IDN TAKE: EMERGING ANTI SHIP MISSILE SYSTEMS IN ASIA
The Market for Anti-Ship Missiles Anti-ship missiles remain a key weapon in arsenals of navies around the world
Introduction
Facing this potential threat against its aircraft carrier, the United States Navy is working very hard to develop ship-borne anti-ballistic missile technology.
Anti-ship missiles were among the first instances of short-range guided missiles during World War II. The first anti-ship missiles, which were developed and built by Nazi Germany, used radio command guidance and saw some success in the Mediterranean Theater in 1943 - 44, sinking or heavily damaging at least 31 ships.
Ship, submarine and air launched weapons are used primarily for sea control operations and sea lane interdiction, with larger higher performance weapons intended for use against surface combatants, cargo transports, amphibious vessels and tankers. Smaller, lower performance weapons tend to be more often intended for use against landing craft, small surface combatants, and to interdict littoral traffic such as barges and small transports. Coastal defence weapons, launched off trucks and trailers, are almost exclusively intended to deter amphibious forces, with larger weapons planned for use against amphibious ships, and smaller weapons against landing craft.
Gabriel Missile
The Exocet is a family of French anti-ship missiles that can be launched from several platforms like aircrafts, helicopters, high or low tonnage warships and submarines. All missiles have a common layout being all-weather, sea-skimming, fire-and- forget, radar guided and propelled by a dual thrust solid rocket motor at transonic speed. It is intended to attack large as well as small warships at medium range, though later development allow firing at target well over the horizon.
The Exocet Block III being Flight Testing
Brahmos Missile
The regional arms race has brought potent warfare capabilities to many
countries that are now eager to either indigenously manufacture or
import hi tech and advance military weapons for securing their national
interest.
As it is predicted that the future war will be mainly in space or water,
navies around the world are now trying to strengthen their offensive
and defensive warfare capabilities to counter any uninvited or surprise
attack.
The US has already shown its concern with the China and Iran developing
anti ship missile systems which might affect the regional military
balance. The US also fears that such capability with adversaries will
impact its aim of strengthening the presence in East Asia and restrict
the entry of United States into the Pacific.
NEW ANTI-SHIP MISSILE DEVELOPMENT: The
Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is a long-range, anti-ship missile that
provides superior strike capability against land and sea targets with a
range of just over 100 nautical miles. Developed by Kongsberg in Norway
Countering the ASBM is of the greatest importance to US grand strategy
for defending American interests in East Asia. The PLA ASBM concept is
designed to enable rapid neutralization of forward deployed US naval
forces in the region as well as maritime logistical isolation of
America’s regional allies or partner countries.
Extensive maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities are
needed to provide ASBM launcher crews with long-range targeting cues. It
is believed that these capabilities will eventually include ocean
surveillance satellites, land-based Over the Horizon-Backscatter (OTHB)
radar, long-range manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, surface
combatants, submarines.
NEW ANTI-SHIP MISSILE DEVELOPMENT: Lockheed Martin's Long Range
Anti-Ship Missile Accelerated Acquisition program, which saw a
successful test firing in February 2014
The most alarming weapon China is developing to deny the US Navy access
to the East and South China seas is the anti ship ballistic missile
dubbed "Carrier Killer", the first such missile will be able to change
course to hit a moving aircraft carrier. Mounted on a mobile launch
vehicle, an ASBM would rise in two stages, reach space and then use fins
to maneuver at hypersonic speeds on its way back down. The warhead then
glides along a level path to permit synthetic aperture radar, which
processes multiple radar pulses to form a single picture to target the
carrier. Finally, the warhead’s infrared seeker locates a carrier’s
signature and closes in for the kill.
A key element of the PLA’s investment in anti access/area-denial (A2/AD)
capabilities is the development and deployment of large numbers of
highly accurate anti ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) and land-attack cruise
missiles (LACMs) on a range of ground, air, and naval platforms.
China’s growing arsenal of cruise missiles and the delivery platforms
and C4ISR systems necessary to employ them pose new defense and
nonproliferation challenges for the United States and its regional
partners.
The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a fifth-generation, long-range,
precision-guided, stand-off missile system designed by Kongsberg Defence
Systems based on the proven Naval Strike Missile (NSM). It can be
deployed to conduct anti surface warfare (ASuW) and naval fire support
(NFS) missions in open sea, over land and littoral environments
Facing this potential threat against its aircraft carrier, the United States Navy is working very hard to develop ship-borne anti-ballistic missile technology.
