111 missiles, 0 hits: From Barak-8 to SM‑6 — Inside the layered defence of modern warships
US President Donald Trump, while addressing the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit on Wednesday, stated: “111 missiles shot a few weeks ago were launched by our lovely friends from Iran — they were aimed at the Abraham Lincoln, which is a beautiful aircraft, by the way... Out of the 111 missiles shot, 111 were knocked into the sea.”Aircraft carriers and other modern warships face a plethora of threats.As the world becomes more interdependent and trade-dependent, naval power has grown in importance. Securing sea lines of communication is essential: without access to the sea, a nation can be cut off from fuel and food, which exerts tremendous pressure. The United States is using maritime pressure as a lever against Iran today; during World War II, Britain’s Winston Churchill feared Hitler’s submarines blockading the UK — illustrating how a strong hostile naval presence can strangle a nation. The destruction of a ship also delivers a major propaganda coup to an attacker.Because of this strategic value, naval vessels are primary targets in conflict. Warships are heavily armed for both offensive and defensive roles. Offensively, they carry surface-to-surface weapons such as missiles, torpedoes, and guns. Defensively, the same ships deploy systems to counter aerial threats, including aircraft and incoming missiles.In the Indian context, warships employ systems such as the Barak-8 missile to defend against threats from missile-armed maritime patrol aircraft, fighters, and anti-ship missiles. Ships also carry Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS) to engage threats that penetrate missile defenses. These gun systems fire 20–30 mm rounds at rates up to about 5,000 rounds per minute to shred incoming aerial objects.The Americans, who have been on the receiving end of Iranian missile salvos, use the Standard Missile family — including the SM-3 and the longer‑ranged SM-6 — to intercept hostile missiles. In December 2024, a US Navy F/A-18 was downed in a friendly-fire incident involving an SM-2. These missiles have also defended both warships and merchant vessels from Houthi drone and missile attacks.US ships additionally carry the Rolling Airframe Missile for close-in defense, backed up by CIWS, providing layered protection. It is likely that many of the 111 missiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Standard-series missiles. Ships equipped with these systems were deployed off Israel’s coast to defend against Iranian salvoes.
