Styx, originally named P-15 Termit and developed by the Soviet Union and known to the West (NATO) by this reporting name, is a world-famous anti-ship guided missile. Designed in the mid-1950s, this missile completely changed military doctrines as the first system to sink a ship with a guided missile in the history of naval warfare.
Key Features
Historical First: In the conflicts following the 1967 Six-Day War, Styx missiles fired by Soviet-made Egyptian command boats sank the Israeli destroyer Eilat. This event is recorded as the first major warship sunk by a missile in naval history.
Design Structure: It has a cylindrical fuselage with wide wings, resembling a small aircraft. It uses a liquid-fueled rocket engine and a solid-fueled launch booster at the bottom for takeoff.
Destructive Power: It carries a massive warhead weighing approximately 500 kg containing “shaped explosive” (HEAT). This amount of power is sufficient to disable even large tonnage ships with a single hit.
Key Characteristics
Developing Country: Soviet Union (Raduga Design Bureau)
Entered Service: 1960
Length: Approximately 5.5 – 6 meters
Weight: More than 2 tons (approximately 2,100-2,300 kg)
Speed: Mach 0.9 (Below the speed of sound, approximately 1,170 km/h)
Range: Around 40-80 km in early versions, more in developed models
Warhead: Approximately 450-500 kg high explosive (HE) conventional warhead
Global Impact and Legacy
Due to its inexpensive, lethal, and effective nature, the Styx missile was widely used in Warsaw Pact countries, the Middle East, and Asia. China reverse-engineered this missile to develop its own famous Silkworm missile family. The success of the Styx forced the Western world to urgently develop its own naval defense systems and anti-ship missiles, such as the famous Harpoon and Exocet.
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The Styx, manufactured by Soviet Russia, was the first guided missile in history to sink a ship. In 1967, an Israeli ship was struck and sunk by a Styx missile launched by the Egyptian Navy.