The P-15 ''Termit'' (russian: П-15 "Термит"; en,
termite
Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blatto ...
) is an anti-ship
missile
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...
developed by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
's
Raduga design bureau in the 1950s. Its
GRAU designation was 4K40, its
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...
was ''Styx'' or SS-N-2. 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
The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...
'' and CSS-C-3 ''Seersucker'' were used for
coastal defence
Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...
. Other names for this basic type of missile include: HY-1, SY-1, and FL-1 ''Flying Dragon'' (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
designations typically differ for export and domestic use, even for otherwise identical equipment),
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n local produced KN-1 or KN-01, derived from both Silkworm variants and Russian & USSR P-15, Rubezh, P-20 P-22 .
Despite its large size, thousands of P-15s were built and installed on many classes of ships from
torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...
s to
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s, and coastal
batteries and
bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...
aircraft (Chinese versions).
Origins
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 Raduga KS-1 Komet (russian: КС-1 "Комета", NATO reporting name: Kennel), also referred to as AS-1 and KS-1 (крылатый снаряд - winged projectile) was a Soviet short range air-to-surface missile, primarily developed for ...
. The SS-N-1 was a powerful but rather raw system, and it was soon superseded by the
SS-N-3 ''Shaddock''. This weapon was fitted to 4,000-ton
Kynda class cruiser
The Project 58 missile cruisers (''Ракетные крейсера проекта 58''), known to NATO as the Kynda classJordan, John. 'Soviet Warships 1945 to Present', Revised & Expanded Edition, , London: Arms & Armour Press, 1992 and some ...
s and replaced an initial plan for 30,000-ton battlecruisers armed with 305mm and 45mm 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
BI rocket interceptor.
Design
![INS Chamak (K95) fires a P-15 Termit missile](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/INS_Chamak_%28K95%29_fires_a_P-15_Termit_missile.jpg)
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, two
delta wing
A delta wing is a wing shaped in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta (Δ).
Although long studied, it did not find significant applications until the Jet Age, when it proved suitabl ...
s in the center and three control surfaces in the tail. It was also fitted with a solid-fueled booster under the belly.
[Slade, Stuart] This design was based on the
Yak-1000 experimental fighter built in 1951.
The weapon was meant to be cheap, yet still give an ordinary
missile boat
A missile boat or missile cutter is a small, fast warship armed with anti-ship missiles. Being smaller than other warships such as destroyers and frigates, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming a navy at lower cost. They a ...
the same 'punch' as a battleship salvo. The onboard electronics were based on a simple analog design, with a homing
conical scanning
Conical scanning is a system used in early radar units to improve their accuracy, as well as making it easier to steer the antenna properly to point at a target. Conical scanning is similar in concept to the earlier lobe switching concept used ...
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
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 .
[
The missile weighed around , had a top speed of Mach 0.9 and a range of . 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.][
The warhead was a ]shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ini ...
, an enlarged version of a high-explosive anti-tank
High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity ...
(HEAT) warhead, larger than the semi-armour piercing (SAP) warhead typical of anti-ship missiles. The launch was usually made with the help of electronic warfare support measures
In military telecommunications, electronic support (ES) or electronic support measures (ESM) gather intelligence through passive "listening" to electromagnetic radiations of military interest. They are an aspect of electronic warfare involving ac ...
(ESM) gear and Garpun radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
at a range of between due to the limits of the targeting system. The Garpun's range against a destroyer was about .[
The onboard ]sensor
A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon.
In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...
was activated at from impact, the missile would begin to descend at 1-2° to the target, because the flight pattern was about above sea level. In minimum range engagements there was the possibility of using active sensors at shorter distances, as little as .[
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 abilities (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'').
]
Versions
Russia
In total, the P-15 family had the following models:[
*P-15: A basic (SS-N-2A) with I-band, a conical search sensor and 40 km range.
*P-15M: (SS-N-2C), heavier and longer than the P-15, it had a range of 80 km and several minor improvements.
*P-15MC: Essentially a P-15M, coupled with a Bulgarian-made electronic countermeasure package for that country's ]navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
.
*P-20: A P-15 updated with the new guidance system but with the original shorter range. They were perhaps known as SS-N2 B and used by ''Komar'' and ''Osa'' class boats.
