La sigla "SS-N-22" in realtà non individuava un unico missile (come si credeva) ma due missili differenti: il P80 ZUBR e il P 270 Moskit

SS-N-22 Sunburn fu il nome in codice NATO con il quale i paesi del patto Atlantico, durante la guerra fredda, identificavano erroneamente con un'unica denominazione due missili antinave sovietici per niente imparentati: il P-80 Zubr a corto raggio e il P-270 Moskit a medio raggio. Sebbene i missili fossero molto differenti, distinguerli tra loro era difficile poiché i loro dispositivi di lancio erano identici. La confusione già venutasi a creare fu intensificata dalla consuetudine sovietica di non distinguere i tipi di missili utilizzati dalla stessa classe di navi. Per questo fino alla dissoluzione dell'Unione Sovietica non si venne a sapere che la sigla "SS-N-22" in realtà non individuava un unico missile (come si credeva) ma due missili differenti.

P-80 Zubr

Uno dei due missili identificati come SS-N-22 era il P-80 Zubr, progettato da una squadra guidata da Vladimir Chelomei. Il Zubr aveva un motore a razzo ed era armato con una testata di 250 kg. Era trasportato da un modello primordiale del cacciatorpediniere classe Sovremennyj e dalla corvetta classe Tarantul. Anche la versione utilizzabile dai sottomarini lanciamissili era stata designata dalla NATO con il nome in codice SS-N-22 Sunburn, ma era conosciuta dai sovietici come P-100 Oniks.

P-270 Moskit

L'altro missile identificato come SS-N-22 (ma non imparentato con l'altro) era il Raduga P-270 Moskit. Esso era caratterizzato dalla presenza di uno statoreattore come motore a reazione e da un apparato di guida idoneo al volo radente, capace di superare la velocità di Mach 2. Siccome il modello base, pensato per la classe di cacciatorpediniere Project 965 'Sovremennj', era troppo pesante per essere usato dalle corvette classe 'Tarantul', i sovietici ne realizzarono una versione più piccola che la NATO designò comunque con il nome SS-N-22.

Ne esiste anche una versione aria-superficie, nota come Kh-41, lanciabile da Sukhoi Su-34 e forse anche dal Su-33 (alcuni analisti infatti ritengono che il Moskit sia troppo pesante per essere impiegato da quest'ultimo velivolo, soprattutto se decollato da portaerei).

Si tratta di armi dal potenziale molto elevato, ma con pecche dovute al costo elevato, alla mole notevole e soprattutto alla gittata non superiore a quella di armi più piccole ed economiche, sufficienti ad affrontare una minaccia non troppo sofisticata. Per esempio, uno dei modelli di corvetta sovietici, basata sulle 'Tarantul', è dotata di 4 lanciatori quadrupli per SS-N-25 (simili agli 'Harpoon'), piuttosto che di 4 Moskit: probabilmente 4 di questi ordigni SS-N-25 hanno anche più probabilità di raggiungere il bersaglio rispetto a un singolo SS-N-22.

ENGLISH

SS-N-22 Sunburn is the NATO reporting name for two unrelated Soviet anti-ship missiles. Although the missiles were very different, distinguishing between them is difficult because their ship-mounted launching containers were identical. Confusion was exacerbated by the Soviet practice of mixing missile types within a class of ships. It was therefore not confirmed that the "SS-N-22" actually referenced two different missiles until after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Chelomei rocket

Main article: P-80 Zubr

One of the SS-N-22s was the P-80 Zubr, designed by a team led by Vladimir Chelomei. The Zubr was rocket-propelled and armed with a 250 kilogram warhead. It was carried by early-model Sovremenny-class destroyers and Tarantul-class corvettes. The submarine-launched version of this missile was also designated as an SS-N-22 Sunburn by NATO but was known to the Soviets as the P-100 Oniks.

MKB Raduga model

The other, unrelated SS-N-22 was the Raduga P-270 Moskit. It was ramjet-propelled (though launched by a small solid-fuel rocket), and was carried by later-model Sovremenny class destroyers, Tarantul class corvettes, and several smaller warships. This weapon has a top speed of Mach 3. The high speed of the missile means a typical response time for the target of only 25 to 30 seconds, giving a target little time to react. Moskit can be armed with a warhead of 320 kg.

Another version of this weapon is called the ASM-MMS; it is intended to be launched by a Su-33.

