antiship

Antiship refers to military capabilities and doctrine aimed at destroying or neutralizing enemy surface ships at sea. It encompasses weapons, sensors, launch platforms, and tactics designed to locate, track, and strike ships ranging from small boats to large warships and merchant vessels. Antiship capabilities are a key element of sea denial, fleet protection, and power projection.

Historically, antiship capabilities evolved from line-of-battle gunnery and torpedoes in the early 20th century to guided missiles in the latter half of the century. The introduction of anti-ship missiles and self-guided systems transformed naval warfare, enabling longer-range engagements and greater stand-off from target defenses. Modern fleets also employ submarines and aircraft as platforms for anti-ship weapons, creating layered defenses and multi-axis threat vectors.

The main categories of antiship weaponry include anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, naval artillery, and sea mines. Anti-ship missiles are the most common and can be launched from ships, submarines, aircraft, or coastal batteries, often employing sea-skimming flight profiles and terminal guidance. Torpedoes provide underwater attacks from submarines, ships, and aircraft. Naval guns remain in some navies for or close-range engagements, and mines are deployed for area denial. Guidance and targeting rely on radar, sonar, infrared, and electro-optical sensors, with midcourse updates and terminal homing. Countermeasures include close-in weapon systems, electronic warfare, decoys, and maneuvering to avoid or defeat incoming threats.

Modern antiship warfare emphasizes multi-domain integration, stealthy maritime platforms, networked targeting, and rapid engagement cycles, while navies invest in defense-in-depth and active protection to counter diverse anti-ship threats.