China’s growing naval might and Russian aggression against Ukraine have spurred an increase in demand for anti-ship missiles.

The ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine has provided multiple instances that prove how integral anti-ship missiles are to the plans of militaries, especially in an era marked by nations assiduously ramping up naval power.

In April last year, Ukraine caught the world’s attention it launched two home-made Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles to sink the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva. In June, the Ukrainian Navy struck another Russian vessel – the Vasily Bekh – near the Snake Island in the Black Sea. The rescue vessel, which was reportedly transporting personnel, weapons, and ammunition to the island, was hit twice by Boeing-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Russia retaliated through missile strikes on the port city of Odesa, an attack focused on taking out Western-donated anti-ship missiles that had thwarted an amphibious landing by its troops in the region. In March this year, the Russian navy flexed its muscle again, firing two Moskit supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan.

Ukraine’s success in keeping Russia at bay by deploying them is just one of the reasons why anti-ship missiles have been in great demand among militaries. With China’s growing naval power and overall military might intensifying regional tensions in the Indo Pacific region, there is a sense of urgency among countries in the region to enhance military capabilities. The U.S. is also keen on keeping the Asian powerhouse in check and stopping it from invading Taiwan. A three-week wargame with China conducted by the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), in which 450 Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) and 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles were among the missiles used, concluded that the U.S. would run out of the LRASM quickly, within the first few days of the war, while trying to stop the invasion.

Still in Demand

The demand for the tried and trusted Harpoon isn’t slowing down. In April, the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command signed a US$1.17 billion contract with Boeing that involves delivering 400 mobile, land-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Taiwan, to help it counter the Chinese threat. Taiwan is no stranger to the Harpoon, having previously purchased the ship-launched versions of the missile. In March 2022, Boeing won a US$498 million contract to supply Taiwan with a Harpoon Coastal Defence System launch equipment.

The Harpoon, in service with the armed forces of more than 30 countries since 1977 and capable of executing both land-strike and anti-ship missions, has been upgraded over the years. However, with the growing complexities of modern warfare, several navies around the world have initiated action to replace it with missiles that are stealthier and faster, and more suited to the demands of the modern battlefield. 

LRASM Demand Grows

In the U.S., defence manufacturers are working to plug the demand vs supply gap of anti-ship missiles. Lockheed Martin, which makes the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), has opened a second production line to meet the increased demand for the missiles. The company intends to double production, from about 500 combined LRASM and JASSM missiles, to over 1,000. According to budget justification documents, the Navy intends to buy 585 LRASM missiles in fiscal 2024-2028, bringing the total number to 833.

Lockheed is also working on integrating the LRASM, which is currently fielded on the B-1B and F/A-18E/F, with the F-35 and the Navy’s P-8 Poseidon.   Lockheed Martin is now exploring using HIMARS mobile-missile launchers to launch LRASMs; the pairing is likely to prove effective in a range of scenarios, including conventional and asymmetric warfare.

“By expanding LRASM’s platforms and capabilities, we are continuing to generate flexible solutions for our U.S. and international partners to substantially deter conflicts” says Lisbeth Vogelpohl, LRASM Programme Director.

Proving Its Worth 

The Navy has another formidable anti-ship weapon in its arsenal – the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). According to Raytheon, the SM-6 is the only weapon that can perform anti-air warfare, ballistic missile Defence and anti-surface warfare missions. Although its main role is not as an anti-ship missile, the Navy has on different occasions showcased the missile’s capabilities in that sphere, including in June 2022 when it was launched from the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) to hit the decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate USS Vandegrift. The first test of the SM-6 in an anti-ship role happened in 2016, when it was successfully used to hit the decommissioned USS Reuben James at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, off Hawaii, in 2016. In April 2021, an SM-6 launched from the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS John Finn hit a mock surface target as part of a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) exercise.

The SM-6 has more than double the range of the Harpoon Block II that can hit targets at a range of around 75 miles. Its smaller warhead limits the missile’s capability against larger surface ships, but it makes up for the lack of size with its speed – in excess of Mach 3. However, the SM-6 is more expensive than other Naval surface warfare weapons as it has been designed primarily for anti-air and ballistic missile Defence missions.

Naval Strike Missile

In September 2022, the Spanish Navy selected Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) as the replacement for its Harpoon missiles. According to reports, the service picked NSM over MBDA’s Exocet MM40 Block 3C and Saab RBS 15 Mk3+. The NSM is expected to be delivered before the Harpoon is retired from active service around 2030.

