antiship missile
Quick Summary
An antiship missile is a guided missile designed to be launched from a surface vessel, submarine, or aircraft to attack enemy warships. These missiles are a significant development in naval warfare, capable of being launched from even small vessels and posing a serious threat to larger ships like aircraft carriers.123
Key characteristics include:
* Guidance Systems: Unlike ballistic weapons, antiship missiles can make mid-course corrections to home in on their targets. Guidance can involve active radar, inertial autopilots, or infrared homing.1
* Threat to Warships: Their ability to be launched from outside an enemy's antiaircraft range and their unmanned nature make them difficult to counter with defensive fire alone.23
* Defense: Navies defend against these missiles using countermeasures like decoys, chaff, radar jamming, and their own defensive missiles and rapid-fire guns.13
The development of antiship missiles accelerated after World War II, with notable examples including Germany's Hs 293, the Soviet SS-N-2 Styx, and Western missiles like the U.S. Harpoon and French Exocet.1
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