*P-20K: A P-15M with a new guidance system.
*P-20M: A surface version of the P-20L with folding wings. This was the definitive version of the P-15M with radar guidance.
*P-22 other development of or along P-20 ; other variants P-21, P-27
*4K51 Rubezh and 4K40, SS-N-2 2c SSC-3 Styx, using P-20 and P-22, Self-propelled missile
People's Republic of China
The Chinese used this missile as a basis for their ''Silkworm'' series, with infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
(IR), radar, and turbojets or rocket engines depending on the model. The fuselage width is . The mass is over 2 tonnes. This is comparable to the and of Western missiles. With improved electronics, the warhead reduced to and the original rocket engine replaced with a turbojet, this weapon was much improved with a range of over . Chinese Silkworm missiles were used in hundreds of ships and shore batteries. The Chinese Navy built more than two hundred modified versions of the 183R (''Komar''-class), the ''Hegu''-class, (complete with a longer hull and an added 25mm mount aft) and the ''Osa''-class. Frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s and destroyers were also equipped with the missile. Some were exported and they were used in shore batteries built for North Korea, Iraq and Iran. The Soviet Union developed an equivalent, the P-120 Malakhit
The P-120 Malakhit (russian: П-120 «Малахит» 'Malachite'; NATO reporting name: SS-N-9 Siren, GRAU designation: 4K85) is a Russian medium range anti-ship missile used by corvettes and submarines. Introduced in 1972, it remains in service ...
.
* (C.201) (SY is the abbreviation of pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: Shàng Yóu, literal meaning is upper river): The original Chinese copy of P-15 as ship-to-ship missile, called as Project 544, designed and assembled by Nanchang Aerocraft Factory from 1960, first inland test flight in December 1964 and ship-mounted test-fired in August 1965, finished the research tests in June 1966, began definitizing test from Nov 1966, permitted definitize on August 1967. It entered service during 1968 in missile boats and destroyers and later coastal batteries. Dimensions were: (length), 0.76m (diameter), 2.4m (wingspan). It weighed of which was the HEAT warhead. Its range was at mach 0.8, with a flight altitude of , it used inertial and active radar guidance systems. This unit employed conical scanning and was vulnerable to electronic counter measures (ECM), due to its slow onboard computer. The SY-1A entered service after 1984, with a monopulse surface-search radar comparable to the evolution of the AIM-7, F to M model.
*SY-2: An improved version developed from 1976. Used the solid rocket engine and supersonics flight, smaller and lighter than SY-1, extended range to 50 km. The exported version is FL-2.
* (C.201) (HY is the abbreviation of pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
:Hǎi Yīng, literal meaning is Sea Eagle): It was the equivalent of the P-15M, and was known as the C-SS-3 ''Saccade''. Designed for coastal batteries, with a larger airframe, its dimensions were: 7.48m × 0.76m × 2.4m, weight . extended range from the SY-1's . Trials were carried out from 1967 to 1970 with 10 missiles out of 11 hitting the target. It entered service in China and was also exported. There were several versions:
**HY-2: Basic, inertial and conical radar search (improved to SY-1), 1970.
**HY-2A: IR-guidance variant. Developed during the 1970s and in 1980, it did not enter service despite certification in 1982. It was the equivalent of the P-22.
**HY-2A-II: An improved variant of the HY-2A with an improved IR sensor, it entered service in 1988. It was also available for export.
**: Fitted with monopulse-search radar to improve accuracy and reliability, it was test-fired, scoring five hits out of six and entered service two years later in 1984. The YB-2B-II had another radar search system, entering service in 1989. These two missiles could fly at an altitude of 20–50m, so the overall abilities (altitude, range, reliability, electronic counter counter measures (ECCM)) were greatly superior.
**: Fitted with a turbojet engine instead of a liquid rocket version. It was only used for export, it had a 150 km range. It is arguably also called HY-4 or C-SS-N-7 Sadpack, its dimensions are similar to the HY-1 and HY-2, but its weight is only , demonstrating the differences between turbojet and rocket propulsion systems. It can fly at and attack at , with a charge. The ''XW-41'' land attack missile was extrapolated from this design, it had a range of about , which was enough to attack Taiwan. It is not known if this model entered service.
