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New page: The '''Exocet missile''' is a French-built anti-ship missile. It comes in air-launched, surface-launched, or submarine-launched versions. The air-launched variant (the AM.39) has a 6...
The '''Exocet missile''' is a French-built anti-ship missile. It comes in air-launched, surface-launched, or [[submarine]]-launched versions. The air-launched variant (the AM.39) has a 65 km range and a 165 kg high explosive warhead. It entered French service in 1977. Current users include [[France]], [[Pakistan]], [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[Egypt]], [[Oman]], [[Kuwait]], [[Singapore]], [[Libya]], and [[Peru]].<ref>www.globalsecurity.org</ref>
==Operational History==
The combat debut for the Exocet missile was in the Falklands War. At the outbreak of hostilities, the Argentine navy had five air-launched Exocets, all of which were fired at British ships. Two missiles hit their targets, the destroyer HMS Sheffield and the supply ship Atlantic Conveyer, sinking both ships. The Exocet threat forced the British task force to operate further away from the [[Falkland Islands]] than it had before.<ref>Air War in the Falklands 1982, by Christopher Chant, Osprey Combat Aircraft series, 2001</ref>
The Exocet also saw use by [[Iraq]] in the [[Iran-Iraq War]]. In 1987, 2 Exocets, launched from an Iraqi Mirage, hit the American [[frigate]] USS Stark, killing 37 sailors, but not sinking the ship.<ref>Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy, by Craig L. Symonds, 1995</ref>
==References==
<small><references/></small>
==Operational History==
The combat debut for the Exocet missile was in the Falklands War. At the outbreak of hostilities, the Argentine navy had five air-launched Exocets, all of which were fired at British ships. Two missiles hit their targets, the destroyer HMS Sheffield and the supply ship Atlantic Conveyer, sinking both ships. The Exocet threat forced the British task force to operate further away from the [[Falkland Islands]] than it had before.<ref>Air War in the Falklands 1982, by Christopher Chant, Osprey Combat Aircraft series, 2001</ref>
The Exocet also saw use by [[Iraq]] in the [[Iran-Iraq War]]. In 1987, 2 Exocets, launched from an Iraqi Mirage, hit the American [[frigate]] USS Stark, killing 37 sailors, but not sinking the ship.<ref>Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy, by Craig L. Symonds, 1995</ref>
==References==
<small><references/></small>