groups
  (see table 3-1 on page 3-6), typically based on weight, operating altitude, and speed. Groups 1 through 3 are
  further categorized as low, slow, small systems.