Substitutes of these missiles are the FL-2 and FL-7, which were solid-rocket fuelled and the C-701 and C-801, which were similar to the Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical director ...
and other missile systems, among them the SS-N-22 ''Sunburn'', it was bought for Sovremenny class destroyer
The ''Sovremenny'' class, Soviet designation Project 956 ''Sarych'' (buzzard), is a class of anti-ship and anti-aircraft guided-missile destroyers of the Soviet and later Russian Navy. The ships are named after qualities, with "Sovremenny" tra ...
s.
North Korea
*KN-1 or KN-01 locally produced Geum Seong-1 Korean 금성-1호, derived from both Silkworm and Russian P-15 Termit, Rubezh, P-20 P-22 .
Launch platforms
This missile, despite its mass, was used in small and medium ships, from 60 to 4,000 tons, shore batteries and (only for derived models) aircraft and submarines. The main users were:
*Komar
Komar may refer to:
Places
* Komar, Iran (disambiguation), places in Iran
* Komar, mountain in central Bosnia, near Travnik
* Komar, Donji Vakuf, village in central Bosnia, between Travnik and Donji Vakuf
* Komar, Travnik, village in central Bo ...
-class missile boats
* Osa-class missile boats
* Tarantul-class corvettes
* Nanuchka-class corvettes
* Koni-class frigates
*Kotor
Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative c ...
-class frigates
*The frigate ''Mărășești''
* Kildin-class destroyers
* Kashin-class destroyers
Operational usage
Cuban Missile Crisis
The first use of these weapons was in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
. ''Komar''-class missile boats were deployed in Operation "Anadyr" ("Анадырь"), organized by the Soviet Union to help the Castro government. At least eight were sent in cargo ships, due partly to their small dimensions and were presumably left to the Cuban Navy after the crisis, together with many other weapons of Soviet origin.
War of Attrition
During the War of Attrition
The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...
, after the Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
in 1967, the Israeli destroyer ''Eilat'' was sailing at low speed outside Port Said
Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...
on 21 October. At a range of , she was attacked by two Egyptian ''Komars'', acting as a coastal missile battery both fired their missiles from inside the harbour. ''Eilat'' was hit, despite defensive anti-aircraft fire. The first two missiles almost blew the ''Eilat'' in two; another hit soon after, and the last exploded near the wreck in the sea. ''Eilat'' sank two hours after the first attack. 47 crew were killed. After this engagement, interest in this type of weapon was raised in both offensive weapons and defensive weapons such as close-in weapon system
A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...
s (CIWS) and electronic countermeasures (ECM).
Indo-Pakistani War
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the
Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...
, Indian ''Osa''-class boats raided the port of Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
in two highly successful operations causing severe damage and sinking several ships with their P-15s, among them the destroyer, ''Khaibar''. She was a former Battle-class destroyer
The Battle class were a class of destroyers of the British Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN), named after naval or other battles fought by British or English forces. Built in three groups, the first group were ordered under th ...
, originally designed as an anti-aircraft ship. Her armament might be effective against conventional air threats, (mounting 5 × 114mm guns and several 40mm Bofors), but had little chance against anti-ship missiles.
These raids were meant to strike Karachi and destroy the Pakistani Navy in Western Pakistan. The first action, Operation Trident, was carried out by three ''Osa'' class missile boats on the night of 5 December. 'Operation Trident' involved:
*INS ''Nipat'' (Lt.-Cdr B.N Kavina, Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards a ...
(VrC))
*INS ''Nirghat'' (Lt.-Cdr I.J Sharma, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), VrC)
*INS ''Veer'' (Lt.-Cdr O.P Mehta, VrC, NM)
Around 20:30, a target was acquired by radar, at a distance of over , and ''Nirghat'' fired two missiles. This target was the destroyer ''Khaibar'', sailing at . The crew of the ship saw a "bright light" in the sky, low on the water. Believing it to be the afterburner of a fighter aircraft, ''Khaibar'' opened fire with her Bofors gun
AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years.
History
Located i ...
s, but these were not effective against such a small, fast target. The missile struck the starboard side at 22:45, destroying the electrical system. One of the boilers, possibly struck by the HEAT charge, also exploded. Despite thick smoke and a fire, ''Khaibar'' was still able to engage the second missile, again mistaking it for an enemy fighter. This missile struck the ship four minutes after the first, destroying and quickly sinking her.