It is now assumed that as anti-ship missile and torpedo technologies
improve, a new seaborne arms race could be on the horizon. Anti ship
missiles have been the driving force behind many aspects of modern naval
warfare and ship design, especially in navies that operate aircraft
carriers.
The anti-ship missile has helped change the nature of naval warfare.
Fighters and naval surface combatants, even small fast attack craft, can
salvo anti-ship missiles at warships with a good chance of scoring a
direct hit. These missiles give relatively small platforms the lethal
punch needed to sink almost any foe and the ability to overwhelm local
defenses that otherwise would have stopped a more conventional surface
attack.
No longer does a naval force need to launch massive airborne attacks to
disable or destroy an opponent. Even small helicopters armed with
anti-ship missiles can inflict considerable damage on a major surface
combatant. The anti-ship missiles have also increased the range of
engagements and decreased the warning time available to a defender.
Proven Competence
The RBS-15 (Robotsystem 15) is a long-range fire-and-forget
surface-to-surface and air-to-surface, anti-ship missile. The later
version Mk. III has the ability to attack land targets as well. The
missile was developed by the Swedish company Saab Bofors Dynamics
Anti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against
ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming
variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar
homing. A good number of other anti-ship missiles use infrared homing to
follow the heat that is emitted by a ship; it is also possible for
anti-ship missiles to be guided by radio command all the way.
Many anti-ship missiles can be launched from a variety of weapons
systems including surface warships, submarines, bombers, fighter planes,
patrol planes, helicopters, shore batteries, land vehicles, and
conceivably, even by infantrymen firing shoulder-launched missiles.
Anti-ship missiles were among the first instances of short-range guided missiles during World War II. The first anti-ship missiles, which were developed and built by Nazi Germany, used radio command guidance and saw some success in the Mediterranean Theater in 1943 - 44, sinking or heavily damaging at least 31 ships.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a spiralling contest took place between
new technologies of the homing heads of anti-ship missiles and the
countermeasures to cope with every new advance in homing head technology
while homing heads showed ever improving circuitry that would defeat
the latest countermeasures.
Conflicts such as the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, the Arab-Israeli War of
1973, the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1987, the Falklands War of 1982, the
Battle of Sidra in 1986, Operation Praying Mantis in 1988, and the Gulf
War of 1991 all were littoral scenarios matching various formidable
offensive capabilities of anti-ship weapons with the defenses of the
naval vessel. Reduced battle space, reduced reaction time, land launched
anti-ship weapons as well as air and ship launched anti-ship weapons,
and the lack of layered defenses are the common denominator in all the
above conflicts.
Anti ship missiles are a significant threat to surface ships, which have
large radar, radio, and thermal signatures that are difficult to
suppress. Once acquired, a ship cannot outrun or out-turn a missile, the
warhead of which can inflict significant damage. To counter the threat
posed, the modern surface combatant has to eitheravoid being detected,
destroy the missile launch platform before it fires its missiles, or
decoy and/or destroy all of the incoming missiles.
Emerging Market
NEW ANTI-SHIP MISSILE DEVELOPMENT: Future Anti-Surface Guided
Weapon (Heavy) is an anti-ship missile being designed and developed by
MBDA, for the French and UK Navies
Specialized anti-shipping missiles have been built in all shapes and
sizes, reflecting diverse end use and launch platforms. More often, a
specific missile type will be available for a range of launch systems,
including coastal battery vehicles, surface warships, submarines,
maritime patrol aircraft and fighter aircraft.
Forecast of Worldwide Missile Market for tactical and strategic
missiles, both developmental and in production. The representation
includes programs under way in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle
East, and Africa
Ship, submarine and air launched weapons are used primarily for sea control operations and sea lane interdiction, with larger higher performance weapons intended for use against surface combatants, cargo transports, amphibious vessels and tankers. Smaller, lower performance weapons tend to be more often intended for use against landing craft, small surface combatants, and to interdict littoral traffic such as barges and small transports. Coastal defence weapons, launched off trucks and trailers, are almost exclusively intended to deter amphibious forces, with larger weapons planned for use against amphibious ships, and smaller weapons against landing craft.
Propulsion techniques vary across liquid and solid rocket engines,
turbojet and turbofan engines plus some ramjet designs in supersonic
weapons. Guidance systems are dominated by active radar seekers
operating in the upper centimetric bands, although a number of niche
weapons employ infrared scanning or imaging seekers.
