BrahMos, pop-up attacks, and surviving anti-ship missiles

BrahMos is a capable Indian-Russian system whose value lies in the operational flexibility it gives India rather than an impossible standard of perfection. A pop-up maneuver drives the weapon down through decks, potentially spreading fire and severing communication along the ship more effectively than a side impact. A side hit may leave good longitudinal subdivision intact, allowing separated parts of the crew to coordinate damage control. Attack geometry and damage propagation therefore matter as much as headline speed when judging an anti-ship missile.