During this action, ''Nipat'' attacked another two ships; the cargo vessel ''Venus Challenger'', which was carrying ammunition from Saigon
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
, blank1_ ...
, was destroyed. Her escort, the destroyer PNS ''Shahjahan'' was severely damaged and later scrapped.
''Veer'' then attacked ''Muhafiz'' at 23:05, (she was a minesweeper that had witnessed the attacks against ''Khaibar''); she was hit and disintegrated, throwing most of the crew into the water before she sank.
''Nipat'' fired two missiles at the port of Karachi. This is the first known use of an anti-ship missile against land targets. Large oil tanks, identified by radar, were hit by the first missile, destroying it, while the second weapon failed. Over the following nights there were other ship actions. Karachi was again attacked with missiles, while ''Petya''-class frigates provided anti-submarine protection to the ''Osa''-class boats.
On the night of 8 December, in the second operation, Operation Python
Operation Python, a follow-up to Operation Trident, was the code name of a naval attack launched on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After the first attack during Operation Trid ...
, the ''Osa''-class boat ''Vinash'', escorted by two frigates, fired missiles at Karachi in a six-minute action. One missile hit an oil tank, destroying it. The British ship ''Harmattan'' was sunk, the Panamanian ship ''Gulfstar'' was set on fire. The Pakistan Navy fleet tanker, PNS ''Dacca'', was badly damaged and only survived because the commanding officer, Captain. S.Q. Raza S.J. P.N., ordered the release of steam in the pipes that prevented the fire reaching the tanks. Though anti-aircraft guns opened fire in response, they only managed to hit a Greek ship, ''Zoë'', that was moored in the port and consequently sank.
In all these actions against large ships, the P-15 proved to be an effective weapon, with a devastating warhead. Out of eleven missiles fired, only one malfunctioned, giving a 91% success rate. This gave every ''Osa'' FAC the possibility of striking several targets. Big ships, without any specialized defence, were targets for P-15s.
United States
CIA inspected and analyzed data on Styx missiles from the guidance systems of missiles delivered to Indonesia. The US Navy had underestimated the threat of Soviet missiles, but after 1967 this changed. The US Navy thought that North Vietnam missile boats and coastal defenses using P-15 missiles could be met by US vessels off the coast and that ECM and air defense missiles would be effective countermeasures. The Soviet Union in fact decided not to supply P-15 missiles to North Vietnam, even though a promise to do so had been made in 1965.
In April 1972 the US Navy claimed to have been attacked by P-15 missiles and they were shot down by Terrier Missiles.
Yom Kippur War
Despite these early successes, the 1973 Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
saw P-15 missiles used by the Egyptian and Syrian navies prove ineffective against Israeli ships. The Israeli Navy had phased out their old ships, building a fleet of Sa'ar-class FACs: faster, smaller, more maneuverable and equipped with new missiles and countermeasures.
Although the range of the P-15 was twice that of the Israeli Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
, allowing Arab ships to fire first, radar jamming and chaff
Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...
degraded their accuracy. In the Battle of Latakia
The Battle of Latakia ( ar, معركة اللاذقية; he, קרב לטקיה) was a small but revolutionary naval action of the Yom Kippur War, fought on 7 October 1973 between Israel and Syria. It was the first naval battle in history to se ...
and Battle of Baltim
The Battle of Baltim (also Battle of Damietta, Battle of Baltim–Damietta, Battle of Damietta–Baltim or Battle of Damietta – El Burelos) was fought between the Israeli Navy and the Egyptian Navy on October 8–9, 1973, during the Yom Kippur ...
, several dozen P-15s were fired and all missed. Arab ships did not possess heavy firepower required for surface combat against enemy vessels, usually only 25 and 30mm guns, and ''Osa'' and ''Komar'' boats were not always able to outrun their Israeli pursuers.
Iran–Iraq War
P-15 variants, including the Chinese duplication "''Silkworm
The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...
''", were employed by Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
against Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
, with some success. As the Iranian coastline is longer than Iraq's, control of the Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
was relatively easy. Shore batteries with missiles can control a large part of this area, especially around the Hormuz Strait
The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...
