Large warships represent the military might of the major naval powers. They provide reassurance
to allies and instil fear in the heart of most enemies. However, in the modern era,
even the mightiest capital ships must respect the anti-ship missile. Since their humble beginning in
the early Cold War, the anti-ship missile became increasingly more powerful and more dangerous.
Indeed, navies throughout the world invest heavily in missile defence systems for their valuable
capital ships. And warships carry anti-ship missiles themselves to attack other ships.
Today, we will look at the Top 10 most dangerous anti-ship missiles fired from warships.
Number 10: The Harpoon In 1965, the US Navy
began studies for a medium-range missile for use against submarines on the surface. At this time,
the development of anti-ship missiles remains in infancy, and few appreciated just how deadly
these weapons will be against surface warships. In 1967, the sinking of the Israeli destroyer
the Eilat finally convinced the US Navy of the lethality of missiles in surface warfare.
As such, the Harpoon was developed primarily as an offensive weapon against enemy warships,
instead of submarines. The first Harpoon was delivered in 1977, and was used on the
Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser. A version of the weapon launched from the air
has been developed for the air force, and so has a submarine version for submerged launch
through torpedo tubes. The vast majority of the Harpoons used on warships are Block two,
with better missile guidance technology and over-the-horizon targeting by helicopters.
Number 9: Naval Strike Missile The Naval Strike is an anti-ship
and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg. It has found
widespread success in its home country of Norway, and also around the world, exported to countries
like the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and in the future Canada and Australia.
The Naval Strike Missile has major advantages over the current anti-ship missiles of Western navies,
like the Harpoon and the Exocet. The Naval Strike is far more stealthy, due to the use of composite
materials and edge alignment. This makes them harder to detect on the way to the target. They
also have a greater range at above 185 kilometres. When they enter the terminal phase, they will
perform a random manoeuvre designed to defeat the anti-missile defences of the target warship.
Number 8: Hsiung Feng III The Hsiung Feng III, or literally
the ‘brave wind’, is a medium-range supersonic missile deployed by the Republic of China Navy,
or colloquially the Taiwan Navy. It was developed in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, in part as
a counter to the Sovremenny class destroyers acquired by mainland China from Russia in the
same period. The Hsiung Feng III was officially unveiled in 2007, at a military parade in Taipei.
It has a speed of above Mach 3, with a large range of 400 kilometres, although without the benefit
to stealth of a sea-skimming flight altitude. It relies on inertial guidance during the midcourse,
and active radar homing in the terminal phase. The Hsiung Feng III is deployed on some of Taiwan’s
surface combatants, especially the smaller corvettes, designed for fast missile attacks.
Number 7: YJ-12 The YJ-12 is a Chinese supersonic
anti-ship cruise missile. It was developed primarily for use by the Chinese Air Force,
as the main anti-ship weapon of the H-6 naval bombers. The H-6K and H-6J can carry a maximum
of four YJ-12 missiles in their underwing pylons, and the newest H-6N can potentially carry one more
in the centreline mounting. A naval version fired from surface warship has also been introduced. The
YJ-12 has a speed of Mach 3 in the terminal phase, and a maximum range of around 400 kilometres.
Unlike some of the other supersonic weapons, the YJ-12 has a sea-skimming profile,
meaning it can remain hidden until it reaches the target’s radar horizon.
This minimises the reaction time of the target. Number 6: Kalibr
The Kalibr missile family serve many different purposes in the Russian Navy. Some versions
are fired by warships, and some are used by submarines. Some are designed for land-attack
purpose, and these tend to be subsonic, with a greater range. The anti-ship version of the
Kalibr has a supersonic sprint in the terminal phase, albeit at the cost of a somewhat shorter
range than the land-attack version. The Kalibr has an excellent sea-skimming flight altitude,
giving it maximum stealth. Unlike the other missiles on this list so far, the Kalibr
is fired by vertical launch systems, or VLS, found on surface warships and some submarines.
They are used by the Admiral Grigorovich and the Admiral Gorshkov classes of frigates, and
the Buyan-M and the Karakurt classes of corvettes. They can also be fired by most Russian submarines,
through both the VLS and the torpedo tubes. Number 5: Brahmos
The original Brahmos was a joint project between India and Russia, entering service in 2005.
It is a supersonic cruise missile launched from warships, submarines, from the air and from land.
