Israel's strikes on Iran spark interest in air-launched ballistic missiles

Israel's effective use of air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs) in its air strikes against Iran is expected to pique interest elsewhere in acquiring the weapons, which most major powers have avoided in favor of cruise missiles and glide bombs.

The Israel Defence Forces said its Oct 26 raid knocked out Iranian missile factories and air defences in three waves of strikes. Researchers said that based on satellite imagery, targets included buildings once used in Iran's nuclear programme.

Tehran defends such targets with "a huge variety" of anti-aircraft systems, said Professor Justin Bronk, an air power and technology expert at London's Royal United Services Institute.

Cruise missiles are easier targets for dense, integrated air defences than ballistic missiles are. But ballistic missiles are often fired from known launch points, and most cannot change course in flight.

Experts say high-speed, highly accurate ALBMs such as the Rampage, developed by Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, get around problems facing ground-based ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) - weapons that use small wings to fly great distances and maintain altitude.