.
Iraq also acquired Silkworms, some with an IR homing ability. Iraqi OSA-class missile boats equipped with SS-N-2 used them against the IRIN navy, managed to hit and sink an Iranian La Combattante IIa-class fast attack craft
The La Combattante IIa fast attack craft is a class of fast attack craft originally built for the German Navy as Type 148 . They were later transferred to the Hellenic Navy and the class was renamed Combattante IIa, as with similar French made shi ...
, but sustained heavy losses, especially from Iranian Harpoons
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal ...
and Mavericks
Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Bureau ...
. Iraqi forces combined SS-N-2 (P-15 Termit) launched from Tu-22, Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical director ...
missiles launched from Mirage F1 and Super Etendard, as well as Silkworm missiles and C-601 missiles launched from Tu-16 and H-6 bombers, bought from the Soviet Union and China to engage the Iranian Navy and tankers carrying Iranian oil.
Gulf War (1990-1991)
During the First Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
an Iraqi missile crew attacked US battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
with a Silkworm, while it was escorting a fleet of minesweepers engaged in coastal anti-mine operations. HMS ''Gloucester'' engaged the missile with a salvo shot of Sea Dart missile
Sea Dart, or GWS.30 was a Royal Navy surface-to-air missile system designed in the 1960s and entering service in 1973. It was fitted to the Type 42 destroyers (United Kingdom and Argentina), Type 82 destroyer and s of the Royal Navy. Originally ...
s which destroyed it after it had flown over its initial target.
Operators
The P-15 missile family and their clones were widely deployed from the 1960s. They were big and powerful weapons, but quite cheap and so made in the thousands. It is difficult even to list all the operators.
The German Navy, after reunification, gave its stock of almost 200 P-15s to the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in 1991, these weapons being mainly the P-15M/P-22. They were used for missile defence tests.
Current operators
*Algerian National Navy
, image = Algerian Naval badge.svg
, image_size = 220px
, caption = Algerian Naval badge
, dates = 1516–18271963–present
, country ...
*Angolan Navy
The Angolan Navy ( pt, Marinha de Guerra Angolana) or MGA is the naval branch of the Angolan Armed Forces and is tasked with protecting Angola's 1,600 km long coastline. The Angolan Navy has approximately 1,000 personnel.
History
The Angolan Na ...
*Azerbaijan Navy
The Azerbaijan Navy ( az, Azərbaycan Hərbi Dəniz Qüvvələri) is the naval component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces operating in the Caspian Sea.
History
The inception of Azerbaijani Naval Forces dates back to August 5, 1919, when the gove ...
*Bulgarian Navy
The Bulgarian Navy ( bg, Военноморски сили на Република България, Voennomorski sili na Republika Balgariya, lit=Naval Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria) is the navy of the Republic of Bulgaria and forms part of ...
– P-15MC
*Cuban Navy
The Cuban Revolutionary Navy ( es, Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria) is the navy of Cuba.
History
The Constitutional Navy of Cuba was the navy of Cuba that existed prior to 1959. During World War II, it sank the German submarine ''U-176'' on 15 ...
*Cameroon Navy
The Cameroon Armed Forces (french: Forces armées camerounaises (FAC)) are the military of the Republic of Cameroon. The armed forces number 40,000 personnel in ground, air, and naval forces. There are approximately 40,000 troops in the army acr ...
*Egyptian Navy
The Egyptian Navy ( ar, القوات البحرية المصرية, El-Quwwāt el-Bahareya el-Miṣriyya, Egyptian Navy Forces), also known as the Egyptian Naval Force, is the maritime branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is the largest navy ...
*Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...
*Indonesian Navy
The Indonesian Navy ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, , Indonesian National Military-Naval Force, TNI-AL) is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol I ...
*Iranian Navy
, ''Daryādelān''"Seahearts"
, patron =
, motto = fa, راه ما، راه حسین است, ''Rāh-e ma, rāh-e hoseyn ast''"''Our Path, Is Hussain's Path''"
, colors =
...
*Libyan Navy
Libyan Navy ( ar, قوات البحرية الليبية) is the branch of the Libyan military responsible for naval warfare. Established in November 1962, Libyan Navy has been headed by Admiral Mansour Bader, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Naval F ...
