Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM)

An anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) is a guided missile designed to strike surface ships, flying a low sea-skimming or high supersonic profile to reduce a defender’s reaction time. Subsonic sea-skimmers such as the French Exocet (MM38/MM40) and the US Harpoon cruise near wave-top altitude under active radar terminal homing; supersonic types such as the Russian P-270 Moskit fly higher and faster. ASCMs drive layered ship defenses: long-range SAMs, point-defense missiles, decoys, electronic warfare, and the close-in weapon system as last-ditch protection.