Comparison of anti-ballistic missile systems. This is a table of the most widespread or notable anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems, intended in whole or part, to counter ballistic missiles. Since many systems have developed in stages or have many iterations or upgrades, only the most notable versions are described. Such systems are typically highly integrated with radar and guidance systems, so the emphasis is chiefly on system capability rather than the specific missile employed. For example, David's Sling is a system that employs the Stunner missile.

Legend for ABM system status in below table:
   

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width="14%" | System name
! width="10%" | Country of origin
! width="10%" | Period of use
! width="7% | Intercept
! width=6%" | Role
! width="10%" | Weight
! width="6%" | Warhead types
! width="7%" | Range (max)
! width= "6%" |Ceiling (max)
! width="8%" | Speed
! width="8%" |Launcher
! width="8%" |Cost/round (2024)
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
| A-35M/A-350 (5V61R){{#tag:ref|The original A-35 was introduced in 1972 with the A-350Zh missile. It was replaced by the A-350R in 1974, and then by A-350M in 1978.<ref name=A35M>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/s/saryshagan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227211415/http://astronautix.com/s/saryshagan.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 December 2016|title=Astronautix: Sary Shagan|access-date=26 October 2020}}</ref>|group="nb"}}
| 
| 1978–1995
| Exo-atmospheric
| ICBM
| 32,700 kg
| Nuclear 2-3 MT
| 320–350 km
| 120 km
| Mach 4
| Fixed launcher
|
|-
| A-135 ABM (51T6 Gorgon)
| 
| 1995–present
| Exo-atmospheric
| MRBM, ICBM
| 33,000–45,000 kg
| Nuclear 10 KT
| 350–900 km
| 
| Mach 7
| Silo
|
|-
| A-135 ABM (53T6 Gazelle)
| 
| 1995–present
| Re-entry
| MRBM, ICBM
| 10,000 kg
| Nuclear 10 KT
| 80–100 km
| 80–100 km
| Mach 17
| Silo
|
|- style="background:khaki;"
| A-235 Nudol
| 
| In development
| Re-entry, terminal
| ICBM, ASAT
| 
| Conventional
| 150 km
| 5–80 km (ASAT 700 km)
| 
| Mobile, silo
|
|-
| S-300 (V/SA-12B/9M82 Giant)
| 
| 1983–present
| Terminal
| MRBM, IRBM
| 5800 kg
| Blast
| 40 km
| 30 km
| Mach 5+
| Mobile
|$1,000,000 (48N6)
|-
| S-400 (48N6DM Triumf, 40N6, 9M96E/E2)
| 
| 2007–present
| Terminal
| SRBM, IRBM
| 1800–1900 kg
| Blast
| 80–250 km (48N6DM) 400 km (40N6), 120 km (9M96E/E2)
| 30 km
| Mach 5.9
| Mobile
|
|-
| S-500
| 
| 2021–present
|
| IRBM, MRBM, ICBM, ASAT
| 
| 
| 600 km
| 200 km
|Mach 12
| Mobile
|
|-
| HQ-9/HQ-19
| 
| 2018–present
| Terminal
| SRBM, MRBM, IRBM
| 1300 kg
| 
| 250 km
| 50 km
| 
| Mobile
|
|-
| Aster (30 1N, SAMP/T)
|  
| 2011–present
| Terminal
| SRBM, MRBM
| 450 kg
| Blast
| 150 km
| 25 km
| Mach 4.5
| Ship silo, mobile
|$2,000,000
|- style="background:skyblue;"
| Prithvi ADV Phase I
| 
| Awaiting deployment?
| Exo-atmospheric
| MRBM, IRBM, ICBM, ASAT
| 
| Blast
| 300–>1000 km
| 50–180 km
| Mach 5
| 
|
|- style="background:skyblue;"
| AAD/Ashwin Phase I
| 
| Awaiting deloyment?
| Terminal
| MRBM, IRBM
| 1200 kg
| Kill vehicle
| 200 km
| 15–50 km
| 
|
|
|- style="background:khaki;"
