Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said on March 10 (US time) that US forces had used ballistic missiles to attack Iranian warships in the ongoing military operation.
He also announced that the US military destroyed about 50 Iranian warships with various weapons, including artillery, fighters, bombers and missiles launched from the sea in 10 days of fighting.
A US official said that the HIMARS rocket launcher system also participated in attacking Iranian warships. A video released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) shows that the HIMARS launchers launched ATACMS and PrSM ballistic missiles targeting Iranian-related targets.
According to experts, the ATACMS variants currently do not have the ability to attack mobile targets. This shows that the missiles may have targeted Iranian warships anchored at ports or offshore.
Some experts believe that Washington may have deployed the PrSM Increment 2 variant, a missile believed to be capable of attacking ships to a certain extent. The previous PrSM Increment 1 version was not capable of hitting mobile targets and it is not clear whether upgrading to the Increment 2 standard will be easy or not.
The campaign called "Horrific Fury" may be the first time the US has used ballistic missiles to attack enemy warships in real combat.
Thanks to its very high speed, ballistic missiles are considered suitable for long-range attacks targeting high-value targets and are tightly protected. This weapon also has the ability to penetrate deep into solid targets, which is considered useful when attacking large warships with thick armor.
Meanwhile, Iran is also investing heavily in developing short-range anti-ship ballistic missiles and has transferred technology and weapons to the Houthi forces in Yemen. In 2023, the Houthi became the first force to use anti-ship ballistic missiles in real combat, while Iran is said to have not used this type of weapon in the current conflict.