The Royal Navy is expected to retire the Harpoon much earlier. In November last year, the UK Ministry of Defence signed a deal with Kongsberg to replace the Harpoon Block 1C missiles on 11 of its warships, including Type 45 destroyers and type 23 frigates, with the NSM.  In January this year, the service’s Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset announced the commencement of NSM upgrade work. The missile, which will be ready for operations onboard the frigate in the first half of 2024, is only a stop-gap solution for the Type 23 frigates and will be replaced by the Anglo-French Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon (FCASW), around 2028. The FCASW will also be on Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

The NSM, which is a subsonic cruise missile with a 275-pound explosive warhead, is smaller than the Harpoon, which also has a larger 500-pound warhead. It however has a range of 100-plus nautical miles, compared to the Harpoon’s 75 nm range. A fifth-generation anti-ship missile, the NSM can be launched from a variety of platforms against a variety of targets on sea and land. Extremely maneuverable, the missile is completely passive and has proven sea-skimming capabilities. The Autonomous Target Recognition (ATR) of the seeker ensures that the correct target is detected, recognized, and hit – at sea or on land.

Produced by Kongsberg and managed in the U.S. by Raytheon. NSM reached Initial Operational Capability on the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and the Norwegian Skjold Class corvettes in 2012. The missile is also in use by the Polish Navy in a coastal-Defence role, the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship and Constellation-class frigate programmes, and the U.S. Marine Corps’ NMESIS unmanned-mobile-launch truck. The missile has also been selected by the navies of Malaysia, Germany, Canada, Romania and Australia.

IAI Makes a Mark

Proteus Advanced Systems, a joint venture between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and ST Engineering, unveiled the Blue Spear fifth generation surface-to-surface missile (5G SSM), which has a combined anti-ship and land attack capability at high subsonic speed, at the Singapore Airshow last year. Based on IAI’s Gabriel, the missile has an air-breathing turbojet engine fed with liquid jet fuel, with a range of 180 miles. The missile features an active radar seeker, accurate INS-based navigation capabilities, maximum accuracy target acquisition, and a robust system immune to GPS interference. The Israeli Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy are likely to be launch customers, but the land-based variant of the Blue Spear already has an export customer – Estonia. Finland has selected the Gabriel V for its Pojhanmaa-class corvette.

In collaboration with Thales, IAI is also working on the Sea Serpent anti-ship missile. The Surface-to-Surface missile, which is being developed as a contender for the Royal Navy’s surface-to-surface guided weapon (SSGW) programme, has a range well in excess of 200 kilometers. The missile has an RF seeker head and a sophisticated data analysis and weapon control system to provide precise target detection, discrimination, and classification. Capable of overcoming both kinetic counter-fire and sophisticated electronic countermeasures, the missile will locate and attack its target in littoral, open-ocean, and overland environments.

MBDA & The FC/ASW Programme

Meanwhile, missile manufacturer MBDA is making progress on the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) programme, which aims replace the air launched Scalp/Storm Shadow as well as the air and ship launched Exocet and Harpoon anti-ship missiles in service with French and British air forces and navies. In 2019, MBDA and its partner companies in the two companies moved past the “Key Review” phase of the programme. The programme intends to deliver a weapon that will be operational by 2028.

In December last year, MBDA commenced deliveries of the first Exocet MM40 Block 3c anti-ship missiles to the French Navy. The delivery of the missiles had been delayed since 2021. The service has ordered 55 missiles, with deliveries expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

New Names  

The market is also seeing the entry of new players. At the recent LAAD 23 event in Brazil, the UAE’s Edge Group signed an agreement with the Brazilian Navy for the joint development of long-range anti-ship missiles and a supersonic missile. While the Brazilian Navy will provide its portfolio of missiles and its fleet for testing purposes, EDGE will bring to the table electronic warfare and smart weapons solutions. The companies intend to pursue export opportunities for their products in the light of the growing global demand for such missiles. Brazil is also developing the MANSUP (Míssil Antinavio Nacional de Superfície) surface-to-surface anti-ship missile that will replace the Navy’s MBDA Exocet MM40 Block 1. According to the Navy Materiel General-Directorate (DGMM), the anti-ship missile, which is designed as a sea-skimming, shipborne surface-to-surface missile, is expected to be operational in 2025. The MANSUP will be deployed on the Tamandaré-class MEKO A-100MB frigates that will be commissioned between 2025 and 2028.

Pakistan company GIDS has developed Harbah, a new anti-ship cruise missile that had its international debut at the DIMDEX exhibition in Doha, Qatar, last year. The medium range ship launched subsonic cruise missile system, which was developed for the Pakistan Navy, is capable of targeting sea as well as land targets at a maximum range of 280 kilometers. The missile features a DSMAC camera, imaging infrared seeker, and radar seeker. The service intends to use the missile on Pakistan’s future PN MILGEM corvettes.