P-500 Bazalt

The P-500 Bazalt (4K80) is a surface-to-surface, supersonic, anti-ship missile in the arsenal of the Russian Navy. It was developed by the Soviet Union between 1963 and 1974, entering service with the Soviet Navy in 1975. While the US Navy gave importance to the aircraft carrier, the Soviet Union defense minister considered it was more strategically efficient and cheaper to develop and manufacture anti-ship cruise missiles instead capable to sink an aircraft carrier from a long way off. Thus, the Soviets would develop a series of lethal anti-ship cruise missiles, of which the P-5 Pyatyorka was the first one. The 1982 Falkland War would prove that the Soviets were right as an Argentine Navy's French-made Exocet-39 cruise missile sank the British destroyer HMS Sheffield.

During the Cold War, the P-500 Bazalt was launched from the Juliet and Echo II class submarines. However, as these subs were withdrawn from service, today the Bazalt is launched from the Slava class cruisers and frigates. A submarine was able to successively launch eight P-500 missiles in a fast salvo, keeping communications with them. The missiles used a datalink system and were fed course updates if necessary. One of the missiles in the salvo would fly at a high altitude, up to 7,000 meters (23,000 feet), using its active radar seeker to hunt the target. The others would remain at medium to low altitude (down to about 30 meters / 100 feet), with their seekers in passive homing mode while acquiring targeting updates from the high-flying missile.

The first trials of the P-500 system began in 1969. After six years of tests, solving technical problems, the weapon system was finally introduced into service in 1975. Ten of the 29 ECHO II-class attack submarines were refitted to carry the P-500. The submarines could communicate with the targeting systems from periscope depth. They carried eight missiles each, usually six with conventional warheads and two with nuclear warheads. The P-500 Bazalt was also used by surface vessels, including the four KIEV-class cruiser-carrier vessels and four SLAVA-class cruisers. The KIEV ships had eight launchers forward, while the SLAVA-class cruisers have 16 launchers, and can use their Kamov Ka-27 Helix helicopters for over-the-horizon targeting. This missile was developed into the P-1000 Vulkan.

Specifications

Type: anti-ship cruise missile

Total Weight: 4,800 kg (10,580 pounds)

Warhead Weight: 1,000 kg (2,205 pounds), yielding 350 kt.

Warhead Type: High Explosive or nuclear

Length: 11.7 m (38 feet, 5 inches)

Diameter: 0.9 m (3 feet)

Wing Span: 2.6 m (8 feet, 6 inches)

Guidance System: semi-active radar homing; terminal active radar homing.

Maximum Speed: Mach 2

Range: 600 km

The P-500 Bazalt to be loaded aboard a cruiser.