January 14, 2008: Although India has
purchased 175 Russian 3M54 (also known
as the SS-N-27, Sizzler or Klub) anti-ship missiles, it is now feuding with the
Russians over repeated failures of the Klub during six test firings last
Fall. The missiles were fired off the Russian coast, using an Indian Kilo class
submarines, INS Sindhuvijay. That boat went to Russia in 2006 for upgrades. Now
India refuses to pay for the upgrades, or take back the sub, until Russia fixes
the problems with the missiles.
Weighing two tons, and fired from a
533mm (21 inch) torpedo tube on a Kilo class sub, the 3M54 has a 440 pound
warhead. The anti-ship version has a range of 300 kilometers, but speeds up to
3,000 kilometers an hour during its last minute or so of flight. There is also
an air launched and ship launched version. A land attack version does away with
the high speed final approach feature, and has an 880 pound warhead. What makes
the 3M54 particularly dangerous is its
final approach, which begins when the missile is about 15 kilometers from its
target. Up to that point, the missile travels at an altitude of about a hundred
feet. This makes the missile more difficult to detect. The high speed approach
means that it covers that last fifteen kilometers in less than twenty seconds.
This makes it difficult for current anti-missile weapons to take it down.
The 3M54 is similar to earlier, Cold
War era Russian anti-ship missiles, like the 3M80 ("Sunburn"), which has a
larger warhead (660 pounds) and shorter range (120 kilometers.) The 3M80 was
still in development at the end of the Cold War, and was finally put into
service about a decade ago. Even older is the P700 ("Shipwreck"), with a 550
kilometers range and 1,650 pound warhead. This missile entered service in the
1980s.
Iran may have Russian 3M54 missiles, for use in the Kilo class subs it
bought from Russia in the 1990s. China has a dozen Kilos on order, and some of
them have already been delivered. China has also received 3M54 missiles. These
missiles are considered "carrier killers," but it's not known how
many of them would have to hit a carrier to knock it out of action, much less
sink it. However, Russian missiles have little combat experience, and a
reputation for erratic performance. Quality control was never a Soviet strength,
but the Russians are getting better, at least in the civilian sector. The
military manufacturers appear to have been slower to adapt.
