Who Can Reach Whom? A Look at Maximum Missile Ranges Beyond the Big Five

When most people think about missile capabilities, they picture the usual suspects: the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France. These are the countries with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could—if they ever chose to—strike almost anywhere on Earth. But what about the others? What about the nations that aren’t technically “superpowers” but still hold regional missile strength?

That’s exactly what Reddit user Nawstruct set out to highlight with their visually powerful map. Rather than including the omnipresent reach of the U.S., Russia, or China, this map zooms in on eight other countries with advanced missile programs: Israel, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Taiwan.

The data used to create this map is drawn from publicly available military assessments, research by missile defense analysts, and reports compiled by arms control institutions such as the Missile Defense Project by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Each range represents the estimated maximum reach of each country’s longest-range missile, assuming optimal conditions.

Let’s break that down into numbers, so you can see the capabilities for yourself:

Country	Estimated Max Missile Range	Notable Missile Name
North Korea	~15,000 km (9,321 mi)	Hwasong-17
India	~10,000–12,000 km (6,214–7,456 mi)	Agni-V, Agni-VI (under development)
Iran	~2,000–2,500 km (1,243–1,553 mi)	Khorramshahr, Sejjil-2
Israel	~4,800–6,500 km (2,982–4,038 mi)	Jericho III
Pakistan	~2,750 km (1,710 mi)	Shaheen-III
Saudi Arabia	~4,000-5,000 km (2,485–3,107 mi)	DF-3A (Chinese missile supplied in 1987)
South Korea	~800–1,000 km (497–621 mi)	Hyunmoo-4
Taiwan	~1,200–2,000 kilometres (750–1,240 mi)	Yun Feng cruise missile

What immediately jumps out from the map is the incredible geographic coverage by countries that often get overlooked in global missile discussions. For example, North Korea’s Hwasong-17, with an estimated range of up to 15,000 km, could theoretically reach all of the continental United States, from the West Coast to the East Coast and beyond. Iran’s missiles could strike across the Middle East, into Eastern Europe, and even parts of India and China. India’s Agni-V gives it a range that covers all of China and much of Europe.

Israel’s Jericho III missile program remains highly secretive, but estimates suggest it might have intercontinental capabilities—at least in theory. Taiwan, despite its relatively short range, still has enough coverage to strike key targets on the Chinese mainland. And Saudi Arabia’s aging DF-3A missiles still provide enough reach to hit targets in Israel, Iran, and beyond.

An important detail: these are maximum estimated ranges, meaning they reflect the most optimistic projection under ideal conditions—clean launch, ideal arc, and no missile interception. Real-world use would come with technical limitations, flight failure risks, and defensive measures from the target.