SS-N-26 Strobile

SS-N-26 Strobile
General Information
Type	Anti-ship missile
Local name	3K55 Jachont, P-800 Oniks, 3M55
NATO designation	SS-N-26 Strobile
Country of origin	Soviet Union / Russia
Manufacturer	NPO Maschinostrojenija
development	1981
Commissioning	1998
Working time	in service
Technical specifications
length	8.90 m
diameter	720 mm
Combat weight	3,000 kg
span	1,700 mm
Drive ; First stage ; Second stage	; Solid fuel booster ; ramjet engine
speed	750 m / s (high-flying), 680 m / s (low-flying)
Range	300 km
Service ceiling	14,000 m
Furnishing
steering	Inertial navigation platform plus satellite navigation plus data link
Target location	Active or passive radar target search
Warhead	200–300 kg high explosive armor piercing or nuclear warhead
Detonator	Impact fuse & proximity fuse
Weapon platforms	Ships, submarines, vehicles, planes
Lists on the subject

SS-N-26 Strobile is the NATO code for an anti-ship missile made in Russia. The system name of the Russian armed forces is P-800 Oniks and the export name Jachont (in the English transcription Yakhont ). The GRAY index for the entire system is 3K55 and the missile is designated 3M55 .

development

Development of the SS-N-26 began in 1981 at NPO Maschinostrojenija . The aim was to develop a universally applicable anti-ship guided weapon. The new guided missile should be usable by ships, submarines, trucks and airplanes. For the time being, the system was called P-100 Bolid . First tests were carried out in 1987. A corvette of the Nanuchka class was equipped with 2 × 6 guided weapons for the sea trials . The submarine K-452 - a Charlie II class boat - was equipped with 8 × 3 guided missiles for underwater testing. In 1998 the SS-N-26 was temporarily included in the armament of the Russian Navy under the designation P-800 Oniks . However, the tense financial situation of the Russian armed forces prevented procurement for the time being. It was only in 2002 that a few specimens could be procured for test purposes. In the meantime, the SS-N-26 was offered on the export market under the name Jachont . In the Russian Navy, the SS-N-26 is to be used on the submarines of the Granay class and the frigates of the Admiral Gorshkov class (project 22350), which are currently under development .

technology

The P-800 Oniks can be launched from ships, submarines, aircraft and coastal positions. The guided weapons are housed in steel containers and are fired directly from them. The starting container has a characteristic cylindrical geometry, is 8.9 meters (m) long and has a diameter of 0.71 m. The series version of the P-800 Oniks can also be started from VLS cells . Before starting, the approximate position and course of the target must be entered in the missile's navigation system. These are determined from the launch platform using sonar , radar or ELINT . The guided missiles can be launched individually or in short series. When starting, the missile is first accelerated by the solid fuel booster and rises to a height of around 100 m. After the booster burns out, it is thrown off and the 3D55 ramjet march engine ignites. Then the rocket adopts the preprogrammed altitude. There are two preprogrammed flight profiles: With the standard flight profile, the cruise flight takes place at an altitude of 14,000 m at a speed of Mach 2.3. The last 20–40 km are covered at low altitude . The range with this flight profile is 300 km. In addition, the flight to the destination can be carried out low at Mach 1.6 at a height of 10-15 m. The range for this flight profile is 120–150 km. The flight to the target area takes place autonomously with the help of the inertial navigation platform . A radar altimeter ensures the necessary safety distance between the missile and the sea surface. Updated target data can be sent from the launch platform to the missile using a data link . The on-board active radar seeker is activated for the target approach. This has a detection range of 50–77 km. If the target has been detected by the radar seeker, it is switched off and the missile is guided to the target with the help of the passive radar seeker. This is based on the electromagnetic emissions (radar, interference systems) of the target. If the missile loses its target, the active radar seeker is automatically reactivated. The impact at the target takes place at wave height in the ship's hull. The warhead ignites with a time delay so that it explodes inside the ship. Due to its high speed, the P-800 Oniks has a high kinetic energy, which has a great potential for damage.

The developers kept in mind during development that most modern warships have effective missile defense measures. They assumed that an opponent would pick up the launch of the missile around 300 km away and attempt to intercept it. The P-800 Oniks therefore has a number of systems for overcoming enemy defensive measures. First, the guided missile reaches a high airspeed. This is Mach 1.6 at low altitude and Mach 2.3 at high altitude. In addition, special emphasis was placed on protection against electronic interference measures. According to the manufacturer, the P-800 Oniks is largely insensitive to electronic interference measures. During the target approach, the missile performs abrupt evasive maneuvers at random. In addition, the rocket surface is provided with a radar-absorbing protective layer.

The launch platforms can be equipped with a fire control system comparable to that of the SS-N-19 Shipwreck . This was equipped with a complex software package to coordinate the fight against individual ships or a group of ships. This software is used when the missiles are launched in volleys. The missiles pick up targets independently, determine their combat value and exchange this information with one another. The attack plan is coordinated among each other on the basis of this data. The respective defense measures against electronic countermeasures and ECM (EloKa) as well as the necessary maneuvers to bypass the enemy air defense (especially the American CIWS system) are stored in the missile. As soon as the priority target of a group of ships is destroyed, the remaining missiles in the volley attack the other ships in the group. Two missiles never attack the same ship - unless it is not destroyed, so that another P-800 Oniks locks onto it.

In addition, the P-800 Oniks can also be used against land targets.

variants

P-800 Oniks: Initial version with a 300 kg penetration warhead. Airspeed Mach 2.3. Range 260 km.
P-800M Oniks-M: Improved design of new electronics and a range of 800 km. In development.
Jachont: export version with simplified electronics and 200 kg penetration warhead.
Jachont-M: Improved export version with new 250 kg warhead and new electronics. Airspeed Mach 2.6. Range 300 km.
Jachont-A (Ch-61): Airborne version for use from aircraft. Prototype only.
K-300 Bastion-P : Mobile version for coastal defense. NATO code name : SS-C-5 Stooge .
K-300 Bastion-S: Stationary version for coastal defense. The guided missiles are stationed in bunkered missile silos .
BrahMos : guided weapon based on Jachont-M. Developed jointly by Russia and India .

status

The following classes of ships of the Russian Navy (or are) equipped with SS-N-26: The Corvettes of Buyan-M-class (Project 21631), Gremjaschtschi class (Project 20385) and the frigates of the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate (Project 22350). In addition, the SS-N-26 comes on the submarines of Granay class (Project 885) are used. In December 2011, a representative of the Russian armaments industry announced that the Oscar class II submarines (Project 949A) should also be equipped with SS-N-26 cruise missiles, among other things.

The first export customer was Vietnam . In 2006, Vietnam ordered two K-300 Bastion-P systems and 40 guided missiles for coastal defense.

In 2008, Syria ordered an initially unknown number of Jachonts for coastal defense. In December 2011 two batteries with 72 guided missiles were delivered. In May 2013, according to US information, additional, further developed missiles were delivered. According to media reports, these were in one of one Israeli submarine of the Dolphin class partially destroyed launched attack in July, 2013.

commitment

The SS-N-26 was first deployed as part of the Russian military deployment in the civil war in Syria in November 2016. It was deployed from the vehicle-based platform K-300 Bastion against targets in Syria.