ANTI-SHIP MISSILE

'Anti-ship missiles' are a missile designed for use against ships. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type and use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing. These missiles can be launched from a variety of platforms with the most important being ships, aircraft (including helicopters) and submarines.
The typical acronym for the phrase is ASM, but AShM can also be used to avoid confusion with air-to-surface missiles.

Contents

History

Countermeasures

Notes

See also

External Links

History

Anti-ship missiles were among the first instances of short range guided missiles during the Second World War. The German Luftwaffe used them to some effect against Allied shipping and sank or damaged a number of large warships successfully before the Allies devised countermeasures (principally radio jamming).
In 1967 the Israeli Navy destroyer ''Eilat'' was sunk by a Styx missile launched by Egyptian missile boats off the Sinai.
Anti-ship missiles were used in the 1982 Falklands War. HMS ''Sheffield'', a 4,820 ton Type 42 Destroyer was struck by a single air-launched Exocet missile and later sank as a result of damage sustained. The container ship ''Atlantic Conveyor'' was also sunk by an Exocet, while HMS ''Glamorgan'' was damaged. ''Glamorgan'' was struck by an MM38 missile launched from an improvised trailer-based launcher taken from the destroyer ARA ''Comodoro Seguí'' by Argentine Navy technicians. ^[1], but was able to take avoiding manouvres that lessened the damage inflicted.
In 1987, a US Navy guided-missile frigate, the USS Stark, was hit by an Exocet AShM fired by an Iraqi Mirage F-1. The Stark was damaged but was able to make it to a friendly port for repair. The next year, AShMs were fired by both US and Iranian forces in Operation Praying Mantis in the Persian Gulf. During this naval battle, several Iranian warships were hit by US AShMs (and by Standard SAMs doing double-duty in this role). Also, in October 1987 an American-owned tanker under the Liberian flag and a Kuwaiti tanker under the US flag, the Sea Isle City, were hit by Iranian HY-2 missiles.
During Operation Praying Mantis, the US Navy hit the Iranian light frigate IS Sahand with 3 Harpoon missiles, 4 AGM-123 Skipper rocket-propelled bombs, a Walleye laser-guided bomb, and several 1,000 lb bombs. Despite the large number of munitions and successful hits, the 1,540 ton IS Sahand did not sink until fire reached its munitions magazine, causing it to explode. [1] However, in the same engagement, US warships fired 3 RIM-66 Standard missiles at an Iranian corvette - the corvette sunk low enough in the water that a Harpoon missile arriving several minutes later had nothing to lock on to.
In 2006, Hezbollah forces fired a Chinese C-802 AShM at the Israeli corvette INS Hanit, inflicting damage and spilling a huge volume of oil into the marine environment. A second missile in this salvo sunk an Egyptian merchant ship, as well.

Countermeasures

Countermeasures against anti-ship missiles include:

★ Anti-missile missiles (such as the Sea Sparrow, SA-N-6 Grumble, SA-N-9 Gauntlet, RAM, Standard or Sea Wolf missile)

★ Anti-aircraft guns such as the Mk. 45 or the AK-130

★ Close-in weapon systems (CIWS)

★ Deception jammers (such as SLQ-32)

★ Decoy systems (such as "chaff" and "flares")
Modern stealth ships – or ships that at least employ some stealth technology – to reduce the risk of detection and to make them harder target by the missile itself. These passive countermeasures include:

★ reduction of their radar cross section (RCS) and hence radar signature.

★ limit a ship's infra-red and acoustic signature.
Examples include the Swedish Visby class corvettes, the US Arleigh Burke class destroyers and the French La Fayette class frigates.

Notes

1. An interview with CL (R) Ing. Julio Pérez, chief designer of Exocet trailer-based launcher

See also

★ List of anti-ship missiles

External Links

★ Warship Vulnerability (tabulated shipping losses)

★ List of SSSR/Russian anti-ship missiles