3000-5500 км қашықтықтағы баллистикалық зымырандар

Ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km

An intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km (1,864–3,418 miles), between a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Classifying ballistic missiles by range is done mostly for convenience. In principle there is very little difference between a low performance ICBM and a high performance IRBM, because decreasing payload mass can increase the range over the ICBM threshold. The range definition used here is used within the U. S. Missile Defense Agency. Some other sources include an additional category, the long range ballistic missile (LRBM), to describe missiles with a range between IRBMs and true ICBMs. The more modern term theatre ballistic missile encompasses MRBMs and SRBMs, including any ballistic missile with a range under
The progenitor for the IRBM was the A4b winged rocket, based on the V 2, officially called A4, rocket used by Nazi Germany at the end of World War II.

The progenitor for the IRBM was the A4b rocket, winged for increased range and based on the famous V 2, Vergeltung, or "Reprisal", officially called A4, rocket designed by Wernher von Braun. The V 2 was widely used by Nazi Germany at the end of World War II to bomb English and Belgian cities. The A4b was the prototype for the upper stage of the A9/A10 rocket. The goal of the program was to build a missile capable of hitting New York, when launched from France or Spain (see Amerika Bomber). All of these rockets used liquid propellant. The A4b used an inertial guidance system, while the A9 would have been controlled by a pilot. They started from a non mobile launch pad. Following World War II, von Braun and other lead Nazi scientists were secretly transferred to the United States, to work directly for the U. S. Army through Operation Paperclip, developing the V 2 into the weapon for the United States. IRBMs are currently operated by the People's Republic of China, India, Israel, and North Korea. The United States, USSR, Pakistan, United Kingdom, and France were former operators.

There is no clearly agreed upon distinction between an intermediate range and a medium range (MRBM) missile, and the categories overlap. Different sources classify missiles in different ways. They are both distinct from ICBMs, in that they have a range that is less than intercontinental, and hence must be based relatively close to the target. An IRBM, in general, is intended as a strategic weapon, while a MRBM, in general, is intended as a theatre ballistic missile.