They are classified by the maximum distance that they can travel, which is a function of how powerful the missile’s engines (rockets) are and the weight of the missile’s payload. This factsheet does not list countries' cruise missiles.īallistic missiles are powered by rockets initially but then they follow an unpowered, free-falling trajectory toward their targets. allies that have a proven capability to launch ballistic missiles from their territories that can strike the continental United States. China and Russia are the only two states that are not U.S. These nine states and Iran have produced or flight-tested missiles with ranges exceeding 1,000 kilometers.
Only nine (China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) of the 31 states below are known or suspected of possessing nuclear weapons. For each country, the chart details the type of missile, its operational status, and the best-known public estimates of each missile’s range.
The following chart lists 31 countries, including the United States and its allies, which currently possess ballistic missiles.
Contact: Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy, (202) 463-8270 x102
