Missile

A missile is a self-propelled precision-guided munition system, as opposed to an unguided self-propelled munition, referred to as a rocket, although these can also be guided. Missiles have four system components: targeting and missile guidance, flight system, engine, and warhead. Missiles come in types adapted for different purposes, including but not limited to surface-to-surface, air-to-surface, surface-to-air, air-to-air, surface-to-space, air-to-space, ship-to-ship and space-to-surface missiles. Missiles are designed to be propelled during powered flight by chemical reactions inside a rocket engine, jet engine, or other type of engine. Non-self-propelled airborne explosive devices are generally referred to as shells and usually have a shorter range than missiles.

A unique quirk about Yamataian missiles is their programmed evasive behaviour, whereby missiles are fired along trajectories that are at an unlikely angle off of their target, streak along for a fair distance, and then make sudden synchronized turns in order to actually bring themselves to bear and hit it. Such behaviour and long flight paths is thanks to their long-lasting synthetic fuel, which also causes them to produce blue or green contrails as a side effect, particularly visible in space.

Ship-to-ship
Historically, ship-to-ship missiles referred to guided missiles fired from naval warships for use against ships and large boats. In the modern context, however, ship-to-ship missiles refer to those fired from spacecraft to attack other spacecraft. These can range from small, fighter-launched missiles like the Type-99, designed for fighter-to-fighter combat, to large warship-launched anti-starship missiles like the Ho-14.