Surface Vessel

A category of weapon target in the Command model.

A Surface Vessel is a vessel which operates on the surface of an ocean, lake, or other body of water. These vessels typically have a buoyant hull and float in the water. However, variants of surface vessels may operate on or near the surface during travel. Examples of these surface vessel variants include, hydrofoils, hovercraft (air cushion craft), and ground effect vehicles such as Russian ekranoplanes. Also, seaplanes can be considered surface vessels when they are floating in the water.

Command uses the weapon target types to determine if a particular weapon and sensor system can engage a particular target. For example, targets on land will often require different sensors and processing than targets on water. And, mobile targets will require terminal sensors and guidance to bring the warhead to the target.

Command distinguishes the weapon target types into:

Aircraft
Helicopter
Missile
Submarine
Surface Vessel
Land Structure - Soft
Land Structure - Hardened
Mobile Target - Soft
Mobile Target - Hardened