Penguin
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An Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) would rise in two stages, reach space and then use fins to maneuver at hypersonic speeds on its way back down. The warhead then glides along a level path to permit synthetic aperture radar, if available on the specific missile in question, to process multiple radar pulses to form a single picture to target the carrier. Finally, the warhead's infrared seeker locates a carrier's signature and allows closing in for the kill. Simpler ASBMs would not have SAR, just a warhead with an infra-red sensor on top.
A guided terminal attack can be accomplished using an infra-red sensor in the nose of the warhead, otherwise known as the “re-entry vehicle”, which would direct the final phase of its attack. This would occur after initial coordinates of the target were factored in at launch and updated possibly during the missile’s “mid-course” phase. An on-board Infra Red seeker is passive in nature as no electromagnetic energy would have to be used to illuminate the target.
The infra-red sensor would scan the area where the ship is most likely to be during its last tens of seconds of flight, in hopes of locking onto the heat signature of the rapidly maneuvering aircraft carrier or ship. A US carrier would be rapidly changing course and speed as US early warning ballistic missile launch detection satellites will surely have detected a missile's initial boost phase and would have alerted the Carrier Strike Group as to the incoming missile, or more likely, missiles. Also the Carrier Strike Group’s AEGIS class Guided Missile Cruisers and Destroyers would attempt to track and engage the missile using its limited ballistic missile defense capabilities.
If the CSG is emitting (i.e. radars on), then radar homing could also assist in terminal phase targeting. But the question still remains whether the warhead would be manoeuvrable enough to match that of the CSG in general and the carrier in particular. CVNs are highly manoeuvrable and among the fastest fleet units (max speed "in excess of 30kn". See e.g. http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-028.htm).
Also, CSG ships do not bunch together as often depicted in 'anti-ship ballistics missile strike' artist impressions. There can in fact be tenths of nmi's between ships. US ships have 'cooperative engagement capability' and there is the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air concept (NIFC-CA) – a scheme designed to tie together data from the ships and aircraft in a carrier strike group to create a network of sensors and shooters – a proverbial kill web. So that e.g. an F-35 could provide targeting info for an SM-6 aboard a DDG (i.e. there are possibilities to allow some ships to remain silent under EMCON conditions, e.g. a carrier, thus denying an anti-radiation warhead targeting information it can home in on)
Thales SIRIUS IRST provides continuous passive horizon search against super- and subsonic (sea-skimming) anti-ship missiles. This passive IR search system operates simultaneously in two wavelengths (3-5 μm and 8-12 μm) and provides long-range surveillance under all atmospheric conditions. As a complementary sensor to the on-board surveillance radar equipment, SIRIUS ensures a most effective capability against threats with respect to the timely evaluation and decision for target engagements, especially under restricted EMCON conditions. Possibly, such a system (mounted e.g. on Dutch BMD-capable LCF frigates) could allow passive initial targeting of active radar homing SM-6 under EMCON condition. This is another way of denying an anti-radiation warhead targeting information it can home in on.
As far as Hormoz-2 is concerned, how many and what kind of warhead(s) does it carry? Is it/Are they really able to manoeuvre, and how much? It does not seem a large missile, so I would venture a guess of 1 warhead per missile. It appears very similar to the 300km, Mach 3.5 Fateh-110 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fateh-110), which has 1 warhead, inertial & electro-optical terminal guidance, and a 100 meters CEP.
Hormoz-2
Fateh 110
See also
http://www.timesofisrael.com/defiant-iran-successfully-tests-another-ballistic-missile/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-missiles-navy-idUSKBN16G2C2
