The recent Hezbollah missile attack on an Israeli Navy corvette may have lessons for the U.S. Navy's littoral combat ship (LCS) program.1 The ship was struck on 21 July 2006, during military operations against Hezbollah forces in Lebanon as the Israeli Navy blockaded the country's coast to prevent additional weapons from reaching Hezbollah by sea from nearby Syria.
At 2045, a C-802 cruise missile struck the corvette Hanit (Spear) cruising some ten miles off the coast. Two missiles were fired from the shore. Indications are that the first missile was fired high to distract the ship's defensive systems and the second was aimed at the Hanit.
The first missile struck a small merchant ship, reported to be a Cambodian-flag cargo ship with an Egyptian crew, steaming about 35 miles off the coast. The second missile struck the stern of the 1,275-ton corvette.
The Hanit-completed in 1995 as the last of three Sa'ar V-class missile corvettes-has a potent antiair/antimissile capability: 64 Barak point-defense missiles; a 20-mm Phalanx close-in, rapid-fire cannon; 20-mm and 7.62-mm machine guns; and an elaborate passive self-defense system with chaff and decoy expendables, plus jamming devices.2 Indeed, on a tonnage basis, the Sa'ar V-class ships carry more antimissile chaff and decoys than any other warship.
The effective use of massive decoys and jammers was demonstrated in the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israeli missile craft defeated some 50 incoming antiship missiles. The Egyptian and Syrian navies lost eight missile craft to Israeli weapons in return for minor shrapnel damage to one Israeli missile boat.
Still, the Hanit was taken by surprise and heavily damaged when the C-802 missile struck her stern, killing four sailors, and igniting a fire. Photos show a relatively small hole and burn area under the helicopter platform. The small amount of damage and the location of the hit-the C-802 is a centroid-seeking, radar-guided missile-indicate that the missile may not have functioned properly or the warhead may not have detonated. The Israeli Navy has not released details of the attack or damage. (The Hanit was repaired at Haifa and returned to service within three weeks of the attack.)
The missile hit occurred because of two major failures: First, Israeli intelligence failed to detect that C-802 missiles had been sent to the Hezbollah in Lebanon. second, the Hanit's commanding officer had apparently turned off some of the ship's automated warning and reaction systems because of the intensive Israeli air activity in the area.
The C-802 missiles are of Chinese design and probably produced by Iran, the principal sponsor of the Hezbollah movement. The missiles were transferred to Syria, which provides direct support to the Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. An estimated 100 to 200 Syrian military and technical personnel directly assist the Hezbollah combat forces in southern Lebanon. Israeli officials believe that Syrian advisors probably fired the antiship missiles.3
The C-802 missiles were most likely launched from trucks, which permit a high degree of mobility to the launchers. And, they can be easily hidden in garages, or camouflaged in parking lots.
There are several striking similarities to the Argentine use of antiship missiles against British warships in the Falklands conflict of 1982. The destroyer Sheffield was struck by an aircraft-launched Exocet missile while her electronic detection system was degraded because she was using her satellite communications. The missile penetrated the ship's engineering spaces and-although the 364-pound warhead failed to detonate-the ensuing fires led to the eventual loss of the ship.
Also, the Argentines launched two Exocet antiship missiles from a trailer ashore during the Falklands War. One missile flew into the sea because of faulty wiring. After modifications, the second missile was launched. It struck the British missile destroyer Glamorgan, inflicting minor damage to the ship, although 13 crewmen were killed and her helicopter was destroyed. As with the Hanit attack, the British had no knowledge that the Argentines had rigged up land-launched antiship missiles.
Thus, the Royal Navy ships in 1982 and the Israeli Navy's Hanit in 2006 suffered damage because of poor intelligence and letting down their guard. The lessons are obvious: Intelligence cannot always identify even major missile threats when dealing with Third World military forces or terrorist organizations. The Western intelligence systems, developed during the 45-year Cold War to concentrate on the Soviet Union (and its satellites), may not yet be effective in the environment of the early 21st century. A new look at the manner in which naval-related intelligence is derived and handled by major/national intelligence agencies may be warranted.
And, warships operating in littoral/coastal areas must be provided with advanced active and passive missile defense systems. In this context, the U.S. Navy's LCS program should undergo a continuing review to ensure that its active and passive defensive systems take advantage of such lessons as the attack on the Hanit. Under current plans, the LCS will have minimal antiair capability and, in the opinion of some observers, minimal active and passive antimissile defenses. This could be a configuration for disaster when such terrorist organizations as Hezbollah have access to antiship missiles.
1 The Hezbollah (Parly of God) was founded in 1982; less than a year later it carried out the bombing of the U.S. Marine facility in Beirut, killing 241 Americans. Subsequently, Hezbollah was responsible for killing several other Americans. The movement also pioneered the use of suicide bombers in terrorist acts.
2 The Sa'ar V corvettes also have antiship missiles and antisubmarine systems, and operate a Eurocopter AS 565SB armed helicopter (a flight deck and hangar are provided).
3 Syria sent 14,000 troops into neighboring Lebanon in 1976 to intervene in the 1975-90 civil war in Lebanon. The Syrian troops withdrew earlier in 2006 because of international pressure. However, certain intelligence units remained in Lebanon.
Mr. Polmar, a leading contributor to Proceedings, has been to sea in Israeli missile and patrol craft. He has been aboard the
Hanit 's sister ship Eilat. Author and historian A. D. Baker III assisted with this article.