Flight trajectories for most modern weapons involve a sea skimming
terminal phase to hide the weapon in sea surface clutter from discovery
by defending radar systems. Most weapons are subsonic, but increasingly
supersonic weapons of Russian origin are proliferating in Asia.
The dominant players in the market are the Russians and the US, with
smaller nations often developing indigenous weapons to supplement
imports. China is now emerging as a potential major player in the
market.
China’s Dong Feng 21D (DF-21D) Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM)
There’s no doubt that China’s Dong Feng 21D (DF-21D) anti-ship ballistic
missile (ASBM) is a formidable anti-access weapon. DF-21D
anti-ballistic missile is capable of sinking a US aircraft carrier and
killing the 6,000 American personnel on board the ship. Like any other
medium-range ballistic missile, the DF-21D is capable of carrying a
nuclear warhead. The range of the modified Dong Feng 21 missile is
significant in that it covers the areas that are likely hot zones for
future confrontations between US and Chinese surface forces.
The size of the missile enables it to carry a warhead big enough to
inflict significant damage on a large vessel, providing the Chinese the
capability of destroying a US super carrier in one strike.
Because the missile employs a complex guidance system, low radar
signature and a maneuverability that makes its flight path
unpredictable, the odds that it can evade tracking systems to reach its
target are increased. It is estimated that the missile can travel at
mach 10 and reach its maximum range of 2000km in less than 12 minutes.
Supporting the missile is a network of satellites, radar and unmanned
aerial vehicles that can locate US ships and then guide the weapon,
enabling it to hit moving targets.
Further China has YJ-12 anti ship cruise missile in its inventory. This
missile provides an increased threat to naval assets, due to its long
range and supersonic speed.
In fact, the YJ-12 is the most dangerous anti-ship missile China has
produced thus far, posing an even greater risk to the US Navy’s surface
forces in the Western Pacific than the much-discussed DF-21D anti-ship
ballistic missile. The YJ-12 has a range of 400 kilometers which makes
it one of the world’s longest-range anti-ship cruise missile. The range
of the US Navy’s Harpoon missile is only 124 kilometers. The missile can
be even more dangerous when they are deployed in Su-30 and J-11
fighters from the PLA Navy’s two Flanker regiments. With a combat radius
of 1,500 kilometers, the Chinese fighters can carry between two and
four missiles into the battlefield.
The arrival of the YJ-12 is one more indication of how the US Navy is
falling further behind in the missile competition against China,
exposing flaws in operating concepts that US and allied commanders and
policymakers have relied on for years.
Harpoon Missile
The Harpoon is an anti ship missile of US origin. It was developed in
the early 70s as armament for aircraft, but by adding a booster section
it eventually became more prominent as a surface to surface missile for
ships and submarines. The Harpoon can be considered the main anti ship
missile of the Western nations including many NATO frigates and
destroyers.
Harpoon Block II provides accurate long-range guidance for land and ship
targets by incorporating the low-cost inertial measuring unit from the
Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, program; and the software,
mission computer, integrated Global Positioning System/Inertial
Navigation System and the GPS antenna and receiver from the Standoff
Land Attack Missile Expanded Response, or SLAM-ER.
Harpoon
Block II is capable of executing both land-strike and anti-ship
missions. To strike targets on land and ships in port, the missile uses
GPS-aided inertial navigation to hit a designated target aimpoint. The
500-pound blast warhead delivers lethal firepower against a wide variety
of land-based targets, including coastal defense sites, surface-to-air
missile sites, exposed aircraft, port/industrial facilities and ships in
port. For conventional anti-ship missions, such as open ocean or
near-land, the GPS/INS improves midcourse guidance to the target area.
The accurate navigation solution allows users to discriminate target
ships from islands or other nearby land masses or ships. These Block II
improvements maintain Harpoon’s high hit probability even against ships
very close to land.
The multi-mission Block II is deployable from all current Harpoon
missile system platforms with either existing command and launch
equipment or the new Advanced Harpoon Weapon Control System, or AHWCS.
The Harpoon Block II is an upgrade program to improve the baseline
capabilities to attack targets in congested littoral environments. The
major system components of the Harpoon Block II missile include a
booster, launch support structure and canisters, as well as command and
launch system. The 500-pound penetration, high-explosive blast warhead
provides the missile with enough firepower to destroy coastal defence
and surface-to-air missile sites, aircraft, port/industrial
installations and docked ships.
