Silkworm missile
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The HY-2 Hai Ying (Template:Zh-cpl), known in Western media as the Silkworm missile, is an anti-ship cruise missile made by China.
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Specifications
It is based on the Russian SS-N-2 Styx missile, and has a maximum range of 95 km, with a 513 kilogram payload. Silkworm missiles are 7.36 metres long, and weigh 2988 kg. They can be launched from semi-mobile (towed) launchers or from ships.
History
The Silkworm was developed at the Institute of Mechanics under Tsien Hsue-shen, a Chinese-American scientist deported from the United States in 1955 for suspected communist ties.
The Silkworm gained fame in the 1980s when it was used by both sides in the Iran-Iraq War; both countries were supplied by China. More recently, the missile was used by Iraq in the 2003 Iraq War.
In March 1988, China agreed to stop supplying Iran with HY-2 missiles, though it is reported that supply continued into 1989. Iran has since developed the capability to manufacture these missiles itself.
Naming confusion
The name Silkworm may be slightly inaccurate. Coined by Western analysts, this term has been apparently used to refer to both HY-1 and HY-2 missiles.
The HY-1 missile, NATO codename CSS-C-2 has been nicknamed both Silkworm, and Sea Eagle (from the Chinese Haiying).
The HY-2 missile, NATO codename CSS-C-3 has been nicknamed Seersucker and Silkworm. This is the missile China has exported to many Middle Eastern countries, and is the missile referred to in this article, and in the mainstream media.
These weapons are, however, very similar to each other.
External links
- Federation of American Scientists page on HY-1 (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/hy-1.htm) and HY-2 (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/c-201.htm)