| AD-1 Phase II
| 
| In development
| Endo-exo-atmospheric
| MRBM, IRBM
| 18,000 kg
| 
| 
| 
| 
|
|
|- style="background:khaki;"
| AD-2 Phase II
| 
| In development
| Terminal
| IRBM
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|
|
|-
| David's Sling/Stunner
| 
| 2018–present
| Terminal
| SRBM, MRBM
| 
| Kill vehicle
| 250 km
| 15 km
| Mach 7.5
| Mobile
|$1,000,000
|-
| Arrow 2 (Block 4)
| 
| 2012–present
| Re-entry
| MRBM, IRBM
| 2800 kg
| Blast
| 90 km +
| Exo-atmospheric
| Mach 9
| Mobile
|$3,500,000
|-
| Arrow 3
| 
| 2017–present
| Exo-atmospheric, ASAT
| MRBM, IRBM
| less than 1400 kg
| Kill vehicle
| 2400 km 
| 100 km 
| Mach 9+
| Silo
|$2,000,000
|-
|KM-SAM (Block II)
|
|(Block II with ABM capabilities)
2017-present
|Terminal
|SRBM
|400kg
|Kill Vehicle
|50 km
|20 km
|Mach 4.5+
|Mobile
|
|- style="background:khaki;"
| L-SAM (Block I)
| 
| In development
| Exo-atmospheric
| SRBM
|
| Kill vehicle
| 150 km
| 40–60 km
| Mach 5+
| Mobile
|
|- 
| Sky Bow III/Tien-Kung III
| 
| 2014-present
| Terminal
| SRBM
| 
| 
| 200 km
| 45 km 
| Mach 7
| Mobile
|
|- style="background:khaki;"
| Strong Bow I
| 
| In development
| Exo-atmospheric
| SRBM
| 
| 
|
| 70 km
| 
| Mobile
|
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
| Violet Friend/Bloodhound Mk. III
| 
| Canceled 1965
| Terminal
| 
| 
| Nuclear low KT
| 120 km
| 9 km+
| 
| Mobile
|
|-
| Patriot (PAC-3)
| 
| 2009–present
| Terminal
| SRBM, MRBM
| 312 kg
| Kill vehicle
| 160 km
| 24 km +
| 
| Mobile
|$3,729,769
|-
| THAAD
| 
| 2008–present
| Re-entry
| SRBM, MRBM, IRBM
| 900 kg
| Kill vehicle
| 200 km +
| 150 km
| Mach 8.2
| Mobile
|$12,600,000 (2017)
|-
| Aegis SM-6 ERAM
| 
| 2009–present
| Terminal
| MRBM, IRBM
| 1500 kg
| Blast
| 240–370 km
| 33 km
| Mach 3.5
| Ship silo
|$3,901,818 (IA)
|-
| Aegis SM-3 (IIA)
| 
| 2014–present
| Boost (naval), mid-course
| MRBM, IRBM, ICBM, ASAT
| 1500 kg
| Kill vehicle
| 1200 km
| 900 – 1,050 km (depending on the type of target) 
| Mach 13.2 (IIA)
| Ship and land silo
|$27,915,625 (IIA), $9,698,617 (IB)
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
| Nike Zeus (B)
| 
| Canceled 1963, ASAT role to 1964
| Re-entry
| ICBM, ASAT
| 10,300 kg
| Nuclear 400 KT
| 400 km
| 280 km
| Mach 4+
| Silo
|
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
| Safeguard/Spartan
| 
| 1975–76
| Exo atmospheric
| ICBM
| 13,100 kg
| Nuclear 5 MT
| 740 km
| 560 km
| Mach 3–4
| Silo
|
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
| Safeguard/Sprint
| 
| 1975–76
| Terminal
| ICBM
| 3,500 kg
| Nuclear low KT
| 40 km
| 30 km
| Mach 10+
| Silo
|
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
| Sentry/Overlay
| 
| 1977–83 (study)
| Exo-atmospheric
| ICBM
| 
| 
| 
| Exo-atmospheric
| 
| Silo
|
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
| Sentry/LoAD
| 
| 1977–83 (study)
| Terminal
| ICBM
| 
| Conventional or nuclear
| 
| 15 km
| 
| Silo
|
|-
| Ground-Based Midcourse Defense/GBI
| 
| 2010–present
| Mid-course
| ICBM
| 21,600 kg
| Kill vehicle
| 
| 
| 
| Silo
|$70,000,000
|- style="background:khaki;"
| Next Generation Interceptor
| 
| In development
| Mid-course
| ICBM
| 
| Kill vehicle
| 
| 
| 
| Silo
|$111,000,000
|}

