You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 18.207.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪ST47‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 01:06, 24 April 2026.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪Tks4Fish‬. The reason given is Open Proxy/Webhost: Contact stewards if you are affected. .
- Start of block: 04:08, 17 February 2021
- Expiry of block: 04:08, 17 February 2024
Your current IP address is 18.207.183.133. The blocked range is 18.207.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Short description|Small warship armed with anti-ship missiles))
((about|the type of warship|the Star Wars craft|Missile Boat (Star Wars)))
[[Image:Osa-I class Project205 DN-SN-84-01770.jpg|right|thumb|250px|An [[Osa class missile boat|Osa I class]] missile boat in 1983. The Osa class are probably the most numerous class of missile boats to have been built.]]
[[File:Robotbåten Ystad - R142 - Ystad-2017.jpg|thumb|250px|HSwMS ''Ystad'' of the [[Swedish Navy]] 2017.]]
A '''missile boat''' or '''missile cutter''' is a small, fast [[warship]] armed with [[anti-ship missile]]s. Being smaller than other warships such as [[destroyer]]s and [[frigate]]s, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming a [[navy]] at lower cost. They are similar in concept to the [[torpedo boats]] of [[World War II]]; in fact, the first missile boats were modified [[torpedo]] boats with the [[torpedo tube]]s replaced by missile tubes.

The [[Military doctrine|doctrine]] behind the use of missile boats is based on the principle of mobility over defence and firepower. The advent of proper [[Missile|guided missile]] and [[electronic countermeasure]] technologies gave birth to the idea that warships could now be designed to outmaneuver their enemies and conceal themselves while carrying powerful weapons.

Previously, increasing the potency of [[naval artillery]] required larger projectiles, which required larger and heavier [[gun]]s, which in turn called for larger ships to carry these guns and their [[ammunition]] and absorb their [[recoil]]. This trend culminated in the giant [[battleship]]s of [[World War II]]. Even as World War II was taking place, [[submarines]] and aircraft, particularly those launched from [[aircraft carriers]], had made it clear that large warships were little more than targets in a major war. Guided bombs and then anti-ship missiles further reduced the usefulness of large warships outside the carriers.

Missile boats, when equipped with sophisticated anti-ship missiles, and especially when used in a [[Swarming (military)|swarm]], can pose a significant threat to even the largest of [[capital ship]]s, and do so at much greater ranges than is possible with torpedoes.

==Design and history==
((More citations needed|section|date=February 2022))
Missile boats were invented and first manufactured by the [[Soviet Union]] in the 1950s, beginning with "Project 183R" which developed into the [[Komar-class missile boat]], mounting two [[P-15 Termit|P-15 Termit (Styx)]] anti-ship missiles in box launchers and a twin 25mm [[autocannon]] on a ((convert|25|m|ft|sing=on)) wooden [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] [[Displacement (ship)|displacing]] ((convert|66.5|tonne|ton|))  Four [[diesel engine]]s gave the Komars ((convert|4,800|bhp|lk=in|abbr=on)) and a top speed of around ((convert|44|kn|lk=in)). Endurance was limited to ((convert|1000|nmi|lk=in)) at ((convert|12|kn)) and the vessels had fuel and supplies for only five days at sea. 112 Komar-class vessels were produced, while over 400 examples were built of the following [[Osa-class missile boat]], with a significant number of both types being sold to pro-Soviet nations.

Being relatively small and constructed of wood, the Komar-class boats had a very small [[radar cross-section]]. Its sophisticated [[radar]] enabled the missile boat, with its low radar reflectivity, to detect a larger enemy ship before the latter was aware of its presence, fire its missiles and speed away.

Soviet naval architects had designed them with these characteristics to give the small boats this advantage against much larger American naval ships should they attempt to attack the Russian coast. The boats were designed for coastal operations, with limited [[Combat endurance|endurance]].<ref name=globalsecurity1>((cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/viyut.htm|title=K83 Vidyut (Sov Osa-I) / K90 Viyut (Sov Osa-II)|first=John|last=Pike|website=www.globalsecurity.org))</ref>

The first combat use of missile boats was by the [[Egyptian Navy]] operating Komar-class craft, which fired four Styx missiles (hitting with three) at the [[Israeli Navy|Israeli]] destroyer [[INS Eilat (1955)|''Eilat'']] on October 21, 1967, shortly after the [[Six-Day War]], sinking the ''Eilat'' with 47 dead and over a hundred wounded out of a crew of 199.<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/israel/k40-eilat.htm|title=Eilat Destroyer|first=John|last=Pike|website=globalsecurity.org))</ref>

[[File:Schnellboot Gepard-Klasse Typ 143 A.jpg|thumb|A ((sclass|Gepard|fast attack craft|0)) vessel of the [[German Navy]]]]
The Soviet-built boats prompted a [[NATO]] response, which became more intense after the sinking of ''Eilat''. The Germans and French worked together to produce their own missile boat, resulting in the [[La Combattante class fast attack craft|La Combattante class]]. These were built on a ((convert|47|or|49|m|ft|sing=on)) hull with ((convert|12,000|bhp|kW|abbr=on)) of MTU diesel engines driving four shafts; a common weapon loadout would have four MM-38 [[Exocet]] missiles in two sets of two box launchers, in line and offset to the right and left with a 76&nbsp;mm gun forward and 40&nbsp;mm twin guns aft. Built until 1974, a total of 68 Combattante IIs were launched. The design was immediately followed by the Combattante III (1975 - 1990) which added ((convert|9|m|ft)) to hull length but kept the same armament (plus two twin 30mm autocannon), 43 of this type were produced. Several other countries produced their own versions of the ''Combattante'', notably Israel with the [[Sa'ar 3-class missile boat|''Sa'ar'' 3]] and the [[Sa'ar 4-class missile boat|''Sa'ar'' 4]] variants.

