Falklands War ) of Argentina's
2nd Navy Squadron, used in the
Atlantic Conveyor attack In total, Argentina used 6 Exocet missiles against the Royal Navy. In 1982, during the
Falklands War,
Argentine Navy Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard warplanes carrying the AM39 air-launched version of the Exocet, fired two causing damage which sank the
Royal Navy destroyer on 4 May 1982. Two more Exocets struck the 15,000-ton merchant ship on 25 May. Two MM38 ship-to-ship missiles were removed from the
destroyer ARA Seguí, a former
US Navy destroyer, and transferred to an improvised launcher for land use. The missiles were launched on 12 June 1982 and one hit the destroyer .
HMS Sheffield Sheffield was a
Type 42 guided missile destroyer. On 4 May 1982, Sheffield was at defence watches (second-degree readiness) the southernmost of three Type 42 destroyers when she was hit by one of two AM39 air-launched Exocet missiles fired by Argentinian Super Étendard
strike fighters. The second missile splashed into the sea about half a mile off her
port beam. The missile that struck
Sheffield hit on the starboard side at deck level 2, travelled through the junior ratings' scullery and breached the Forward Auxiliary Machinery Room/Forward Engine Room bulkhead above the waterline, creating a hole in the hull roughly . It appears that the warhead did not explode. Twenty members of her crew were killed and 26 injured. The ship foundered while under tow on 10 May. The loss of
Sheffield was a deep shock to the British public and government. The official Royal Navy Board of Inquiry Report stated that evidence indicates that the warhead did not detonate. During the four and a half days that the ship remained afloat, five salvage inspections were made and a number of photographs were taken. Members of the crew were interviewed and testimony was given by Exocet specialists (the Royal Navy had 15 surface combat ships armed with Exocets in the Falklands War). There was no evidence of an explosion, although burning propellant from the rocket motor caused fires which could not be checked as firefighting equipment had been put out of action.
SS Atlantic Conveyor Atlantic Conveyor was a 14,950 ton
roll-on/roll-off container ship that had been hastily converted to carry aircraft on her deck. She was carrying helicopters and supplies, including cluster bombs. On 25 May, Two Exocet missiles had been fired at a frigate, but had been confused by its [chaff] defences and re-targeted the
Atlantic Conveyor. Both missiles struck the container ship on her port quarter and warheads exploded either after penetrating the ship's hull, or on impact. Witness
Prince Andrew reported that debris caused "splashes in the water about a quarter of a mile away". Twelve men were killed and the survivors were taken to HMS
Hermes.
Atlantic Conveyor sank while under tow three days later.
HMS Invincible On 30 May, two Super Étendards, one carrying Argentina's last remaining air-launched Exocet, escorted by four
Douglas A-4C Skyhawks, each with two 500 lb bombs, took off to attack the carrier
HMS Invincible. Argentine intelligence had sought to determine the position of
Invincible from analysis of aircraft flight routes from the task force to the islands. This tactic compromised the Argentine attack, which focused on a group of escorts 40 miles south of the main body of ships. Two of the attacking Skyhawks were shot down: one by a
Sea Dart missile fired by
HMS Exeter, No damage was caused to any British vessels. and a turn was ordered to present the stern to the missile. The turn prevented the missile from striking the ship's side and penetrating the hull; instead, it hit the deck
coaming at an angle, near the port
Seacat missile launcher, skidded along the deck and exploded, making a hole in the hangar deck and a hole in the galley below. Fourteen crew members were killed.
Post–Falklands war In the years after the Falklands War, it was revealed that the British government and the
Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) had been extremely concerned at the time by the perceived inadequacy of the Royal Navy's anti-missile defences against the Exocet and the missile's potential to tip the naval war decisively in favour of the Argentinian forces. A scenario was envisioned in which one or both of the force's two aircraft carriers ( and ) were destroyed or incapacitated by Exocet attacks, which would make recapturing the Falklands much more difficult. Actions were taken to contain the Exocet threat. A major intelligence operation was initiated to prevent the Argentine Navy from acquiring more of the weapons on the international market. The operation included British intelligence agents claiming to be arms dealers able to supply large numbers of Exocets to Argentina, who diverted Argentina from pursuing sources which could genuinely supply a few missiles. France denied deliveries of Exocet AM39s purchased by Peru to avoid the possibility that Peru might supply them to Argentina because they knew that payment would be made with credit from the
Central Bank of Peru. British intelligence had detected the guarantee was a deposit of two hundred million dollars from the Andean Lima Bank, an owned subsidiary of the Italian
Banco Ambrosiano.
Iran–Iraq War Exocet missiles were used by
Iraq mainly as part of the
Tanker War; the
Aérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon,
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard and
Dassault Mirage F1 were aircraft used by Iraq to launch the missiles. During the
Iran–Iraq War, on 17 May 1987, an
Iraqi aircraft identified as a Mirage F1 (but was in fact a modified
Dassault Falcon 50) fired two Exocet missiles at the American
frigate . Both missiles struck the
port side of the ship near the bridge. No weapons were fired in defence; the
Phalanx CIWS remained in standby mode and the
Mark 36 SRBOC countermeasures were not armed. Thirty-seven United States Navy personnel were killed and twenty-one were wounded. The ship did not sink, and was eventually repaired. ==Operators==