Notes
 System name: Many systems have numerous iterations or block upgrades, or have had multiple names. The primary or current system in use is described and noted, with the specific weapon iteration noted as appropriate.
 Period of use: ABM systems have protracted development periods. The time the system is or was in operational use is described.
 Intercept: Most systems can be used in different phases of ballistic missile flight, i.e., boost (where surface or air-launched anti-aircraft missiles might also be effective because the ballistic missile is moving relatively slowly at low altitude), requiring proximity to the launch site and immediate response, mid-course/exo-atmospheric, and re-entry/terminal. The principal intended phase of ballistic missile interception is noted. Other phases may be tried, with less effect. The earlier in flight that a missile is intercepted, the greater area a system may defend. Mid-course interception requires an ABM launch position between the ballistic missile launch site and the area defended. Terminal defense usually protects a relatively small area (i.e., Moscow, Minot Air Force Base missile fields) from projectiles in the re-entry phase.NAS p. 98
 Role: Ballistic missile speed roughly corresponds to range. MRBMs move faster than SRBMs, IRBMs faster than MRBMs, and ICBMs faster than IRBMs. Each iteration demands greater speed, range, and targeting capability (either in accuracy or warhead power).
 Weight: Weight roughly correlates to one or more of range/ceiling, speed/acceleration, or warhead size.
 Warhead type: Lacking precision guidance systems, early systems relied on nuclear blast to destroy ballistic missiles. Systems intended for dual-role anti-aircraft/anti-SRBM and MRBM systems typically use blast/fragmentation warheads. Newer systems intended for IRBMs and ICBMs with high-altitude interception typically use hit-to-kill kinetic intercept profiles.
 Range and ceiling: Maximum range does not necessarily coincide with maximum ceiling.
 Speed: Speed, along with ceiling, correlates to intercept capability, with ICBMs demanding the greatest speed and acceleration. The terminal defense role of the Sprint system demanded extraordinary acceleration over a very brief period to intercept ICBMs that leaked through higher-altitude defense systems, or which were revealed when decoys disappeared at lower altitudes. A high speed at low altitude (as with Sprint) is much more challenging that a high speed at high altitude.
 Cost: Selected approximate costs are indicated for specific versions/blocks. These may vary significantly depending on the years procured and which upgrades they may incorporate. For instance, the cost of an SM-6 may vary by more than 100% depending on which version is examined, from about $4.25 million for Block I/IA to about $8.5 million in 2024 costs for Block IB. Costs in general appear to decline over time for United States weapons of the same version.
 Hypersonic weapons: Nearly all ballistic missiles reach hypersonic speeds during re-entry, leading to assertions that they are "hypersonic weapons." Strictly speaking. hypersonic weapons are not purely ballistic in their action, and use aerodynamic maneuvering to complicate or defeat interception by anti-ballistic missiles, rather than minor maneuvering to refine targeting accuracy, as advanced ballistic missiles may do.

The Israeli Iron Dome system is not specifically an anti-ballistic missile system, as it is intended primarily to counter unguided rockets and artillery projectiles, rather than  guided missiles on trajectories that take them above Earth's atmosphere, re-entering at extreme velocities. Iron Dome uses principles that are similar to a true anti-ballistic missile system to intercept slower-moving short-range rockets and artillery projectiles, employing the Tamir'' missile at ranges of up to 70km and altitudes to 10km, at a cost of about $50,000 per missile. Iron Dome also has an anti-aircraft capability.

The U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) investigated a variety of missile defense strategies, many involving exotic technologies such as the X-ray lasers envisioned by Project Excalibur, or the Brilliant Pebbles kinetic-kill satellite system. None of the more exotic systems were pursued to prototyping.

Footnotes

See also
 Missile defense systems by country
 Anti-ballistic missile defense countermeasure

References

Anti-ballistic weapons
Missile defense
Lists of weapons