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Classification of Missile Armament in Modern Warships

In the Modern Warships, missile armament is divided into two main categories:

  1. SLBMs — Submarine‑Launched Ballistic Missiles.
  2. ASMs — Anti‑Ship Missiles.

1. Submarine‑Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs)

SLBMs are heavy missiles designed to be mounted exclusively on a limited set of submarines.

1.1. SLBM Employment Tactics

  • Firing at a stationary target. To engage a stationary target, it is recommended to launch with guidance towards a fixed point.
  • Firing at a moving target. To successfully hit a moving object, it is necessary to apply lead time and trajectory compensation.
  • Salvo firing to cover an area. To increase the probability of a hit, it is permissible to distribute missiles across different points within the expected area of the enemy’s location.

1.2. Countermeasures Against SLBMs

  1. Staying in an allied group. Collective air defence increases the probability of intercepting ballistic missiles.
  2. Using smoke screens. After deploying a smoke screen, it is recommended to leave it after 2–3 seconds. In most cases, ballistic missiles will be guided towards the smoke cloud.
  3. Changing course. If a missile is leading a moving ship, a sudden stop and change of direction can move the ship out of the aiming point.

2. Anti‑Ship Missiles (ASMs)

ASMs are designed to be mounted on most types of ships. These missiles vary by target types and guidance principles.

2.1. Target Types

  • Multi‑role missiles capable of engaging ships and submarines.Examples: RUM‑139 Swarmer, Type 07 SUM.
  • Missiles for engaging aircraft and ships.Examples: RIM‑174 (SM‑6), S‑500 Prometheus, RIM‑161 (SM‑3).

2.2. Guidance Types

  • Unguided (ballistic/quasi‑ballistic trajectory).Examples: laser missiles, X‑51 Waverider.
  • With active or semi‑active guidance. All other ASMs using automatic target tracking.

3. Specialised Missile Types

3.1. Anti‑Submarine Missiles

Designed to engage submarines. Flight occurs in two stages:

  1. Initial phase — like a conventional missile.
  2. Terminal phase — entering the water and transitioning to movement similar to a torpedo.

Countermeasure: using ASW decoys to divert both torpedoes and anti‑submarine missiles.

3.2. Anti‑Aircraft Missiles

Designed to destroy aerial targets.

Countermeasure: deploying decoys (thermal or radar‑based) to distract missiles.

3.3. Classic Anti‑Ship Missiles

Can engage only surface ships; ineffective against submarines and aircraft.

Countermeasures:

  • Decoys — reduce guidance accuracy and mitigate damage taken.
  • Electronic Warfare (EW) — reduces damage.
  • Smoke screens — prevent target acquisition.

3.4. Laser Missiles

Functionally similar to classic ASMs, but do not require time to acquire a target. Often used with the following scheme: launch the missile vertically upwards, then sharply guide it towards the target to bypass air defence systems.

Countermeasure: no full countermeasures available; only partial damage reduction is possible using EW.