The P-15 Termit (; ) is an anti-ship cruise 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. 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), North Korean 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 missile boats/fast attack craft to destroyers, coastal batteries, and bomber 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 The SS-N-1 was a powerful but rather raw system, and it was soon superseded by the SS-N-3 Shaddock.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 cruisers and replaced an initial plan for 30,000-ton battlecruisers armed with and 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
thumb|left|[[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, two delta wings in the center and three control surfaces in the tail. It was also fitted with a solid-fueled booster under the belly. 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 the same 'punch' as a battleship 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 .
Although the range of the P-15 was twice that of the Israeli Gabriel, allowing Arab ships to fire first, radar jamming and chaff degraded their accuracy. In the Battle of Latakia and Battle of Baltim, 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 30 mm 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", were employed by Iran against Iraq in the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War, with some success. The length of the Iranian coastline allowed their missile shore batteries to control a large part of the Persian Gulf, especially around the Straights of Hormuz.
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 Kaman-class fast attack craft, but sustained heavy losses, especially from Iranian Harpoons and Mavericks. Iraqi forces combined SS-N-2 (P-15 Termit) launched from Tu-22, Exocet 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 Iraqis fired two Silkworms against Coalition ships on 25 February 1991. One suffered a mechanical failure and crashed into the sea, while the other headed for battleship , which was escorting a fleet of minesweepers engaged in coastal anti-mine operations. USS Missouri launched flares and chaffs to spoof the missile while HMS Gloucester engaged the Silkworm with a salvo of Sea Dart missiles which destroyed it after it had missed its target.
Operators
thumb|400px|Map with P-15 Termit operators in blue and former operators in red
The P-15 missile family and their clones were widely deployed from the 1960s.
thumb|A twin vertical launcher aboard the German corvette [[Hiddensee (corvette)|Hiddensee. Note the support for the ventral booster.]]
The German Navy, after reunification, gave its stock of almost 200 P-15s to the United States Navy in 1991, these weapons being mainly the P-15M/P-22. They were used for missile defence tests.
Current
- – P-20U and 4K51 Rubezh.
- – P-22 Mounted on Tarantul-class corvettes and 4K51 Rubezh on coastal batteries. P-20, and 4K51 Rubezh. – retired from service.
- – retired from service.
- – HY-1 and HY-2 used on Type 021-class missile boats and Type 024 missile boats,
- – used on Komar-class missile boats. – passed on to successor states.
- – operated some prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- – acquired after the Yemeni unification. Non-operational after the civil war.
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
- Slade, Stuart, The true history of Soviet anti-ship missiles, Rivista Italiana Difesa magazine May 1994.
- Shikavthecenko, V, 'Lightings in the sea: the Russian FACs developments' RID September 1995.
- SY-1 missile
- C.201 missile