If there is a list of the most powerful weapons in the world, then Russia’s top missile, the P-800 anti-ship missile is definitely on the list; its range can reach 300 kilometers, and the maximum speed can reach Mach 3.5.
And it can change its trajectory in flight. It is said that only one can sink a large warship, and if five P-800s are fired simultaneously, it will cause severe damage to the aircraft carrier.
P-800 “Onyx,” NATO code name SS-N-26 is a supersonic anti-ship missile designed by the Soviet Chelomei Design Bureau in 1983 to replace the P-270 “Mosquito” and P-700 “Granite.”
An improved version of the 700, GRAU number 3M55, The export type is called Yakhont, which means ruby or sapphire, also known as a ruby anti-ship missile.
The vertical launch SS-N-26 “Ruby” new-generation supersonic anti-ship missile belongs to the fourth generation of anti-ship missiles. The projectile has super attack capability and can carry out single-shot or salvo attacks on an enemy surface ship.
The missile has a flight speed of Mach 2.5, and the final flight altitude can be reduced to 5 meters. It adopts a composite navigation system. The cruise section is inertial navigation, and the final section is active radar guidance. Depending on the launch trajectory, the maximum range is 120 kilometers and 300 kilometers, respectively.
Compared with the previous generations of anti-ship missiles made by Russia (Soviet Union), the most significant feature of the “Ruby” anti-ship missile system is its versatility.
This missile has been thoroughly considered from the beginning for the versatility of different vehicles: it can be deployed on submarines, surface ships, and speedboats, can also be mounted on aircraft, and can also be used by shore-based launchers.
In terms of generality, it greatly exceeds the “record setter” in this field – the US “Harpoon” anti-ship missile. In addition, the “Ruby” missile also has the following outstanding features:
- A range beyond the horizon.
- fully autonomous combat use (“fire-and-forget”).
- flexible ballistics for a cruise (“low ballistic” or “high-low ballistic”).
- Maintains supersonic speeds during all phases of flight.
- It has shallow exposure characteristics to modern radars.
Developed based on the P-800 “Ruby” anti-ship missile, it adopts a shuttle dart-type aerodynamic layout design, and the surface of the missile body is coated with radar absorbing materials, which has excellent stealth capabilities.
It adopts a two-stage power system of the solid rocket booster and ramjet engine and a combination of active radar guidance and satellite navigation.
It has excellent supersonic flight performance and hit accuracy and can also use ultra-low altitude maneuvering ballistics flight, with a strong penetration ability.