Tomahawk Missile
The Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile in
service with the surface ships and submarines of the US and Royal Navy.
The Tomahawk can strike high value or heavily defended land targets. The
Block II TLAM-A missile achieved its Initial Operating Capability in
1984. The missile was first deployed in combat during Operation Desert
Storm in 1991.
Tomahawk
is a highly survivable weapon. Radar detection is difficult because of
the missile’s small cross-section, low altitude flight. Similarly,
infrared detection is difficult because the turbofan engine emits little
heat. Systems include Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; an
upgrade of the optical Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC)
system; Time of Arrival (TOA) control, and improved 402 turbo engines.
The Tomahawk is designed to operate at very low altitudes, while
maintaining high subsonic speeds. Its modular design allows the
integration of numerous types of warheads, guidance and control systems.
The missile carries a nuclear or conventional payload. It can be armed
with a nuclear warhead or unitary warhead or a conventional
sub-munitions dispenser with combined effect bomblets.
The Tomahawk Block IV uses GPS navigation and a satellite data-link to
continue through a pre-set course. The missile can be reprogrammed
in-flight to a new target. The two-way satellite communications are
utilised to perform post-launch mission changes throughout the flight.
The on-board camera provides imagery of the target to the commanders.
The missile can be launched from over 140 US Navy ships and submarines
as well as Astute and Trafalgar class submarines of the Royal Navy. US
Navy launch platforms were modified to accommodate upgraded Tomahawk
missile variants. Four Ohio class nuclear ballistic missile submarines
were converted into cruise missile submarines for firing Tomahawk
missiles. The Virginia class submarines and the Royal Navy Astute class
submarines were also fitted with new vertical launch modules for
Tomahawk missile.
The Gabriel is a late Cold War era subsonic anti-ship
missile of Israeli origin. It was developed to counter ships equipped
with the Soviet P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx) anti-ship missile. The Gabriel
was the world's first operational sea skimming missile. It was used
successfully during the 1973 Yom Kippur war - Gabriel Mk 2 in Pic
Gabriel is a subsonic, sea-skimming, anti-ship missile developed by IAI
for the Armed Forces of Israel. Flying at low altitude sea-skimming
missiles try to evade radar detection to achieve a direct hit on target
without being intercepted by ship’s air defenses. Its guidance system
relies on I-band radar homing head. Gabriel can be powered by either
solid propellant rocket motor or liquid fuel turbojet. The liquid fuel
variant has a maximum range of 60 km.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Gabriel Mk 1 Anti-Ship Missile
The
Gabriel is a late Cold War era subsonic anti-ship missile of Israeli
origin. It was developed to counter ships equipped with the Soviet P-15
Termit (SS-N-2 Styx) anti-ship missile. The Gabriel was the world’s
first operational sea skimming missile. It was used successfully during
the 1973 Yom Kippur war.
The Gabriel missile uses a conventional layout with the guidance section
and warhead in the nose and the solid fuel rocket engine at the rear.
The Gabriel has four cruciform wings in the middle and four smaller
wings near the nozzle. The missile is launched from large containers
since the wings do not fold. Three containers are mounted on a turntable
launcher. The Gabriel is fitted with a high explosive warhead that is
able to sink small and medium size vessels.
The Grabiel-5 Advanced Naval Attack Missile is the latest member of
Gabriel anti-ship missile family developed by IAI’s MBT Missiles
Division. Grabriel-5 is fitted with an advanced active radar seeker and a
sophisticated flight control system. Combining both elements enabled
Gabriel-5 to engage targets in intense clutter environments, near the
shore, protected by close-in weapon systems and countermeasure defenses
such as chaff, decoys and electronic countermeasures (ECM). In addition,
the Gabriel-5 is provided with the ability to cope with rapidly
evolving tactical situations.
All models of the Gabriel were adopted by the Israeli navy. Gabriel Mk 2
and III have also been widely exported to nations in South America,
Africa and Asia. In many nations the Gabriel anti-ship missile remains
in active use.
Russian Yakhont Missile
The P-800 Yakhont Cruise Missile being Test Fired
The Yakhont is a supersonic anti-ship missile capable of attacking
maritime targets at great distances from shore (up to 180 miles). Unlike
other coastal defense systems, like the Chinese C-802 or C-701, the
SS-N-26 ‘Yakhont’ can engage targets well beyond the horizon, by
navigating the long mid-course ‘leg’ using inertial guidance. The high
speed means the missile would acquire lower drift, relative to a
subsonic missile.
