Combatant Ship

A combatant ship is a naval ship designed primarily to go "into harm's way."

A combatant ship is armed with offensive weaponry, although the ship and its weapons may be employed in offensive or defensive roles. Combatant ships and auxiliary ships form the two primary groups of naval vessels. The key discriminator is that, if even armed, auxiliary ship weapons are used for ship self-defense only.

Combatant ship operations include: anti-ship warfare, also known as surface warfare; air warfare; anti-air warfare; anti-submarine warfare; amphibious assault; and land attack.