P-15 Termit

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Termit

A P-15M missile (SS-N-2c) being unloaded from a former East German Navy Tarantul class missile boat.

Type Anti-ship missilePlace of origin Soviet Union

Service historyIn service 1960- present

Production historyManufacturer MKB Raduga

SpecificationsWeight 2300 kgLength 5.8 mDiameter 0.76 mWarhead 454 kg hollow charge high explosive

Engine Liquid fuel rocket, solid rocket boosterWingspan 2.4 mOperationalrange 80 km

Flight altitude 100-300 meters above sea levelSpeed Mach 0.9Guidancesystem autopilot, active radar, supplemented in some with infra-red

Launchplatform naval ships, ground launch

The P-15 Termit (Russian: -15 ""; English: termite) is an anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union's Raduga design bureau in the 1950s. Its GRAU designation was 4K40, its NATO

reporting name was Styx or SS-N-2. In Russian service today it also seems to be called the Rubezh. China acquired the design in 1958 and created at least four versions: the CSS-N-1 Scrubbrush and CSS-N-2 versions were developed for ship-launched operation, while the CSS-C-2 Silkworm and CSS-C-3 Seersucker were used for coastal defence. Other names for this basic type of missile include: HY-1, SY-1, and FL-1 Flying Dragon (Chinese designations typically differ for export and domestic use, even for otherwise identical equipment).

Despite its huge size, thousands of P-15s were built and installed on many classes of ships from MTBs to destroyers, as well coastal batteries and even bombers (Chinese versions). The P-15 was quite successful in the conflicts where it was deployed.

Contents

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1 Origins

2 Design

3 War record

4 Versions

5 Launch platforms

6 Operational usage

6.1 Cuban Missile Crisis

6.2 War of Attrition

6.3 Indo-Pakistani War

6.4 Yom Kippur War

6.5 IranIraq War

7 Operators

8 References

Origins[edit]

The P-15 was not the first anti-ship missile in Soviet service; that distinction goes to the SS-N-1 Scrubber, and to the aircraft-launched AS-1 Kennel. The SS-N-1 was a powerful but rather raw system, and it was quickly superseded by the SS-N-3Shaddock. This weapon was fitted to 4,000-ton Kynda class cruisers and replaced an initial plan for 30,000-ton battlecruisers armed with 305 mm and 45 mm guns. Rather than rely on a few heavy and costly ships, a new weapons system was

designed to fit smaller, more numerous vessels, while maintaining sufficient striking power. The P-15 was developed by the Soviet designer Beresyniak, who helped in the development of the IB rocket interceptor.

Design[edit]

INS Chamak (K95) of the Indian Navy fires a P-15 Termit missile.

The first variant was the P-15, with fixed wings. The basic design of the missile, retained for all subsequent versions, featured a cylindrical body, a rounded nose, twodelta wings in the center and three control surfaces in the tail. It was also fitted with a solid-fuelled booster under the belly.[1] This design was based on the Yak-1000 experimental fighter built in 1951.

The weapon was meant to be cheap, but at the same time capable of giving an ordinary missile boat the same 'punch' as a battleship's salvo. The onboard electronics were based on a simple analog design, with a homing conical scanning radar sensor. It used a more reliable rocket engine with acid fuel in preference to a turbojet.

Some shortcomings were never totally solved, due to the liquid propellant of the rocket engine: the acid fuel gradually corroded the missile fuselage. Launches were not possible outside a temperature range of -15/+38C.[1]

The missile weighed around 2,340 kg, had a top speed of 0.9 mach and a range of 40 km. The explosive warhead was behind the fuel tank, and as the missile retained a large amount of unburned fuel at the time of impact, even at maximum range, it acted as an incendiary device.[1]

The warhead itself was a 500 kg hollow charge (HEAT), larger than the semi-armour piercing (SAP) warhead typical of anti-ship missiles. The launch was usually made with the help of electronic support measures (ESM) gear and Garpun radar at a range of between 5.5 and 27 km due to the limitations of the targeting system. The Garpun's range against a destroyer was about 20 km.[1]

The onboard sensor was activated at 11 km from impact, the missile would begin to descend at 1-2 to the target, because the flight pattern was about 120250 m above sea level. In minimum range engagements there was the possibility of using active sensors at shorter distances, as little as 2.75 km.[1] The P-15U was introduced in 1965, with improved avionics and folding wings, enabling the use of smaller containers. It was replaced by the P-15M in 1972, which was a further development of the P-15U, with enhanced capabilities (its export simplified variants were designated P-21 and P-22, depending on the sensor installed and a whole export system was designated the P-20M).

War record[edit]

During the War of Attrition after the Six Day War in 1967, the Israeli destroyer Eilat was sailing at low speed outside Port Said on 21 October, when from 17 nautical miles (31 km) she was attacked by two Egyptian Komars, each firing both their missiles from inside the harbour (they were acting as a coastal missile battery). The target was hit, despite the anti-aircraft fire soon opened against the incoming

'fireballs'. The first two missiles almost blew the Eilat in two, another hit soon after, the last exploded near the wreck in the sea.Eilat sank two hours after the first attack. 47 crew were killed.[2]

In the 1971 India-Pakistan war, P-15 (NATO name Styx) missiles were used by the Indian Navy during Operation Trident and Operation Python. The Indian Navy sunk the PNSMuhafiz (minesweeper) and PNS Khyber (destroyer) and badly damaged the PNS Shah Jahan (destroyer) which was written off. The Indian Navy reportedly fired 13 Styx missiles during the war, 12 of which hit, sinking several ships and destroying the petroleum storage facilities at Karachi.[2]

P-15 TermitContentsOrigins[edit]Design[edit]War record[edit]