Munitions

Anti-ship cruise missile

Also known as
  • anti-ship missiles
  • anti-ship missile
  • antiship missile

Anti-ship cruise missiles are guided standoff weapons built to attack warships and high-value surface vessels from aircraft, ships, submarines, and coastal launchers. The class is documented from Falklands War Exocet attacks and Tanker War maritime strikes to Ukrainian Neptune use in the Black Sea, Iraqi Silkworm launches in the 1990 Gulf War, Hezbollah's 2006 C-802 strike, and Houthi launches during the 2023 Red Sea Crisis.

Anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions
Image source: Harpoon missile launch aboard USS Shiloh

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Multiple countries
Type
Anti-ship cruise missile
Service note
Post-World War II
Designer
Multiple design bureaus
Designed
1950s onward
Unit cost
Varies by missile family and operator
Produced
1950s-present
Number built
Not publicly disclosed

Specifications

Launch platforms
Surface ships, submarines, aircraft, shore batteries, and mobile coastal-defense launchers depending on missile family
Guidance
Common patterns include inertial midcourse navigation, radar altimeter low-level cruise, active-radar terminal homing, GPS-aided inertial updates, or infrared/passive seekers depending on the missile
Attack profile
Many subsonic families use low-level sea-skimming flight with terminal sea-skim or pop-up maneuvers to reduce warning time
Target set
Warships, amphibious ships, merchant vessels, and other high-value surface ships
Representative warheads
Examples range from Neptune's 150 kg warhead to Harpoon Block II's 500-pound blast-fragmentation class and AM39 Exocet's 165 kg warhead
Representative ranges
Public examples range from tens of kilometers for older air-launched weapons to roughly 300 km for baseline Neptune and longer ranges for newer variants
Design Pattern

Anti-ship cruise missiles are defined less by one airframe than by a repeated naval-strike pattern: a standoff launch, low-altitude cruise toward a surface target, terminal seeker acquisition, and a warhead sized to disable or sink ships. Public Harpoon, Exocet, and Neptune sources show the same class spanning aircraft carriage, surface-ship canisters, submarine capsules, and mobile coastal launchers.

Launch flexibility

Representative families can be fired from aircraft, ships, submarines, or mobile shore batteries, with boosters added where a surface or submerged launch needs them.

Terminal problem

Low-level sea-skimming flight and active-radar terminal homing reduce ship reaction time and drive modern naval air-defense design.

Conflict effect

The cataloged examples show the class used for fleet denial, maritime interdiction, and high-value ship attacks rather than battlefield close support.

Sources: NAVAIR Harpoon; Boeing Harpoon Block II product card; EXOCET AM39; 360MC Neptune Missile System.

Variants

This family page groups anti-ship cruise missiles by launch mode and representative cataloged examples rather than treating every national missile line as a variant of one design.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
AM39 Exocet, Air-launched anti-ship missile, MunitionsAM39 ExocetAir-launched Exocet family member

MBDA identifies AM39 as the air-launched Exocet branch, and the catalog records its documented wartime use by aircraft.

Sources: EXOCET AM39

R-360 Neptune / Long Neptune, Truck-launched anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile, ArtilleryR-360 Neptune / Long NeptuneCoastal-defense and land-attack Neptune family

Luch and Ukrainian official sources identify Neptune as a truck-launched coastal anti-ship system that later expanded into longer-range strike variants.

Sources: 360MC Neptune Missile System, Successful Tests of the Neptune Cruise Missile System Were Held

Harpoon, Anti-ship cruise missile family, MunitionsHarpoonMulti-platform U.S. anti-ship missile family

NAVAIR describes Harpoon as an air-, ship-, submarine-, and coastal-defense battery-launched anti-ship cruise missile system.

Sources: Harpoon Missile

Carrier Aircraft

Boeing describes the P-8 Poseidon as a multimission maritime patrol aircraft that delivers Harpoon missiles in anti-surface warfare.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
P-8 Poseidon maritime-patrol aircraft, Maritime patrol aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsP-8 Poseidon maritime-patrol aircraftMaritime patrol aircraft

Boeing says the P-8 Poseidon conducts anti-surface warfare and delivers Harpoon missiles, which is explicit evidence that it carries anti-ship cruise missiles.

Sources: Boeing P-8 Poseidon

P-3C Orion patrol aircraft, Maritime patrol aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsP-3C Orion patrol aircraftMaritime patrol aircraft

NAVAIR lists the P-3C Orion's anti-surface warfare role and armament options including AGM-84 Harpoon missiles.

Sources: NAVAIR P-3C Orion

Ship Launch Platforms

The Choe Hyon weapons trials give this class a documented ship-launch example.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
Choe Hyon destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Naval SystemsChoe Hyon destroyerGuided-missile destroyer

USNI reported that the Choe Hyon test-launched anti-ship missiles during its April 2026 weapons trials.

