Missile AM-39 Exocet

The Exocet is a French anti-ship missile system whose development began in the late 1960s, following earlier national efforts and collaborations in the field of anti-shipping munitions. The name, which is French for flying fish, was chosen to reflect the missile’s characteristic sea-skimming flight profile. It entered service in the mid-1970s and has since undergone significant evolution, with later generations being developed in the late 2000s to enhance range and performance.

As a subsonic, fire-and-forget weapon, the Exocet is designed for high survivability and effectiveness. Its primary tactical advantage is its sea-skimming trajectory, flying just meters above the water's surface, which keeps it below the detection threshold of many shipboard radars. For most of its flight, the missile relies on an inertial guidance system, remaining electronically silent to avoid early detection. In the terminal phase, it activates its own active radar seeker to home in on the target. During this final approach, the missile is capable of performing evasive maneuvers to defeat point-defense systems and employs electronic countermeasures to overcome decoys. Its conventional warhead is designed to penetrate the target vessel's hull just above the waterline, with a delayed-action fuze that triggers the explosion inside the ship to maximize internal damage. While early versions used a solid-propellant rocket motor, modern variants are equipped with a turbojet engine, which significantly increases their operational range and allows them to follow complex, pre-programmed flight paths for engaging targets, including those on the coast.

The Exocet is a highly versatile system deployed on a wide array of platforms, including surface warships, submarines, combat aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, and coastal defense batteries. The submarine-launched version is encased in a waterproof capsule that is ejected from a torpedo tube; once on the surface, the capsule is jettisoned and the missile’s motor ignites. The missile first gained international prominence during the 1982 Falklands War, when air-launched variants used by Argentina proved effective against British Royal Navy warships. It was also used extensively by Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War against shipping in the Persian Gulf, culminating in the 1987 incident where two Exocets struck the American frigate USS Stark. The system has been exported to numerous countries and continues to be operated by navies worldwide.