At a certain distance from the target the missile will activate its
radar to acquire the target, it will then perform the terminal attack
maneuver, according to the preplanned attack profile selected before
launch-a direct horizontal attack or high angle dive, both are performed
at extremely high speed, challenging the targets’ missile defenses and
electronic countermeasures.
Multiple attacks of several missiles, attacking at different profiles,
would challenge the target even more, as will a coordinated attack by
high-speed and cruise type missiles. The Yakhont-type antiship missile
is designed to combat naval surface-ship groupings and single ships
under heavy fire and electronic counteraction.
The missile is noted for-over-the-horizon range; true “fire-and-forget”
performance; flexible flight path (“low”, “high - low”); supersonic
speed at all flight phases; and multi-platform capability permitting
their use by surface ships of all major classes, submarines and
ground-based launchers.
Russia's Novator 3M-54 Club Anti-Ship Missile
The new Novator 3M-54 Club (SS-N-27 Sizzler) family of ship (Club N),
submarine (Club S) and air launched weapons has been a major export
success for Russian industry. Unlike warship launched Moskit and Yakont
variants, the Club was designed from the outset for launch from a 533 mm
torpedo tube or a vertical launch tube. There are three distinct
variants of basic missile. The baseline 3M-54E1 and 3M-14E are
equivalents to the US Navy’s defunct anti-ship TASM and early land
attack TLAM Tomahawk missiles. These weapons have a range of 160
nautical miles and are both subsonic. The 3M-54E1 uses an ARGS-54 active
radar seeker and Glonass satellite and inertial guidance, the land
attack variant 3M-14E Glonass satellite and inertial guidance alone.
Advanced 3M-54E Club Anti-Ship Missile
The more advanced 3M-54E combines the subsonic cruise airframe of the
3M- 54E1/3M-14E with a Mach 2.9 rocket propelled guided payload. The
3M-54E approaches from under the radar horizon using the radar seeker to
detect its target. Once locked on, it discards the cruise airframe,
fires its rocket motor, and accelerates to Mach 2.9 at a sea skimming
altitude of 15 feet.
All weapons in this family share a common launch system and thus any
ship, submarine or aircraft equipped for these weapons can carry an
arbitrary mix. India and China have deployed this missile family on Kilo
class SSKs, and may also install it on surface combatants.
The French Excoet Missile
The Exocet is a family of French anti-ship missiles that can be launched from several platforms like aircrafts, helicopters, high or low tonnage warships and submarines. All missiles have a common layout being all-weather, sea-skimming, fire-and- forget, radar guided and propelled by a dual thrust solid rocket motor at transonic speed. It is intended to attack large as well as small warships at medium range, though later development allow firing at target well over the horizon.
The Exocet Block III being Flight Testing
The
Exocet missile became famous during the Falkland war in which both the
UK and Argentina used the Exocet. It was most widely used during the
Iran-Iraq war. The Exocet is a subsonic sea skimming anit ship missile
that travels at Mach 0.9. The Exocet is one of the main anti ship
missiles in the world and is fitted to many Cold War era vessels.
Compared with other anti ship missiles, Exocet lacks range and
destructive power but it is cost effective and easily integrated on many
types of vessels.
Nearly thirty nations are using the weapon. In Asia Pacific, Exocets are
deployed by Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan. Current Exocets
are an evolution of a 1970s technology design, and are available with
solid propellant rocket propulsion in the ship/battery launched MM38,
the air launched AM39, deployed on fixed and rotary wing aircraft, the
encapsulated SM39 deployed on submarines. The latest MM40 Block III
departs from tradition, introducing a turbojet engine to extend range to
around 100 NMI.
India has also successfully test-fired the 290km-range BrahMos
supersonic anti-ship cruise missile from the country’s yet-to-be
commissioned, indigenous stealth destroyer, INS Kolkata. The missile has
been developed by the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, and
met all required parameters during the trial.
Being developed in both aerial and land versions for deployment by the
Indian Air Force and Indian Army, the new BrahMos missile is also
expected to be integrated in all future destroyers and frigates, with
another version being built for submarines.
The Indian Armed Forces have been receiving BrahMos missiles since 2005.
They have been inducted into the army and the airforce, while they are
also being prepared for tests aboard Su-30MKI fighter bombers. (With inputs from Center for Asian Strategic Studies-India & Wikipedia)
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