Sources: USNI News: North Korea Test Launches Anti-ship, Cruise Missiles from First-in-class Destroyer

Timeline

Anti-ship cruise missile Key Events

  1. Harpoon enters U.S. Navy service

    NAVAIR records the A/R/UGM-84 Harpoon as first introduced in 1977 as a fleet-wide anti-ship missile.

    Sources: NAVAIR Harpoon

  2. Exocet strike on HMS Sheffield

    Argentine aircraft used Exocet missiles against British naval forces during the Falklands War, including the attack that mortally damaged HMS Sheffield.

    Sources: British Ships Sunk and Damaged - Falklands War 1982, Loss of HMS Sheffield - Board of Inquiry

  3. Neptune strike on Moskva

    U.S. reporting assessed that Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles struck the Russian cruiser Moskva before the ship sank in the Black Sea.

    Sources: Russian War Ship Moskva Sunk by Ukrainian Neptune Anti-Ship Missile, US Says, USNI News: Warship Moskva Analysis

  4. Houthi launch toward USS Laboon

    CENTCOM reported an anti-ship cruise missile fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen toward USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea.

    Sources: Houthis fire anti-ship cruise missile toward U.S. warship

  5. Choe Hyon ship-launched trials reported

    USNI News reported North Korea's first-in-class Choe Hyon destroyer test-launched anti-ship missiles during weapons trials.

    Sources: USNI News: North Korea Test Launches Anti-ship, Cruise Missiles from First-in-class Destroyer

Media

Anti-ship cruise missile Videos

Anti-ship cruise missile Images

Anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: Exocet launch image
Anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions - view 2
Source: Neptune cruise missile image
Related Weapon Systems
Mobile coastal launcher, Truck-mounted mobile coastal launcher for anti-ship cruise missiles, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsMobile coastal launcherTruck-mounted mobile coastal launcher for anti-ship cruise missilesThe Houthi mobile coastal launcher is a road-mobile shore-launch arrangement for anti-ship cruise missiles, built around recovered Yemeni C.801 launch equipment, trucks, and surface-search radars. It links the Al-Mandab-1/C-801 family to 2014 Yemen Civil War coastal defense and later appears in 2023 Red Sea Crisis reporting as Houthi truck-mounted anti-ship missiles and launchers threatened shipping from Houthi-controlled Yemen.
Anti-aircraft missiles, Ship-launched surface-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAnti-aircraft missilesShip-launched surface-to-air missileShip-launched surface-to-air missiles documented in the Choe Hyon destroyer's air-defense fit. CSIS identifies the destroyer's air-defense system as Russian Pantsir-M and reports anti-aircraft missile launches during the 28 April 2025 test activity, while Naval News separately notes an unspecified forward VLS-launched SAM and a Pantsir-M-style close-in weapon system with short-range missiles. The exact North Korean missile designation remains publicly unconfirmed.
Exocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missile, Ship- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsExocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missileShip- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missileThe Exocet MM38 is the original French surface-launched Exocet anti-ship cruise missile, developed by Nord Aviation and fielded from ships before later coastal adaptations. MBDA identifies MM38 as a fire-and-forget, sea-skimming design, while Falklands War sources document Argentine technicians adapting ship-launched MM38 missiles into an improvised shore battery that struck HMS Glamorgan on June 12, 1982.
Al-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsAl-Mandab-2 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAl-Mandab-2 is a Houthi designation for an anti-ship cruise missile displayed in 2022 and associated by UN, defense, and component-analysis sources with the C-802-derived Iranian Noor/Ghader/Ghadir family. Houthi-affiliated media claimed a seven-meter missile with a 300-kilometer range and micro-turbojet propulsion, while outside assessments differ on whether the public evidence best matches Ghader, Ghadir, or a broader C-802 derivative.

