Cruise Missile

In a few short years the cruise missile has become the most famous weapon of the post-Cold War world. The cruise missile was originally developed in a very different world and for a very different purpose than its later, highly publicized use. The cruise missile was intended as a "stand-off" weapon to fight Soviet conventional forces in a general European conflict. Such a remote-controlled weapon could destroy bridges and roads in the path of the Soviet juggernaut, buying time for the Western Allies to deploy while sustaining minimal casualties. It was the cruise missile's pinpoint accuracy that made it the wonder weapon of today. The cruise missile can target bridges, crossroads and command facilities, causing minimal civilian, and even military, casualties in an era in which most military operations have a humanitarian purpose. A knowledgeable text and sophisticated artwork reveal many little-known details about the development and use of this futuristic weapon.