Grom-E1 Missile

About Grom-E1 Missile:

• It is a sophisticated weapon created from the Soviet-era Kh-38 “air-to-surface” missile.
• It was developed by Russia and officially unveiled for the first time in 2018.
• It combines the features of both a missile and an aerial bomb.
• Features:

Maximum Range: 120 km (75 miles).

• It features a high-explosive modular warhead equipped with a contact detonator.
• In addition to its standard configuration, there is a variant with a thermobaric design capable of detonating at high altitudes.
• The bomb itself weighs 594 kg (1,310 pounds), with a 315 kg (694 pound) warhead.
• The effectiveness of the Grom-E1 depends on the altitude and speedof the aircraft that launches it.
• For instance, its maximum range of 120 km (75 miles) can be achieved when dropped from an altitude of 12 km (7.5 miles) at a speed of 1,600 km per hour (994 mph). At an altitude of 5 km, the range decreases to approximately 35 km.
• This weapon can be deployed by Russian aircraft such as the MiG-35, Su-34, Su-35, Su-57, and certain helicopters.

Q1: What are Cruise Missiles?

Cruise missiles are unmanned vehicles that are propelled by jet engines, much like an airplane. They can be launched from ground, air, or sea platforms. Cruise missiles remain within the atmosphere for the duration of their flight and can fly as low as a few meters off the ground. Flying low to the surface of the earth expends more fuel but makes a cruise missile very difficult to detect. 

Source: Russia attacks Kharkiv with Grom-E1 missile-bomb for first time: Details