''Metel'' Anti-Ship Complex (russian: противолодочный комплекс «Метель» 'Snowstorm';

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 man ...

: SS-N-14 Silex) is a Russian family of

anti-submarine missile An anti-submarine missile is a standoff anti-submarine weapon. Often a variant of anti-ship missile designs, an anti-submarine systems typically use a jet or rocket engine, to deliver an explosive warhead aimed directly at a submarine, a depth c ...

s. There are different anti-submarine variants ('Metel') for cruisers and frigates, and a later version with a shaped charge ('Rastrub') that can be used against shipping as well as submarines. The missile carries an underslung anti-submarine torpedo which it drops immediately above the suspected position of a submarine. The torpedo then proceeds to search and then home in on the submarine. In the case of the 85RU/URPK-5, the UGMT-1 torpedo is a multi-purpose torpedo and can be used against submarines as well as surface ships. The missile has been in operational service since 1968, but is no longer in production; it was superseded by the

RPK-2 Viyuga The RPK-2 Vyuga (, ''blizzard''; NATO reporting name: SS-N-15 Starfish), also designated as 81R, is a Soviet submarine-launched, nuclear-armed anti-submarine missile system, launched exclusively through torpedo tubes. The system was designed i ...

(SS-N-15 'Starfish').

Development

In the early 1960s the Soviet Union introduced the

RBU-6000 The RBU-6000 Smerch-2 (Реактивно-Бомбовая Установка, ''Reaktivno-Bombovaja Ustanovka''; reaction engine-bomb installation & Смерч; waterspout) is a 213 mm caliber Soviet anti-submarine rocket launcher. It is ...

and

RBU-1000 The RBU-1000 Smerch-3 is a 300 mm caliber Russian anti-submarine and anti-torpedo rocket launcher. It entered service around 1962–1963. It is similar in operation to the Hedgehog system used during the Second World War. The RBU-1000 is remo ...

anti-submarine rocket launchers, which worked on a similar principle to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

Hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

system of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, propelling small depth charges up to from a ship. However this meant that a ship would still be in range of the submarine's torpedoes and missiles, and depth charges were less accurate than homing torpedoes. In 1963 the US Navy introduced

ASROC The RUR-5 ASROC (for "Anti-Submarine Rocket") is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed ...

, a missile that flew to the estimated position of the target submarine, and then dropped a torpedo into the water to destroy it. The SS-N-14 was the Soviet response. In 1993, an upgraded version, designated YP-85, with a range of , was proposed for export.

Design

The missile is based on 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 ...

(NATO: SS-N-9 'Siren') anti-shipping missile. The missile itself is radio command guided and is powered by a solid fuel rocket motor. The later 'Rastrub' models of the weapon were "universal" carrying a UGMT-1 multi-purpose

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, ...

and in addition had shaped charge warhead for use against ships guided by radio command and infrared seeker. In anti-submarine mode the missile flew at approximately altitude, and when it was over the estimated position of the target submarine the missile was commanded to release the torpedo or depth charge. In anti-shipping mode the missile flies much lower, at .

Operational history

The URPK-3 entered service in 1969 on the and classes of

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several ...

s. The URPK-4 was introduced in 1973, and the anti-ship version URPK-5 Rastrub in 1976. The URPK-4 has been used With the first batch of the s; the ''Udaloy'' II carries the SS-N-15 'Starfish'. The system was installed on the

battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

''Admiral Ushakov'' (ex-''Kirov'') but not on her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

s. Of these the Krestas and Karas have been retired, along with most of the Burevestniks and half the ''Udaloy''s; the ''Kirov'' appears to have been upgraded to the

SS-N-16 RPK-6 ''Vodopad'' (, "waterfall") is a Soviet 533 mm anti-submarine missile deployed operationally since 1981. RPK-7 ''Veter'' (, "wind") is a 650 mm version, deployed operationally since 1984. Both missiles are given the same United States Navy d ...

'Stallion' at some point. 100 missiles are estimated to remain in service .

Variants

85RU missile in Dubna museum of missiles history, Russia

* 60R - Original version armed with 5 kt nuclear depth charge * 70R - Original version armed with AT-2U ASW torpedo * 83R/URPK-3 ''Metel'' - Cruiser version of the missile using the guidance system from the

SA-N-3 The M-11 Shtorm (russian: М-11 «Шторм»; en, Storm) is a Russian naval surface-to-air missile system. Its GRAU designation is 4K60. Its NATO reporting name is SA-N-3 Goblet. The system was first installed on , an anti-submarine warfare ...

missile and the KT-106 launcher. Uses AT-1 torpedo (EA-45-70A) * 84R/URPK-4 ''Metel-U'', KT-106U launcher, used on ''Udaloy''-class destroyers. Entered service 1973. Uses AT-2 (AT-2UM) torpedo (E53-72), which has either 100 kg HE warhead or possibly a 5 kt nuclear warhead. * 85RU/URPK-5 ''Rastrub'', KT-100U launcher. Entered service 1975. Carries UGMT-1 (AT-3 Orlan) anti- sub and anti-ship torpedo and is in addition anti-shipping missile with a warhead of 185 kg. ** 85RUS/URPK-5 Nuclear tipped version of the missile. * YP-85 Proposed long-range version - see above.

Operators

; ;

Gallery

File:Vice_Admiral_Kulakov-5-Missiles.JPG, SS-N-14 Silex missiles aboard the ''Udaloy''-class destroyer ''Vice Admiral Kulakov'' departing

Portsmouth Naval Base His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...

, United Kingdom, August 2012. File:Vice_Admiral_Kulakov-2.jpg, SS-N-14 Silex missile launchers aboard the ''Udaloy''-class destroyer ''Vice Admiral Kulakov'' arriving at

, United Kingdom, August 2012.

Notes and references

* ''Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1997 to 1998'' * ''Jane's Underwater Warfare Systems 2006-2007

External links

Images of the missiles in the launch tubes at wonderland.org.nz

Page about the SS-N-14 in Russian

{{Russian and Soviet missiles, SSM Anti-submarine missiles Submarine-launched cruise missiles of Russia Cold War submarine-launched cruise missiles of the Soviet Union Naval weapons of Russia Guided missiles of the Soviet Union Nuclear weapons Military equipment introduced in the 1960s