The People's Republic of China acquired SS-N-22 launchers and missiles (specifically, the for-export 3M-80E Moskit variant) with a 1999–2000 purchase of two Sovremenny destroyers from Russia. According to Russia, the PRC funded the development of the SS-N-22 version for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). It has the designation 3M-80MBE, and this version differs from earlier versions mainly in having increased range (now beyond 220 km; 240 km has been quoted). These new missiles will be first installed on board the second pair of Sovremenny class destroyers. A total of 500 SS-N-22 AShM were ordered by the PRC for the four Russian-built Sovremenny class destroyers. With the exception of the first 20, these are the 3M-80MBE variant. The PRC has stockpiled roughly 15 SS-N-22 missiles per launch tube (each destroyer having a total of 8 launchers in two quadruple configurations). It is speculated that the PLA intends to use the missiles against carrier battle groups deployed by the United States Navy in the event of a confrontation with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Six SS-N-22 launchers were also present on the Soviet ekranoplan Lun.

Design

It reaches a speed of Mach 3 (3,675 km/h; 2,284 mph) at high altitude and Mach 2.2 at low-altitude. This speed is 4.25 to 3 times more than speed of the subsonic American Harpoon. The Moskit was designed to be employed against smaller NATO naval groups in the Baltic Sea (Danish and German) and the Black Sea (Turkish) and non-NATO vessels in the Pacific (Japanese, South Korean, etc.), and to defend the Russian mainland against NATO amphibious assault. The missile can perform intensive anti-defense maneuvers with overloads in excess of 10g, which completed for 9 km before the target.

Variants of the missile have been designated 3M80M, 3M82 (Moskit M). The P-270 designation is believed to be the initial product codename for the class of missile, with the Russian Ministry of Defense GRAU indices (starting with 3M) designating the exact variant of the missile. The 3M80 was its original model. The 3M80M model (also termed 3M80E for export) was a 1984 longer range version of the missile, with the latest version with the longest range being the 3M82 Moskit M. The ASM-MSS / Kh-41 variant is the 1993 air-launched version of the missile.

The 3M80MVE variant has an optional longer 240 km range through a second, high-altitude flight profile setting, however using the higher altitude profile would make the missile detectable at much greater distances.

Specifications

Launch range:

• min: 10–12 km (6.2–7.5 mi; 5.4–6.5 nmi)
• Maximum firing range:
• 3M80 – 90–120 km (56–75 mi; 49–65 nmi) (surface ship); 250 km (160 mi; 130 nmi) (aircraft)
• 3M80E – 120 km (75 mi; 65 nmi) (surface ship)
• 3M80MVE – 140 km (87 mi; 76 nmi) (surface ship, low-altitude trajectory); 240 km (150 mi; 130 nmi) (surface ship, combined trajectory)
• Missile flight speed: 2,800 km/h (1,700 mph; Mach 2.3)
• Missile cruising altitude: 10 – 20 m (low-altitude trajectory), under 7 m for the attack at the target.
• Launch sector relative to ship’s lateral plane, ang.deg: ±60
• Launch readiness time:
• From missile power-on till first launch: 50 seconds
• From combat-ready status: 11 seconds
• Inter-missile launch time (in a salvo): 5 seconds

Launch weight:

• 3M-80E missile 4,150 kg (9,150 lb)
• 3M-80E1 missile 3,970 kg (8,750 lb)
• Warhead type: penetrator
• Warhead weight: 300 kg (explosives 150)

Dimensions:

• Length: 9.385 m
• Body diameter: 0.8 m
• Wing span: 2.1 m
• Folded wing/empennage span: 1.3 m

Variants

• P-80 Zubr shorter dimensions and range.
• P-270 Moskit ' Sunburn ' longer range and dimensions, maybe faster.
• Kh-41 air launched AGM (air-to-ground missile) or AShM (anti-ship missile).
• 3M-80MVE Coastal Anti-Ship, GLCM (ground launch cruise missile), LACM (land attack cruise missile) variants, SSC-7/12 .

Operators

• Russia the main user, under VMF, GLCM in coastal missile defence (raketnjy berezhnjy\govaja okhrana), ALCM in VVS-  Russian Navy
• Egypt Used on P-32 Molniya class missile boat
• India
• Iran
• Vietnam
• People's Republic of China
• North Korea (unknown)

Former operators

• Soviet Union.