Containerised missiles on patrol vessels: capability and exposure

Would self-powered anti-ship missile containers be useful on offshore patrol vessels?

They would add striking power, but they also increase the patrol vessel's exposure and create transport, maintenance and crewing demands. Containerised coastal batteries receive a more favourable assessment.

A self-powered missile container could add striking power to an offshore patrol vessel, including one supported by a targeting drone. That also makes the vessel a more valuable target for submarines, aircraft and other warships, while its existing protection may be inadequate for that role. If the patrol vessel needs heavier armament and protection anyway, integrating the weapons from the outset becomes an alternative to deploying them later. Deployable containers require transport or prepositioning, secure storage, maintenance and personnel to operate them. Unlike an established StanFlex arrangement with crews accompanying their modules, this proposal would require the equipment and operators to be assembled for the deployment. A containerised coastal battery receives a more favourable assessment: a lorry could deliver it to a position where an ordinary-looking container would attract little attention.