"Russian, Chinese and Indian warships are fielding long-range supersonic anti-ship missiles like the Brahmos and 3M-54T (SS-N-27A Sizzler) that are difficult to intercept and pose an increasing danger to the US fleet," he explained.
The Club missile system, designed by the Novator design bureau, is meant "to destroy submarine and surface vessels and also engage static/slow-moving targets, whose coordinates are known in advance, even if these targets are protected by active defenses and electronic countermeasures," Global Security observed.
US warships are outfitted with the Harpoon, an anti-ship missile with a range of approximately 70 miles. It will take approximately a decade for the US to design a new long-range anti-ship missile, Majumdar added. But there is a temporary solution.
Bryan McGrath, the managing director at the FerryBridge Group LLC, suggested modifying the Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles to add an "anti-surface mode." The process could take five to six years, he told the US House Armed Services Committee.
"However, there are concerns that while the Tomahawk would be effective against many threats, there are enemy vessels out there that are equipped with formidable air defenses where the missile would fall short," Majumdar noted.