*Moroccan Navy
ber, ⴰⴷⵡⴰⵙ ⴰⴳⴻⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵢⵉⵍⴻⵍ
, image =
, caption = Royal Moroccan Navy Seal
, start_date = active since: 11th century
current form: 30 Apr ...
*Korean People's Navy
The Korean People's Army Naval Force (KPANF; Korean: 조선인민군 해군; Hanja: 朝鮮人民軍 海軍; ''Chosŏn-inmingun Haegun''; ) or the Korean People's Navy (KPN), is the naval service branch of the Korean People's Army, which contai ...
* People's Liberation Army Navy
*Romanian Navy
The Romanian Navy ( ro, Forțele Navale Române) is the navy branch of the Romanian Armed Forces; it operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube. It traces its history back to 1860.
History
The Romanian Navy was founded in 1860 as a river flot ...
* Russian Navy
* Somalian Navy
*Sri Lankan Navy
ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை
, image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy
, dates =
, c ...
*Syrian Arab Navy
The Syrian Navy, officially the Syrian Arab Navy ( ar, الْبَحْرِيَّةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ السُّورِيَّةُ, al-Baḥrīyah al-ʿArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is the navy branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. The main role ...
*Vietnam People's Navy
The Vietnam People's Navy (VPN; vi, Hải quân nhân dân Việt Nam), or the Naval Service (), also known as the Vietnamese People's Navy or simply Vietnam/Vietnamese Navy (), is the naval branch of the Vietnam People's Army and is responsi ...
*Yemeni Navy
The Yemeni Navy and Coastal Defence Forces is the maritime component of the armed forces of Yemen.
Yemen's navy was created in 1990 when North and South Yemen united.
Yemen early on had problems with trying to keep drugs from entering Yemen by ...
Former operators
*Bangladeshi Navy
The Bangladesh Navy ( bn, বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী, Bangladesh Nou Bahini) is the naval warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, responsible for Bangladesh's of maritime territorial area, and the defence of impor ...
, retired from service.
*Finnish Navy
The Finnish Navy ( fi, Merivoimat, sv, Marinen) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short f ...
, retired from service.
*East German Navy
The ''Volksmarine'' (VM, ; en, People's Navy) was the naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The ''Volksmarine'' was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a coastal d ...
, passed on to Germany.
*German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
, acquired from East Germany after the German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
and withdrawn from service shortly thereafter.
*Georgian Navy
The Georgian Coast Guard ( ka, საქართველოს სანაპირო დაცვა) is the maritime arm of the Georgian Border Police, within the Ministry for Internal Affairs. It is responsible for the maritime protection ...
, several dozen missiles Delivered from Ukraine, Out of service.[http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php]
*Iraqi Navy
The Iraqi Naval Forces (Arabic: القوات البحرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed forces of Iraq. Formed in 1937, initially as the ''Iraqi Coastal Defense Force,'' its primary resp ...
, acquired during the 1970s through 1980s, phased out.
* Polish Navy, withdrawn from combat service, 31 March 2006. They are currently used as target drone
A target drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, generally remote controlled, usually used in the training of anti-aircraft crews.
One of the earliest drones was the British DH.82 Queen Bee, a variant of the Tiger Moth trainer aircraft operational ...
s for anti-aircraft training.
* Soviet Navy
*SFR Yugoslav Navy
The Yugoslav Navy ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска ратна морнарица, Jugoslavenska ratna mornarica, Yugoslav War Navy), was the navy of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992. It was essenti ...
Captured-only operators
*US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
, for experimental activities.
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*Slade, Stuart, ''The true history of Soviet anti-ship missiles'', Rivista Italiana Difesa
''Rivista Italiana Difesa'' (''RID''; meaning ''Italian Defence Magazine'' in English) is an Italian military magazine published by Coop Giornalistica La Riviera, from Chiavari (Liguria
it, Ligure
, population_note =
, population_blan ...
magazine May 1994.
*Shikavthecenko, V, 'Lightings in the sea: the Russian FACs developments' RID September 1995.
SY-1 missile
C.201 missile
External links
*
{{Russian and Soviet missiles, SSM
P-015
P-015
Surface-to-surface missiles
MKB Raduga products