Related News

Sources

Boeing P-8 PoseidonPublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports the P-8 Poseidon's anti-surface warfare role and delivery of Harpoon missiles, which establishes it as a carrier aircraft for anti-ship cruise missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USNI News: North Korea Test Launches Anti-ship, Cruise Missiles from First-in-class DestroyerPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports the Choe Hyon destroyer test-launching anti-ship missiles during April 2026 weapons trials and the ship-launch relationship on this page. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Britannica antiship missile overviewPublisher: Britannica | Note: Supports antiship missile background, launch-platform variety, and general guidance characteristics. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Britannica tactical guided missilesPublisher: Britannica | Note: Supports antiship missile attack profiles such as sea-skimming and pop-up-and-dive terminal maneuvers. | Accessed: 2026-07-04NAVAIR HarpoonPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports Harpoon launch platforms, 1977 introduction, midcourse guidance, active radar guidance, low-level sea-skimming trajectory, and terminal sea-skim or pop-up modes. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Boeing Harpoon Block II product cardPublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports Harpoon Block II anti-ship and land-strike roles, aircraft, ship, submarine, and mobile coastal launch options, guidance, and warhead context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04EXOCET AM39Publisher: MBDA | Note: Supports AM39 Exocet manufacturer background, air-launched family role, service context, and published specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MBDA EXOCET FamilyPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports Exocet family platform breadth, sea-skimming flight, active radar-homing seeker, and fire-and-forget anti-ship role. | Accessed: 2026-07-04360MC Neptune Missile SystemPublisher: State Kyiv Design Bureau Luch | Note: Manufacturer brochure supporting baseline Neptune role, system composition, missile weight, warhead, range, launcher load, and deployment data. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Successful Tests of the Neptune Cruise Missile System Were HeldPublisher: National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine | Note: Official Ukrainian source confirming the land-based anti-ship role, Luch development, Ukrainian production context, and tested naval-target performance. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Loss of HMS Sheffield - Board of InquiryPublisher: Commander-in-Chief Fleet | Note: Direct 1982 Falklands War source for HMS Sheffield being lost after a single AM39 Exocet hit. | Accessed: 2026-07-04British Ships Sunk and Damaged - Falklands War 1982Publisher: Naval-History.Net | Note: Direct 1982 Falklands War source for HMS Sheffield, Atlantic Conveyor, and HMS Glamorgan being hit or damaged by Exocet missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Legacy of the ExocetPublisher: U.S. Naval Institute | Note: Supports Exocet combat-use background in the 1982 Falklands War and Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Strait of Hormuz - MissilesPublisher: Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law | Note: Supports anti-ship cruise missile background and direct historical use in the Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War, the 2006 Lebanon War, and the 1990 Gulf War. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The Evolution of LandpowerPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: 2014 Russia-Ukraine War source stating Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles hit Moskva off Ukraine on April 13, 2022, causing fire and sinking the warship. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Russian War Ship Moskva Sunk by Ukrainian Neptune Anti-Ship Missile, US SaysPublisher: ABC News | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct use: Ukrainian Neptune missiles used against the Russian cruiser Moskva. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USNI News: Warship Moskva AnalysisPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War background for the April 2022 Neptune anti-ship missile strike on Moskva and sea-skimming missile context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Missiles and Rockets of HezbollahPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: 2006 Lebanon War source identifying C-802/Noor as an anti-ship cruise missile and documenting Hezbollah firing two C-802s at Hanit, including one hit that killed four sailors. | Accessed: 2026-07-04United States Navy in Desert Shield/Desert StormPublisher: U.S. Department of Defense GulfLINK | Note: 1990 Gulf War source recording HMS Gloucester destroying an incoming Iraqi Silkworm aimed at USS Missouri and a second Silkworm falling into the Gulf. | Accessed: 2026-07-04NAVAIR P-3C OrionPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports P-3C Orion anti-surface warfare role and AGM-84 Harpoon carriage for the carrier-aircraft relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Houthis fire anti-ship cruise missile toward U.S. warshipPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: 2023 Red Sea Crisis: Houthi militants fired an anti-ship cruise missile from Yemen toward USS Laboon, demonstrating direct use in the conflict. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Houthis fire anti-ship cruise missile toward Red SeaPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: 2023 Red Sea Crisis: Houthi militants fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward the Red Sea, and USS Gravely shot it down. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Harpoon missile launch aboard USS ShilohPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain U.S. Navy image page for a representative anti-ship cruise missile launch. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Exocet launch imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain U.S. Navy image page for a representative anti-ship cruise missile launch. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Neptune cruise missile imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: CC BY 4.0 image page for a representative anti-ship cruise missile example. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Boeing P-8 Poseidon one-sheetPublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports the P-8 Poseidon's anti-surface warfare role and delivery of Harpoon missiles, which establishes it as a carrier aircraft for anti-ship cruise missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Boeing chronologyPublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports the carriedBy relationship because Boeing's chronology says the Harpoon anti-ship missile had a successful first drop test when released from a U.S. Navy P-3C Orion patrol aircraft. | Accessed: 2026-07-04NHHC USS Reid DANFSPublisher: Naval History and Heritage Command | Note: Direct 1980 Iran-Iraq War source for USS Stark being struck by two Iraqi AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles in the Persian Gulf. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USS Missouri under Attack by Iraqi SilkwormPublisher: Naval History and Heritage Command | Note: Direct 1990 Gulf War source for USS Missouri being fired upon by an Iraqi Silkworm anti-ship missile. | Accessed: 2026-07-04NTI China Missile ChronologyPublisher: Nuclear Threat Initiative | Note: 2006 Lebanon War: directly supports Hezbollah firing a C-802 anti-ship cruise missile against INS Hanit. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Harpoon MissilePublisher: U.S. Navy | Note: Supports Harpoon role, launch platforms, contractor, service entry, guidance, propulsion, dimensions, and general background. | Accessed: 2026-07-04