During the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], the Indian Navy's 25th Missile Boat Squadron, operating [[Vidyut-class missile boat]]s, played a crucial role in the devastating Indian attacks on [[Karachi]] in December 1971. The two key operations in which these vessels played an active role were [[Operation Trident (1971)|Operation Trident]] and [[Operation Python]].((citation needed|date=July 2017)) Indian attacks destroyed half of the [[Pakistani Navy]]<ref>((cite book |last=Ali |first=Tariq |author-link=Tariq Ali |year=1983 |title=Can Pakistan Survive? The Death of a State |publisher=Penguin Books |page=95 |isbn=0-14-02-2401-7 |quote=In a two-week war, Pakistan lost half its navy.))</ref> and most of Pakistan's naval fuel reserves in the port's fuel storage tanks which cleared the way for the decisive victory of the [[Indian Armed Forces]].<ref name=globalsecurity1/><ref>((cite book |last=Nanda |first=S. M. |author-link=Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda |year=2004 |title=The Man Who Bombed Karachi: A Memoir |location=Noida, India |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-8172235628))</ref>

The world's first naval battles between missile-armed warships occurred between Israeli ''Sa'ar'' 3-class and ''Sa'ar'' 4-class missile boats (using indigenously-developed [[Gabriel (missile)|Gabriel missiles]]), and Syrian Komar- and Osa-class missile boats during the October 1973 [[Yom Kippur War]]. The first of these engagements became known as the [[Battle of Latakia]].  During this and later battles, some fifty ''Gabriels'' and a similar number of ''Styx'' missiles were fired; seven Syrian ships were sunk, with zero Israeli losses.

At the [[Battle of Bubiyan]] in 1991 Iraqi missile boats were destroyed by British [[air-to-surface missile]]s.

Later designs, such as the German ((sclass|Gepard|fast attack craft|4)) and Finnish ((sclass|Hamina|missile boat|4)) are equipped with [[surface-to-air missile]]s and [[flare (countermeasure)|countermeasures]].

The size of missile boats has increased, with some designs now at [[corvette]] size, 800 tonnes including a [[helicopter]], giving them extended modes of operation. In April 1996 during Israel's [[Operation Grapes of Wrath]], IDF naval forces used Sa'ar 4 and ((sclass2|Sa'ar 4.5|missile boat|5)) boats to shell the Lebanese coast with 76&nbsp;mm fire, in conjunction with artillery and air attacks.

==Current operations ==
[[Iran]] and [[North Korea]] have some of the largest numbers of missile boats in operation today. North Korea alone operates more than 300,<ref>((cite book |author=Hy-Sang Lee |year=2001 |title=North Korea: A Strange Socialist Fortress |publisher=Praeger |page=85 |isbn=978-0-275-96917-2))</ref> while [[Iran]] has been developing "swarm boats" to be used as harassing vessels in the heavily contested littoral waters of the [[Persian Gulf]]. To counter the threat, the [[US Navy]] has been developing an ASUW Littoral Defensive Anti-Surface Warfare doctrine, along with vessels such as the [[littoral combat ship]].((Cn|date=February 2022))

The [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] of China also has a large fleet of missile craft, which include [[Type 22 missile boat]]s, [[Type 037 corvette|Type 037IG Houxin-class missile boat]]s and [[Type 037 corvette|Type 037II Houjian-class missile boat]]s, with a total of 109 units.((Cn|date=February 2022))

==See also==
* [[List of missile boat classes]]
* [[Fast attack craft]]
* [[Motor torpedo boat]]
* [[Motor gunboat]]
* [[Ballistic missile submarine]] (sometimes called a "missile boat")

==References==
((reflist))

==External links==
((Commonscat-inline|Missile boats))

((Warship_types_of_the_19th_&_20th_centuries))

[[Category:Missile boats| ]]
[[Category:Anti-ship missiles]]
[[Category:Boat types]]
[[Category:Ship types]]
[[Category:Soviet inventions]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Missile boat (edit)
Template:About (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation needed (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Cn (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Commons category-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Commonscat-inline (view source) (protected)
Template:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Hlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:If empty (view source) (protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sclass (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sclass2 (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Sister-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sp (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries (edit)
Module:About (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Commons link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Format link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:If empty (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Redirect (view source) (protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:WPMILHIST Infobox style (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WPSHIPS utilities (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WPSHIPS utilities/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Missile boat.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missile_boat"