The weapon can perform in the terminal phase an evasive S manoeuvre, at a supersonic speed,
designed to overcome the anti-missile defences of the target warships, especially the close-in
weapon systems. Since entering service, the Brahmos has undergone several upgrades improving
its combat potential, through many iterations in design changes over one and a half decades.
Notably, the weapon’s range has been increased far beyond the original 290 kilometres. The navigation
and guidance systems have been refined. Number 4: Oniks
The P-800 Oniks is a Russian anti-ship cruise missile, also known by its export name Yakhont.
Development started in the late 1980s by the former Soviet Union. The weapon was tested
throughout the 1990s, and finally entered service in 2002. The Oniks maintain a high
supersonic speed in all phases of flight. It has a large range of 600 kilometres. Its guidance
system is fire and forget, and does not require further external guidance after launch. It has a
sea-skimming altitude. Its homing system has been built to withstand a high degree of electronic
countermeasures. The Oniks is deployed on all modern Russian warships built after the Cold War,
and will be fitted retrospectively on the Kirov class battlecruiser and the Oscar class submarine.
Number 3: YJ-18 The YJ-18 cruise missile is the primary anti-ship
weapon used by China’s modern surface combatants, the Type 055 and the Type 052D destroyers.
The design of the YJ-18 was heavily influenced by the Russian Kalibr missile. In 1997, China
imported the Improved Kilo submarines from Russia, which also provided China with the Kalibr missile
for study. The weapon entered service in 2014. The weapon uses a turbojet air-breathing engine
for the subsonic midcourse, and a rocket motor in the supersonic terminal dash to the target.
Here’s the thing about the Yj-18: because of its subsonic cruising speed, it has all the advantages
of a subsonic weapon, including stealth, fuel efficiency, and sea-skimming altitude. However,
it also has the penetration and the hitting power of a supersonic weapon in the terminal
phase. Once the YJ-18 gets within range, it performs evasive manoeuvres in a S shape,
and changes its radar signature, which increase its likelihood of defeating anti-missile defences.
Number 2: YJ-21 The YJ-21 is the
world’s one and only anti-ship ballistic missile fired from warships. In April 2022,
a video released by the PLA Navy showed the YJ-21 being fired from the Type 055 destroyer,
confirming the weapon has been fielded. The weapon travels at a speed of Mach 6 on the way
to the target, and accelerates to Mach 10 in the terminal phase, as it reaches the target.
Even if the weapon is intercepted at the last moment, the debris and shrapnel hitting the enemy
warship with such momentum can cause major damage. The range of the YJ-21 is estimated to be between
700 and 1,500 kilometres, and they are guided by navigation satellites. The debut of the YJ-21 has
basically provided Chinese destroyers with the same destructive power against opposing warships,
as the land-based ‘carrier-killer’ ballistic missiles, like the DF-21D and the DF-26.
Number 1: Zircon The Russian 3M22 Zircon is
probably the most well-known hypersonic weapon. It is a scramjet-powered anti-ship missile,
with a secondary land-attack capability. The Zircon project began in 2011. The
first confirmed test of the Zircon was in 2017, when it achieved a speed of Mach 8. The Russian
Navy had successfully fired the Zircon from its advanced frigates, the Admiral Gorschkov class,
and also the Yasen class attack submarines. The weapon entered service in late 2022. The Zircon
is a hypersonic cruise missile, and therefore it has the freedom to manoeuvre during the terminal
phase, unlike a ballistic missile, making its final trajectory far less predictable.
According to the Russians, the Zircon cannot be seen by radar systems, and this is likely because
of a plasma shield that forms in front of the weapon as it moves. During testing, the weapon
achieved a huge range of 1,000 kilometres against moving targets at sea, and 1,500
kilometres against land targets. Assuming the Zircon functions as intended, it would appear to
be the most dangerous anti-ship weapon in service. There you have it, my opinion of the Top 10 most
powerful anti-ship missiles in the world. Of course, the full capabilities of most weapons
are totally secret, and there’s only so much you can go on with open-source intelligence.
One thing is certain: both anti-ship missiles and anti-missile defences on warships will continue to
improve, as better weapons encounter better ways to defend against them. Do you agree with this
ranking? Let me know in the comments below. If you like to see a ranking of the top 10
deadliest conventional submarines in the world, please watch this video right here.