Missile boat
Encyclopedia : M : MI : MIS : Missile boat
This is for the type of warship. For other uses of Missile Boat, see Missile Boat (disambiguation)
A Missile Boat is a form of patrol boat armed with anti-ship missiles. The first use of missile boats was the Egyptian Soviet-built Komar class craft fire of four SS-N-2 Styx missiles on the Israeli destroyer Eilat on October 20 1967, shortly after the Six Day War, causing the latter's sinking with 47 dead.
The first naval missile battles between missile boats occurred between the Israel Navy (using indigenously-developed Gabriel missiles), and Syrian and Egyptian craft during the October 1973 Yom Kippur War. The first of these engagements became known as the Battle of Latakia. In these battles, some 50 Gabriels and a similar number of Styx missiles were fired, and 7 Arab craft were sunk.
Being small craft, missile boats are popular with nations that are looking for an inexpensive navy. They are similar in idea to the torpedo boats of World War II; in fact, the first missile boats were modified torpedo boats replacing two or more torpedo tubes with missile tubes.
Examples
- Komar and Osa - Former USSR and satellite states.
- Huangfeng - People's Republic of China.
- Saar - Israel, variants in service with South Africa and other countries.
- Pegasus - United States, six now decommissioned Hydrofoils.
- Skjold - Norway, stealthy surface effect catamaran
- Visby - Sweden, stealthy patrol ship
Other uses
The term Missile Boat is also often used as a slang synonym for a Ballistic Missile Submarine, primarily used by US submariners.See also
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