what's the difference between ballistic missile and cruise missile?

Answer 1

A Ballistic Missile Has Self-Esteem Issues, So Once It's In The Air, It Starts To Second Guess Itself And It Eventually Does A Half-*** Job By Hitting Somewhere Near The Target.

A Cruise Missile On The Other Hand Has Got Plenty Of Charisma And Drive And Since It Has A Healthy Outlook, It Lets Nothing Get In It's Way To Achieve It's Goal Which Results In A Healthy And Perfectly Round Mushroom Cloud! ~ " 'Ello Luv, London Cawlin'!"

Answer 2

The ballistic missile flies to its target by going up into space and then coming down on a ballistic trajectory. It may carry more than one warhead. They can be launched from the submarines, fixed underground silos, specially constructed trains, and special launch vehicles called erector launchers. The cruise missile flies to its target much like an airplane. It may use terrain to hide from the air defenses along the way. The cruise missiles are lot smaller and cheaper. They are a lot easier to hide and can be launched from a variety of platforms: planes, ships, trucks, and submarines. Both types were invented at about the same time, during the World War II in Germany. The Germans used the V-1 flying bomb, which is considered the first cruise missile, against London. The V-1, used very advanced technology for the 1940s, but still had a number of drawbacks: its guidance system was primitive, and many crashed into the sea, well short of their targets. They were relatively slow, and flew in a straight line, and thus they were easy targets for RAF fighters and anti-aircraft guns. The launch sites were fixed, and were targets for the allied bombing raids. Later versions of V-1 were adapted to be launched from heavy bombers, but by that time the war was all but over. Eventually, the allies advanced far enough into continental Europe to push the V-1 out of range of England. The plans for the V-1 were also transferred to Japan. Japan built a bomber launched, piloted version of the V-1, called the Cherry Blossom, to be used in kamikaze attacks against the US ships. Some were used during the Okinawa campaign with limited success, but by that time, again it was too late. V-2 was a ballistic missile developed by Wernher von Braun and his team. It flew a sub-orbital trajectory to reach its target. It was was very inaccurate, but was impossible to intercept with the technology available in 1944. That's why it was used against large cities like London and Antwerp, because they made large targets. Both V-1 and V-2 were of little no military value, but they made good terror weapons against the civilian population.

Answer 3

A cruise missile is more like a flying bomb, staying inside the atmosphere, and generally flying at less than 10,000 ft altitude.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_missile

A ballistic missile flies a more classical parabolic trajectory, and for distances beyond about 1000 miles, will actually fly close to or outside of the upper boundary of our atmosphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_missile