Missile Boat

A small surface combatant whose primary armament is anti-ship missiles, a subtype of fast attack craft. The Soviet Komar- and Osa-class boats were the first widely fielded missile boats; an Osa-class Styx missile sank the Israeli destroyer INS Eilat on 21 October 1967, the first ship sunk by a ship-launched anti-ship missile. A single boat costing a fraction of a frigate can hole a far larger warship, which keeps the type in service across the Baltic, Black Sea, and Persian Gulf navies despite its short range and thin air defense.