A
surface-to-surface missile (
SSM) or
ground-to-ground missile (
GGM) is a
missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed installations, or from a ship. They are often powered by a
rocket engine or sometimes fired by an explosive charge, since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving slowly. They usually have fins and/or wings for
lift and stability, although hyper-velocity or short-ranged missiles may utilise body lift or fly a ballistic trajectory. The
V-1 flying bomb was the first operational surface-to-surface missile.