In Cruise Missile we look at how this ultimate surgical attack weapon is capable of speeds of over 800km/hour, can seek out and destroy enemies from 2,500km away and can strike a target within 10 metres. But the Cruise missile hasn’t always been the Generals’ silver bullet. It took engineers decades to get it right. To build such a weapon, they had to overcome a series of extreme technical challenges. How do you push a one and a half ton missile out of the ocean, make it dodge enemy radar, and then home in on its target to strike with deadly accuracy?

• Mark Halliley